“The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Verses 22-24). This psalm is prophetic of the first coming of Christ. It appears also in Isaiah 28:16, Zechariah 10:4, Matt. 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7.
This psalm is about the travail our Lord went through when He was crucified and how believers should see it. In verse 27 it says, “The Lord is God shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with chords on the altar”. While this is a picture of an Old Testament sacrifice, that is exactly what Christ did as the sacrifice for our sins when He died on the cross.
Many years ago, a Jehovah’s Witness questioned me about why Christians honor the cross. I told him what the Apostle Paul said: “But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.” (KJV). The NLT translates says it this way, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.”
All believers from the beginning have rejoiced in the sacrifice God Himself would make to give us the hope of eternal life. Old Testament believers looked forward to it, and all New Testament believers look back to it. That is why the writer said, “This is the day (the day of the crucifixion) the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
“You are my God, and I will praise You! You are my God and I will exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Verses 28-29). This should be the delight of our hearts and minds – to praise God each day.