“This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 is probably one of the best known verses in the Bible. You have probably sung the chorus at least once in your lifetime.
Psalm 118:24 is one of those verses that seems so basic we almost skip over it as if it’s automatic. And yet I think many Christians struggle to do what the psalm says because some days are hard, like the one described in Zephaniah 1:15 -
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
While we understand that each day is a gift from God, the challenge is how to rejoice and be glad when things go wrong. We do that by reading the verse in it’s context, “I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:21-24).
The psalm is prophetic and is obviously talking about Jesus. While several New Testament passages quote the psalm in reference to Jesus, the clearest application is found in Acts 4:10-12,“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Jews rejected Jesus because He wasn’t their idea of the Messiah. So they crucified Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead.
The day Psalm 118:24 is talking about is the day of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This is the day the Lord has made. This is the day in which we can rejoice. This is the day that makes us glad. This is the day that gives us strength now and hope for tomorrow.
Regardless of how our days go — whether they be easy or hard — we can rejoice and be glad because of all Jesus accomplished for us.
Pastor Todd Weston
Psalm 118:24 is one of those verses that seems so basic we almost skip over it as if it’s automatic. And yet I think many Christians struggle to do what the psalm says because some days are hard, like the one described in Zephaniah 1:15 -
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
While we understand that each day is a gift from God, the challenge is how to rejoice and be glad when things go wrong. We do that by reading the verse in it’s context, “I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:21-24).
The psalm is prophetic and is obviously talking about Jesus. While several New Testament passages quote the psalm in reference to Jesus, the clearest application is found in Acts 4:10-12,“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Jews rejected Jesus because He wasn’t their idea of the Messiah. So they crucified Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead.
The day Psalm 118:24 is talking about is the day of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This is the day the Lord has made. This is the day in which we can rejoice. This is the day that makes us glad. This is the day that gives us strength now and hope for tomorrow.
Regardless of how our days go — whether they be easy or hard — we can rejoice and be glad because of all Jesus accomplished for us.
Pastor Todd Weston