²²The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. ²³This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Imagine being a pilgrim marching with a crowd of jubilant fellow worshipers up to Jerusalem for a festive occasion. Rounding the last corner and over the final ascent, the temple mount bursts into view, its walls aglow from the setting sun. Spontaneously, joyous singing breaks out with Psalm 118, amid great anticipation. The hope of the phrase, “Next year in Jerusalem,” expressing Jewish hope for the future, enlivens the hearts for this enactment of a future time when Israel will be restored to its former glory—no, a better glory that will usher in eternity. This psalm fits such an occasion and gives life to that hope.

This last in the collection of the so-called “Egyptian Hallel Psalms” (Pss. 113-114) has all the markings of a congregational song of praise. It begins by centering on the Lord, attributing to Him the preeminent character encapsulated by the singular term “lovingkindness.” That is who He is and what draws the praise of His people. The five-time repeated phrase, “His lovingkindness is everlasting” parallels the NT proclamation, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

English lacks a single corresponding word to render the underlying Hebrew term; modern translations variously render it as lovingkindness (NASB’s coining of a new word), steadfast love, faithful love, loyal love, and mercy. The NT agape love does not adequately convey the meaning of the Hebrew word, which expresses God’s commitment to loving His people based on prior commitments He had made with them. Mercy and kindness capture individual aspects of this kind of love but not in its entirety.

Yahweh’s lovingkindness is the most fundamental posture toward the people He chose to showcase His character to the world: He is a promise-keeping God of love. The refrain, “For His lovingkindness is everlasting,” occurs four times in the first four verses and as the concluding verse (vs. 29), couching the entire psalm in this great truth. His bearing toward His people is not based on the quality of their moral character but on the quality of His being faithful and true to Himself and what He says. That brings immense gratitude because of the security it provides to those who believe. We can trust Him to save us eternally; He is always leaning in toward us because He never changes in His commitment to us who believe.

The psalm repeatedly calls the congregation as a whole (vs. 1-2), the members of the Levitical priesthood (vs. 3), and all “those who fear the Lord,” to “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.” While this begins as a communal call, it takes an individualistic turn. The author’s inclusion of his experience of calling to the Lord amid a distressing situation invokes in every worshiper’s heart a reflection on their own experiences. While details differ from person to person, the walk of faith and spiritual growth woven into the psalm is typical. It brings the knowledge of God from lofty heights to a personal understanding of Him, discovered in real-time experiences. Personal worship arises out of what God has done for us. As a previous psalm in this Hallel series proclaims:

“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.” (Ps. 116:12–13)

The lesson learned, and for which we praise God, is a renewed trust in Him, as expressed in the phrase, “From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place” (vs. 5). This is what the apostle Peter expressed when he wrote:

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6–7)

The psalm writer, with poetic repetition, twice declares, “The Lord is for me…” (vss. 6-7) and twice, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than…” (vs. 8-9). Nothing compares to our God, even if the opposition sometimes seems overwhelming. While the four-times repeated phrase, “All nations/they surround me” (vss. 10-12) describes the impossible odds against us, the psalm draws out our confidence from the triple reiteration of this statement: “In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off” (vss. 10-12). Pity the people or nation that will assault the man of faith, for the Lord is on his side!

The psalmist permits us to converse in our minds against those who oppress us. It begins in verse 13a with an honest and humble admission to a struggle of faith (“I was falling”). But, immediately, he digs in his spiritual heels by asserting his declaration of trust in the face of opposition: “But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, He has become my salvation” (vs. 13b-14). Can we hear the melody and meter of this verse? What faith, confidence, and courage! This isn’t wishful thinking but an assertion of faith that has grown strong in the crucible of struggle.

Our confidence is not in our own strength or our ability to have faith. Our courage comes from God’s strength, not ours! It does not help us to think superficially that, “Our faith is strong.” No, it is the “right hand of the Lord” that is strong. Again, the poet reminds us of this three times (vss. 15-16). He is valiant, not our faith. His strength is exalted, not ours. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, booms out this truth:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10)

The ego-centered mind will wallow in its own lack of strength, but the faithful will rejoice in the Lord’s ability. So the psalm breaks out in rejoicing, fueled by the knowledge of the Lord and the confidence that engenders. The turn of confidence is seen in the bold assertion: “I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord” (vs. 17). Faith does not negate the difficulties in our life nor sugar-coat our shortcomings and weak faith. But, in the midst of our distressing times of life, faith teaches us that we can learn from the Lord’s discipline in our lives (vs. 18). In other words, we should not waste the difficult times in our lives by missing out on the lessons God provides for us. Yes, even in life’s most unfair, unjust opposition, God is schooling us about godliness.

As the pilgrims approach the city gates of Jerusalem for the festive occasion, they boldly call out for uninhibited passage inside: “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them …” (vss. 19). Recognizing that only those who have a righteousness from God can enter, the pilgrims will humbly enter with profound gratitude, of which the self-righteous know nothing (vss. 20-21).

The following verses reflect the “suffering servant” motif in Scripture (for example, Isaiah 52:13-53:12), which Jews typically understand as a reference to Israel. Jesus alluded to Ps. 118:22 in reference to Himself, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (see Matt. 21:42). When constructing a building, the corner or capstone secured two walls together without which the structure would be unstable and insecure. Jesus used this to illustrate the irony of the Jewish leaders rejecting Him, who is the “cornerstone” of God’s work in reaching Israel and the world.

The apostle Peter made this connection as well in an early speech he gave in Acts 4 and then followed with, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12, also 1 Peter 2:7). How tragic that Jesus was rejected, yet God continued with His plan with Christ as the cornerstone. The event is declared to be “marvelous” (vs. 23) and a day to be remembered with rejoicing (vss. 23-24).

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (what we call the Triumphal Entrance), the crowd that cheered Him on had Psalm 118:25 echoing in their voices: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9). The word Hosanna is a transliteration of the Hebrew word “Do save,” and the latter part of their praise comes from the following verse in Psalm 118 (vs. 26)—the “suffering servant” was extolled as “blessed by God!” The crowd was celebrating Jesus as the heir apparent of King David, the promised Messiah coming on God’s behalf to save them.

The psalm concludes with the confirmation of loyalty to God, who is Yahweh (“Lord”), who gives an enlightened understanding of His ways (vss. 27-28). For the Jews coming into Jerusalem for a festive occasion, this celebration was to be brought to a climax with the pre-planned sacrifice. For the crowd that chanted this psalm to Jesus, the climax (unexpected by them) was the pre-planned sacrifice God provided on the cross. Although the original author of this psalm would not have known the full interpretation as it applies to Jesus, it none-the-less invokes gratitude for the overriding truth that “His lovingkingness is everlasting” (vs. 29).

Lord, Your lovingkindness is everlasting … You are my strength and song, and You have become my salvation … You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You.