"The Day" 4-2-23

Overview

"This Is the Day the Lord Has Made"

Psalm 118:24 is one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture: "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." We hear it as a call to worship, see it stitched on wall hangings, and quote it on bright mornings. But the Psalmist has a particular day in view—and discovering which day reshapes how we sing this verse.

Scripture overflows with good days: the parting of the Red Sea, the angels' song over Bethlehem, the joy in heaven when one sinner repents Luke 15:7. Each is glorious, yet none is the day of Psalm 118. The psalm itself belonged to the Hallel (Psalms 113–118) sung at Passover, almost certainly the last hymn Jesus sang with His disciples before the cross Matthew 26:30. Its language reappears on Palm Sunday, when the crowds cry, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" Matthew 21:9—a direct echo of Psalm 118:25-26. "Hosanna" itself means save us, we beseech you.

Read carefully, the psalm points beyond Palm Sunday to something deeper. The Psalmist pleads, "Open to me the gates of righteousness" Psalm 118:19-20—the gates of heaven, shut to sinners like us. Jesus answers in John 10:9: "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved." The psalm continues, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" Psalm 118:22—a verse the New Testament applies directly to Christ in Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:19-20, and 1 Peter 2:4-6. The Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 foreshadowed three things: payment for sin, transfer of sin, and removal of sin and guilt. All three were fulfilled when "Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins" Hebrews 10:11-12 and became "the atoning sacrifice for our sins" 1 John 2:2.

So what is the day? It is the day the gate was opened, the cornerstone laid, the price paid, our sin transferred to Christ and removed forever. It is Good Friday—the day we rightly call good because of what was accomplished there for us. "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" Psalm 118:23. Whatever this morning brings, the believer's deepest gladness is anchored not in circumstance but in a finished work. Hosanna—He has saved us. Rejoice and be glad in it.

Transcript

You open your Bibles, please, with me for our time of study to the book of Psalms Psalm 118. 3s

If you're using a Pew edition, you're going to find that on page 100 or 528, 528 in the Old Testament. 11s

Psalm 118. 20s

It is, I think, one of the most familiar passages in Scripture. 23s

Look when they please, at verse 24 of Psalm 118. 31s

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. 38s

It is understandably used as a call to worship. 48s

As the people of God gather, the cry goes forward, 53s

about the day that the Lord has made, that we are to be rejoicing and be glad in it. 57s

It can be used in celebration of an event. 65s

It can be even used in the celebration of good weather. 70s

Why, one sees it in artwork. 74s

It is this verse that seems to abound in Christian bookstores. 78s

It is, I think, one of the most popular and well-known verses of all, 82s

of Scripture. 92s

But technically speaking, what is the day here? 96s

When the Scripture says, this is the day that the Lord has made, 103s

let us rejoice and be glad in it. 108s

What is technically speaking? 112s

What is the day? 116s

There are some really good days in Scripture, aren't there? 123s

I think, for example, of the parting of the Red Sea, 127s

there were the people of God being propelled to the Promised Land, 129s

the Huffbeat of Pharaoh's army behind them. 133s

They come to the vast Red Sea and God pulls the waters back 136s

and the people cross over on dry ground. 143s

They don't even get their feet muddy. 147s

That was a good day. 152s

That was a good day. 154s

But it's not the day of Psalm 18. 157s

I think of the birth of Jesus. 166s

The angelic choir, glory to God in the highest heaven and peace among those upon whom he favors. 168s

The shepherds. 176s

The shepherds hearing is incredible choir. 177s

The birth of the Savior, 181s

placed in a feeding trough in such humble surroundings. 184s

The anticipated one, the prophesied one, 190s

the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, 194s

born and the angels are singing. 198s

That was a good day. 203s

That was a good day. 206s

But it's not the day. 209s

Of Psalm 18. 213s

Scripture tells us that when a sinner repents, 217s

there is rejoicing in heaven. 220s

That's a glorious picture, isn't it? 222s

That heaven rejoices when one repents. 226s

That's a good day. 231s

But it's not the day of Psalm 18. 234s

The Psalmist writes, this is the day 243s

that the Lord has made. 247s

Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 249s

So what is the day of verse 24? 253s

Psalm 18 may very well have been written. 264s

For times of celebration during the times of David. 268s

It might have been written in association with the second temple 273s

after the exile. 277s

After the people had returned from Babylonian captivity. 279s

It was a Psalm of thanks, giving a Psalm of celebration. 285s

And it was part of what was called the Haleu. 289s

Those are six Psalms that were used in association with the Passover. 293s

So it starts at 113, once through 118. 298s

The first two Psalms would be recited. 302s

They would be sung before the Passover. 305s

And the last four then would be sung after the Passover. 310s

This Psalm of Psalm 118 was most likely then. 316s

The last song that Jesus sang with His disciples 320s

before He went to the cross. 325s

In fact, I'd be shocked if it wasn't. 328s

And incidentally, it was Luther's favorite Psalm. 335s

This is the day that the Lord has made. 343s

Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 344s

And interestingly, interestingly, that Psalm pops up 347s

in association with Palm Sunday. 353s

In the gospel that was just read, Matthew 21st chapter. 358s

It tells us that disciples went and did his Jesus had directed them. 363s

They brought the donkey and the colt put their cloaks on them. 367s

He sat on them. 371s

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. 373s

And others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 377s

The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, 381s

Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. 386s

Hosanna in the highest heaven. 394s

Now look when they please at Psalm 118, look at verse 25. 398s

Save us. 402s

We besiege you. 405s

Oh Lord. 406s

Hosanna means save us. 408s

Save us. We besiege you. 412s

Oh Lord. 414s

Oh Lord, we besiege you. 414s

Give us success. 416s

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. 418s

You see, there are Psalm 118. 422s

Right there on Palm Sunday. 426s

Verse 25 and 26 exclaimed by the crowd, the messianic expectation and the heralding forth of Psalm 118. 428s

So is that it? 441s

Is that the day? 444s

Is that the day when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem with the cross looming? 446s

Was that the day when he rode into Jerusalem for filling Holy Scripture? 452s

And the crowds were shouting from Psalm 118 is that the day of verse 24 of Psalm 118? 460s

No. 475s

No. His name was Aaron. He was Moses' brother. 479s

And Aaron was the first priest of ancient Israel. 491s

All the way back into Leviticus 16, 498s

we hear about the day, the day of atonement or yam kupur, the day of atonement. 500s

And among the various responsibilities of the priest, Aaron, 514s

is he took two goats. 518s

One goat was killed for the sin of the people. 521s

And then there was a second goat. 525s

In Leviticus 16, it says this of the second goat. 529s

When he is finished atonement for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, 535s

he shall present the live goat. 539s

Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it 543s

all the inequities of the people of Israel. 549s

And all their transgressions, all their sins, 554s

putting them on the head of the goat and sending it away into the wilderness 558s

by means of someone designated for the task. 565s

The goat shall bear on itself all their inequities to a bear in region and the goat shall be set free 570s

in the wilderness. 580s

Now here what's happening here? On the day of atonement, 584s

yam kupur all the way back in Leviticus 16. 588s

Three things are happening. 593s

You have the payment for sin, 596s

the transfer of sin to another 603s

and the removal of sin and guilt. 609s

You've got payment, you've got transfer. 618s

You have removal. 624s

The day of atonement, yam kupur was the highest holy day, the highest one. 628s

Verse 24. 639s

This is the day that the Lord has made, 642s

let us rejoice and be glad in it. 647s

So, is that it? 652s

Is the day of verse 24 of Psalm 118 is the day, 659s

the day of atonement, the day of yam kupur, 666s

is that it? 674s

Close. Close. 681s

One of the beautiful aspects of some of the Psalms, 690s

is they point ahead to Jesus Christ. 695s

I think for example of Psalm 22. 701s

In Psalm 22, we read my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 704s

Those were the very words of course that Jesus said from the cross. 711s

Psalm 22, it ultimately points ahead to Jesus or Psalm 16. 715s

It points ahead to the resurrection of our Lord. 724s

In Psalm 16, we read, therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, 730s

my body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the grave. 736s

Nor will you let your holy one see decay. 743s

One of the beautiful aspects of some of the Psalms 748s

is that they point ahead to Jesus Christ. 750s

Back to Psalm 118. Look at verse 19, please. 759s

Open to me the gates of righteousness that I might enter them, enter through them, 767s

and give thanks to the Lord. Open to me the gates of righteousness. 772s

What the Psalmist is longing for? When the Psalmist writes about the gates of righteousness, 779s

he's longing for the gates of heaven, which is another term for the gates of heaven, 786s

the gates of righteousness. He's longing for the gates of heaven to be opened up for him. 792s

But you see, we don't deserve that, do we? We're all sinners, including the Psalmist. 802s

What we deserve is God's eternal condemnation upon us. What we deserve is hell itself. 808s

We sin against him and thought word indeed by what we've done, by what we have left undone. 816s

The holy God cannot spend an eternity with unholy human beings. 820s

The gates of heaven are shut to us because of our sinfulness. 828s

But the Psalmist longs for the gates of heaven to be opened. Look at verse 20. 837s

This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous shall enter through it. 848s

So he longs for the gate of heaven to be open to him. And then he says, 855s

this is the gate of the Lord. Remember, 860s

abutie of some of the Psalms is that they point ahead to Christ. 865s

How did Jesus identify himself in the 10th chapter of John? But in the 10th chapter of John, 870s

Jesus said, I am the gate. 876s

Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 881s

Psalm 118, then the longing for heaven to be opened up, 891s

longing for the gate to be opened. And Jesus in John 10 says, 897s

I'm the gate. I'm the gate. 904s

Then look, verse 21. 909s

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 913s

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 918s

How is Jesus described so often in Scripture? He's described as what? He's described 925s

as the cornerstone. Listen to it reverberate in Scripture. 932s

Acts the 4th chapter. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders. 937s

It has become the cornerstone Ephesians the 2nd chapter. 943s

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also 949s

members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets 956s

with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 962s

1 Peter the 2nd chapter. Come to him a living stone, 969s

the rejected by mortals, yet chosen and precious in God's sight. And like living stones, 976s

let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, 984s

to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 990s

For its stands in Scripture, see, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and 996s

precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. 1005s

The Psalmist longs for the gates of heaven to be opened. Jesus says, 1013s

I am the gate. The Psalmist talks about the cornerstone and Scripture identifies Jesus as the cornerstone. 1020s

This beautiful pointing ahead to the Lord Jesus Christ and it's all God's doing. Look at verse 23. 1035s

This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. 1043s

The cries of Hosanna went forth from the crowd. The cries rooted in Psalm 118. 1057s

Now here how Jesus is described in 1 John the 2nd chapter. 1075s

And He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He's the atoning sacrifice 1087s

for our sins. Hebrews 10 says, and every priest stands day after day at his service, 1101s

offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 1117s

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 1127s

Verse 24 says, this is the day that the Lord has made. 1145s

Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And what was the day? 1156s

It was the day when the gate was opened. It was the day when the cornerstone was laid. 1169s

It was the day when payment for our sins was made. And the transfer of sins placed upon Jesus 1186s

and the removal of our sin and guilt. It was the day when the day of atonement, 1202s

Yom Kapoor was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. It was Friday, Friday, 1220s

the day that we call good, the day that because of what was accomplished, we can rejoice and be glad in it. 1240s

Hosanna Hosanna 1272s