15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of [f]the Lord.
18 [g]The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to [h]the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is [i]the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O Lord, do save, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords [j]to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
There is a lot going on in the second half of this psalm, so lets get started with the first passage, which repeats “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” That’s kind of awkward phrasing, but another translation says it more clearly, “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things.” And yet perhaps valiantly or courageously will come in again here in a minute. At any rate, one of those things for which the psalmist gives God credit is, “The Lord has disciplined me severely…”
Again, another odd thing to say, “Thank God for discipline…” As we continue though, we find the psalmist asking God to open the gates of righteousness, which naturally can only be entered if one is also righteous. However, if we look at Paul’s letter to the Romans (3:10), we know that “none is righteous, no not one!” So rightly, the psalmist thanks God for discipline, as it keeps him on the right path, with God’s salvation being his only chance of entering those gates.
We come then to a corner stone and then to a verse that is part of an old song: “This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I’ve always heard it and thought of every new day being a day God made, so we should rejoice. And while that is certainly true, lets go back a couple verses, to that corner stone.
Ultimately, this speaks of Jesus, the stone which the “builders” rejected. The authorities of his day would sooner cast him aside, even kill him (and they did), rather than take Him at his word. Yet He is the chief corner stone, the one upon which our salvation and righteousness depend. Without Jesus, we have no hope of entering those gates, of rejoicing as we come into the very throne room of God.
“This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” “This is the day which the Lord has made…” The day when God’s amazing plan came to fruition, and the gates were opened wide for any who would trust in Him for righteousness. It is not of our own works that we are saved, but through faith in what He has accomplished with His “mighty right hand”. Yet it was not just mighty, but courageous, as Jesus came down to this earth to take upon himself the punishment for our unrighteous deeds.
So indeed, rejoice in this day that God has given you, because He is good, and He has made it. But also remember once more the mighty gift that God has offered you, and do not take it for granted. Embrace it freely, lay your filthy rags at His feet, receive the clothes of righteous He has prepared for you, and live every day for Him.