"THIS is the day which the Lord hath made" - which day is this?

I admit I am posting this because it is a pet peeve of mine to hear how this Psalms 118:24 verse is often misapplied. The theme for this particular "day which the Lord hath made" is found in Psalms 118:22-24.

"The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. THIS is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. THIS is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

According to this verse's context, it wasn't just any day whatever that the Psalms 118:24 verse was speaking about. The particular event taking place on this one particular day in which all are to rejoice is the day when the resurrected Christ became "the head stone of the corner" at His bodily resurrection: the one day when the risen Christ Jesus became the chief cornerstone of the spiritual temple not made with hands.

Scripture tells us in Acts 4:10-11 that this Psalms 118:22 verse of prophecy was fulfilled at Christ's resurrection. Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and pronounced to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner."

So, the specific "day which the Lord hath made" in Psalms 118:24 was the single day in history when Christ was made the "head of the corner" of the new spiritual temple not made with hands. This day was much more than our simply waking up in the morning to the prospect of a new day, and being glad that we can serve the Lord in it, as this verse is usually misunderstood. All believers were and are to rejoice in this one specific day of Christ's bodily resurrection from the dead which secured our salvation in real time. Even Abraham looked forward in time with glad anticipation for this particular "day" in his future, as Christ said in John 8:56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
 
Since it's living word we are talking about here it's still alive today. So "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalms 118:24

To me it's is a call to find joy and gratitude in each day, recognizing it as a gift from God, and can be seen as both a general reminder of God's sovereignty and a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ and the triumph of the new covenant.

Typically, the verse is interpreted to mean that "today" is God's creation, so we should celebrate it.
 
Typically, the verse is interpreted to mean that "today" is God's creation, so we should celebrate it.
Of course it is typically understood this way. That's the problem. Many things from Scripture become typically misunderstood as to their original meaning. We are to consider the context in which they were originally written, before we can make a personal application. Otherwise, we get the cart before the horse, so to speak.

This Psalms 118:24 verse was not intended to be simply a general reminder that each day is a gift from God. It was speaking of a very specific single day in which Christ would become the "head of the corner". That only happened once in history on one very blessed day in time - the benefits of which all believers are to share and to rejoice in.

It is not a mistake for you to rejoice in each coming day as a gift from God, since we have other texts such as Lamentations 3:22-23 that express this idea. God's compassions truly are "new every morning - great is Thy faithfulness", which is true for all generations. But it is a mistake to use this particular Psalms 118:24 text and turn that one single "day" into a generic sense, when the context of this verse does not allow that.
 
Of course it is typically understood this way. That's the problem. Many things from Scripture become typically misunderstood as to their original meaning. We are to consider the context in which they were originally written, before we can make a personal application. Otherwise, we get the cart before the horse, so to speak.

This Psalms 118:24 verse was not intended to be simply a general reminder that each day is a gift from God. It was speaking of a very specific single day in which Christ would become the "head of the corner". That only happened once in history on one very blessed day in time - the benefits of which all believers are to share and to rejoice in.

It is not a mistake for you to rejoice in each coming day as a gift from God, since we have other texts such as Lamentations 3:22-23 that express this idea. God's compassions truly are "new every morning - great is Thy faithfulness", which is true for all generations. But it is a mistake to use this particular Psalms 118:24 text and turn that one single "day" into a generic sense, when the context of this verse does not allow that.
However, the original meaning of this statement might refer to a different meaning of "day." This is part of a series of psalms (Psalm 113—118) used during festivals such as Passover or the Feast of Booths (Deuteronomy 16:16). The psalmist may refer to the holiday as something the Lord has created, so it should be a source of rejoicing.

Another possibility is that "the day" is used in the prophetic sense. The Old Testament often speaks of God's ultimate victory over sin and death, or His return in judgment, as "that day," "the day," or "the day of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:12; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5).

The same is true of the New Testament, where such references are almost always about the end times (Acts 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 6:17; 16:14). The kingdom age where Christ rules the world in person can also be described using such phrases (Isaiah 12:3–4; Micah 4:1–4).

Any or all of these meanings are reasonable ways to interpret this verse. Believers of the past, present, and future all have excellent reasons to rejoice in the Lord, every day.
BibleRef.
 
However, the original meaning of this statement might refer to a different meaning of "day." This is part of a series of psalms (Psalm 113—118) used during festivals such as Passover or the Feast of Booths (Deuteronomy 16:16). The psalmist may refer to the holiday as something the Lord has created, so it should be a source of rejoicing.
No, the Psalmist was not speaking of just a general festival holiday. The phrase "THIS is the day" (Ps. 118:24) was pointing back to the occasion which the Psalmist had just mentioned in the previous Ps. 118:22 sentence - when the "stone" which the builders refused would become the "head of the corner". The Spirit-filled Apostle Peter in Acts 4:10-12 interpreted this event for us as being the day when Christ had risen from the dead, and who then became the "head of the corner" which the builders had originally rejected. This event was the groundwork God used to establish our salvation in real time: the one single day which all believers are to rejoice in because the Lord's activity on this critical day secured our salvation, which is "marvelous in our eyes".

Another possibility is that "the day" is used in the prophetic sense.
Yes, that one day was being spoken of in a prophetic sense. And the Apostle Peter in Acts 4:11-12 understood this Psalms 118:22-24 passage as having just been fulfilled with Christ's resurrection from the dead, accomplishing the legal terms of our salvation in real time. Christ Jesus which was the "stone" rejected by the builders had just become the chief cornerstone of the spiritual temple not made with hands, of which temple you and I are also more of the "living stones" built upon Christ as that original "head of the corner". That one day is indeed "marvelous in our eyes", for in that day Christ became our Great High Priest and established the New Covenant in His blood.
 
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