This psalm is the final one of the Hallel psalms that were sung at the Passover. Probably it was the item of praise that Jesus and his disciples sang when they left the upper room where they had held the Passover and went to the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the psalm, there seems to be an individual and a group speaking, as can be observed from the singular and plural pronouns used. The three groups addressed – the nation, the priesthood, and proselytes (fearers of God) – were also addressed previously in Psalm 115. The psalm is a call to communal praise (vv. 1-4). Maybe this is the call from priests or Levites to worshippers.
Such a call raises the issue of personal contribution to the communal praise. Each participant should have their own reasons for taking part, and the psalmist outlines his reasons in verses 5-19.
He had been in great trouble because of what the surrounding nations were doing (v. 10). So this contribution is made by the king, probably David. He had called on God for help and his prayer had been heard. The psalmist now knew by experience that if the Lord was on his side, it did not matter who was against him. Indeed, because the Lord was on his side, he would be given total victory over his enemies. The obvious deduction is that ‘it is better to take refuge in the Lord than in the most powerful of men’ (vv. 5-9).
The king describes his experience of battle (vv. 10-14). He had been surrounded by foes, but the Lord had helped him and given him a great victory, a victory that seemed unlikely and which came very quickly, like a fire among thorns. The battle had been at close quarters (his opponents were like bees), yet he was enabled to defeat them. His strength was declining through his efforts, but the Lord empowered him to continue. Now he can celebrate the deliverance that he had received from the Lord.
It was not only the king who celebrated the victory. Others say that ‘The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!’ (vv. 15-16).
Yet the king had pondered why this had happened to him. It was the case that his life had been spared and he could recount how the Lord had helped him (v. 17). Nevertheless, the experience was one of divine discipline connected to his spiritual growth (v. 18). Such a response would not be expected from a victorious warrior, but David was a believer conscious of divine providence, and aware that every experience he had was and is connected to the fact that the Lord is working in his life.
In verse 19, the psalmist comes to the entrance to the place of worship and asks the doorkeepers to open the gates so that he can go in and give thanks to God. Their reply is stated in verse 20, assuring him that he can come through. Perhaps on his way, he noticed that a stone the builders had rejected had become the cornerstone of the building. So when he came to where he would give his thanks to God he mentioned this stone because its rejection and later usefulness was a picture of himself (vv. 21-22).
Verses 23-27 seem to be the response of the singers at the place of worship as they react to what they have heard from the mouth of the psalmist. They realise that the Lord had given him a marvellous victory. It was day of celebration for them as well because they participated in the benefits of the king’s victory (God’s face had shined on them in line with the Aaronic blessing). His victory was also a reason for them to have more victories, so they prayed for further success. Meanwhile, they welcomed the arrival of a king whom the Lord had obviously blessed and proceeded to make joyful sacrifices to the Lord.
The psalmist responds in verses 28 and 29. First, he once again thanks God for his faithfulness and praises him with gratitude. Second, he calls on those around him, who have heard his story, to give thanks to the Lord for his ongoing goodness through which he expresses his covenant love.
This psalm is a picture of what happened to Jesus. He is the stone that the builders rejected, but who has become the cornerstone of the church. The cornerstone is part of the foundation, and it is the stone that holds the foundation together. Jesus said he was the fulfilment of the rejected stone, and he told the Jews that they were the builders who had rejected him (Luke 20:17-18). And Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:20 that believers are ‘built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.’
Martin Luther found great encouragement from this psalm as he fought battles for the Lord. He had verse 17 placed as a plaque on his wall: ‘I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.’ We have heard what he did for Luther, and what the benefits have been for us.
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