After the congregation had sung verse 21 regarding the Lord's salvation, a soloist responded in these words:

"The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner" (vs. 22).

What is meant by "the stone?" This question immediately suggests the Golden Rule of Interpretation which is: "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise." Could the word "stone" here be taken literally? This would make nonsense. No literal stone can become the salvation of the soul, to say nothing of a nation and of the world. Instantly we recognize that the term "stone" is not used literally. It therefore must be used symbolically. What then is its significance? Recognizing the "law of first mention" we turn back to Genesis 49:24 and read the following:

"But his bow abode in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong,
By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel ...)"

Here the word "stone" is used for the first time in a symbolic sense. Jacob, under the power of the Spirit of God when he uttered this prediction, spoke of "The Mighty One of Jacob," the Almighty. Then he said, "From thence [the Almighty] is the shepherd, the stone of Israel." Thus the Shepherd of Israel is in this passage spoken of under the symbolism of a stone. Whenever therefore the word "stone" is used in a symbolic sense, we may know that it refers to the Shepherd of Israel. Whenever the word "rock" is used symbolically, the facts of the context show that it refers to God—either God the Father or the entire Trinity. One exception to this general statement is Isaiah 8:14: "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." When we remember that the Book of Isaiah is written in Hebrew poetry and that the fundamental principle of this type of language is Hebrew parallelism, we see that "rock" is used parallel with "stone." Since the word "stone" is used symbolically to refer to the Shepherd of Israel, and since "rock" is here used as a symbol of Deity, we see instantly from this passage that the Shepherd of Israel is one of the divine personalities constituting the Godhead, who becomes to those who accept Him a sanctuary, a place of worshipping the God of the universe; but to those who reject Him He becomes a rock of offense, a gin and a snare. In Isaiah 28:16 appears the following prediction: "Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation: He that believeth shall not be in haste." Here God is represented as laying a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation, for the great spiritual temple which He, according to Isaiah the prophet, will erect. Stone, here, according to its first meaning in Genesis 49:24, is a reference to the Shepherd of Israel, the Messiah. Zechariah, one of the post-exilic prophets, spoke of this same shepherd in the following passage: "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones" (Zech. 13:7). Here the prophet, looking into the future, invited the sword, the one wielding the sword, to do so against "my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts." Here this stone of Israel, this Shepherd of Israel, is said to be a man and at the same time as being God's fellow. The word, fellow, is used ten other times in the Hebrew Bible. In all occurrences is refers to one who is an equal of the one concerning whom mention is made. Since God is here doing the talking and since He speaks of this shepherd as His fellow, His equal, it is clear that this Shepherd of Israel is equal to God the Father. From these and other passages, it is clear that the word "stone" used symbolically refers to the Shepherd of Israel, the Messiah of the Hebrews, who is God in human form, having entered the world, as we learn from other passages of scripture, through miraculous conception and virgin birth.

The soloist, in responding to the congregation, sang:

"The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner."

According to the late David Baron, there was among the Jews a tradition to this effect; When Solomon built the Temple, the stones for its construction were dug out of the solid rock which is now known as Solomon's quarries, under the northeastern portion of the city of Jerusalem. The stones were cut to the exact size and were transported to the Temple area. Finally, when all excavations had been made and the time came to put the stone known as "the head of the corner" in its proper place, the leaders of the builders looked for it. They passed by one, thinking that it was too insignificant to be the one for which they were looking. They continued to pass among the stones in their search for the proper one. Finally, after a long search, they came back and found that the one by which they had passed at first was really the one for which they were looking. They therefore placed it in its position. It is quite likely that the spirit of God used this illustration, well known to the Jews of that time, in order to set forth the prediction concerning the rejection of Israel's Messiah at His first coming and of her accepting Him at His return. In other words, there are reflected in this one verse the two comings of the one Messiah: the first coming when He is rejected by his own people; the second coming when He is accepted most enthusiastically by the remnant of the nation and is given his rightfully honored position as the head of the corner of the nation. An examination of the prophetic scriptures shows that there are many passages which speak of these two great crises in the history of Israel. There are others, however, that show the entire redemptive career of King Messiah, which consists of His first coming and rejection, of His return to glory and His session at the right hand of the throne of God, and of His return at the close of this age when the nation of Israel, having learned of its national sin of rejecting Him, acknowledges the same and pleads for Him to return, which thing He will do. When they do this, He will establish a reign of righteousness upon the earth. Thus there are numbers of passages of scripture that delineate Messiah's redemptive work. But in Psalm 118:22 only the two comings are referred.

By the soloist's responding to the nation in this verse there was typified the fact that Israel will at some time learn the truth concerning her long-rejected Messiah, will repent of having rejected Him, and will, with boldness and fearlessness and yet with deep contrition and humility, accept Him and His salvation. This will be done officially. That it will be thus performed is seen from an examination of such passages as Leviticus 26:40-42: "And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me, and also that, because they walked contrary unto me, I also walked contrary unto them, and brought them into the land of their enemies: if then their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham I will remember; and I will remember the land." Here it is foretold that the last generation of Israel, sojourning among the nations, will confess its own iniquity and the iniquity of the fathers. This iniquitous act was committed by the fathers when they were in the land. When they committed this crime, God spewed them out of their country and scattered them among the nations. When they thus make this acknowledgment, God will remember the land promise and the children of Israel. Thus in these verses appears the prediction concerning Israel's official repudiation of the national sin and of her accepting Messiah. For a full statement of the confession which Israel will make, read Isaiah 53:1-9. This is the detailed, penitential confession which the remnant of Israel will make in the year 1946—plus x. (I am putting this definite year in the form of an algebraic expression, since I do not know when Israel will make this confession.)

Following the soloist, the congregation again sang:

"This is Jehovah's doing: It is marvelous in our eyes,
This is the day which Jehovah hath made" (118:23,24a).

What day is here mentioned? There is but one answer—the time when Israel, having learned the truth concerning the Savior accepts Him as her personal Redeemer and Messiah. This interpretation alone accords with the facts of the context. It will be the time when that perfect day dawns about which David in his "swan song" sang (II Sam. 23:1-6). This is the perfect day mentioned in Proverbs 4:18.

Israel at that time will see, as she has never realized before, the hand of God in her history. She will recognize that He has been dealing with the nation throughout the centuries and has been steering the course of Jewish history to the end that she may see the truth and accept Him who is the very embodiment of the truth her Redeemer and Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Almighty never forces anyone's will. He takes him where he is and overrules providentially everything that comes into the life of the individual and at the same time allows him to make his own free choices. Thus the Lord has had a difficult problem with the nation of Israel, allowing her to pursue her own way, at the same time steering the course of the nation through the centuries and finally bringing it to the point that the remnant will see facts as they are, will acknowledge the national sin, and will accept the Messiah. There is no wonder that they will exclaim: "This is Jehovah's doing: It is marvelous in our eyes"—a miracle in their eyes!

For us to snatch this verse out of its connection and to apply it to any given day on which we feel exultant or to apply it to any special era is a misinterpretation of the passage. It is true that every day that the Lord permits us to live is His and is wonderful. He has made it; He is controlling the universe; He is causing the earth to rotate upon its axis; He is giving us the good things of life; and we can say that all which any day brings us is His doing. Hence we may marvel at His grace and at His overruling providence in our lives. But for us to ignore the context is to miss the meaning of the wonderful prediction which it contains, and which refers to the dawning of the perfect day, the glad Millennial Day, for which all creation yearns and longs.