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Scripture Reading: Psa. 111:1, 10b; 112:1a; 113:1-3; 115:18b; 116:13, 17-19; 117:1-2; 118:22-24, 26-27; 119:14, 24, 36, 59, 62, 103, 105, 111, 164, 167; 122:1-9; 125:1-2
In the preceding chapter we have covered Psalms 107, 108, 109, and 110. In this group of four psalms, Psalm 110 is the climax. No other psalm is higher regarding Christ than this psalm. It is very short, and it has only a few main points, but these points are exceedingly significant.
Now we come to Psalms 111 through 119, which are full of the saints’ praise to God. We may call these psalms the “Hallelujah Psalms.” Because we have just touched the peak concerning Christ in Psalm 110, we must shout Hallelujah. Hence, the first verse of Psalm 111 begins with Hallelujah, and we have Hallelujahs throughout all these psalms. These praises are “in the council...and in the assembly” (v. 1) and “in the courts of the house of Jehovah, / In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. / Hallelujah” (116:19).
Now we come to Psalm 118, which all Bible teachers recognize as the last psalm regarding Christ. Do not forget the five points concerning Christ in Psalm 110: He is the enthroned King, the Victor, the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, the Warrior, and the Coming One. This is indeed wonderful, but there is one item missing in Psalm 110: there is no mention of Christ for the building. Now, in Psalm 118 we have Christ for the building presented to us in a marvelous way. Verse 22 says, “The stone which the builders rejected / Has become the head of the corner.” This is just a short verse, but we cannot express how much this verse means to us and to God. It has been used and quoted many times in the New Testament. This is Christ for the building. Christ today is not only the enthroned King, the ordained Priest, the Victor, the Warrior, and the Coming One; He is also the stone that was rejected by the builders. The Jewish nation, the Jewish people, were the builders of God. God used them to build up something upon this earth for Himself, but they rejected the best stone of all. Even the Lord Jesus, when He was on this earth, quoted this verse. He was quite frank. He asked the Jews whether they had read the Scripture in Psalm 118: “Have you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner. This was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Matt. 21:42).
Today Christ is the stone for God’s building: “Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone; in whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:20-21). “Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but with God chosen and precious...For it is contained in Scripture: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone, chosen and precious’...To you therefore who believe is the preciousness; but to the unbelieving, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner’” (1 Pet. 2:4, 6-7). “This is the stone which was considered as nothing by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner” (Acts 4:11). Even Peter before the chief priests said that Christ has become the cornerstone.
Included within Christ as the cornerstone are His resurrection, His ascension, His enthronement, and His ordination. He is not only the King and the Priest but also the stone for God’s building. In another sense, He is also the Builder, but the point upon which we must now focus is that He Himself is the material for the building. He is the cornerstone, and we are all the other stones produced out of Him. He is the living stone, and we have all been made living stones by Him (1 Pet. 2:4-5). He is the resurrected stone, and in His resurrection we have been made the living stones. Thus, He is not only the building stone but also the stone for producing many more stones. He is the leading living stone, which produces so many others. Praise the Lord!
In Book Five, we have primarily these two psalms concerning Christ, Psalms 110 and 118. These psalms are at the highest peak. We must worship God for them and thank Him that we have not only Psalm 110 but Psalm 118 as well. Without Psalm 118 the record concerning Christ would not be complete. The kingship is for the building, the priesthood is for the building, the victory is for the building, the fighting is for the building, and Christ’s coming is also for the building. If we have only Psalm 110 without Psalm 118, we simply have the means without the goal. Psalm 118 tells us the goal: the goal is the building.
Psalm 118:23 says, “This is from Jehovah; / It is wonderful in our sight.” What is from Jehovah? The Jews put Christ upon the cross; they crucified and buried Him, and then they went back to sleep. They thought that everything would go on then as usual, having put that “troublemaker,” Jesus, to an end. But then the news suddenly came that He was alive again and that the tomb was empty. He was resurrected and ascended into the heavens, and on the day of Pentecost He proclaimed through His apostles that the same Jesus whom they had crucified was honored by God the Father, raised, exalted, and made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:32-36). The house of Israel was made to know that God had made the stone whom they had rejected the head of the corner. This is from the Lord. The resurrection, the exaltation, the setting of Christ at the right hand of God, and making Him the cornerstone is from the Lord. It is wonderful in our eyes! Did not the Jewish people bury Him? Yes, they did, but now He is at the right hand of God. It is from the Lord. Hallelujah! Psalm 118:24 continues: “This is the day that Jehovah has made; / Let us exult and rejoice in it.” The day referred to in this verse is the day of resurrection. The Lord’s Day is the resurrection day. We must exult and rejoice on this day. Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day, we can do nought else but exult and rejoice.
This psalm concerning Christ does not end here; we still have some additional wonderful verses. Verse 26 says, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of Jehovah.” Who is this? It is Christ as the coming Messiah; He is the One who will come in the name of the Lord. This verse has been fulfilled once, when Christ entered the gates of Jerusalem while He was on earth. At that time the people laid their garments before Him and shouted, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matt. 21:9). But following that, in Matthew 22, the Jewish people rejected Him; and the Lord said unto them, “You shall by no means see Me from now on until you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:39). In other words, He said, “Now you reject Me, but one day you will receive Me.”
Psalm 118 closes by indicating how, out of the praising house of the Lord, the blessing comes to the people: “We bless you from the house of Jehovah” (v. 26). Then, with the praises, a sacrifice is brought to the altar: “Jehovah is God, / And He has given us light; / Bind the sacrifice of the feast with cords / To the horns of the altar” (v. 27). Last, a final note of praise is sounded: “You are my God, and I give thanks to You. / You are my God; I will exalt You. / Give thanks to Jehovah, for He is good, / For His lovingkindness is forever” (vv. 28-29).
Now we proceed to Psalm 119, where the saints praise God for the law as God’s testimony, a type of Christ. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, with one hundred seventy-six verses. It is divided into twenty-two sections, each of eight verses and each beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Now we have a problem. After all the preceding one hundred eighteen psalms, we have another psalm about the law. The law is still here. But if you compare Psalm 119 with Psalm 1, you will see a great difference. The concept of the psalmists, as we have mentioned, was greatly influenced by the law. But because they lived in such intimate communion with the Lord, they afforded Him an opportunity to utter something within their utterances, not according to their own concept but according to His. In Psalm 119 the same principle applies. The author of this psalm was one hundred percent immersed in the concept of the law, but within his utterance there is the utterance of God.
All the verses indicated at the beginning of the chapter show the difference between this psalm regarding the law and Psalm 1. In Psalm 119 the law is called the testimony, not only the commandment. The testimony here is in the plural number — “the testimonies.” The testimonies really mean the law. They are the testimonies of God. The law is the testimony of God; it is much more than a collection of commandments for us to keep. The law is a definition, an explanation, a testimony, showing us the kind of God we have. Hence, in this sense, the law is the testimony as a type of Christ, for Christ is the expression of God, the full revelation of all that God is. In Psalm 119 the word testimonies is used twenty-three times, once in the singular number. This indicates that the Spirit within the psalmist was emphasizing Christ. The psalmist’s intention was to speak about the law, but the Spirit within him emphasized Christ. Christ is the testimony of God. All the verses we have referred to in this psalm tell us how the psalmist appreciated the testimonies, loved the testimonies, and rejoiced in the testimonies. The words of the testimonies were so sweet to him. They were not merely some commandments to keep but the testimonies of God as an enjoyment to possess. They were not a burden but a delight to the psalmist. They were a lamp to his feet and a light to his path.
Psalms 120 through 134 are called the Songs of Ascents. This means that they are the psalms of ascension, the psalms of going up. Thus, we have the word in Psalm 122:4: “To which the tribes go up.” In all these psalms the house and the city of God are the center.
Let us begin with Psalm 122. I cannot express how much I love this psalm. “I rejoiced when they said to me, / Let us go to the house of Jehovah” (v. 1). This verse obviously refers to the house. But verse 2 continues by saying, “Our feet are standing / Within your gates, O Jerusalem.” This then is the city. The psalm opens with the house but then proceeds immediately to the city. To enter into the house of the Lord is an exceedingly joyful experience; we may well rejoice. How good it is to stand within the gates of Jerusalem! Oh, the house and the city! The saints love the city and are glad to go into the house.
We do not have such a psalm as Psalm 122 in Book Two. We do have Psalms 46 and 48 in Book Two; they are climactic psalms concerning the city. But those psalms are not so sweet as this one. How sweet Psalm 122 is! I enjoy it immensely.
Verse 3 continues: “Jerusalem has been built as a city / That has been compacted together.” How marvelous! Jerusalem is solidly built; far from being loose, it is compacted together — solid, firm, and safe. This is the city of God. Then verse 4 says, “To which the tribes go up, / The tribes of Jehovah — / A testimony for Israel — / To give thanks to the name of Jehovah.” This verse speaks of the ascent of the Israelites unto Jerusalem. Jerusalem was built upon Mount Zion, at least three thousand feet above sea level. Therefore, whenever the people journeyed to Jerusalem, they had to go up, and while they were going up, they sang this psalm.
Verses 5 and 6 say, “There thrones are set for judgment, / Thrones of the house of David. / Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. / Those who love you will prosper.” It is so clear: whoever loves Jerusalem will prosper. Remember that this is poetry, and we must understand it in a poetic way. Whoever loves the Lord’s church as a city will prosper.
Verse 7 says, “Peace be within your bulwarks, / And prosperity within your citadels.” The local churches are the citadels. Peace is within their bulwarks for safety, and prosperity is within these citadels for enjoyment. The peace is for safety, and the prosperity is for enjoyment. The peace is within the bulwarks, and the prosperity is within the citadels, and both are within the local churches.
Verses 8 and 9 say, “For my brothers’ and companions’ sake I will now say, / Peace be within you. / For the sake of the house of Jehovah our God / I will seek your good.” Why did the psalmist love the city? Because the house is there. Because of the house he sought the good of the city. Now we have the city with the house, and the house with the city. Praise the Lord, this is the church life.
Now let us come to Psalm 125. “Those who trust in Jehovah are like Mount Zion, / Which cannot be moved but abides forever” (v. 1). Zion is immovable; it abides forever. Then what about Jerusalem? “Jerusalem — mountains surround her; / And Jehovah surrounds His people / From now and to eternity” (v. 2). Zion is safe, and Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, which means that it is surrounded by God. What more can we say concerning the house and the city in Book Five, since so many aspects have already been covered in Book One, Book Two, Book Three, and Book Four? The psalmist adds this further aspect — Zion is safe, and Jerusalem is surrounded by God. This is the city for the house; this is the church. This is God’s house, where we enjoy the presence of God, and this is God’s city, where we have the dominion of God. Praise Him!
