The Cornerstone
Bible Study Time 4-23-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 4-23-06
In Psalm 118, the psalmist praised the Lord, saying:
Psalms 118:21,22 (NKJ)
21 I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
In days of old, the stone masons would cut the stone which would then be carried to the construction site. If the stone didn’t fit, the builders would cast it aside. In Psalm 118, the psalmist praises the Lord because the stone which was rejected by the builders has become the chief cornerstone of the building.
Of coarse, this is a reference to Jesus Christ and the fact that He came to earth as the cornerstone of the kingdom of God. He was perfectly designed by God to complete the work of the kingdom of God.
God started building the kingdom at Mt. Sinai when He gave the Law of Moses, but the Law was not able to bring in the promised eternal kingdom. The Old Testament Kingdom was glorious by human standards. Heads of state came from all around to see the glory of it, but that kingdom fell far short of God’s standard for the promised eternal kingdom. The Old Testament kingdom had divisions and rivalries within the kingdom, not to mention the idolatry and immorality. The eternal kingdom will have none of these things. The Law was perfect, but it lacked the power to bring humans beings into the righteousness of God.
Jesus Christ came into the world to shed the blood of the New Covenant which put the Law of God in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus.
Romans 8:3-4 (NKJ)
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus Christ was the rock who was perfectly suited to complete the work of the kingdom. He came performing mighty miracles and preaching, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, but He was rejected by the builders.
The builders were the religious leaders of Jesus day. They were the ones who were supposed to be building the kingdom of God, but when they saw Jesus, they decided that He was not fit for the kingdom of God so they cast Him aside and crucified Him on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ is the stone who was rejected by the builders but will someday still become the cornerstone of the kingdom.
Zechariah speaks of the cornerstone and says that the cornerstone will come from the tribe of Judah. As we know, Jesus Christ was of the house and lineage of David and was, therefore, of the tribe of Judah. As Jacob lay upon his death bed, he gave this blessing to Judah, saying:
Genesis 49:10 (NIV)
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
The scepter was the symbol of kingdom authority, and Jacob knew that the scepter would be given to a descendant of Judah and that all the nations of the earth would obey him. When Jesus comes to rule over the earth, He will be known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Isaiah also spoke of the cornerstone, saying:
Isaiah 28:16 (NKJ)
16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; . . .
But Isaiah also said that this precious stone would be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Isaiah 8:14). Well, that fits the analogy. When the builders cast off one of the stones, it makes sense that someone may stumble over it. Isaiah said that the nation of Israel will stumble over this stone from heaven.
Jesus Christ came to earth, born into the tribe of Judah, but before He could take the scepter of the kingdom, He was rejected and cast aside by the builders of the kingdom. At one point the Lord Jesus asked the Jewish leaders about the meaning of Psalm 118. He asked:
Luke 20:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?
Jesus’ point was clear. They could reject Him. They could kill him. But He would still become the chief cornerstone of the kingdom. This infuriated them because it implied that there was a power in heaven which was greater than they, and that there was nothing they could do to overthrow the plan of God.
Jesus wanted them to really think about what they were doing. They needed to think about the consequences of their actions. Jesus went on to say:
Luke 20:18 (NIV)
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
Jesus warned these “builders of the kingdom of God” that they had better not be too hasty in their decision to cast off this rock for those who do will either stumble over the rock and be broken to pieces or they will be crushed when the rock falls on them.
In Acts, Chapter 4, Peter and John were brought before the council of Jews for healing a lame man and preaching the resurrection of Christ. At the hearing Peter revealed the grace of God by offering them salvation through the cornerstone which they had rejected. Verse 9 says:
Acts 4:9-12 (NKJ)
9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
These men were stumbling over the rock which they had cast aside, and they were about to be broken into pieces. History tells us that by the year 70 A.D. the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans, and the Jews were either killed or driven from the city. Peter offered them salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but they steadfastly refused.
In I Peter, Chapter 2, Peter encouraged the Jewish believers, saying:
1 Peter 2:6-9
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,"
8 and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Peter wrote these words to the Jewish believers. He did not write it to the unbelieving Jews, and neither did he write it to the believing Gentiles. The Gentiles were never told that they would become a royal priesthood or a holy nation. Paul spoke to us, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and said that we too are a special people. He said that we are:
Titus 2:13-14 (NKJ)
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
There is no word here about a royal priesthood or a holy nation. The Church is composed of a heavenly people and our hope is the appearing of Christ, but the hope of Israel relates to this earth. Peter was looking for the day when Christ will return to establish the earthly kingdom, and that is exactly what the psalmist had in mind when he said, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Let’s look at that once again in verse 19 of Psalm 118.
Psalms 118:19-24,26 (NKJ)
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! . .
When we sing verse 24, we usually emphasize the word DAY and say, this is the DAY the Lord has made, but the context shows that the emphasis should be on the word LORD. This is the day the LORD has made because He is the One who has made the rejected stone the chief cornerstone. He is the One who has brought about the fulfillment of the promised kingdom. In that day the nation of Israel will sing, this is the day the Lord has made, and they will sing, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
When Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey just before His crucifixion:
Matthew 21:9 (NKJ)
9 . . . the multitudes . . . cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!"
Obviously, the crowds believed that Jesus was the Messiah who had come in the name of the Lord. It was not the common people who rejected the cornerstone of God; it was the builders, the religious leaders of the people of God. They were the ones who had the authority to put their faith in Christ and offer up the reigns of government, and Christ was not about to overthrow the established government of God.
These religious leaders were determined to cast this rock aside, and they were blinded to the consequences. They rejected Christ, and their city was destroyed, but far worse than that is the fact that someday they will stand before God at the Great White Throne of judgment where they will be sentenced to the lake of fire.
Jesus said that some would stumble over the rock while others would be crushed by the rock when the rock falls on them. At the end of the tribulation period, Jesus Christ will return as the cornerstone of the kingdom, and this time He will come with a sword in His hand. He will not be rejected at His second coming. At that time, He will crush the empire of the antichrist as well as the unbelieving Jews.
Daniel saw these things in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the human statue. The statue represented the Gentile empires that would rule over Israel before the setting up of the kingdom. The empires were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Empire of the antichrist. Daniel said:
Daniel 2:44-45 (NKJ)
44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold-- the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
In this way the hope of Psalm 118:22 will be fulfilled; the stone which the builders rejected will return from heaven to destroy the Gentile nations, and that stone will become the chief cornerstone of the eternal kingdom of righteousness.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Psalms 118:21,22 (NKJ)
21 I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
In days of old, the stone masons would cut the stone which would then be carried to the construction site. If the stone didn’t fit, the builders would cast it aside. In Psalm 118, the psalmist praises the Lord because the stone which was rejected by the builders has become the chief cornerstone of the building.
Of coarse, this is a reference to Jesus Christ and the fact that He came to earth as the cornerstone of the kingdom of God. He was perfectly designed by God to complete the work of the kingdom of God.
God started building the kingdom at Mt. Sinai when He gave the Law of Moses, but the Law was not able to bring in the promised eternal kingdom. The Old Testament Kingdom was glorious by human standards. Heads of state came from all around to see the glory of it, but that kingdom fell far short of God’s standard for the promised eternal kingdom. The Old Testament kingdom had divisions and rivalries within the kingdom, not to mention the idolatry and immorality. The eternal kingdom will have none of these things. The Law was perfect, but it lacked the power to bring humans beings into the righteousness of God.
Jesus Christ came into the world to shed the blood of the New Covenant which put the Law of God in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus.
Romans 8:3-4 (NKJ)
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus Christ was the rock who was perfectly suited to complete the work of the kingdom. He came performing mighty miracles and preaching, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, but He was rejected by the builders.
The builders were the religious leaders of Jesus day. They were the ones who were supposed to be building the kingdom of God, but when they saw Jesus, they decided that He was not fit for the kingdom of God so they cast Him aside and crucified Him on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ is the stone who was rejected by the builders but will someday still become the cornerstone of the kingdom.
Zechariah speaks of the cornerstone and says that the cornerstone will come from the tribe of Judah. As we know, Jesus Christ was of the house and lineage of David and was, therefore, of the tribe of Judah. As Jacob lay upon his death bed, he gave this blessing to Judah, saying:
Genesis 49:10 (NIV)
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
The scepter was the symbol of kingdom authority, and Jacob knew that the scepter would be given to a descendant of Judah and that all the nations of the earth would obey him. When Jesus comes to rule over the earth, He will be known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Isaiah also spoke of the cornerstone, saying:
Isaiah 28:16 (NKJ)
16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; . . .
But Isaiah also said that this precious stone would be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Isaiah 8:14). Well, that fits the analogy. When the builders cast off one of the stones, it makes sense that someone may stumble over it. Isaiah said that the nation of Israel will stumble over this stone from heaven.
Jesus Christ came to earth, born into the tribe of Judah, but before He could take the scepter of the kingdom, He was rejected and cast aside by the builders of the kingdom. At one point the Lord Jesus asked the Jewish leaders about the meaning of Psalm 118. He asked:
Luke 20:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?
Jesus’ point was clear. They could reject Him. They could kill him. But He would still become the chief cornerstone of the kingdom. This infuriated them because it implied that there was a power in heaven which was greater than they, and that there was nothing they could do to overthrow the plan of God.
Jesus wanted them to really think about what they were doing. They needed to think about the consequences of their actions. Jesus went on to say:
Luke 20:18 (NIV)
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
Jesus warned these “builders of the kingdom of God” that they had better not be too hasty in their decision to cast off this rock for those who do will either stumble over the rock and be broken to pieces or they will be crushed when the rock falls on them.
In Acts, Chapter 4, Peter and John were brought before the council of Jews for healing a lame man and preaching the resurrection of Christ. At the hearing Peter revealed the grace of God by offering them salvation through the cornerstone which they had rejected. Verse 9 says:
Acts 4:9-12 (NKJ)
9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
These men were stumbling over the rock which they had cast aside, and they were about to be broken into pieces. History tells us that by the year 70 A.D. the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans, and the Jews were either killed or driven from the city. Peter offered them salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but they steadfastly refused.
In I Peter, Chapter 2, Peter encouraged the Jewish believers, saying:
1 Peter 2:6-9
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,"
8 and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Peter wrote these words to the Jewish believers. He did not write it to the unbelieving Jews, and neither did he write it to the believing Gentiles. The Gentiles were never told that they would become a royal priesthood or a holy nation. Paul spoke to us, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and said that we too are a special people. He said that we are:
Titus 2:13-14 (NKJ)
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
There is no word here about a royal priesthood or a holy nation. The Church is composed of a heavenly people and our hope is the appearing of Christ, but the hope of Israel relates to this earth. Peter was looking for the day when Christ will return to establish the earthly kingdom, and that is exactly what the psalmist had in mind when he said, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Let’s look at that once again in verse 19 of Psalm 118.
Psalms 118:19-24,26 (NKJ)
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! . .
When we sing verse 24, we usually emphasize the word DAY and say, this is the DAY the Lord has made, but the context shows that the emphasis should be on the word LORD. This is the day the LORD has made because He is the One who has made the rejected stone the chief cornerstone. He is the One who has brought about the fulfillment of the promised kingdom. In that day the nation of Israel will sing, this is the day the Lord has made, and they will sing, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
When Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey just before His crucifixion:
Matthew 21:9 (NKJ)
9 . . . the multitudes . . . cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!"
Obviously, the crowds believed that Jesus was the Messiah who had come in the name of the Lord. It was not the common people who rejected the cornerstone of God; it was the builders, the religious leaders of the people of God. They were the ones who had the authority to put their faith in Christ and offer up the reigns of government, and Christ was not about to overthrow the established government of God.
These religious leaders were determined to cast this rock aside, and they were blinded to the consequences. They rejected Christ, and their city was destroyed, but far worse than that is the fact that someday they will stand before God at the Great White Throne of judgment where they will be sentenced to the lake of fire.
Jesus said that some would stumble over the rock while others would be crushed by the rock when the rock falls on them. At the end of the tribulation period, Jesus Christ will return as the cornerstone of the kingdom, and this time He will come with a sword in His hand. He will not be rejected at His second coming. At that time, He will crush the empire of the antichrist as well as the unbelieving Jews.
Daniel saw these things in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the human statue. The statue represented the Gentile empires that would rule over Israel before the setting up of the kingdom. The empires were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Empire of the antichrist. Daniel said:
Daniel 2:44-45 (NKJ)
44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold-- the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
In this way the hope of Psalm 118:22 will be fulfilled; the stone which the builders rejected will return from heaven to destroy the Gentile nations, and that stone will become the chief cornerstone of the eternal kingdom of righteousness.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
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