2 Samuel 23-24, Psalm 118, Mark 16, Galatians 6

Psalm 118:

The main theme of this psalm is the love of God, but that love is revealed in a specific place. Our tendency is to view God’s love as something generic, not particular, as something non-defined, not as something revealed at a particular point in time. Here, this psalm celebrates the love of God.

This love of God is called the “steadfast love”—referencing the covenant faithful love of God, his hesed love. You can see this at the beginning of the psalm (118:1-4), and then at the end of the psalm (118:29), to confirm that this psalm is about the love of God. But in particular this psalm is emphasizing that God’s love endures “forever” and is in particular revealed in a certain place, at a certain time, and in a certain person. Verse 22, one of, if not, the most quoted verses in the New Testament, tells us of Jesus: “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

And again, verse 26 references Jesus: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This love—this steadfast, faithful love—of God, then, lasts forever as it is revealed specifically through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (the stone that the builders rejected who became the cornerstone). When, then, we think of God’s love, we are to think of the specific work of Christ on the cross. That is where God’s work is most powerfully shown, and is also where God’s love is most preeminently displayed.

If you doubt God’s love, look at the cross. If you think God’s love is a vague, sentimental thing, look at the cross. If you wonder whether God’s love has any real power to it, look at the cross. The stone the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone!