Psalm 118 (25 of 31 notes)

24. This is the day which the Lord hath made. A new era has commenced. The day of David’s enthronement was the beginning of better times for Israel; and in a far higher sense the day of our Lord’s resurrection is a new day of God’s own making, for it is the dawn of a blessed dispensation. No doubt the Israelitish nation celebrated the victory of its champion with a day of feasting, music and song; and surely it is but meet that we should reverently keep the feast of the triumph of the Son of David. We observe the Lord’s day as henceforth our true Sabbath, a day made and ordained of God, for the perpetual remembrance of the achievements of our Redeemer. We by no means wish to confine the reference of the passage to the Sabbath, for the whole Gospel day is the day of God’s making, and its blessings come to us through our Lord’s being placed as the head of the corner. We will rejoice and be glad in it. We will rejoice in heart and be glad in face, rejoice in secret and be glad in public, for we have more than a double reason for being glad in the Lord. We ought to be specially joyous on the Sabbath. Beholding the Lord Jesus as all in all in the assemblies of his people, we are bound to overflow with joy. Is it not written, “Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord”? When the King makes the house of prayer to be a banqueting house, and we have grace to enjoy fellowship with him, both in his sufferings and in his triumphs, we feel an intense delight, and we are glad to express it with the rest of his people.