Peter has just given support for his premise by using Old Testament Scripture to make his point, in verse six. In this week’s passage, he adds two more Old Testament passages.
Take a look for yourself in 1 Peter 2:7-8.
In verse six, Peter began to use Old Testament passages to reinforce his point, and described Christ as the cornerstone of the foundation of our faith. He continues to do so with a couple more passages, that drive home his point even further.
Where verse six speaks to those who believe, these two verses speak to those who do not. Peter first quotes Psalm 118:22, a text he was probably familiar with because Jesus quoted it in Matthew 21:42. In fact, Peter has used this passage before himself, in Acts 4:11, when he stood before the Sanhedrin. His point, in both uses, is that the stone that has been rejected, both by Jews and by non-Christians elsewhere, has become the main piece of the foundation, the cornerstone.
The NIV uses the word “capstone” here, because the Greek is different. But a capstone, or a keystone from an arch, would be difficult to stumble over, as Peter’s imagery depicts, so the meaning is probably still focused on the idea of a cornerstone in a foundation.
Next, Peter uses another passage from Isaiah, this time from chapter eight, verse 14. This stone, rejected by the builders, will cause them to stumble and fall. Peter is very clear here. They stumble because they disobeyed the word of God. This illustration is very riveting: the very stone that the construction workers or builders discarded has become something that they continue to stumble over. And, perhaps even more accurately, the cornerstone, which God inserted into place, is a projection that they continue to trip over.