At God’s Right Hand
Opening Prayer
Lord, include a place for me at Your glorious throne as I bow before You along with all of the angels.
Read Psalm 110
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 The Lord says to my lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3 Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.
4 The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7 He will drink from a brook along the way,
and so he will lift his head high.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Christ is alive and comes to bring good news to this and every age, till earth and sky and ocean ring with joy, with justice, love, and praise” (Brian Wren).
The New Testament quotes Psalm 110 more than any other passage from the Old Testament. The psalm speaks of the exaltation of the Israelite king who reigned at YHWH’s behest. However, in new circumstances old Scriptures take on new meanings. After the events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Christians read the psalm in a brand-new way.
They took the words about the king to refer to Jesus Christ in his ascended glory. They took the words about the suppression of enemies to refer not so much to human beings, but to evil as a personified foe.
Paul makes use of Psalm 110 in a stirring address about the resurrection of the dead. He writes, “Then the end will come, when [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:24–26). Ephesians also draws on Psalm 110 when it asserts that God’s power is at work in the church. It is the same power God “exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:20–22).
At the crucifixion of Jesus, the powers of evil seemed to win the day. In the resurrection and ascension, God vindicated Jesus and the way of suffering love, turning the tables on the powers of darkness. The world does not yet know it, but evil will not have the last word. In the end, the love of God will triumph.
Apply
How might the ascension of Christ empower us to live in triumph yet without triumphalism?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, truly You are the victor in all things. Your enemies are Your footstool. Thank You for reconciling me, that I am no longer Your enemy.
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