TO CHEW ON: “The Lord said to my Lord
‘Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” Psalm 110:1
Much is made in our culture of how people of authority and power treat each other. Eagle-eyed, we watch the hugs and handshakes as presidents, kings and prime-ministers greet, looking for signs that someone is preferred or out of favor. We read into guest lists and who attends what function which rulers are in or out of favor with the most powerful. Meanwhile the media feeds the rumor mill by dishing out news of gaffes and apparent snubs.
The body language of Bible rulers is much easier to interpret. The favorite, next-in-importance to a leader sat at his right hand. Psalm 100, our passage today begins by “the Lord” (God) placing “My Lord” (Jesus) at His right hand.
This psalm is commonly taken as referring to Messiah (the editors of the Bible I use subtitled it “Announcement of Messiah’s Reign”). The first part of it is quoted twice in the New Testament.
Jesus quotes it when He speaks to the Pharisees about Messiah’s identity, using it as proof that Messiah, though a human descendant of David is also divine or deity because David addresses Him as “Lord.”
In Acts, Peter quotes this verse at the end of his sermon on the day of Pentecost, saying that the giving of the Holy Spirit is proof that the first part of the prophecy (Jesus at the right hand of God) has been fulfilled.
It would seem we are still in that time frame, waiting for the working out in history of the final prediction – His enemies becoming His footstool – a state the Bible writers in both Old and New Testaments predicted:
Daniel 4:3
Daniel 7:14
Zechariah 9:10 (This verse is engraved on Canada's Peace Tower!)
Ephesians 1:22
1 Peter 3:22
It is important for us to settle the matter of how we stand with Jesus now, when He comes as our Savior and friend, rather than leave it for later, when He will come as our judge:
1 Corinthians 4:4-5
2 Timothy 4:1
Acts 10:42
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I so easily regard You as a friend and buddy, forgetting that You are also a judge and king. Today I exalt You as the authority and first ruler of my life. May Your kingdom come on earth (including my life) as it is in heaven. Amen
MORE: Twila Paris sings “He Is Exalted”
Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.
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