At The Right Hand of God
(Psalms 110:1-4)
(1) A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
(2) The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
(3) Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
(4) The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Our text is from the short but patently Messianic 110th Psalm. The Lord Jesus Christ understood this psalm as a prophecy of Messiah and that it showed Messiah to be more than a descendant of David. Messiah would also be David's Lord (MAT 22:41-46). It was at the very least an implication of the deity of Christ: He would be God manifest in the flesh (1TI 3:16). The Psalm depicts Jesus Christ in His resurrected state upon the Davidic throne of promise (2SAM 7:12-16 c/w HEB 1:5; PSA 132:11). By comparing spiritual things with spiritual things (1CO 2:13), we know that this prophecy is in a present state of fulfillment. Bible-believers do not await an earthly future fulfillment of this prophecy. They know that the throne of David promised to David's Seed was going to be “...established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness IN HEAVEN...” (PSA 89:34-37), not in earth. They know that to deny a present fulfillment of vs. 1-3 of this Psalm would demand also a denial of a present fulfillment of the next verse, “...Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (PSA 110:4) and thus strip Jesus Christ of His present High Priestly office (HEB 6:20; HEB 7:15-22), leaving sinners without salvation or Intercessor. But the true Messiah is now, as promised, “...a priest upon his throne...” (ZEC 6:12-13); He could not be priest unless He also was a reigning King. He is now a king-priest as was Melchizedek (HEB 7:1).
Thus, Bible-believers see King Jesus NOW “...crowned with glory and honour...” (HEB 2:9), holding the royal sceptre of righteousness in His present kingdom (HEB 1:8). They see Christ as that Davidic King NOW ruling from heaven “...in the MIDST of thine enemies” (PSA 110:2), a curious distinction from the messianic king of the premillennialist's delusion who will swoop down, vanquish opposition and then rule on earth as king in the absence of his enemies. Bible-believers know that Jesus Christ currently has received “...ALL POWER...in heaven and in earth” (MAT 28:18) and therefore sent forth His gospel (MAT 28:19-20) to call His people of every nation to the obedience of faith (ROM 16:25-26). That gathering in of believers would fulfil what was further stated in our Psalm: “Thy people shall be willing IN THE DAY OF THY POWER...” (PSA 110:3).
There is something else of interest in v. 1 of our text: Messiah would sit at the right hand of God. Clearly this speaks of His current status where, as a result of His resurrection, He is “...by the right hand of God exalted...” (ACT 2:33). Christ died but “...is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (ROM 8:34). This is most fitting since the Law which condemned man had once come from that location: “...from his right hand went a fiery law for them” (DEU 33:2). Christ took the law “...out of the way...” (COL 2:14), so rather than a fiery law at the right hand of God, the elect now have an Intercessor and Advocate (1JO 2:1-2). He is especially described time and again as being SET and SEATED at the right hand of God in satisfaction of today's text:
(MAT 26:64) ... Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,...
(MAR 16:19) ...he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
(EPH 1:20) ...and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
(COL 3:1) ...seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
(HEB 1:3) ...by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
(HEB 1:13) ...Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
(HEB 8:1) ...set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
(HEB 12:2) ...is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
This seated position is significant because it distinguishes His single, perfect priestly sacrifice (of Himself) from the inadequate, continual sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood:
(HEB 10:11) And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
(HEB 10:12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
The work of salvation having been completed, sins having been finally atoned for, our High Priest has, as it were, taken a chair. The chair is furniture which speaks of rest and it was conspicuously absent in the O.T. tabernacle service. The work of salvation was never completed until Christ “...appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (HEB 9:26), and only then was there rest.
There is, however, one time when the resurrected Jesus Christ was specifically seen standing in heaven rather than sitting. Have you ever stood to cheer on a hero to the finish line? Have you ever stood as a gesture of respect to someone honorable, who had fought the good fight to the very end? Have you ever stood with someone who really needed your support? Have you ever stood to welcome a special acquaintance? Consider faithful Stephen's account as he was being martyred for the testimony of Jesus:
(ACT 7:55) But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
(ACT 7:56) And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
It ought to be a great comfort to know that Jesus has such interest in the faithful testimony unto death of one of His children that He should arise from His rest, from His seat of power, and stand for the occasion. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (PSA 116:15).