Lord Jesus, give us thy Holy Spirit. Amen.

Psalm 110. A Psalm of David. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 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. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

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“Sit thou at my right hand” means this; Rule in my strength over all things in heaven and on earth. “The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” “This, ‘sit thou at my right hand,’ is at all times infinitely rich in comfort for the church of God. He that can but lay hold on and keep this one scrip­ture passage in his heart rises superior to every haunting dread; and it is immaterial to him whether his enemies are many or few, strong or weak; he can look with perfect composure at their fury and their vain efforts. He says with John Arndt: ‘I know One who sits on the right hand of God; he is strong enough to prevail against all my ene­mies and all my distress’.” (Hengstenberg). — The Lord has said to my Lord: “Sit thou on thy throne, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” The Lord has spoken it, and his statement is final. All his enemies shall either be laid at his feet, or be laid under his feet. Be­lieve this, and you shall rule with him; or refuse to believe it, and it is true just the same. Addressing the Messiah the Psalmist declares: “The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; the throne of the ruler of heaven shall stand in the midst of the congregation, and thou shalt rule in the midst of thine enemies.” — We see the ene­mies, and we hear the uproar made by the unbelievers; but who can see the throne of his omnipotence in their midst ? Have no fear. The cause of truth triumphs through defeat only. Over the head of the Crucified One is written: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews;” and this writing remains, regardless of the fury of the high priests. He ruled in the midst of his enemies without their knowing it; and he does the same still. His enemies will all the time mock him in his members. We shall suffer with him, and reign with him. There al­ways are enemies round about who seem to gain the victory; but he reigns in their midst; their noise and din only prove his victorious and ruling presence, even as the waters seethe and surge around the im­movable rock.

He does not lack people when he needs them. In this Psalm they are likened to the dew of the morning. Only a few moments ago the earth was covered with a gray mist; but now the day is come, and on grass and leaf you see countless pearls, pure and brilliant, sparkling in the rays of the morning sun. They appear suddenly as by enchantment, but they had been fashioned and were there before we knew it. Thus it is with the Lord’s people. At the proper time they appear in countless numbers, pure and fresh and sparkling in the light of the sun; that is, in the beauty of the Lord. They are nothing in themselves; he is their all. Without the sun there is no beauty in the dewdrop. They are willing, happy and cheerful, and young even in their old age; for he is not their king only, but also a priest, ac­cording to what the Lord hath sworn, who ever intercedes for us and puts on us garments of holiness. — Are you, dear reader, one of this multitude who now, while the church is in its state of lowliness, are making ready to share his glory on the day of his power? Is Christ the king of your heart? Is his merit your robe of honor, and his strength your armor? Woe to all who defy him! In the day of his wrath he shall strike down kings, the great and proud spirits who make war on his kingdom. He fills the land with dead bodies; pray God, our people be not among the chief sufferers! There are already many dead bodies, and there is much fatal poison in the atmosphere.

Choose your place. To which camp do you belong?

Lord Jesus, rule in our hearts. Help us to believe in thy power and grace. Clothe us with thy purity, and arm us with thy righteous­ness. Thy power be our strength, thy merit our comfort, thy love our life; that we may be willing in thy service, and that we may fight man­fully in thy army. Amen.

Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call;
The God incarnate, man divine,
And crown him Lord of all!

Ye gentile sinners, ne’er forget
The wormwood and the gall;
Go, spread your trophies at his feet
And crown him Lord of all!