Psalms 103, 108-110, 122, 124
Psalm 110, "The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies!' ... The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.' ... He will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations ... and so He will lift His head high."
Wow! There is a lot to unpack from the reading above - and the wording itself is rather confusing. But, first, we must understand that David wrote this prophetic Psalm about Christ. In fact, Jesus referenced this Psalm to prove His identity as the Son of God, equal in power and glory to the Father. Verse one is also quoted over 25 times in the New Testament!
So, what can we glean about Jesus from today's reading? First, we see that He sits at the right hand of God - a place of ultimate honor. And He continues to fight for us as God makes His enemies a "footstool" for His feet.
The second aspect is His supreme power and authority. "The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter" illustrates this. People in the highest ruling positions held these rod-like objects as a symbol of their dominion over others.
Third, we see that He is our high priest. We can't even fathom how much He intercedes for us and provides spiritual sustenance in our lives.
Finally, we see that He will someday return as He "lifts His head high" to gather God's children and bring judgment upon the wicked.
What do we most gain from reading this Psalm? It's understanding that life isn't about us - we are a part of Christ's story! We play supporting roles, but He is the star. He reigns supreme. Too often, though, we try to sit on the thrones of our lives, but we were never meant to. When we surrender control to Christ, we are freed from trying to do what only He can. So, dethrone yourself and trust that the almighty King of kings has Your life in His loving hands.
Christ, You alone reign supreme! Convict my heart when I try to sit on the throne of my life. I surrender all that I am to Your lordship. Amen.