The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
David under the Spirit foretold the Father inviting David's Lord to sit at His right hand until every enemy is put under Him. The promise shows the Messiah to be both David's descendant in His human nature and David's divine Lord as the Son of God, equal with the Father. After His victory over Satan and death He ascended in human form to occupy His Father's throne as priest and king with all authority in heaven and earth. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the sign and proof that the crucified and risen Jesus had been exalted and anointed over His people. From that throne He carries on His work as Advocate and Intercessor who knows human weakness and temptation, and as supreme Judge who will come in power and glory to raise the redeemed and judge every person according to deeds.
David's Son and Lord
David spoke by the inspiration and Spirit of God, prophesying by foresight what the LORD would say to his own Lord, bidding Him sit at the right hand until His enemies should be made His footstool. The prophecy calls the coming Messiah both David's son and David's Lord, descendant of David according to the flesh in human nature yet Lord in divine nature. He is therefore more than merely human, more than a man or human descendant, for He is the divine Son of God.
The first Lord is the Father, and the second Lord addressed by Him is Christ, who is Lord and equal with the Father. David, though ancestor of Christ according to the flesh, foresaw His ascension and exaltation to that place at God's right hand. God appointed the crucified, risen Jesus to that place, making Him both Lord and Christ.
The enthronement reveals Christ's preexistence and supremacy as the Son of God, for He already stood at the Father's right hand and shared His authority before the angels were created. His rule was mild and loving and rightful, a blessing to all under it, and the angels were glad to carry out His commands and joyfully obeyed Him. The Father's public honoring of the Son took nothing from the honor given to Satan. When Lucifer demanded equal authority, the loyal angels defended the divine decree establishing Christ's authority.
Exalted to God's Right Hand
By prophetic foresight David saw the Messiah enter heaven and ascend in human form to occupy His Father's throne at His right hand, and the disciples knew this exaltation by the testimony of angels. That enthronement followed His victory over Satan and death, and it fulfills and completes the prophetic testimony to His rejection, death, resurrection and victory. There He received all authority in heaven and on earth as priest and king, as Prince in the heavenly courts sharing the eternal throne with supreme honor as God. Though He had voluntarily left that place and humbled Himself to save the world, after death and resurrection He is priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the sign and proof that the crucified, rejected and risen Jesus had been exalted, had received the Father's promise of the Spirit, and had been appointed Anointed One over His people. From that throne as glorified Redeemer He carries forward the work of atonement as man's Advocate and Intercessor with the Father after having wrought out salvation. Having experienced human weakness, sorrow and temptation He is fitted as man's representative to plead for humanity, knowing what His people need and living to intercede for them. From that place of honor He also presents those He rescued from death and crowns them, who represent the redeemed to be raised from their graves at His second coming to be in His presence and belong to Him, and He distributes gifts to all who claim them by faith.
The sitting at the right hand of power is sitting with authority from God as supreme Judge of heaven and earth and Lord of life and glory, whose decision cannot be appealed. By Him hidden things will be brought to light at the resurrection and each person judged according to deeds. Jesus applied this to Himself in declaring before His accusers that the Son of man would sit at the right hand and come in heaven's clouds with power, great glory and angels. That coming reverses His trial as condemned and abused prisoner before the council, for the enthroned Christ will pronounce sentence on His enemies, confronting denial of the resurrection, judgment and future life.
Proclaimed and Applied Truth
The declaration is David's Spirit-inspired prophecy that the Lord would tell David's Lord to sit at His right hand until His enemies were made His footstool. It proves that the Messiah, though David's descendant, is also David's Lord and therefore more than merely human. Jesus set forth this question to test whether His hearers recognized His divine identity, and the appeal to David's testimony could persuade those prejudiced against Jesus because they revered David as patriarch of their nation.
Its language of sitting at the right hand and at the footstool forbids presuming to assign others places of honor or disgrace according to personal favor and plans. Human beings cannot read motives, and therefore cannot claim God's authority to pass such sentences upon one another. Still less may they condemn those whom the Holy Spirit has restored and pardoned.
The one so addressed is Christ exalted to God's right hand, where He lives to intercede for people. Through His help they can overcome the powers of darkness. By that same help they may themselves be exalted to His own right hand.
David under the Spirit foretold the Father inviting David's Lord to sit at His right hand until every enemy is put under Him. The promise shows the Messiah to be both David's descendant in His human nature and David's divine Lord as the Son of God, equal with the Father. After His victory over Satan and death He ascended in human form to occupy His Father's throne as priest and king with all authority in heaven and earth. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the sign and proof that the crucified and risen Jesus had been exalted and anointed over His people. From that throne He carries on His work as Advocate and Intercessor who knows human weakness and temptation, and as supreme Judge who will come in power and glory to raise the redeemed and judge every person according to deeds.
David's Son and Lord
David spoke by the inspiration and Spirit of God, prophesying by foresight what the LORD would say to his own Lord, bidding Him sit at the right hand until His enemies should be made His footstool. The prophecy calls the coming Messiah both David's son and David's Lord, descendant of David according to the flesh in human nature yet Lord in divine nature. He is therefore more than merely human, more than a man or human descendant, for He is the divine Son of God.
The first Lord is the Father, and the second Lord addressed by Him is Christ, who is Lord and equal with the Father. David, though ancestor of Christ according to the flesh, foresaw His ascension and exaltation to that place at God's right hand. God appointed the crucified, risen Jesus to that place, making Him both Lord and Christ.
The enthronement reveals Christ's preexistence and supremacy as the Son of God, for He already stood at the Father's right hand and shared His authority before the angels were created. His rule was mild and loving and rightful, a blessing to all under it, and the angels were glad to carry out His commands and joyfully obeyed Him. The Father's public honoring of the Son took nothing from the honor given to Satan. When Lucifer demanded equal authority, the loyal angels defended the divine decree establishing Christ's authority.
Exalted to God's Right Hand
By prophetic foresight David saw the Messiah enter heaven and ascend in human form to occupy His Father's throne at His right hand, and the disciples knew this exaltation by the testimony of angels. That enthronement followed His victory over Satan and death, and it fulfills and completes the prophetic testimony to His rejection, death, resurrection and victory. There He received all authority in heaven and on earth as priest and king, as Prince in the heavenly courts sharing the eternal throne with supreme honor as God. Though He had voluntarily left that place and humbled Himself to save the world, after death and resurrection He is priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the sign and proof that the crucified, rejected and risen Jesus had been exalted, had received the Father's promise of the Spirit, and had been appointed Anointed One over His people. From that throne as glorified Redeemer He carries forward the work of atonement as man's Advocate and Intercessor with the Father after having wrought out salvation. Having experienced human weakness, sorrow and temptation He is fitted as man's representative to plead for humanity, knowing what His people need and living to intercede for them. From that place of honor He also presents those He rescued from death and crowns them, who represent the redeemed to be raised from their graves at His second coming to be in His presence and belong to Him, and He distributes gifts to all who claim them by faith.
The sitting at the right hand of power is sitting with authority from God as supreme Judge of heaven and earth and Lord of life and glory, whose decision cannot be appealed. By Him hidden things will be brought to light at the resurrection and each person judged according to deeds. Jesus applied this to Himself in declaring before His accusers that the Son of man would sit at the right hand and come in heaven's clouds with power, great glory and angels. That coming reverses His trial as condemned and abused prisoner before the council, for the enthroned Christ will pronounce sentence on His enemies, confronting denial of the resurrection, judgment and future life.
Proclaimed and Applied Truth
The declaration is David's Spirit-inspired prophecy that the Lord would tell David's Lord to sit at His right hand until His enemies were made His footstool. It proves that the Messiah, though David's descendant, is also David's Lord and therefore more than merely human. Jesus set forth this question to test whether His hearers recognized His divine identity, and the appeal to David's testimony could persuade those prejudiced against Jesus because they revered David as patriarch of their nation.
Its language of sitting at the right hand and at the footstool forbids presuming to assign others places of honor or disgrace according to personal favor and plans. Human beings cannot read motives, and therefore cannot claim God's authority to pass such sentences upon one another. Still less may they condemn those whom the Holy Spirit has restored and pardoned.
The one so addressed is Christ exalted to God's right hand, where He lives to intercede for people. Through His help they can overcome the powers of darkness. By that same help they may themselves be exalted to His own right hand.