May 24 — The Priest-King at God's Right Hand
SCRIPTURE READING:
Psalms 108-110
SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 108
¹ A Song [or] Psalm of David. O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
² Awake, psaltery and harp: I [myself] will awake early.
³ I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
⁴ For thy mercy [is] great above the heavens: and thy truth [reacheth] unto the clouds.
⁵ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;
⁶ That thy beloved may be delivered: save [with] thy right hand, and answer me.
⁷ God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
⁸ Gilead [is] mine; Manasseh [is] mine; Ephraim also [is] the strength of mine head; Judah [is] my lawgiver;
⁹ Moab [is] my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.
¹⁰ Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
¹¹ [Wilt] not [thou], O God, [who] hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
¹² Give us help from trouble: for vain [is] the help of man.
¹³ Through God we shall do valiantly: for he [it is that] shall tread down our enemies.
Psalm 109
¹ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
² For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
³ They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
⁴ For my love they are my adversaries: but I [give myself unto] prayer.
⁵ And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
⁶ Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
⁷ When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
⁸ Let his days be few; [and] let another take his office.
⁹ Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
¹⁰ Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek [their bread] also out of their desolate places.
¹¹ Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
¹² Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
¹³ Let his posterity be cut off; [and] in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
¹⁴ Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
¹⁵ Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁶ Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
¹⁷ As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
¹⁸ As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
¹⁹ Let it be unto him as the garment [which] covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
²⁰ [Let] this [be] the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
²¹ But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy [is] good, deliver thou me.
²² For I [am] poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
²³ I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
²⁴ My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
²⁵ I became also a reproach unto them: [when] they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
²⁶ Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
²⁷ That they may know that this [is] thy hand; [that] thou, LORD, hast done it.
²⁸ Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
²⁹ Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
³⁰ I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
³¹ For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save [him] from those that condemn his soul.
Psalm 110
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.
⁵ The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
⁶ He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill [the places] with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
⁷ He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
DEVOTIONAL:
Psalms 108-110 combine confidence, petition, and royal prophecy. The worshiper praises God among the nations, asks for help against enemies, and then hears the LORD speak to a figure seated at His right hand. Psalm 110 rises above ordinary royal language because this king is also a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The result is a vision of rule, holiness, victory, and priestly mediation.
In Israel's covenant hope, kingship and priesthood normally had distinct roles. The king ruled from David's line, while priests served from Aaron's line. Psalm 110 therefore creates expectation for someone greater than the ordinary patterns of Israel's institutions. The LORD Himself appoints this priest-king, gives Him victory, and establishes His place at the right hand. The passage is both royal and deeply worshipful.
The psalms also hold confidence and dependence together. "Through God we shall do valiantly" does not mean human arrogance dressed in religious language. It means that courage comes from knowing the LORD's promise and seeking His help. Israel's enemies may be strong, but salvation does not rest in the cleverness of the people. It rests in the Lord who speaks, sends help, and rules.
The New Testament repeatedly identifies Jesus with Psalm 110. He is David's Son and David's Lord, the exalted Messiah seated at God's right hand. He is also the eternal priest who intercedes for His people. In Him, victory and mediation meet. The King who reigns is the Priest who offered Himself, and the Priest who intercedes is the King who will put all enemies under His feet.
In daily life, this reading calls believers to obey God with confidence shaped by Christ's reign rather than by fear or self-assertion. Character grows when prayer comes before action and hope is anchored in the exalted Messiah. Families can worship Jesus as both King and intercessor, workers can face opposition without panic, and churches can proclaim a Savior whose authority and mercy belong together.
In U.S. civic life, this reading teaches confident hope as a public good. It calls for prayer over people facing opposition, injustice, or spiritual discouragement who need courage anchored in Christ's reign. Christians should show up by standing firm with prayerful hope rather than panic, contempt, or despair.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What does this reading teach about the difference between human strength and God's purpose?
Which covenant theme in this passage should shape your worship?
How does this Scripture prepare your heart to see Jesus more clearly?
What faithful action would grow from confident hope today?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
King of heaven, Your purposes stand, and Your word never fails.
CONFESSION:
Forgive me for hiding sin, excusing selfishness, or using Your gifts for my own name.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You for hearing prayer and for making Your grace known in the Son of David.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Give me courage to live out confident hope in hidden places as well as visible responsibilities.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Form Your church in confident hope, and let our prayers and service bless people facing opposition, injustice, or spiritual discouragement who need courage anchored in Christ's reign.
SCRIPTURE:
¹ A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.