Israel was in disarray. The Psalmist lamented, "Thou hast "…broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her,: and "The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it." (v. 12, 13) Thus the writer issues a plea for repentance which is the fundamental theme of this psalm. (cf. vs.. 3, 7, 19) The mournful tone, in quest of hope, finds its focus in the segment which we have selected as our "nugget" for today.
It cannot be doubted, whatever the immediate context may signify, that the "man of [God's] right hand" is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is identified throughout the New Testament as "the Son of Man," a title employed by the synoptic writers and so He refers to Himself in John's gospel, and conferred upon Him by that writer in the Revelation (cf. Rev. 1:13; 4:14).
The Savior's assignment to that role, notwithstanding His inherent deity, was under the authority of God the Father, reflecting again the administrative order in the Godhead. What is most significant is the obvious link the inspired writer makes between the desperate need for repentance and revival on the part of wayward Israel, and the relationship of the Father and the Son, conveyed in the tiny, but dynamic word, "so." Whatever hope he has for Israel's recovery rests not upon the human resources of the nation, but upon that relationship. "So" shall we experience—stability, spiritual vitality and true piety.
Man becomes the beneficiary of God's redemptive power and grace by faith, apart from which man is nothing and will come to nothing. But, given the indestructible bond between the God the Father and the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, where repentance and faith are present, God is able to bestow these spiritual virtues upon men.
It is on the strength of that relationship that the psalmist is confident, "So will we not go back from Thee." It is the same grace which saves the sinner that secures him. The penitent, trusting soul is "…kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time [I Peter 1:5]." We can no more keep ourselves than we could hope to save ourselves.
Life, as opposed to mere mortality, is also imparted to us by reason of the same faith link with the covenant agreement between the Father and the Son. It is the nature and strength of that bond which makes life available to us. Jesus said, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever [Jn. 6:56-58]." So it is through Him that the writer makes his plea, "quicken us."
Likewise, it is only from the Father through the Son that we are introduced to true piety, or worship. "So…will we call upon Thy name." When drawn into a discussion about worship the Savior said to the woman at the well, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth [John 4:24]." Such worship demands the internal ministry of the Holy Spirit, and He enters the hearts of men only who have put their trust in the Son of Man on the basis of that bond between the Father and the Son which resulted in the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
We do not have life apart from Christ, we cannot sustain faith without Him and we have not engaged in true worship until we have called upon the name of the Lord through the Son of His right hand.
"The Son of man [came] to seek and to save that which was lost [Luke 19:10]." Through Him there is hope for the most wayward of sinners. Apart from Him there is no hope at all.
For Him,
"Pastor" Frasier
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