Psalm 101:1
I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord’s right hand signifies His active power in salvation and judgment. The commitment to mercy and justice in this verse assumes a ruler who governs in alignment with God’s own character.
This righteous rule is realized in Christ, who is exalted to the right hand of God following His obedient life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection. Peter proclaims at Pentecost that Jesus, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear (Acts 2:33). Divine authority and covenant faithfulness converge in the risen Lord.
Jesus’ exaltation to the right hand of God confirms Him as the true and faithful King who perfectly sings and enacts mercy and justice. Unlike earthly rulers who often fail to hold these virtues together, Christ fulfills both without compromise. Paul declares that God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:20–21). Christ governs by redemptive power; He administers mercy through forgiveness of sins and justice through the defeat of sin, death, and the powers of darkness.
The Lord’s right hand is also the place of priestly intercession, where mercy and justice meet in ongoing mediation. Hebrews 8:1 affirms that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man (Hebrews 8:1-2). Christ continually intercedes for us.
The reign of Christ at God’s right hand guarantees the ultimate triumph of righteousness in the world. The exalted Jesus will bring history to its appointed end, when justice is fully established and mercy consummated in the renewal of all things. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:25, writes that Christ must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The song of Psalm 101:1 anticipates the final harmony of God’s kingdom, where mercy and justice are no longer contested but perfectly united under Christ’s lordship.
Ask God to:
- teach you to hold mercy and justice together in your thoughts, words, and actions.
- teach you to live each day in humble dependence on His grace.
- enable you to live faithfully in anticipation of the day when God’s mercy and justice will be fully revealed in the renewal of all things.
Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be the glory!
Rev. Luke Haisa
