God's Right Hand

“Set out Your wonderful loving-kindness, O Savior of those seeking refuge in You, by Your right hand, from those who rise up against me.” (Psalms 17:7)

In this translation, the verse begins with the words “set out.” The original was “shew” or show. What is the Lord’s loving-kindness? It’s His love, mercy and grace toward those He loves. David prays that the Savior would show love, mercy and grace to those seeking refuge in Him, those who hope and trust in Him. At this particular time, which is unknown, but from the context, David was petitioning for himself. We know from the Bible that David had many hardships, but it’s not clear and not stated which particular difficulty he was in that inspired his prayer. It could have been about the Philistines, King Saul or his own son Absolom when he exposes them as evil. “They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak proudly, they have now hemmed in our steps, they have set their eyes to bow me to the earth, their likeness is like a lion that longs to tear, and like a young lion lurking in secret places. Arise, O Jehovah, disappoint him, bow him down; deliver my soul from the wicked by Your sword, from men by Your hand, O Jehovah, from men of the world whose portion is in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your treasure. They are satisfied with sons and will leave their riches to their babes.” (Psalms 17:10-14)

Jesus, the Messiah hadn’t come yet. David was speaking about the Lord God who was known to him from an early age as the Savior because He had rescued David many times, from creatures and men. The Father is also our Savior Who sent Jesus to save us from ourselves and our destiny of death in our sin. We know Jesus as our Savior, but actually, the Godhead is our Savior because the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One. They act in unity in all things. It’s because of Jesus and His sacrifice that God’s love, mercy and grace has been extended to us. The operative words being “has been.” We don’t have to pray for God’s lovingkindness. It has been poured out on those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and have made Him Lord over their lives. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

David writes that it’s by God’s right hand that this will be done. David prophetically wrote about the Messiah. God’s right hand refers to Jesus, the Messiah Who sits at the right hand of God. And so it is that Jesus is the Savior Who by taking our sin and unrighteousness from us, which was keeping us separated from the Father, allowed us to be favored by the Father with His love, mercy and grace. This is what David prayed for which hopefully we can understand the greatness magnitude that this is for us now. We don’t have to pray for God’s favor, God’s mercy, love and grace. The Father poured it on us the moment we became His children through faith in Jesus.

It is Jesus Who gave us access to the love, mercy and grace of God. It is to Him to Whom we run to and find refuge. We can say with the sons of Korah, “...God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalms 46:1) And we can say along with Moses, “I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust.” (Psalms 91:2) It is Jesus Who is God’s right hand Who rescues us from those who come against us in the spirit realm and in this world.

Concisely then, God shows His lovingkindness because of Jesus. We acknowledge that the Godhead, Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit each worked in unity to save us. Therefore, God is our Savior. It is by God’s right hand, Jesus, that we can take refuge and trust in all things for safety from every evil that comes against us, either in the spiritual realm or in this world.