217

The LORD unto My Lord Has Said (Psalm 110)

Full Text

1 The Lord unto my Lord has said,
"Sit here at my right hand
until I make your enemies
submit to your command.
A scepter prospered by the Lord
your mighty hand shall wield;
from Zion you shall rule the world,
and all your foes shall yield.

2 "Your people will be gladly yours
when you arise in might,
like dawning day, like hopeful youth,
with holy beauty bright.
The priesthood of Melchizedek
the Lord has given you;
it shall remain forevermore;
God's word is always true.

3 "You shall subdue the kings of earth,
with God at your right hand;
the nations you shall rule in might
and judge in every land."
The Lord, refreshed by living streams,
shall neither faint nor fall,
and he shall be the glorious head,
exalted over all.

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Scripture References

Thematically related:

Further Reflections on Scripture References

Traditionally ascribed to David (Matt. 22:43-45), this was most likely a coronation psalm for the Davidic kings. The two authorita­tive words, or oracles, from God (vv. 1, 4) maybe echoes of the covenant made with David concerning his dynasty (2 Sam. 7; Ps. 89: 1-37). The first of these oracles proclaims the sure triumph of the LORD's anointed (st. 1) and the refreshing dedication of the king's servants. The second oracle proclaims the king's enduring priesthood "in the order of Melchizedek" (st. 2; see Heb. 5:6,10; 7:15-22)–perhaps because the king in Jerusalem was responsi­ble for building and maintaining the temple, for overseeing the work of the priests and Levites there, and for interceding for the nations. This blessed king would rule all the nations, judge them, and know unfailing vigor in his exalted eternal reign (st. 3). The New Testament uses Psalm 110 more than any other in reference to Jesus Christ as the anointed King filling this role. The versification (altered) is from the 1912 Psalter.

 

Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

The confessions make it clear that the ascension of Christ opened the door to the rule of his kingdom. This fact is comforting to those who love him and is a fearful threat to those who despise him. The response therefore is praise and adoration from people of faith, and resistance from those who reject him.

 

Our World Belongs to God, paragraph 27 affirms “All authority, glory and sovereign power are given to him,” and reaffirms it in paragraph 43: “Jesus Christ rules over all.”

 

Consider the clear affirmation made in Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 19, Question and Answer 50: “Christ ascended to heaven to show there that he is the head of his church, the one through whom the Father rules all things.”

 
It is no wonder that those who despise him join together to conspire against him, for Christ’s aim as Lord is to “destroy the devil’s work…every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy word” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 48, Question and Answer 123).

217

The LORD unto My Lord Has Said (Psalm 110)

Call to Worship

People of God,
the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, sends his greeting to you.
And his greeting is this:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
through the working of the Holy Spirit.
This is the greeting of Christ, who arose from the grave.
He died and rose that we might have eternal life.
All thanks be to him!
This same Christ has ascended to the Father.
He ascended that we might experience God’s presence and power.
All praise be to him!
[Reformed Worship 23:40]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Words of Praise

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the one who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.
Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your judgments have been revealed. Amen.
—from Revelation 11:17; 12:10, NIV; 15:3-4, NRSV
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Assurance

Our hope for a new creation
is not tied to what humans can do,
for we believe that one day
every challenge to God’s rule
will be crushed.
His kingdom will fully come,
and the Lord will rule.
We long for that day
when our bodies are raised,
the Lord wipes away our tears,
and we dwell forever
in the presence of God.
We will take our place
in the new creation,
where there will be
no more death
or mourning
or crying
or pain,
and the Lord will be our light.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
—from Our World Belongs to God, st. 55-56
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
As followers of Jesus Christ,
living in this world—
which some seek to control,
and others view with despair—
we declare with joy and trust:
Our world belongs to God!
From the beginning,
through all the crises of our times,
until the kingdom fully comes,
God keeps covenant forever:
Our world belongs to God!
God is King! Let the earth be glad!
Christ is victor: his rule has begun!
The Spirit is at work: creation is renewed!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Jesus ascended in triumph,
raising our humanity to the heavenly throne.
All authority, glory, and sovereign power are given to him.
There he hears our prayers
and pleads our cause before the Father.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Our hope for a new creation is not tied
to what humans can do,
for we believe that one day
every challenge to God’s rule will be crushed.
His kingdom will fully come,
and our Lord will rule.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
—Our World Belongs to God, st. 1-2, 27, 55
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Additional Prayers

Lord Jesus Christ, you were born as one of us,
you suffered and died, and you were raised for us.
You are our great high priest, and with true justice and unending mercy
you will return to judge and rule the earth.
In you we have nothing to fear, not even death itself.
All glory and praise are yours in this and every age. Amen.
— Psalms for All Seasons (http://www.psalmsforallseasons.org)
Eternal God, mighty in the heavens,
you brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ,
lifting him to life and drawing him up
into the glory he shares with you and the Holy Spirit.
Stretch our minds and hearts toward your majestic love.
Raise our eyes, lift our heads,
expand our vision of you
and your sovereign purposes in the world
that rest upon the strength
of our ascended Lord. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
217

The LORD unto My Lord Has Said (Psalm 110)

Tune Information

Name
ALL SAINTS NEW
Key
B♭ Major
Meter
8.6.8.6 D

Recordings

217

The LORD unto My Lord Has Said (Psalm 110)

Hymn Story/Background

Traditionally ascribed to David (Matt. 22:43-45), this was most likely a coronation psalm for the Davidic kings. The two authorita­tive words, or oracles, from God (vv. 1, 4) may be echoes of the covenant made with David concerning his dynasty (2 Sam. 7; Ps. 89: 1-37). The first of these oracles proclaims the sure triumph of the LORD's anointed (st. 1) and the refreshing dedication of the king's servants. The second oracle proclaims the king's enduring priesthood "in the order of Melchizedek" (st. 2; see Heb. 5:6,10; 7:15-22)–perhaps because the king in Jerusalem was responsi­ble for building and maintaining the temple, for overseeing the work of the priests and Levites there, and for interceding for the nations. This blessed king would rule all the nations, judge them, and know unfailing vigor in his exalted eternal reign (st. 3). The New Testament uses Psalm 110 more than any other in reference to Jesus Christ as the anointed King filling this role. The versification (altered) is from the 1912 Psalter.
 
Henry Stephen Cutler composed ALL SAINTS NEW in 1872 for Reginald Heber's text "The Son of God Goes Forth to War," and the two were published together in Hymnal with Tunes, Old and New (1872). That text refers to "the glorious band" of God's people, helping to explain the chosen tune title. The NEW is to distinguish this tune from others that are also called ALL SAINTS. ALL SAINTS NEW has a processional or martial character, inherited no doubt from Cutler's love for the British cathedral tradition of choir processions. Sing the tune in parts at a moderate tempo.
 
— Bert Polman

Author Information

The 1912 Psalter was the first ecumenical psalter published in the United States and the most widely used metrical psalter of the twentieth century in North America.  The United Presbyterian Church invited all other Reformed and Presbyterian denominations to join them in the effort to provide a new versifications of the psalms; six Presbyterian denominations, as well as the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America joined in the effort in revising the 1887 Psalter (whose texts actually dated back to the 1871 Book of Psalms; the 1887 edition had added music to the texts.).  The 1912 Psalter included all the psalms in 413 settings, eight doxologies, and the three Lukan canticles (Song of Mary, Song of Zechariah, and Song of Simeon).
— Bert Polman

Composer Information

Henry Stephen Cutler (b. Boston, MA, 1824; d. Boston, 1902) studied music in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1844. He moved to England, where he listened with interest to the cathedral choirs and came under the influence of the Oxford Movement. Returning to Boston in 1846, Cutler became organist of the Episcopal Church of the Advent and formed a choir of men and boys, to whom he introduced the wearing of liturgical robes. When he took a position at Trinity Church in New York City, he removed women from the choir and used the occasion of a visit by the Prince of Wales to the church to introduce his newly vested men and boys' choir. He also moved the choir from the gallery to the chancel and initiated the chanting of the psalms and the singing of part of the worship service. Cutler compiled The Psalter, with Chants (1858) and published The Trinity Psalter (1864) and Trinity Anthems (1865).
— Bert Polman
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