In The Midst Of Your Enemies

Psalm 110

The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies. (Psalm 110:2)

PSALM 110:1 IS PERHAPS THE most often quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. It’s a messianic prophecy about the future reign of God’s anointed. The psalm continues into a somewhat surprising picture not only of the King extending his Kingdom and ruling over enemies, but as the original language implies, “in the midst of them.” The enemies haven’t disappeared; they have simply become subordinate. God’s purpose is for his Son to reign in his Kingdom of goodness even over those who had opposed him.

For those who get to participate in the Messiah’s rule (Revelation 3:21; 5:10), this is a startling picture. It shows us the nature of his Kingdom even as it is growing now. It is also a wake-up call for believers who think they should be granted immunity from the opposition of this world. Some branches of the church have spent decades, even centuries, developing a culture of avoidance, suggesting that freedom from enemies is part of our inheritance. But the Kingdom of God exerts the blessings of its power in the midst of enemies. That means our challenge in this age is not to be good, faithful representatives of Jesus in a vacuum, but to be good, faithful representatives of Jesus in the Babylons and Romes of the modern world. We are not undone by the opposition of our enemies; we thrive in it. It gives us a platform to show who our Messiah really is.

Far too many Christians talk about returning to the power of the early church and then lament the conditions in which the early church thrived. If we really wanted those times again, we would rejoice over being marginalized, dismissed, opposed, and mocked—all signs of those times. Our opposition actually gives us opportunities to reflect the nature of the Messiah—to return love for hate, blessing for curses, and goodness for evil. It enables us to learn what it means to rule in the midst of enemies.

{Jesus, you endured blistering opposition and yet ruled with grace. And your rule will continue, even in the midst of those who reject you. Give me that spirit of overcoming, that measure of grace, as your Kingdom grows and arrives in full. Amen.