Jesus, the Babe Born in Bethlehem, Sits at
the Right Hand of Godto Rule the World
through His Gracious Gospel,
the Power of God unto Salvation.
Advent 2020.
During the season of Advent Concordia will be meditating on the Ascension
Psalm Psalm 47.
Psalm 47 is Messianic Psalm that teaches us by the Person Work of the Messiah to save men from their sins. Concordia in particular will be mediating upon vss. 2, 4, and 5.
Psalm 47 teaches in verse 2 that the Incarnate Lord is mighty to Reign over all the nations. Christ is able to Reign over all nations because He is the Almighty God Incarnate. His Reign over the nations is Gracious because He Reigns over the nations with the Forgiveness of sins won by His Passion. His Almighty Power also enabling Him in His Passion to be the unbearable load of the infinite and eternal consequences of the sins of men. Because this Gracious Reign of the Gospel is the Reign of the Almighty Incarnate God, it is the Power of God unto Salvation (
Romans 1:16).
Verse 4 shows once again this Psalm is Messianic because it speaks of inheritance. God's inheritance to men is the Absolution of all sin (
St. Matthew 26:28) and through the Absolution life everlasting and the resurrection of the dead. This Inheritance comes through the Excellency of Jacob. The Messiah is Jacob's Son (
Genesis 28:14). Jacob's Son certainly is Excellent because He is the Son of God and the Savior of all men.
Finally, verse 5 teaches again that God is Incarnate. Verse 5 reads that "God (
Elohim) is gone up with a shout ... ." How can God go anywhere since He is everywhere (omnipresent) already? God can and does come and go not according to His Divine Nature but to the assumed Human Nature. Movement or changes in God refer to the Incarnate God and not God in His Essence, which never moves or changes.
God ascended to heaven and was seated at the Right Hand of God in order to Rule all nations Graciously through the Gospel for the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and life everlasting. Our own Brother sits at the Right Hand of God and wields all power for us and all men and our everlasting well-being. St. Bernard writes:
How can I ever become sad and mournful or discouraged? After all, my flesh and blood sits in heaven above. I expect He will not be my enemy.
2
