Psalm 80:17
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
Yesterday's verse warned us that at God's rebuke his people perish. Fortunately, that's not the end of the story. In the final 3 verses of the psalm we discover that there is still the possibility of restoration. Instead of judgement, they could receive the blessing the palmist is praying
for. But how can that happen? Today's verse tells us. And, as we've already seen, it isn't because of anything that the people do. It's all God's doing. He reaches out his hand to bless. But who is this man at his right hand, who
receives the blessing?
We saw, back in verses 1&2 that this psalm focuses
especially on Joseph's family, including his younger brother Benjamin. The name Benjamin means 'the son of my right hand' . So when we read the first half of
this verse it's natural to picture him being blessed by God. But the blessing is not just for him as an individual. He represents the whole tribe of Benjamin. One man's blessing benefits many people. Yet as we read on, the 'man' becomes a 'son of man'. Which could still describe Benjamin, but is also the name Jesus often uses of himself. From our perspective, this side of the cross, we see more
clearly than the psalmist could Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father, raised up from the dead, having taken the judgement that should have been ours. Jesus rightly deserves God's hand of blessing to rest on him. But we who are united with him by faith get to share it. One man's blessing benefits many people. Let's thank him for that today.
