2
The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
My Thoughts
Psalm 110:2 highlights the Lord’s power sent from Zion, representing the Gospel as a mighty scepter of strength. This authority extends beyond Israel, establishing Christ’s kingdom amidst His enemies. Commentators emphasize the transformative nature of this Gospel, which conquers hearts, subdues adversaries, and affirms His eternal reign over all nations.
Guzik mentions that Adam Clarke is among those who think the rod of Your strength represents the Gospel: “The Gospel – the doctrine of Christ crucified; which is the powerful scepter of the Lord that bought us; is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword; and is the power of God to salvation to all them that believe.”……….Bill
_____________________________
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion.” It is in and through the church that for the present the power of the Messiah is known. Jehovah has given to Jesus all authority in the midst of his people, whom he rules with his royal scepter, and this power goes forth with divine energy from the church for the ingathering of the elect, and the subduing of all evil. We have need to pray for the sending out of the rod of divine strength. It was by his rod that Moses smote the Egyptians and wrought wonders for Israel, and even so whenever the Lord Jesus sends forth the rod of his strength, our spiritual enemies are overcome. There may be an allusion here to Aaron’s rod which budded and so proved his power; this was laid up in the ark, but our Lord’s rod is sent forth to subdue his foes. This promise began to be fulfilled at Pentecost, and it continues even to this day, and shall yet have a grander fulfillment. O God of eternal might, let the strength of our Lord Jesus be more clearly seen, and let the nations see it as coming forth out of the midst of thy feeble people, even from Zion, the place of thine abode.
“Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies;” as he does whenever his mighty scepter of grace is stretched forth to renew and save them. Moses’ rod brought water out of the flinty rock, and the gospel of Jesus soon causes repentance to flow in rivers from the once hardened heart of man. Or the text may mean that though the church is situated in the midst of a hostile world, yet it exerts a great influence, it continues to manifest an inward majesty, and is after all the ruling power among the nations because the shout of a king is in her midst. Jesus, however, hated by men, is still the King of kings. His rule is over even the most unwilling, so as to overrule their fiercest opposition to the advancement of His cause. Jesus, it appears from this text, is not inactive during his session at Jehovah’s right hand, but in his own way proves the abiding nature of his kingdom both in Zion and from Zion, both among his friends and his foes. We look for the clearer manifestation of his almighty power in the latter days, but even in these waiting times, we rejoice that to the Lord all power is given in heaven and in earth.
_____________________________
Enduring Word
The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion: The Messiah’s authority would not be limited to Israel. It would extend to the entire world, dominating all the kings and nations of the earth, giving Him rule over all enemies. (Guzik)
Adam Clarke is among those who think the rod of Your strength represents the Gospel: “The Gospel – the doctrine of Christ crucified; which is the powerful scepter of the Lord that bought us; is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword; and is the power of God to salvation to all them that believe.”
_____________________________
Barnes
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion – The scepter of thy power; that with which thou shalt rule. It will be given to thee by Yahweh; and it will be given to thee, as it were, “out of Zion;” that is, as proceeding from the church, and as derived from that. It will be an appointment connected with the church and will be “as if” the church had conferred it on thee. The idea is, that the Messiah would receive, as it were, his designation, authority, commission, power from the church. He would spring from it Isaiah 11:1; would act for it; would do what was needful for its good; would wield the power which properly belongs to the church on the earth. Compare the notes at Psalms 2:9.
Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies – Set up thy power over them, and reign in them. This is a commission to set up a kingdom “in the very midst” of those who were his enemies; in the hearts of those who had been and were rebellious. His kingdom is set up not by destroying them, but by “subduing” them so that they become his willing servants. They yield to him, and he rules over them. It is not here a commission to cut them off, but one much more difficult of execution – to make them his friends, and to dispose them to submit to his authority. Mere “power” may crush people; it requires more than that to make rebels willingly submissive and to dispose them voluntarily to obey.
_____________________________
John Gill
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion,…. His royal and powerful scepter, called the scepter of righteousness, Psalm 45:6 and is no other than the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation; and which is mighty through him, for the reducing souls to the obedience of Christ; when it comes with power and works effectually. This was first preached in Zion, or Jerusalem, and went out from thence into all parts of the world; the first ministers of it had their commission there, and were sent from thence to publish it all over the world; see Isaiah 2:3, by means of which the kingdom of Christ was set up and spread in the world; with this rod and scepter in his hand, he went forth with his ministers, conquering and to conquer, Revelation 6:2. The Jews own this rod to be a rod in the hand of the Messiah, which they seem to understand literally; and have a fabulous notion of its being the same that Jacob, Judah, Moses, Aaron, David, and so every king of Judah, had, down to the destruction of the temple: the Targum in the king’s Bible is, “the Word of the Lord shall send, &c.” the essential Word.
Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies; or, “thou shalt rule,” as the Targum and Arabic version; in the hearts of those who, in their unregenerate state, are enemies: but the arrows of his word being sharp in them, they are brought to submit to him; the everlasting doors are caused to open; he enters in, takes possession of their hearts, and rules there. Or this may be understood of his church in the world, which is his kingdom, and lies surrounded with enemies on all hands; but, in spite of them, and all their opposition, he will support his kingdom and interest.
_____________________________
Matthew Henry
That he should have a kingdom set up in the world, beginning at Jerusalem (v. 2): “The Lord shall send the rod or scepter of thy strength out of Zion, by which thy kingdom shall be erected, maintained, and administered.” The Messiah, when he sits on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, will have a church on earth, and will have an eye to it; for he is King upon the holy hill of Zion (Ps. 2:6), in opposition to Mount Sinai, that frightful mountain, on which the law was given, Heb. 12:18, 24; Gal. 4:24, 25. The kingdom of Christ took rise from Zion, the city of David, for he was the Son of David, and was to have the throne of his father David. By the rod of his strength, or his strong rod, is meant his everlasting gospel and the power of the Holy Ghost going along with it the report of the word, and the arm of the Lord accompanying it (Isa. 53:1; Rom. 1:16),-the gospel coming in word, and in power, and in the Holy Ghost, 1 Th. 1:5. By the word and Spirit of God souls were to be reduced first, and brought into obedience to God, and then ruled and governed according to the will of God. This strong rod God sent forth; he poured out the Spirit, and gave both commissions and qualifications to those that preached the word, and ministered the Spirit, Gal. 3:5. It was sent out of Zion, for there the Spirit was given, and there the preaching of the gospel among all nations must begin, at Jerusalem. See Lu. 24:47, 49. Out of Zion must go forth the law of faith, Isa. 2:3. Note, The gospel of Christ, being sent of God, is mighty through God to do wonders, 2 Co. 10:4. It is the rod of Christ’s strength. Some make it to allude not only to the scepter of a prince, denoting the glory of Christ shining in the gospel, but to a shepherd’s crook, his rod and staff, denoting the tender care of Christ takes of his church; for he is both the great and the good Shepherd.
That his kingdom, being set up, should be maintained and kept up in the world, in spite of all the oppositions of the power of darkness.
1. Christ shall rule, shall give laws, and govern his subjects by them, shall perfect them, and make them easy and happy, shall do his own will, fulfill his own counsels, and maintain his own interests among men. His kingdom is of God, and it shall stand; his crown sits firmly on his head, and there it shall flourish.
2. He shall rule in the midst of his enemies. He sits in heaven in the midst of his friends; his throne of glory there is surrounded with none but faithful worshippers of him, Rev. 5:11. But he rules on earth in the midst of his enemies, and his throne of government here is surrounded with those that hate him and fight against him. Christ’s church is a lily among thorns, and his disciples are sent forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; he knows where they dwell, even where Satan’s seat is (Rev. 2:13), and this redounds to his honor that he not only keeps his ground but gains his point, notwithstanding all the malignant policies and powers of hell and earth, which cannot shake the rock on which the church is built. Great is the truth, and will prevail.
_____________________________
Cross-References
3 And many people shall go and say,
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
And he will teach us of his ways,
And we will walk in his paths:
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Isaiah 2:3.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;
Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Psalm 2:9.
17 All ye that are about him, bemoan him;
And all ye that know his name,
Say, How is the strong staff broken,
And the beautiful rod!
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Jeremiah 48:17.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Daniel 7:14.
_____________________________
KJV W/ STRONGS BIBLE – PSALMS 110
110:2 The LORD 3068 shall send 7971 8799 the rod 4294 of thy strength 5797 out of Zion 6726: rule 7287 8798 thou in the midst 7130 of thine enemies 341 8802.
_____________________________
Geneva Bible 1560
Psalm 110:2
2 The Lord shal send the rod of thy power out of (b) Zión: be thou ruler in the middes of thine enemies.
(b) And thence it shall stretch through all the world: and this power chiefly stands in the preaching of his word.
- Exploring the Beauty of Psalms: Insights and Commentaries
- Monthly Breakdown of Our Blog Content
- Psalms Commentary: Faith and Inspiration
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Daniel 7:14.
Leave a Reply