Psalm 118 (16 of 31 notes)

16. The right hand of the Lord is exalted, lifted up to smite the foe, or extolled and magnified in the eyes of his people. It is the Lord’s right hand, the hand of his skill, the hand of his greatest power, the hand which is accustomed to defend his saints. When that is lifted up, it lifts up all who trust in him, and it casts down all who resist him. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The psalmist speaks in triplets, for he is praising the triune God, his heart is warm and he loves to dwell upon the note; he is not content with the praise he has rendered; he endeavors to utter it each time more fervently and more jubilantly than before. He had dwelt upon the sentence, “they compassed me about,” for his peril from encircling armies was fully realized; and now he dwells upon the valor of Jehovah’s right hand, for he has as vivid a sense of the presence and majesty of the Lord. How seldom is this the case: the Lord’s mercy is forgotten and only the trial is remembered.