The Priest upon the Throne
Of David. A psalm.
1 The LORD says to my
Lord:
"Sit at my
right hand until I make your enemies a
footstool for your feet."
2 The LORD will extend
your mighty sceptre from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your troops will be
willing on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the
dew of your youth.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not
change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order
of Melchizedek."
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the
day of his wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing
the rulers of the whole earth.
7
He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his
head.
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INTRODUCTION
… This Psalm is quoted and referred to more than any other in the
New Testament. At least 30 times ! , says Warren Wiersbe !
(
Psalms Vol. 2 p. 73)
Martin Luther wrote that it “should be set in a frame
of gold, with diamonds.” ( Concordia Comm.)
For herein is a remarkable prophecy concerning the
person and ministry of the Messiah … the Lord Jesus!
* The Author is King David … in spite of
modern theologians who claim it was penned some 850 years after David lived. ( Century Bible Psalms . p.
223) The Lord Jesus Himself
spoke of the Davidic authorship and added that David was “ speaking by the Spirit.”
( Matthew 22:43)
* The Style is poetry , not prose.
* Notice
also the usage of ‘LORD’ ( vs. 1,2,4) in contrast to ‘Lord’ ( vs.
1,5). They are two different words in the Hebrew language.
‘LORD’ is translation of the Hebrew word for the Name
of our God …Jehovah ( or Yahweh).
‘Lord’ is simply a title of respect … in this instance
given to a King. Thus the first verse
could be translated “Jehovah , the God of Israel , spoke to my Lord, the King of Israel ” ….
* The Occasion.
Some evangelicals ( and all
non-evangelicals) see a reference to the coronation of David’s son,
Solomon. David had penned this psalm to
be read at this ceremony.
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The officiating Priest first addresses the King …
1 The LORD( Jehovah)says to my Lord (Solomon):"Sit at my right hand until I make your
enemies a footstool for your feet."(i.e. You are My
representative and you will tread down your enemies. )
2 The LORD will extend your mighty sceptre
from Zion;(i.e .you will rule from Jerusalem) you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your troops will be willing on your day of
battle .( your army will be glad to serve you !)( See 1 Kings 10:6-8)
Arrayed in holy majesty,( they will be clothed in priestly garments …( Spurgeon’s
Treasury of David.
Vol.2.p.471),from the womb of the dawn you will receive
the dew of your youth.( every morning
your followers will be renewed with the vitality of youth. )
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his
mind:
"You ( King of Israel ) are a
priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."
…………………………………
(What’s this ??? Kings of Israel were descended from the
Tribe of Judah … but priests
came from the Tribe of Levi. ( Hebrews 7:14) Yet here is the LORD saying the King will also be a priest !! We
will come back to this text !)
…………………………..
5 The
Lord ( i.e.
the King ) is at your ( Israel’s ) right
hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. ( i.e. he will overcome your
enemies.) 6 He
will judge the
nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the
whole earth.
(there will be a complete destruction of all rebellion against his rule.)
7 He
will drink from a brook beside the way; (when the battle is over, he will refresh himself like a
stag drinking at a brook … and ) therefore he will lift up his
head. ( he
will then lift up his head in triumph !)
………………………………………………..
All
of which is rather straight-forward except that Verse 4 !
So
what’s the solution ?
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THE
LAW OF DOUBLE REFERENCE !
Whilst
there may be a reference to David’s earthly son , Solomon , yet the New
Testament continually assures us that the primary reference is to
David’s Greater Son , the Messiah … the Lord Jesus.
41While
the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42"What
do you think about the Christ ( i.e. the Messiah ) ? Whose son is
he?"
"The son of David," they replied.
43He said to them, "How is
it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he
says, …..
44" 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet." ' ( Psalm 110:1)
45If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?"
46No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.
The answer lies in the Incarnation … the birth of the Lord Jesus.
He existed from all eternity …. so David could rightly call Him ‘My Lord’ … yet he was descended through David’s lineage when he was born to the Virgin Mary. ( Romans 1:3)
In Matthew 22:
41-46 the Lord Jesus was claiming pre-existence , and Davidic descent .
And that He was the Messiah. And that Psalm 110 referred to Him.
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This Psalm is used by
the writer of Hebrews about ten times to enforce this fact. Contrasting the Lord Jesus with the angels
, we read …..( Hebrews 1:7-8, 13-14)
7In speaking of the
angels He (God ) says, "He makes his angels winds,
his servants flames of fire." (i.e. angels are only servants )
8 But about the Son He says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, (The Son is the
One they serve. )
. …………………………………………….
13To which of the angels
did God ever say,
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet"? ( Psalm 110 ) ( To none of
them ! … but He said it to His Son !)
14Are not all angels
ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
So Psalm 110 really has
to do with the Messiah … of whom Solomon
was but a faint and disappointing shadow.
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(1) The Duration of
Messiah’s reign.
“until
I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? ( Psalm 110 )
Since
His ascension to the Father’s right hand until He comes again in judgement and
in victory , He reigns. ( We are living in that great ‘until !’. ) It is not a future reign but present.
Believers already belong to His Kingdom.( Colossians 1:13) After the Last Day the Son delivers the
Kingdom into His Father’s hands … 1 Corinthians 15: 24-26 ……
24Then the end will come, when he
hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion,
authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his
enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
………………………………..
(2) The Devotion of Messiah’s Followers.
(a)The
Volunteers … 3 “Your troops will be willing on
your day of battle.” No
conscripts. We enlist willingly in His service. It is a privilege to be one of
His warriors, ’neath the banner of the Cross !’
(b) The
Vestments … “Arrayed in
holy majesty,” for we are priests
called upon to offer up spiritual sacrifices
to our God. ( 1 Peter 2:5 )
(c ) The Vitality … “from the womb of the
dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.” It is a picture of the strength of youth springing renewed every
morning as the Sun of Righteousness shines upon us.
…………………………………………
(3) The Description of Messiah’s Ministry .
Psalm 110:4
reminds us that He is not only a King but a Priest “after the order of
Melchizedek.” The writer of Hebrews devotes three chapters to this mysterious
individual to whom Abraham gave tithes and by whom Abraham was blessed. (
Genesis 14: 18-20)
Melchizedek was both King and Priest …long before the
Levitical priesthood was established … and is superior to it. And the Lord
Jesus is that kind of High
Priest !
This is explained in Hebrews 5 where the writer laments that his readers are not mature enough, (tho’ they should be ! ), to understand it !!
4No one takes this honor ( of being a High Priest )
upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So
Christ ( the Messiah ) also did not take upon
himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, ……….
"You are a priest forever, in
the order of Melchizedek."[ …………. he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and
was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 11We have much to say about
this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In
fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach
you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not
solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is
not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid
food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to
distinguish good from evil.
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(d) The Destruction of Messiah’s Enemies
! “He will judge the nations,
heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.”( Psalm 110:6)
Here is
a poetic description of that Final Day
when our Lord returns ‘in flaming fire taking vengeance” upon those who have
rejected His saving grace. (2 Thess 1:7-8
)
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CONCLUSION Study Psalm 110 again. Oliver Cromwell preached on it for “at least
an hour” ( Psalms in Human Life p. 232
) whereas we have but skimmed the surface.
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