Psalm 110

Who reads the Bible and does not see the greatness of this Psalm? 

·         In Matt. 24:41-46 Jesus Himself quotes 110:1.  After being questioned by each of his adversaries He then questions them: What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?  They answer unanimously: The Son of David.  Jesus replies with another question: How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?  If David then calls Him ‘Lord” how is He his Son?”  We are told, no one was able to answer Him a word.  Neither can those today who deny the fullness of the deity of Christ.  The Hebrew wording is critical and your English Bible should make it clear by the difference in type.  The LORD (all caps, Yahweh, God’s covenant Name given to Moses) said to My Lord (Adonai, cap with lower case, by which David referred to his God).  David’s Son, the Messiah, is David’s Lord!  This was both the end of discussion with Jesus’ enemies, and led to His indictments of these enemies (Matt. 23), something Jesus was able to do because He, as Lord, is their Judge.

·         The flow of history, from Genesis to Revelation, is bound up in Psalm 110.  The promise of the Father to the Son in Psalm 2:7-9 is repeated in 110:1b-2 and given detail in 110:5-7.  He will rule over His enemies.  This is the mystery of His will (Eph. 1:9-10) that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ.  It is fulfilled in the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 10:7) when He rides out of heaven and judges the nations (Rev. 19:11-21). 

·         The entire argument of the Book of Hebrews is based on Psalm 110:4: The LORD has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.  After establishing Jesus’ deity (Heb. 2) and humanity (Heb. 2) and the need to be faithful to Him (Heb. 3-4) the writer then demonstrates and applies the fact that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God (Heb. 4:14).  He ties the two great Psalms, 2 and 110, that the Son is the priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:5-6).  Heb. 7 explains the order of Melchizedek from Gen. 14:18-24.  Heb. 8-10 ties Jesus’ High Priesthood to the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34 quoted in Heb. 8:8-12). 

This Psalm demands careful study; it is too important to ignore.  When I was in Bible College my first major paper was on this Psalm.  I was pleased to hear that my son preached in his church for several weeks on this Psalm; he said he just couldn’t get out of it, there was so much packed in a small place.

Devotionally and theologically don’t miss something very important about our Lord Jesus Christ.  This Psalm presents Him both as the victorious conqueror, at the beginning and the end of the Psalm.  It is a picture of judgment and not easy for many to hear.  But in between He is also the High Priest who has offered the sacrifice of Himself for the forgiveness of sins.  No person has to look forward with fear to the return of Christ the Judge.  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith … Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:22-23).