Psalm 110 A Psalm of David 1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your
mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer
themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of
the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4 The Lord has sworn and will
not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his
wrath. 6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 7 He will drink from the brook by
the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
Introduction:
Today we
continue answering the question that is above all questions – “Who is Jesus Christ?” You may think that there are other more
important questions, but the truth is that the answers to all other questions
are influenced by the answer of who Jesus is.
In the 90’s
the question was “What would Jesus do?”,
but I truly believe that there is an even greater question that we must ask
ourselves and others and that is; “What
is Jesus doing?”
It is so
important for the church of Christ and each Christian individual to have a
fresh picture and understanding of who Jesus is.
One of the
main reasons for the Book of Revelation is to paint a vivid picture of Jesus
Christ. The name of the book, ἀποκάλυψις, means that it is about the revelation, the
uncovering and revealing from and about Jesus.
Jesus is seen
sitting on His throne, walking among the churches, ruling, reigning over everything
and everybody, interceding for His people, judging the nations (the wrath of the
Lamb), and being worshiped in Heaven.
The purpose
of painting this picture of who Christ is, is to comfort the Christians who
were being persecuted, shock the ones who were compromising their faith (a
wake-up call), and harden and decree a terrible judgment upon the enemies of
the Gospel.
I pray that
as we see and behold Christ through the exposition of the Word of God that some
may be comforted, others encouraged, rebuked, saved, and shaken. It will be a
terrible thing if when we finish seeing Christ through Psalm 110, we continue
being the same people.
Context:
As we saw in
the last study, Psalm 110 is a Davidic Psalm (a Psalm of David). This Psalm was
not written to or about any other man, but it is about Christ and Christ alone.
It is a Solus Christus psalm. David
was invited to see the enthronement of the Messiah, a king from his lineage who
was much greater than himself. David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to
see/hear and write the Coronation of Jesus Christ. He was a special guest just
like Isaiah was a guest to see the Messiah’s sufferings. Psalm 110 is solely a Messianic
Psalm (like no other Psalm).
“It is the greatest of the messianic psalms. It alone is about the
Messiah and his work exclusively.” (James Boice, An Expositional Commentary
– Psalms, Volume III, Baker, pg 892)
“This psalm is one of the fullest and most compendious prophecies of the
person and offices of Christ in the whole Old Testament.” (Edward Reynolds)
One
theologian said that Psalm 110 is David’s Creed, just like the
Apostles’ Creed.
Much of the
Apostles’ Creed comes from Psalm 110.
PSALM 110 IN THE NT:
This is the most
used Psalm in the New Testament and it always refers to Jesus Christ (Matt. 22:43-44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Heb. 1:13; 5:6; 7:17;10:13).
v. 1- at least 25 times; and v. 4 – about 5 times.
*This Psalm was a powerful weapon used by our Lord
during the confrontation at the Temple during His last week in Jerusalem – see
Mark 12:36 [it confounded His enemies].
*This was the last Old Testament passage quoted by
Peter during his great sermon on the day of Pentecost – see Acts 2:34-35 [to
convict].
*Paul used this passage to prove the final victory of
Christ over death! – See I Corinthians 15:20-28.
*The author of Hebrews used this Psalm as the foundation
for His Christ-exalting sermon!
Let us love
this Psalm as our Lord Jesus did and as the early church did!
“To the modern reader, Psalm 110 is full of puzzles. To the early
church, it was full of treasures; . . .” (Michael Wilcock,
The Message of Psalms 73–150, The Bible Speaks Today, Downers Grove-IVP)
So let us dig
into this Gold Mine and get ahold of these treasures!
Outline:
The psalm
naturally and easily divides into 2 stanzas with each stanza
functioning as a divine oracle. The pattern in both is the same: there is a
promise and result. Stanza one rejoices in Messiah as the great King in the
manner of Ps. 2. Stanza 2 exalts Messiah as the Great Priest after the order of
the mysterious Melchizedek. He is coronated as King in vs. 1-3 and consecrated
as Priest in vs. 4-7:
1 – An oracle about His Lordship (vs.1-3) - 3 promises
to His Messiah-Son: 1) I will defeat your enemies (v. 1), 2) extend your kingdom (v.2), and 3) give you a great army (v.3).
2 – An oracle about His Priesthood (vs.4-7).
I – jesus the lord (vs. 1-3)
II – jesus the priest (vs. 4-5)
iii – jesus the judge (vs. 6-7)
I – JESUS THE LORD
(VS. 1-3)
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your
enemies your footstool.” 2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty
scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will
offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from
the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
Psalm 110:1
is a declaration of the divinity of
Jesus Christ! It is a declaration of
the sovereign reign of Jesus Christ! It is a proclamation of who Jesus Christ is!
There is a
declaration in heaven. A Divine declaration!
Who is
declaring? What is He declaring?
v.1 – “THE LORD SAYS (Hb. נְאֻם[nĕ'um]— noun:
utterance, declaration) TO MY LORD”
Hb. יְהוָה– YHWH or Yahweh. That is the name of the Almighty God who created the
heavens and the earth. The one who is: i.e. the absolute and unchangeable one;
the existing, ever living, as self-consistent and unchangeable.
“The Lord/Yahweh
SAYS”
– used for oracles. It is a declaration. It is an oracle from Yahweh, the
creator of heaven and earth, the sovereign God.
The King of
kings is declaring something.
The verse
should be translated, “An
oracle/declaration from Yahweh to my Lord.”
WHO IS THE OTHER LORD? WHO IS
THE LORD OF DAVID?
Hb. אֲדֹנָי – ’ădōnai
/ ’ădōni (singular) – lord, owner, master.
King David is
talking about someone greater than himself, someone who is lord over his own
life and government. The lord of David is someone greater than any mere human
being.
*** That is exactly
Jesus’ point when He asked the Pharisees who this person was that David was
talking about. See Mark 12:35-37 [context:
Jesus said that the Lord God is one (12:29), now He says there is another Lord
– the second Person of the Trinity]
It is a divine
declaration from one Lord to another. From one person of the Trinity to
another!
What
is the Lord Almighty declaring to His Son/Christ?
“SIT
AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL”
SIT [yashab] – It is a
picture of triumph. The king sitting on his throne is a picture of a victorious
reign and peace. Battles were conquered so He can sit on His throne and rule.
“SIT
AT MY RIGHT HAND” --- The “right hand” is the place of honor and power.
“To sit at the king’s right hand was more
than mere honor; it was to share in his rule. It signified participation
in the royal dignity and power.” (James Boice, An Expositional
Commentary – Psalms, Volume III, Baker, pg 894)
Sitting on
the throne doesn’t mean that Jesus was tired and He needed to sit down and
rest. It doesn’t mean inactivity, but that the work was done. He conquered His battle and now He can
sit down as One who reigns (see Hb 1:3;10:12).
“UNTIL
I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL” --- In ancient times kings
would have the pictures of their enemies on their footstool, symbolizing that
they were under the king’s feet, defeated! See Joshua 10:24 (the five Amorite kings).
Psalm 110:1
is the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament because it is a declaration that
Jesus Christ is reigning! He is reigning! God made Him Lord!
When
was it? When did this happen?
At the
ascension and exaltation of Jesus Christ! God sent His Son to save His people.
He was born in humility. People rejected Him. People hated Him, they despised
Him, they crucified the Son of God. He was pierced on a cross!
The cross was
a symbol of shame, unworthiness, mockery, slavery, rebellion. To finish the Humiliation
of Christ He was buried on that Friday around 5 pm. But that was not
His end! That is not how the story ends.He was raised from the dead. He conquered
death. So, Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death! But His story doesn’t
end at His resurrection – there is also the Ascension and Exaltation
of Christ!
** The cross and the grave were empty, but the throne was occupied!
Daniel saw
what happened after the resurrection of Christ. See Daniel 7:9-14 [The prophet sees a final scene of judgment, when God
takes away all the power of the nations and gives it to the One who sits with
Him]
When was
that? When was the fulfillment of Daniel’s vision?
The Bible is
clear that the “Coming of the Son of Man”
was at the ascension and exaltation of Jesus Christ.
Mk 14:61-62 61Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated
at the right hand of Power (Psalm 110:1), and coming with the clouds of
heaven (Daniel 7).”
The New
Testament says over and over again that Jesus Christ received all power and
authority after the resurrection and ascension into Heaven. Mt 28:18; Eph 1:20-23;
I Pe 3:22 through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with
angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
As forcefully
as man rejected the Messiah, God exalted Him (Acts 2:36 Let all the house
of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified; 5:30-31 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the
dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of
sins to Israel; Phillipians 2:8-11 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God
has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every
name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father).
God made Him
Lord of lords!
** It was the
will of God to have the Son crushed and slaughtered. His blood was shed to make
peace between us and God. His body was slaughtered so that by His blood we
could have forgiveness of sin. He rose from the dead. On the 40th
day He was taken into heaven on the clouds – the Son of Man rode on the clouds
– the carriage of God. God said, “Go get
my Son! Bring the King here!”
He walks
through Heaven and Yahweh, the Almighty God, His Father says, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your
enemies your footstool. Rule, my Son!”
Nobody makes
Jesus Christ Lord, God made Him!
He is Lord
whether you confess before man or not, whether you curse or bless Him, whether
you serve or hate Him, whether you spit on His face or kiss Him, whether you
bow down in reverence or by having your knees broken by His rod – He is
Lord!!!!!!! God made Him Lord!
How we need
to be reminded of this truth! How we must daily be refreshed by this picture of
Jesus Christ sitting on His throne reigning over everybody and everything!
He is not a
baby in the manger. He is not hanging on the cross. He is not buried. He is
reigning!
May the Lord
open our eyes like with Stephen, may we behold Christ standing at the right
hand of God, and let us become as bold as lions. See who is Lord over all and
your fears will be gone. Stephen smiled at His death because he saw where
Christ is and He is doing.
How the
church needs to be reminded of who Christ is!
How we need
to be refreshed by the vision of our Lord sitting on the throne with all power.
v.2 – The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
“The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty
scepter” --- The picture is of Jesus Christ sitting on His
throne and holding the mighty scepter/rod of God together with Him. It is a
picture of God the Father and God the Son exercising power together.
“mighty scepter” --- The scepter
is symbol of power and dominium (see Rev.2:27)
“FROM
ZION” --- That is the Heavenly Zion (see Psalm 2:6). See Hebrews 12:22-24
“Rule in the midst of your enemies”
--- It is a command. “Exercise your power
and authority!”
“YOUR
ENEMIES” --- Jesus has enemies. People want to have a Jesus who loves
everybody and that is incapable of having enemies. But that is not how the
Bible portrays Christ. See Mat 12:30; Rom 5:10; Phl 3:18. Unbelievers are hostile toward God (Rom 8:7
the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it
do so.), therefore they are enemies of Christ!
And our Lord
is ruling in their middle!
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
--- He overcame all His enemies and that is why He rules in their presence!
The church of
Christ is being built. He has been building His church in the midst of His
enemies. Jesus Christ is ruling over all evil forces! He is ruling in the
middle of the enemies!
How does Jesus Christ rule in
the midst of His enemies?
1 – By the power of the Holy Spirit (Act 1:8; Rom 15:13; ITh 1:5); 2 – By the
power of His Word (Rom 1:16).The
preaching of the Word of God, the preaching of the Gospel is the mighty scepter
used by God to rule. Hebrews 1:3; 3 – By
answering prayers; 4 – Saving people; 5 – By building His church; 6 – By
raising and lowering human leaders/presidents to do what He pleases (Ezra 6:22;
Prov 21:1 The king’s heart is a
stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he wills); 7 – By
restraining the limits and the power of evil (Gen 20:6 It was I who
kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her); 8 – By allowing
evil to run its course so that everything is working for His glory and our
good.
You better
believe and hold strong to these truths, or you will go crazy and become
hopeless!
The Lord
reigns from Zion! From Heaven and from His church, He reigns!
A
Demonstration of His Power:
v.3 – Your people will offer themselves
freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the
morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
“Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power”
--- Jesus Christ has His people! He has His own sheep! See John 10 (my sheep)
Who are these
soldiers? His Church, His army, His sheep!
See John 10:24-30. He calls His
soldiers/sheep and they come!
What a
beautiful picture of God’s Irresistible Grace! What a picture
of what salvation is!
As the Lord
rules, as He sends forth His scepter, His power, by the preaching of the Gospel
and the work of the Holy Spirit, those who were His enemies start offering
themselves freely to Christ!
When does it
happen?
“ON
THE DAY OF YOUR POWER” --- People can only offer themselves to
the Lord when He manifests His power! On the Day of His Power the Holy Spirit
regenerates His people and they are re-born with a new mind and a new desire.
They desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!
A man can
only see the Kingdom of God and the King Jesus, if he is born of the Spirit
(John 3).
“in holy garments” --- On the
Day of His Power His people come dressed in Holy Garments!
They come “in
the beauty of God’s holiness.” It is a picture of priests serving God. They
serve with their worship.
We had filthy
rags as our garments, but now Christ gives us His white and righteous garments!
We were
enemies, but by His power we become priests and sacrifices!
The idea of
the sentence is that the Lord’s people are a willing sacrifice to Him. They
offer themselves as a sacrifice to the Lord, and it is done by their way of
life.
“from
the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours” --- It is
an illustration of majestic splendor and strength and number. What David is
probably saying is that the King’s army is strong, it brings life and it
doesn’t grow weary. The army doesn’t grow weary because its King is strong.
“The host of young men is likened to the dew both on account of its
vigorousness and its multitude, which are like the freshness of the mountain
dew and the immense number of its drops” (Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old
Testament)
He is not
only Lord over all, but He is also the High Priest! Jesus is the High Priest in
Heaven!
The Priestly
Reign and Authority of Jesus Christ:
II – JESUS THE
PRIEST (VS.4-5)
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he
will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
Verse 4 introduces
a second divine oracle. It goes beyond an oracle, it is an oath of the almighty God!
This verse is
so precious that the author of Hebrews exposes it in chapters 5-7 of his
letter.
The first
oracle (vs.1-3) was a proclamation of the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. God declared that Jesus is the Christ – the anointed king!
Now, the second
oracle is a proclamation of the Priesthood
of Christ. He is not only the Lord of lords, but also the Priest of priests,
the High-Priest of God!
Not a normal
High-Priest, but a King-Priest!
v.4 – “The
Lord has sworn and will not change his mind” --- It is a divine,
immutable, unchangeable, and eternal decree!
*** What God
is declaring/proclaiming is impossible to be undone. It is impossible to go
wrong.
“You are a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek”--- No earthly man according to the Law could be a king
and a priest. No man could be a priest
forever!!!
When Uzziah tried to offer incense to the
Lord by entering the temple, performing the priest’s duty, God judged him by
afflicting him with leprosy (II Chron. 26:16-23).
This double
office was ascribed to the Messiah – Christ fulfills Zachariah 6:12-13 (Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Here
is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and
build the temple of the LORD. 13 It is he who will
build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit
and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will
be harmony between the two).
“after the order of Melchizedek”
--- Melchizedek is a very interesting Bible character. He appears in only 3
books of the Bible, but he has a powerful influence over the priesthood of
Christ.
He is first introduced
in Genesis 14:17-24. He was a king and priest to whom Abraham paid tithes.
Melchizedek =
king of righteousness. He was the king of
Salem (peace) [Jerusalem].
What is quite
significant from Genesis 14 is that Melchizedek blessed Abram, showing that he
was greater than Abram. And Abram recognized that Melchizedek was greater and
so gave him a tithe of all.
The next
mention of Melchizedek is in Psalm 110:4. The last book of the Bible to mention
him is Hebrews and it is there that God provides a beautiful picture of Christ
and Melchizedek.
See Hebrews 7:1-3 – Who Melchizedek is.
v.3 – No genealogy (very important
in the book of Genesis). “Like/ resembling
the Son of God”. A King and Priest, superior to Abraham. This man was
foreshadowing Jesus. He was not
Christ! The way he shows up and disappears is a shadow of Christ.
“In all this – in the silences as well as in the statements – he is a
fitting type of Christ; in fact, the record by the things it says of him and by
the things it does not say has assimilated him to the Son of God. It is the
eternal being of the Son of God that is here in view; not his human life. Our
author has no docetic view of Christ; he knows that ‘our Lord has sprung from
Judah’ (v.14). But in His eternal being the Son of God has really, as
Melchizedek has typically, ‘neither beginning of days nor end of life’; and
more especially now, exalted at the right hand of God, he ‘remains a priest
forever.’ Melchizedek remains a priest continually for the duration of his
appearance in the biblical narrative; but in the antitype Christ remains a
priest continually without qualification. And it is not the type which
determines the antitype, but the antitype which determines the type; Jesus is
not portrayed after the pattern of Melchizedek, but Melchizedek is ‘made
conformable to the Son of God’” (F.F. Bruce, The New International
Commentary on the New Testament – Hebrews, Eerdmans, pg 160)
See Hebrews 7:11-28 – vs.11-14 =
imperfection of the Levitical priesthood; vs. 15-28 = Christ’s priesthood is
perfect.
He is not
only the Lord and King, but the High Priest of God Almighty!
The
High-Priest was someone who was qualified to represent and pray for others
before God (Hbr 5:1 Every
high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in
matters related to God). The duty of the High Priest was to intercede/pray for
and represent man and women before God.
What is Jesus doing as His
people’s High Priest after the order of Melchizedek?
Heb. 2:17-18 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that
he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to
make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has
suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
[He not only made atonement, but He is helping us!]; Heb. 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted
as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need. [He is providing mercy]; Heb. 7:25
23The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death
from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because
he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost
those who draw near to God through him, since
he always lives to make intercession for them.
He is
praying/interceding for His people. Jesus Christ is not only ruling over
everything and everybody, but He is also interceding and representing His
people before God.
“It is important to emphasize this, for the character of our Lord’s
intercession has at times been grotesquely misrepresented in popular Christian
thought. He is not to be thought of ‘as an orante, standing ever before the
Father with outstretch arms and with strong crying and tears pleading our case
in the presence of a reluctant God; but as a throned Priest-King, asking what
he will from a Father who always hears and grants his request. Our Lord’s life
in heaven is his prayer.” (Bruce, pg. 174)
The Lord of
lords, the King of kings, the One who is sitting at the right hand of God, the
One whose scepter is going forth to all the earth is praying for and preserving
His people.
His eyes and
His heart are on those who belong to Him. He is praying for each one of His
soldiers, for each one of His servants, for each one of His sheep!
See John 17 – The High Priestly Prayer!
See Romans 8:31-39.
Isn’t it
comforting? Isn’t it a tremendous and powerful truth?
“Those who have Christ as their high priest and mediator with God have
in him a Savior whose saving power is available without end, not liable to the
mischances of mortal life. He lives eternally, eternally engaged to bless and
protect those who have committed themselves to him. The way of approach to God
through him is a way which is always open, because in the presence of God he
represents his people as ‘a priest forever’. He is no mediator in the ordinary
sense, a go-between who places his good offices at the disposal of two parties
in the hope of bringing them to agreement. He is a unique Mediator between God
and mankind because He combines Godhead and manhood perfectly in his own
person; in him God draws near to men and women and in him men and women may
draw near to God, with the full assurance of constant and immediate access.” (F.F. Bruce, The
New International Commentary on the New Testament – Hebrews, Eerdmans, pg
173)
Jesus Christ,
the Lord over the whole Universe, is engaged in praying and interceding for
you. Are you engaged in giving your life to this merciful High Priest?
His prayers
are answered, because everything He asks, He asks according to the will of the
Father. He is a perfect High Priest.
Luke 22:32 –
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,
that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but
I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have
turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
He prayed for
Peter and Peter continued to be a faithful man of God. But Jesus didn’t pray
for Judas.
And just like
Christ prayed for Peter, today, if you were born of the Spirit, the Son of God
is praying for you. His priestly ministry is
eternal, He never stops interceding for His people, therefore the salvation
which He secures for them is absolute!
We have the
certainty of our salvation, not because of our own merits and efforts, but
because of His intercession for us! If I believe I can lose my salvation, I am
saying that Jesus Christ is a poor and terrible High Priest!
“How long is a believer saved when he trusts in the person and work of
Christ? Forever! What is left for him to do in order to be sure he is saved?
Nothing! He is saved completely! This truth takes away any claim by any
denomination that says we must have good works in order be saved. There is
nothing left for us to do after we become a believer in Christ. This is
possible only because Jesus Christ is an eternal priest, and this is why
believers are eternally secure.” (Gil)
Far from being
an excuse to sin, the Assurance of Salvation exalts Christ, magnifies the Holy
Spirit, and glorifies God as the author and finisher of our salvation. Are you
saved? Do you bear fruits of salvation? Has your life been transformed?
110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
No matter
what is happening around you, no matter what is going on in your life – Jesus
Christ is the High-Priest of His people! No matter who is bringing accusations
against you, no matter who is speaking evil against you – nobody and no power
can change the fact that God established Jesus Christ as His people’s
High-Priest!
But for those
who don’t have Jesus Christ as the Only True Mediator, for those who have not
denied themselves and followed Him – the High-Priest of the order of
Melchizedek is a just and righteous King, a King that punishes evil and avenge
His people:
v.5 The
Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath
A Melchizedekian priest is more than one who performs worshipful ritual.
He is, in fact, One who does powerful and successful battle for the glory of
Yahweh!
“The Lord is at your right hand”
--- It is a figure of speech meaning that God is with the Lord of David. God the
Father and God the Son are reigning together.
The Lord God
is assisting and empowering the Son!
They rule and
govern together!
“he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath”
--- “David did this in order to show that
Adoni's enemies will be slaughtered as sacrifices, that they will be
devastated in the midst of a holy war, led by a holy King-Priest, who will
bring them as slaughtered sacrifices to God.” (http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Articles/Davis-Ps110-BS.pdf)
It is very
similar to Psalm 2:9 [You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces
like pottery].
Rikk Watts
says that Psalm 110 is ”a new interpretation of Psalm 2.”
See similarities between Psalm 2
and 110:
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PSALM 2
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PSALM 110
|
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Nations’
subjugation
|
2:1-3,8-12
|
110:1-2
|
|
The
shattering of the enemies
|
2:9
|
110:5
|
|
Yahweh’s
wrath
|
2:5
|
110:5
|
|
The King’s
Son sitting on the throne in Zion
|
2:6
|
110:1-2
|
|
The nations
are given to the Lord
|
2:8
– He is told to ask
|
110:3
–He receives
|
|
The nations
are destroyed
|
2:12
warning
|
110:5
– the consequence
|
“on
the day of his wrath” --- The
wrath of God and of Christ is NOT a desired and spoken of topic in our days.
The wrath of God is never spoken or preached about in most churches and by most
Christians.
“It is sad indeed to find so many professing Christians who appear to
regard the wrath of God as something for which they need to make an apology, or
who at least wish there were no such thing. While some who would not go so far
as to openly admit that they consider it a blemish on the divine character, yet
they are far from regarding it with delight; they like not to think about it,
and they rarely hear it mentioned without a secret resentment rising up in
their hearts against it.” (Arthur Pink)
Most people
don’t understand and accept the wrath of God and of Christ, because they don’t
understand the holiness of God! The Holiness of God is His most
important attribute, it is the foundation of all the others. All other
attributes flow from His holiness!
“A study of the concordance will show that
there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God,
than there are to His love and tenderness. Because God is holy, He hates all
sin; and because He hates all sin, His anger burns against the sinner (Psa
7:11). Now the wrath of God is as much a divine perfection as is His
faithfulness, power, or mercy. It must be so, for there is no blemish whatever,
not the slightest defect in the character of God; yet there would be if “wrath”
were absent from Him! Indifference to sin is a moral blemish, and he who hates
it not is a moral leper. How could He who is the Sum of all excellency look
with equal satisfaction upon virtue and vice, wisdom and folly? How could He
who is infinitely holy disregard sin and refuse to manifest His “severity” (Rom
11:22) toward it? How could He, who delights only in that which is pure and
lovely, not loathe and hate that which is impure and vile? The very nature of
God makes Hell as real a
necessity, as imperatively and eternally requisite, as Heaven is. Not
only is there no imperfection in God, but there is no perfection in Him that is
less perfect than another.” (Arthur Pink)
“The wrath of God is a perfection of the divine character upon which we need
to frequently meditate. First, that our hearts may be duly impressed by God’s
detestation of sin. We are ever prone to regard sin lightly, to gloss over its
hideousness, to make excuses for it. But the more we study and ponder God’s
abhorrence of sin and His frightful vengeance upon it, the more likely are we
to realize its heinousness. Secondly, to beget a true fear in our souls for
God: ‘Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear: for our God is a consuming Fire’ (Heb 12:28-29). We cannot serve
him ‘acceptably’ unless there is due “reverence” for His awful Majesty and
‘godly fear’ of His righteous anger; and these are best promoted by frequently
calling to mind that ‘our God is a consuming fire.’ Thirdly, to draw out our
souls in fervent praise for our having been delivered from “the wrath to come”
(I Thess 1:10). Our readiness or our reluctancy to meditate upon the wrath of
God becomes a sure test of our hearts’ true attitude toward Him. If we do not
truly rejoice in God, for what He is in Himself, and that because of all the
perfections which are eternally resident in Him, then how dwelleth the love of
God in us? Each of us needs to be most prayerfully on his guard against
devising an image of God in our thoughts which is patterned after our own evil
inclinations.” (Arthur Pink)
Most people
want to hear about the “Day of His Power” forgetting that the “Day of His
Wrath” is extremely important and real.
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE:
There
is a Past
aspect of the Day of His Wrath: The cross of Christ speaks
about the wrath of God being poured upon the Son as the way to have sinners in
Heaven for all eternity.
The
Day of His Wrath is Present: Christ is pouring His wrath over nations and
individuals (see Romans 1:18-30). The iniquity, perversity, sensuality,
homosexuality, and the increase of immorality are clear examples of God’s wrath
being poured out today!
The
Day of His Wrath and its Future aspect:
There will be one Great Day when He will come back and hand this world over to
His eternal wrath.
The
Day of His Wrath and its Eternal aspect:
Hell is the eternal wrath of God.
How can a
person escape from the wrath of God?
The only way
a person can be saved from God’s wrath is by having faith in His Son, Jesus
Christ! The sins of His people were judged and condemned on the cross. The
death of Christ was where God had all His holy wrath propitiated!
If you have
not truly believed in Jesus, you are under the wrath of God! And the Day of His
Wrath can be tomorrow for you, maybe this afternoon after the service. The
moment you die you will face the Judge and His fury against sin.
What a
tremendous truth for Christians to know that Jesus Christ is not only a
Priest-King, but a holy and righteous Judge.
The Judicial Reign and Authority of Jesus Christ:
III – JESUS THE
JUDGE (VS.6-7)
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 7 He will drink from the brook by
the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
Here we a
have a continuation of His wrath.
v.6 – “HE WILL EXECUTE JUDGMENT
AMONG THE NATIONS” --- Most people don’t like to hear the idea of Jesus
Christ being a just judge. People reject the truth that Christ is the perfect
judge and that He is judging and will have a final judgment day.
The Bible is
clear about this subject: Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is
the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead; 17:31 30 The times of ignorance God
overlooked, but know he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he
has fixed ma day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man
whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him
from the dead [that is how Paul preached the Gospel]; John 5:22 The Father judges no
one, but has given all judgment to the Son; II Tim 4:1 I charge you in the
presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; II Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ.
When you
appear before this Judge He will judge you with righteousness. It will be a
righteous judgment, because He is righteous!
The Judge
will use His Word as the standard for the judgment: John 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the
word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
See Archibald Alexander, The Day
of Judgment - http://www.westminsterconfession.org/introduction-to-the-christian-faith/the-day-of-judgment.php
“It is for the abundant comfort of the saints that Christ is appointed
to be their judge. What matter of joy to them will it be at the last day, to lift up their
eyes, and behold the person in whom they have trusted for salvation, to whom
they have fled for refuge, upon whom they have built as their foundation for
eternity, and whose voice they have often heard, inviting them to himself for
protection and safety, coming to judge them.” (Jonathan Edwards, The World
Judged Righteously by Jesus Christ - http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/final-judgment.htm)
David,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, shows in a very graphic and vivid picture how
Jesus Christ judges:
“he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth”
--- Literally, “he shall shatter the
heads over many countries”. Just like promised in Genesis 3:15, the Son
crushes the head of the Serpent/Satan and of all those who follow his lies.
NIV –
110:5, He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers
of the whole earth.
We move from
the Book of Hebrews to the Book of Revelation. See Revelation 19.
The King of
Peace fights for Holiness and Justice!
As a perfect
High Priest the judgment of the nations will be a pleasing sacrifice and an
acceptable aroma to God, because the punishment of evil and of evil people will
glorify God’s holiness!
Revelation 6:15-17 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the
rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave5 and free, hid themselves in the
caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and
rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their
wrath has come, and who can stand?”
We will all
stand before Him! We will all stand before this Lord and Judge. Some will cry
out to mountains to fall upon them, while others will sit with Him and rule
forever.
Is your name
in His Book of Life? Have you truly been saved? Does your life bear fruits?
v.7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he
will lift up his head.
The heads of
the enemies of the cross are crushed, but the head of Christ is lifted up!
It is a
picture of complete victory! The Lord Jesus has His head lifted up by God the Father
(Psalm 3:3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my
glory, and the lifter of my head; 27:6; 140:9).
That is the
Jesus Christ that the Bible speaks about. That is the Jesus Christ that saves
people – He is powerful to do that. That is the Jesus Christ we must preach.
That is the Jesus Christ we must behold. Behold this Jesus Christ and your life
will change!
CONCLUSION:
Psalm 109:30-31 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will
praise him. 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save
his life from those who condemn him.
Do you see
yourself as in need of His mercy and grace?
Do you see
yourself as a wretched man/woman apart from His saving grace?
For the one
who sees himself/herself in need of God’s saving grace and precious mercy I
have great news: The Lord who reigns over all is at your right side! And you
are sitting with Him in the heavenly places (Eph 2:6).
Behold this
Lord – and you will be eager to offer yourself freely to serve Him!
Behold this
High Priest – and you will not fear death!
Behold this
Judge – you will rejoice with His righteousness imputed in you!
May the Lord
have mercy on your soul so that you may see Christ and bow down before this
Lord!
ur3K̈́l s �� { u may see Christ and bow down before this
Lord!
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