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:
Who is Jesus Christ? That
is the most important question we can ask ourselves. The question is not “Who was Jesus?”, but “Who IS
Jesus Christ?”.
Jesus asked
this question many times to different people and in different ways, because it is
the most important question to be answered (e.g. Mt. 16:33; 22:42).
“The question remains the most important question for you to answer:
‘What do you think about Christ?’ You may think there are more important
questions: Whom should I marry? What career should I pursue? How can I have a
happy marriage? How should I raise my children? How can I know the will of God?
But all these questions are secondary, because the answers to them hinge on the
answer to the most important question, ‘What do you think about Christ?’ Once
you’ve answered that question, you’ve settled who is the Lord of your life. And
once you’ve settled that question, all other questions find resolution under
the authority of His Word. Faith in Christ must be grounded in a knowledge of His
Person.
Psalm 110 answers the question, ‘Who is Jesus the Messiah?’” (Steve Cole -
http://www.fcfonline.org/content/1/sermons/092693.pdf)
Jonathan
Edwards said, “The ideas and images in
men’s minds are the invisible powers that constantly govern them.” How you think determines how you live. It is of
utmost importance to think correctly about Jesus.
How precious
it is for us to look at the Bible and answer the Question of all questions.
Let us start
this year with a fresh vision and understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what
he is doing right now.
Context:
The Context of Psalm 110 in the
Book of Psalms:
For the
context of Psalm 110 in the Book of Psalms see Barry Craig Davis, A Contextual Analysis of Psalms 107-118-
http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Books/Davis_Ps107-118/Davis_Ps107_118.htm
Psalm 106:47
ends Book IV by asking the Lord for salvation and that He may gather His
people. Psalm 110 is about the salvation and the gathering of His people (v.3).
Psalm 110
joins two different groups of psalms together. Psalms 107—109 express anguished
pleas for deliverance; Psalms 111—113 overflow with praise for Yahweh.
Psalm 110,
the connecting psalm, reveals that the Messiah is both a King and a Priest who
gives victory to His people. Thus, because God more than meets the
grief-stricken cries of His people, He is to be praised.
Plea for Deliverance |107 108 109 --------- 110 The God of
Deliverance|--------- 111 112 113 Praise for Deliverance
AUTHORSHIP of PSALM 110:
There is much
debate among scholars about the circumstances surrounding Psalm 110 and who is
speaking. Who is the “my lord?” When was it spoken?
Some believe
it was Zadok who was speaking to King David, after he captured Jebus
(Jerusalem). Others hold that it was a prophet that spoke this psalm to David
during an enthronement celebration or as a result of a triumphal victory
celebration of Israel over her enemies, or even that David wrote it about
himself. Some Jewish commentaries say it was God speaking to Abraham.
The 2 most convincing interpretations:
1 – David spoke Psalm 110 to his son Solomon during his
coronation. Solomon was anointed the first time around 973 B.C. (1 Chron 23:1) and was
co-regent with David until 971 B.C. He was anointed a second time in 971 B.C.
at the close of an assembly by the people and then sat on the throne as sole
regent (1 Chron. 29:22b-23). This second
coronation seems to correspond to the events recorded in 1 Kings 1:32-35, 43-45(cf. 1Chron. 29:22b-23), in the year
David died. There could be strong evidence for this interpretation based on the
linguistics of this text. The form "to
my lord" is hardly ever used
elsewhere in the Old Testament as a divine reference (the exceptions are Josh. 5:14; Judg. 6:13; Dan. 10:16, 17, 19;12:8;
Zech. 1:9; 4:4-5, 13; 6:4). Twice David referred to human kings as “my lord.” He
used this title with Saul (I Sam 24:6, 10;
26:18) and with Achish, a Philistine king (I Sam 29:8). “Neither of these men, however,
was the recipient of Psalm 110. Certainly Achish was not because he was a
non-Israelite, and certainly Saul was not because Zion, the city of David (Ps. 110:2), had not yet been captured and
because the promise of 2 Samuel 7 was directed to David after Saul's death. The
only other earthly king whom David may have called ‘my lord’ is Solomon” (http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Articles/Bateman-Ps110-BS.pdf). See I Kings 1:48 and I Chron.29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as
king in place of David his father.
As
David spoke these words to Solomon he knew that someone greater than Solomon
would reign forever. David had in mind a double-fulfillment. This
interpretation views a double-fulfillment and tries to find a historical
context. Psalm 110 is called a Royal Psalm according to this view.
2 – The second interpretation (the one I hold) says that
David didn’t write this psalm to any man. He, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had
a vision of 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, like Isaiah
was, of His sufferings. According to this interpretation David was speaking
directly and only about the Christ – it 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.
Although the
psalm speaks of a king (vv. 1-2), it cannot be called a "royal" [in
the sense of having a human historical fulfillment apart from Jesus] psalm for
the following reasons:
[1] No earthly king
is ever observed as seated at God's right hand (v. 1). “A.B. Ehrlich argues, ‘From the OT point of view it was wholly
unthinkable, even in metaphor, to describe a mortal as seated on Yahweh’s right
hand.’” (Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, Zondervan,
pg 895)
[2] No
earthly king has ever filled the role of an eternal Priest (v .2);
[3] No
earthly king is able to "judge the nations," as this King does (v.
6).
See Barrys Davis - IS PSALM 110 A MESSIANIC PSALM?, http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Articles/Davis-Ps110-BS.pdf
Jewish Interpretation:
“Early Judaism applied Ps.110:1 to pious individuals, human leaders, the
future Davidic Messiah, or supernatural beings (the heavenly Melchizedek,
Enoch, or the Son of Man). Later Judaism applied the passage to pious
individuals or Messiah.” (G.K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology,
Baker, pg 286)
Most scholars
agree that Psalm 110 was viewed by many Jews as a Messianic Psalm.
WHO CARES
ABOUT RABBIS AND SCHOLARS?
Even if the
Rabbis or the scholars of our century didn’t interpret this psalm as a
Messianic Psalm, what really matter for us as Christians, is how Jesus Christ
and the New Testament writers interpreted this passage. It is very important to
read the Old Testament in light of the New, that is, the New Testament
interprets the Old Testament. As Bruce Waltke puts it, "the New Testament has priority in 'unpacking' the meaning of the
Old Testament.” (Bruce Waltke, "Is It Right to Read the New Testament into
the Old?" Christianity Today,
September 2, 1983, 77)
PSALM 110 IN THE NT:
The New
Testament quotes Psalm 110 over and over again as referring to Christ and
Christ alone.
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 Hebrew
text has a chiastic structure:
A v.1 The
Lord installs the king
B v. 2 He is sent out to conquer
C v. 3 The day of power
D v. 4 The Lord swears an oath
C1 v. 5 The day of wrath
B1 v. 6 He goes out to conquer
A1 v. 7 The
Lord installs the king (lifting up His head)
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. In Exodus 3:13-14 God says His name is YHWH. The name is
connected to the character. He is
who/what He is – “It connotes God’s
nearness, His concern for man and the redemption of His redemptive covenant”
(Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Moody, pg
212). In Genesis 1:1-2:3 we see the word elohim, because it is talking about the
transcendent and all-powerful God, but in 2:2-15 we have the word Yahweh, for He is close to man in the
Garden of Eden. 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.”
Hb. אֲדֹנָי – ’ădōnai
/ ’ădōni (singular) – lord, owner.
R. C. Sproul
- "Suffix ai intensifies the meaning
of the word (Adon), so that Adonai means the supreme Lord, the Lord of all.
This word stresses the sovereignty of God as All-ruler"
“When adon appears in the special plural form, with a first common
singular pronominal suffix (adonai), it always refers to God. It appears more
than three hundred times… To avoid the risk of taking God’s name (YHWH) in vain, devout Jews began
to substitute the word ’ădōnay for the
proper name itself.” (Harris, Archer,
Waltke - Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament, Moody Press, pg 28)
King David is
talking about someone greater than himself, someone who is lord over his own
life and government.
By their
titles David makes it clear that they are co-equals! They have the same power
to rule. Psalm 16:2 I say to the LORD
[YHWH or Yahweh], ‘You are my Lord [אֲדֹנָי – ’ădōna(y)]; I have no good apart from you’; Psalm 35:23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my
cause, my God ['elohiym] and my
Lord [אֲדֹנָי – ’ădōna(y)]!
*** 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)
“Close physical proximity, especially at the ‘right hand’, is a metaphor
of privileged relationship and even legal heir [Ps 45:9; 80:17; I Kings 2:19].” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary –
Old Testament, Volume 5, pg 418)
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 (Hb 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory
of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the
word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right
hand of the Majesty on high;10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single
sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God).
They are sitting
in Heaven!! (See Zion in v.2)
“In reference to God, the vb. normally indicates heaven rather than
earth as the place of God’s dwelling. Yahweh is viewed as sitting enthroned in
heaven or as dwelling there (Ps 2:4; 29:10; 113:5)” (New International Dictionary of Old Testament
Theology and Exegesis, Gerald H. Wilson)
“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).
In the OT
when the image of a footstool is used the
footstool always belongs to God (Ps 132:7; Isa 66:1; Lam 2:1).
Paul uses
this passage as foundation for his argument about the final resurrection and
the end of the age in I Corinthians
15:20-28.
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…
But even the
afflictions and the sufferings of Jesus were already planned. God had foretold
all His sufferings through the Old Testament, especially through Isaiah 53. He was slain before the
foundation of the world (Rev.13:8).
On that
Friday, around 3 pm, Jesus died. His body went to the grave/tomb on that Friday
– Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried His body. That is the Humiliation
of Christ! The King took on the form of a slave!
But that was
not His end! That is not how the story ends.
He was raised
from the dead. He conquered death. His death was a pleasing sacrifice to the
righteous and holy God:
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the LORD's will [it was pleasing to God] to crush him and
cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he
will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD
will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the
light.
So, Jesus
rose from the dead. He conquered death!
But His life
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.
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? The Bible is clear that the “Coming
of the Son of Man” was at the
ascension and exaltation of Jesus Christ. The New Testament says over and over
again that Jesus Christ received all power and authority after ascending to
Heaven.
Mt 28:18 Then Jesus
came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me; Eph 1:20-23 That power
is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated
him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title
that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed
him to be head over everything for the church.
As forcefully
as man rejected the Messiah, God exalted Him (Acts 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).
See Acts 2:22-24, 32-36 v.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.
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!
He is Lord!
There is no such thing as having Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord! The New Testament
leaves no room for such a doctrine.
Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your
enemies your footstool.”
** 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!”
Psalm 24:3 [But] Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy
place?
He comes to
the gates of Heaven with His blood and shouts with a shout of victory, “Lift up
your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of
glory may come in.”
And the Gates
of Heaven replied, “Who is this King of
glory?”
The LORD
strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
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!”
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.
Nobody makes
Jesus Christ Lord, God made Him!
He is Lord
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!
Some here will
bow down by His grace, others by the power of His scepter that will break their
legs.
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!
Do you have
eyes to see Jesus where He is right now?
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 [But you have come to Mount Zion and to the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable
angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly1 of the firstborn who are enrolled
in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous
made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant]
“Rule in the midst of your enemies”
--- It is a command. “Exercise your power
and authority!”
The two imperatives
– sit and rule – explain what He is doing: reigning!
“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.
Mat 12:30 He who is
not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters; Rom 5:10 For if, when we were God's
enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son; Phl 3:18 For, as I have often told you
before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross
of Christ.
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 fact that the king is told to rule in the midst of his enemies does
not imply that the victory over them predicted in verse one is incomplete. The
king’s enemies have been brought into subjection to the king, and he is now in
a position to rule over them.” (http://www.dbts.edu/journals/2005/Aloisi.pdf)
“This is a strange kind of reign. How can a king rule surrounded by his
enemies? Yet this is precisely how the Church grows. I have referred to the day
of Pentecost. The Church in Jerusalem began on the day of Pentecost and
increased in numbers even though it was surrounded by those fiercely opposed to
Christ, enemies including the Jewish leaders who tried persecuted the leaders
of the Church as we see in Acts chapter four. The history of the Church of
Christ is a history of growth in spite of opposition and persecution. This
growth is irresistible because the church advances not by the sword that is by
forcing people to believe. No!” (http://www.reformation-today.org/papers/AnExpositionofPsalm110.pdf)
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?
How does Jesus Christ rule in
the midst of His enemies?
1 – By the power of the Holy Spirit (Act 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; Rom 15:13 May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit; ITh 1:5 because our
gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy
Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your
sake).
2 – By the power of His Word (Rom 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew,
then for the Gentile.).
The preaching
of the Word of God, the preaching of the Gospel is the mighty scepter used by
God to rule. Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance
of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the
universe by the word of his power.
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 the Lord had . . . turned the heart of the king of
Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God; 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!
Just as God
the Father is sitting on His throne and laughing at His enemies, so is our Lord
Jesus Christ!
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)
The Old
Geneva Bible (used by the Puritans) captures it this way: “Thy people shall come
willingly at the time of assembling thine armie.”
So the imagery is of a General enlisting soldiers and a whole host who
volunteer willingly.
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!
Blessed be the God of grace that it is so! He has a people whom He has
chosen from of old to be His peculiar portion. These by nature have wills as
stubborn as the rest of the froward sons of Adam; but when the day of His power
comes and grace displays its omnipotence, they become willing to repent and to
believe in Jesus. None are saved unwillingly, but the will is made sweetly to
yield itself. What a wondrous power is this, which never violates the will and
yet rules it!” (Spurgeon)
Nobody goes
to Heaven “kicking and screaming!”
Nobody goes against his or her will. 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!
It is not by
the might or the power of man, but by the Spirit!
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.
See Isaiah 13:3-4.
He does that
because He alone has the power to do that.
“Christ gives a new garment! He changes our garments. He puts His own
garments on us!
The people are said to be dressed "in holy ornaments," which elsewhere
are used in association with the worship or praise of God (1 Chron. 16:29; 2
Chron. 20:21; Pss. 29:2; 96:9). These clothes, moreover, may be similar to
those "holy garments" worn by Aaron when he entered the Holy Place.
Although they might not be the same garments, they are suggestive of priestly
garb and thus heighten the reader's awareness of priestly functions, which are noted
in verse 4.” (Davis -
http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Articles/Davis-Ps110-BS.pdf)
“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)
Isaiah 53:10 when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his
offspring; he shall prolong his days
Are you part
of the King’s army? Have you been offering yourself to Christ as a living
sacrifice?
Have you been
serving Him with reverence?
Conclusion of the First Part:
1 - Jesus Christ is reigning! Jesus is the Lord over everybody
and everything!
He is Lord
whether you want or not!
He is
reigning over your life whether you feel it or not!
He is
controlling everything in your life, in the life of this church, and of this
country, whether you believe it or not!
God doesn’t care
if the president doesn’t believe; He has installed Christ as Lord over all.
He is
reigning over the countries that persecute the Christian church.
Every death
is under His power!
“Jesus is Lord, and God has made him such. We can fight that lordship
and be broken by it – the verse says that Christ’s enemies will be made his
footstool – or we can submit to it in humble obedience with praise.” (James Boice, An
Expositional Commentary – Psalms, Volume III, Baker, pg 895)
2 – v.2 The Lord sends
forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your
enemies! - His mighty scepter is exercising authority and
judgment through all the earth!
He has been
ruling in the midst of His enemies! The Church is Holy and is conquering the
gates of Hell.
We reign with
Christ. The power of sin has lost its grip, even though we are in the midst of
it.
3 – By His mighty power He is bringing His people to
fight with and for Him!
His sheep
come to Him when they hear the Gospel; that is why we must preach!
v.3 – Your people will offer themselves
freely on the day of your power, in holy garments
Everybody who
has a fresh and living vision of Christ seated on the throne reigning, has no
other desire but to give himself/herself fully and freely to this Lord.
Have you had
this vision? Can you see Christ reigning?
Have you been
offering yourself as a living sacrifice?
Have you been
serving the Lord of lords as a faithful and grateful slave?
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