Psalms 110
McGeePsalms 110THEME: Messianicthe exaltation of ChristThis psalm, like Psalms 109, is a messianic psalm. It speaks of the exaltation of Christ and begins with the ascension of Christ.
Psalms 110:1
This psalm is remarkable because it sets forth the deity of Christ. You could not in any way consider this psalm and still deny His deity. This psalm is referred to many times in the New Testament (Act_2:34, Act_2:35; Heb_1:13; Heb_5:6; Heb_6:20; Heb_7:21; Heb_10:12-13). At the time the enemies of Jesus were making their final onslaught upon Him, the Herodians, a political party, tried to trap Him by forcing Him to make a political statement that would mark Him as a traitor to Rome. When they failed to do that, the Sadducees, a liberal religious party, tried to trap Him with a ridiculous question regarding the Mosaic Law. When they failed, the Pharisees, a religio-political party, tried to trap Him. Jesus’ answer puzzled the Pharisees; so while they huddled again to plan further strategy, Jesus asked them a question: “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” (Mat_22:41-46). Notice that Jesus asked a straightforward question: “What think ye of Christ?” The Pharisees answered that He was the son of David. Upon hearing this answer, the Lord pointed them to Psalms 110 to show them their insufficient knowledge of that particular portion of Scripture which the Jews interpreted as messianic. This psalm, written by David, shows Jehovah talking to Messiah. David calls Messiah “my Lord”; and any Jew who admitted Messiah was David’s descendant was faced with this psalm, where David calls Messiah his “Lord” and claims that He is superior.
This showed that Messiah would be more than a king who would merely be a political ruler upon a throne. Also since David called Him “Lord” in this psalm, how can He be his son? The Lord cannot be his son by natural birth; it had to be by supernatural birth. This psalm is telling us that the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, was virgin born. “The LORD said unto my Lord….” This is an equal speaking to an equal. This is God speaking to God, if you please. Heb_1:13 says, “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?” This sets forth the deity of Jesus Christ, and it could not be given to us in any stronger fashion. When folk say that the Bible does not teach the deity of Jesus, they are not acquainted with this section of the Word of God, I can assure you.
Psalms 110:2
This verse speaks of the coming of Christ to the earth to rule in Zion. Concerning this time Isaiah said, “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa_2:3). Jerusalem will be the center of the government on earth. God does have a purpose for Israel in the future.
Psalms 110:3
During “the day of thy power” there will be the greatest turning to Jesus Christ that the world has ever seen. Spurgeon used to say, “God will have more people saved than there will be lost.” It may not look like it today; so don’t press your nose up against the window and be discouraged. God may not be doing so well today, but He is not through yet. He has a host of saved folk behind Him, and He has a great many ahead of Him. He has great plans for the future.
Psalms 110:4
Here is another very important truth: the Lord Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. This is developed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, because it is one of the greatest truths in the Word of God. At this point let me lift out just one portion from Hebrews: “As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedec” (Heb_5:6-10). The priesthood of the Lord Jesus is superior to the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament. These verses show both the deity and the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalms 110:5
You see, Christ is coming again in judgment. As Psa_2:9 makes clear, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Psalms 110:7
I like what Dr. Gaebelein says about this verse; so let me quote him: “The passage places before us once more the humiliation and exaltation of our Lord. The humiliation is that He drank of the brook in the way. We are reminded of the three hundred warriors of Gideon, who went down on their knees and lapped water like dogs and who were later used and exalted through victory. But He went deeper than that. He drank of the deep waters of suffering and death. And therefore God has highly exalted Him. What a wonderful Psalm it is!” (The Book of Psalms, p. 415).