Jesus Our Priest & King

Psalm 110

Evensong

May 10, 2013

 

 

Psalm 110 is believed by some scholars to have been written to celebrate the coronation of one of David’s sons as king (perhaps Solomon).  Yahweh God invites the royal son of David to take his rightful place at His right hand, the place of authority, privilege and honor.  This authority would be over Jerusalem and over all of Israel’s enemies.  The royal son is to be more than a king; he is to be a priest as well.  “This is a royal psalm with messianic implications that culminate in the person of Jesus Christ. As a psalm of messianic promise, the poem is the most frequently cited psalm in the NT (Ac 2:34-35; 1Co 15:25; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 7:17,21; 1Pe 3:22). Although the psalm seems to address the Davidic dynasty, the ideal is never realized except in the Messiah” (HCSB Study Bible).

 

1. Psalm 110 is one of 11 Royal Psalms in the Psalter.

 

2. The Messianic hope is the key theme in these Psalms.

 

3. The Messianic hope became the main focus after a long period when Israel had no      

     king; from the Babylonian captivity and forward.  This hope was important for them   

     as well as for believers today.

 

4. There are two levels of understanding in these Messianic Psalms.  One is historical and the other eschatological.  C. Hassell Bullock in his book Encountering The Book Of Psalms, says the following: “We can say that consistently when the royal psalms refer to the king and David, they directly reference the historical figures of the Old Testament.  This is the ground level of hermeneutics, the starting point for the eschatological.  History is very important to God, and any vision of a future that supercedes history is unrealistic.  For example, when John describes heaven and the life of the redeemed church, he does so in terms of a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, and a renewed Garden of Eden where trees of life border the river of life” (Baker Academic).

 

5. The monarchy in Israel was, along with the priesthood and prophetic office, one of three fundamental institutions.  The monarchy takes the central place in the Psalms.  The Book of Psalms takes the institution of kingship and holds it up as paradigmatic of Israel’s future.  The Psalms along with the entire Tanach (Old Testament) point forward to the person of Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah-King, and the Lord over all nations, tribes, peoples and languages.  All Scripture speaks of Him.  In John 5:39 – 40 Jesus said: “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me.  Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”  In Luke 24:44 Jesus said to His apostles the following: “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms concerning Me must be fulfilled.”

 

Psalm 110 – Notes:

 

– In verse 1, the expression “make Your enemies Your footstool” conveys the idea of being victorious and forcing submission.

 

– In verse 2, to “extend the scepter” meant to establish a person’s authority and power over the land.

 

– Verse 3 “is often characterized as the most obscure in the entire book of Psalms. The first line is literally, “Your people (will be) freewill offerings in the day of Your strength.” Some interpreters emend in holy splendor (Hb behaderey-qodesh) to “on the holy mountains” (beharerey-qodesh), referring to Zion. From the womb of the dawn denotes the young men’s eagerness to do battle for the Lord. The young men are descendants of the king, and thereby, of the Lord” (HCSB Study Bible).

 

– In verse 4 “the reference to Melchizedek derives from Gen 14:17-24. The concept of a priestly kingship seems unusual, yet kings served as priests on special occasions or in exceptional circumstances. God promised an eternal dynasty to David (2Sam 7:14-17; see Ps 89:29). Jesus Christ, as a descendant of David and as the Son of God, fulfills the dual roles of king and priest forever (Heb 7:17,21)” (HCSB Study Bible).

 

This Psalm looks forward to a time when the Messiah King will rule over all the earth.  God is victorious over all evil through the cross/death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ.  At His second coming, that is, His glorious appearing, Jesus is not only the King of kings and Lord of lords, He is also called “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11).  God is faithful to fulfill all His promises.  As believers in Jesus Christ we can rest assured that He will complete all that concerns His own chosen people.  We can take much comfort from Psalm 110 and the hope it provides.  As King Jesus rules.  As Priest He ever lives to intercede for His own.  Praise God!