Psalm 110
What words, titles, or attributes come to mind when I ask: Who is Jesus to you?
What is the most quoted Old Testament passage in all the New Testament? The apostles—and Jesus Himself—used Psalm 110 to communicate who Jesus Christ was.
Verse 1
Who is The LORD and who is David’s lord? — YHWH and Adonai.
Why would this passage be puzzling to the original hearers? A divine being, YHWH, is telling David’s lord to sit at his right hand. Sitting at God’s right hand denotes sovereignty and rulership.
Verse 2
Confirms that David’s lord has rulership and kingship from Zion. A scepter belongs to a King — so we know David’s Lord is also a king.
Verse 3
Spurgeon admitted this was one of the hardest passages for him to dissect.
“In the day of thy power” — It is “the day of thy power” — not of the minister’s power, nor of the hearers’.
“From the womb of the morning” — Did you ever see the dewdrops glistening on the earth? They came from the womb of the morning. So God’s people will come forth as noiselessly, as mysteriously, as divinely. So will God’s people come mysteriously.
“Dew of your youth” — Jesus Christ has still the dew of His youth. The same Christ who led His troops to battle in His early youth leads them now.
Verse 4 — High Priest after Melchizedek
What is the role of a high priest? Atonement and entering the Holy of Holies on behalf of Israelites.
What type of person doesn’t need a high priest? The self-righteous.
A shallow view of our sin leads to a shallow view of Jesus’ identity as the High Priest.
We don’t need a High Priest if we don’t yearn to have our sins atoned for and hunger to be in His presence.
Application: Having a sober and biblical theology of sin is not supposed to empower shame and guilt. It’s supposed to ground and amplify the goodness of God in His mercy towards us.
Knowing Jesus as High Priest is a profound source of hope when we fall into sin. It is because of Jesus that God’s unapproachable throne of righteousness becomes our readily-available throne of grace.
Verses 5-6 — Judge of the Nations
This is what the Great Commission is all about! Jesus will return with justice and judge the world and its sin. The Gospel is how we are able to attain righteousness before God.
What type of person is the most in need of a righteous Judge? The oppressed. Who doesn’t need a Judge? Those who don’t need justice.
Absence of suffering for Christ dwindles our hunger for God’s justice on the earth. When the primary aim of the Christian life is comfort, we lose sight of Jesus’ role as Judge.
A shallow relationship with suffering blinds us from seeing the fullness of Jesus’ identity as Judge.
“The first time [Christ] came to slay sin in men. The second time He will come to slay men in sin.” — AW Pink
Verse 7
Symbol of victory. Jesus is refreshed and exalted amidst His righteous judgement of the nations.
How the NT Uses Psalm 110
[Easy] Hebrews 7:17-25 — Jesus is a priest through Melchizedek and mediates a new, better covenant. This renders the Levitical priesthood obsolete. Jesus is our eternal High Priest that ever lives to make intercession for us.
[Medium] Acts 2:29-36 — Jesus ascended asserting His divinity, unlike David. He ascended into heaven proving his divinity.
[Hard] Matthew 22:41-45 — How could an earthly descendant of David be David’s Lord? Messiah is the Son of David AND the Son of God.
And because Jesus is the Son of God, we worship Him and entrust our lives to Him.