Psalm 110 - The Last Days Psalm

Recently I was asked to teach Psalm 110 for my Sunday morning fellowship group. The first verse of this Psalm is posed as a question by Jesus in response to the Pharisees, during Holy Week in Jerusalem...

The Question

Matthew 22:41-46 (NASB95)
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:
"What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?”
They said to Him, “The son of David.”
He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET”’?
“If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”
No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

Jesus asked the Pharisees this question “how is He both David’s son and David’s Lord?” The Pharisees could not answer because they would have to admit:

1. The Messiah is eternal
2. The Messiah is divine
3. The Messiah was David’s Lord when he heard these words from heaven

David Guzik comments:

The Pharisees were partially right in saying that the Messiah is the Son of David. But they didn’t have a complete understanding of who the Messiah is. He is not only David’s Son (a reference to His humanity), but He is also David’s Lord (a reference to the deity of Jesus, the Messiah).

Introduction

I was inspired to memorize Psalm 110 many years ago due to its frequent quotations in the New Testament. In fact, this Psalm is “the most frequently quoted Old Testament chapter in the New Testament.” More on that later…

Psalm 110 is a “royal psalm”, meaning a psalm extolling the power and majesty of the king. But it’s much more than that - it’s a Messianic prophecy. It reveals many truths that are foundational to New Testament theology.

This is one Psalm where it really helps to know a little Hebrew, especially if you memorize it as I did. You see, “the LORD” in all caps is what most Bibles use for the name YHWH. "The Lord" in name case is how they translate the Hebrew word adoni (my lord) and Adonai - the title of the Messiah in this Psalm.

So, this little writing scheme comes out to be confusing when you are hearing or reciting this Psalm.

For this and other reasons, I have done a little extra translating of this Psalm, carefully studying the text and borrowing words from other translations where possible. As you might notice in your Bible footnotes, there are even a few places where the translators admit difficulties with the Hebrew meaning. In some cases, using the Septuagint (Greek) helps, but keep in mind that the Jewish scribes who translated the Septuagint before Christ didn’t even understand this Psalm!

Days to Come

Psalm 110 speaks of two days to come, and about the coming Messiah and high priest not yet visible to mortal eyes.

The days prophesied to come after David’s reign are:

• The day of the Messiah’s power (verse 3)
• The day of the Messiah’s wrath (verse 5)

These days are also prophesied by Isaiah:

Isaiah 61:1-2 (NASB95)
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn…

This prophecy is read by Jesus in Luke 4:17-19, proclaiming His commission to rescue His oppressed people.

Note that in Isaiah the Messiah proclaims two periods:

• The year of the LORD’s favor
• The day of vengeance of our God

But as Luke records Jesus introducing His ministry, the latter day of vengeance is omitted. That time will be prophesied shortly before His crucifixion and ascent to the throne of heaven (Luke 21:22).

Psalm 110

1 A Psalm of David.

The declaration of Yahweh to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

King David sees a vision and records it in this Psalm. It was understood to be a revelation of Messiah coming with power and wrath, even by the Pharisees in Jesus’ time. What they didn’t understand was the word “my Lord” used for the Son of David, and the fact that His kingdom would be based in heaven until His return on the “day of His wrath.”

This first verse is quoted in Mat 22 and 26, Mark 12 and 14, Luke 20 and 22, Acts 2, and Hebrews 1.

The position of Christ at the right hand of God is referenced in Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, and 1 Peter 3:22

In these scriptures, the Right Hand of God brings:

• Deliverance: Exodus 15:6
• Eternal Pleasure: Psalm 16:11
• Righteousness: Psalm 48:10
• Support: Psalm 63:6-8
• Salvation: Psalm 80:17-19

The “man of YHWH’s right hand” is:

• Mighty and Exalted: Psalm 89:13
• Valiant: Psalm 118:15-16
• The Creator: Isaiah 48:12-13

The Day of His Power

2 Yahweh sends forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

David sees Jesus holding the scepter of His kingdom in a world full of enemies. But Jesus doesn’t just send out decrees, nor does He send out squadrons of soldiers to enforce His orders. Almighty God sends forth the scepter of His power - the Holy Spirit - to rule the hearts and lives of believers.

Note that this scepter is not the rod of iron (Hebrew “shevet barzel”) in Psalm 2. It is Hebrew “matté”, a word which is also translated as “tribe” in many verses. The use of this word teaches us that the power of the Holy Spirit is implemented through the “tribes” of the New Testament, symbolically being the church, founded on the testimony of the twelve apostles.

This prophecy is fulfilled in Jerusalem at Pentecost as His disciples “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them” (Acts 1:8)

3 Your people - freewill offerings in the day of Your power. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.

Verse 3 References:

• Freewill offering: Rom 12:1, Deuteronomy 16:10
• Day of your power: Acts 1:7-8
• Holy array: 1 Chron 16:28-29
• Dew from morning’s womb: Isaiah 26:19

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4 Yahweh has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

David Guzik commented:

This oath was so important that the author of Hebrews refers to it five times:

• Hebrews 5:5-6 and 5:10 emphasize that this was Yahweh’s declaration, not something that the Messiah claimed for Himself.
• In Hebrews 6:20, the emphasis is on the idea that Jesus the Messiah serves now and forever as a living, active High Priest for His people.
• Hebrews 7:17 emphasizes that the priesthood of Jesus the Messiah according to the order of Melchizedek is better than the priestly order of Aaron, because it is eternal and will never end.
• Hebrews 7:21 emphasizes that the priesthood of Jesus the Messiah according to the order of Melchizedek is better than the priestly order of Aaron because it was founded on a direct oath of Yahweh, unlike the priestly order of Aaron.

The designation as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek made Christ Jesus “the source of eternal salvation … to all those who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9-10).

The Day of His Wrath

5 The Lord at Your right hand has shattered kings in the day of His wrath.

• The Lord - this is Christ Jesus, at the right hand of almighty God.
• Shatters kings - this is a prophetic past tense verb, action that is foreseen to have happened on this day.
• Day of His wrath - this could be a day or months or years (Revelation 6:16-17).

6 He will judge among the nations, He has filled them with corpses, He has shattered Rosh (the head) over the whole earth.

• He will judge - during His judgments there will be opportunities for repentance, but the nations will not repent. (Rev 9:20-21, 16:8)
• He has filled them with corpses - this scene is like that at the end of Revelation 19, when the armies of the beast are being fed to the birds.
• He has shattered Rosh - Rosh is a Hebrew word meaning “head” or “chief”. In this verse it is singular, likely the mystical title of the Beast and his dominion. (See Ezekiel 39:1)

7 He will drink from the brook by the wayside; in like manner He will lift up Rosh (head).

This last verse is the hardest to translate and the hardest to understand. Most translations make this verse seem mundane and anticlimactic.

But the phrase “lift up head” is enigmatic.

I will offer two possible explanations. The two are used in this story about Joseph in prison, interpreting dreams

Genesis 40:13 (NASB95) within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.

…

Genesis 40:19 (NASB95) within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”

One interpretation:

After kneeling to drink water from the brook, like David when he conquered Goliath, the Messiah cuts off the head of his Satanic enemy with the sword coming from His mouth. Lifting up the head He shouts a proclamation of victory while his armies rush in to lay claim to the land (1 Samuel 17:51-52)

A second possibility:

After the battle is ended and the enemy is defeated, Christ kneels to drink from the brook by the wayside. (Could this be the brook that flows from the throne of temple in Ezekiel?)

Being refreshed He lifts up His head, symbolizing His exaltation as the victorious Lord of all creation.

In defense of the first interpretation, there is the first Messianic prophecy of Jesus’ victory over the serpent of old in Genesis 3:

Genesis 3:15 (NIV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

The offspring of the woman is Christ Jesus. The offspring of the serpent is the antichrist beast of Revelation.

But the phrase “lift up head” usually has a more positive connotation in the Psalms, signifying blessing and honor. On balance I think this favors the second interpretation, or perhaps both!

After some more study of the Old Testament and Psalms, I also see the Lord lifting up my head to give me victory through His strength. Here are some verses to remember as we seek to be more like Jesus…

Psalms 3:2-3 (NASB95)
Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah.
But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

Psalms 27:5-6 (NASB95)
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Summary

• Psalm 110 establishes the deity of Messiah the Son of David as the only begotten Son of God. Jesus identified Himself as the subject of this prophecy through His life and testimony on earth, and through His resurrection and ascension to the throne of heaven.
• This Psalm affirms the power of the Holy Spirit working in these last days through the church.
• It offers assurance that the Lord Jesus will always be at the right hand of God to forgive and intercede for us as the high priest of heaven.
• Finally, it gives us the assurance that God will avenge the cruel wickedness of the enemy and his evil kingdom in the final day of judgement.

 

I'm Lost - Seek Me!

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.
Psalms 119:176 (NASB95) 

I have a recurring nightmare about being lost. It might be about being lost on campus at college, being lost in a parking garage looking for my car, etc. In my last nightmare like this, I was trying to rescue my son who was hanging high up in a tree dying. As I desperately sought help for him, I got lost in a parking garage (dreams wander), and I never found my car or anyone to help. Then I woke up.

The feeling of being lost and helpless is profoundly disturbing and usually leaves me haunted for hours after I wake up. If you have similar dreams, you might understand what that feels like.

It’s intriguing and prophetically significant that the last verse of this very long Psalm is the servant's confession of straying from God. It brings to mind a verse in Isaiah, where the suffering Messiah bears the burden of our sin and shame.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way.

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

Isaiah 53:6

In the last verse of the Psalm, the servant pleads with his Shepherd-Lord to seek him, because even though he has committed himself to the commandments, he just can’t find his way. He is alone and helpless, and the Law alone can’t save him. As much as he tries to follow all the commandments, he only finds himself more and more lost. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

The Lord actually wants you to seek HIM, even if you find yourself stuck in a place where there seems to be no escape. This is the very place where the Lord will seek YOU! All you have to do is call on Him with your whole heart and He will come running...

‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' 

Jeremiah 29:12-13

There is a man whose name is Salvation, who sits at the right hand of God, who is constantly interceding for you. If you hear his voice, you are a sheep in his flock. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Jesus knows the way out of whatever trouble you are in if you trust and follow Him! 

Lord Jesus, I pray for whoever is reading this - that You will come quickly to their aid, bringing healing, salvation and deliverance. I pray that You will give them strength, patience, and endurance in whatever situation they are in. It's because of Your holy name we pray - according to Your will let it be done.

Amen! 🙏

Luke 24:45-47 Unveiling the Old Testament Gospel

Last week our Thursday night Bible study finished the Gospel of Luke. These verses caught my eye:

Luke 24:45-46 (NASB95)

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day…

These words were spoken after the resurrection and just before Christ ascended to heaven. Note that our risen Lord opened the disciples' minds to understand the scriptures. Their minds were still veiled, but as Paul said: “whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Cor 3:

Here’s where it is written:

Hosea 6:1-3 (NASB95) 

1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. 

For He has torn, but He will heal us; 

He has wounded, but He will bandage us. 

2 “He will revive us after two days;

He will raise us up on the third day,

That we may live before Him. 

This is a Gospel message from the Old Testament!

David Guzik says in his commentary on Hosea:

Hosea prayed this full of confidence in love and power to restore. In the prayer, there is a shadowy prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection on the third day. The context supports this wonderfully; on the cross Jesus was torn and stricken for our sake, yet He was also gloriously raised up on the third day.

As Isaiah said in his prophecy of the suffering messiah:

Isaiah 53:4 (NASB95)

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But why did Hosea say, “He will raise US up on the third day”? 

Paul connects the dots here:

Ephesians 2:4-6 (NASB95) 

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made US alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and RAISED US UP with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...

So, this word of encouragement follows in Hosea 6:3:

“So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.

His going forth is as certain as the dawn;

And He will come to us like the rain,

Like the spring rain watering the earth.”

His going forth from the tomb, and going into all the world through us, is as certain as the dawn was certain that first Easter morning! And as the water flowed from His earthly body to signify His death, even so the living water of the Holy Spirit flows from the body of Christ through each of us today, bringing salvation and eternal life to all who receive it!

Finally, Jesus gave us this commission:

Luke 24:47 (NASB95) ... that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Let’s proclaim the gospel in His name - like the spring rain watering the whole earth - to all the nations, starting today, here and now! 

Holy Forever

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 

"Salvation [belongs] to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, to our God forever and ever. Amen." (Rev 7:9-12 NKJV)

Last Sunday the worship at my church was simply glorious. We sang songs focused on the holiness of God. When our worship leader introduced the songs, he read from the book of Revelation.

One of my very favorite worship songs is Holy Forever, written and sung by Jenn Johnson here...

As we sung these songs Sunday, I was overwhelmed by some thoughts about heaven.

The first words of the Lord's prayer are "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name." That is our first call and privilege - to exalt His name together! "Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Those words indicate that the saints and angels in heaven are actively and presently doing the will of almighty God. The will of God is that all beings in heaven and earth worship and adore Him with their whole heart and soul and strength. 

I know my parents were both believers and are now in the presence of God. When I worship God, I am able to join the chorus of heaven singing His praises, as in the book of Revelation. It gives me inexpressible joy to know that my loved ones are worshiping with me as we lift up the name of Jesus. He is worthy of all glory and honor and praise!

The Widow’s Plea

Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Isaiah 1:23

Luke 18 starts with a parable about a persistent widow and her plea to an unrighteous judge. Jesus understood the plight of widows in Israel. Widows and orphans were among the weakest and poorest people in that society. God provided laws to protect them, and pledged to avenge their afflictions with great wrath.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭22‬:‭22‬-‭24‬
You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Jesus sometimes used widows to exemplify situations that demand justice. For example, when a woman became a widow, it was not uncommon for a scribe or Pharisee to be designated as executor of the deceased husband’s estate. A corrupt executor could trick or defraud the widow out of her property. Perhaps it was this situation Jesus had in mind when he spoke this parable shortly before He entered Jerusalem for the final week of His earthly life.

Luke 18:2-5
“In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”

The judge in this parable was part of a corrupt legal system. He didn’t care about the widow’s plight but only cared for his own peace. The widow however was at the point of absolute desperation and kept begging for help.

Jesus compared this situation to the plight of believers who cry out to God day and night for justice.

Luke 18:6-8a
And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.”

In contrast to the unrighteous judge, our faithful God is a defender of the defenseless, who cares deeply for the persecuted and afflicted. He will not delay justice except to give the unrighteous a chance to repent and turn from their wicked ways.

The final question is this: “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (v. 8)

This question goes back to the purpose of this parable. He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart… (v. 1)

When we are praying desperately for a particular answer, we must remember this:

1. God knows the future and knows what is best for us. He will always cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

2. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. (Psalm 103:8)

3. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬)

We must not lose heart, but keep the faith. God IS faithful. When we are the most defenseless, He is the most compassionate. Thus the question remains…When He comes will He find us faithful to HIM?