Jesus Shall Reign (Ps. 110)

Introduction

· It’s been good to honor Jesus as king this morning on Palm Sunday. Let’s continue our worship now by looking at one of the most important passages in the entire Old Testament on the kingship of the Messiah. Please turn to Psalm 110.

· The Book of Psalms is one of the longest book in our Bible. It was the ancient Jewish hymnal with 150 different songs. It contains some of the most beautiful poetry ever written like Psalm 23, “The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want.” When people are suffering or scared, I often encourage them to go read the Psalms. Pray over a Psalm. They capture the highs and lows of life, will put your thoughts into words, and will help you to see your life from God’s perspective.

· But even after thousands of years, scholars still debate why the book of Psalms is arranged the way it is. Is there is some overarching theme that connects all the chapters together? One interesting theory is that Psalms is “A Cantata on the Davidic Covenant.”

· This Sunday would usually be our Easter Cantata, but we haven’t been able to resume a choir yet because of COVID. A Cantata is an extended musical work with solos, duets, and large choral arrangements that center around a central theme. It’s interesting to think perhaps the book of Psalms is arranged like a musical that revolves around God’s covenant with David.

· The Davidic Covenant refers to God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 that he would establish David’s throne forever, and that ever successive king would come from the line of David. If God’s covenant with David is in fact the thread that holds all the beads of the necklace together, then it would help explain some of the smaller themes and groupings within the book. Immediately after Psalm 110 – a clear Messianic Psalm -- we have Psalms 111-117 called the “Hallelujah Collection.” Those Psalms frequently use the word “Hallelujah,” or “Praise the Lord!” and focus on God’s faithfulness, his deliverance, and his kingly rule. They provide a kind of triumphant echo to the glorious reality of Psalm 110.

· Read Psalm 110.

· This passage is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament passage. It helps us understand where Jesus is right now, and what we can expect when he returns. Let’s look closer together at two key ideas: His Exalted Position and His Eternal Priesthood.

The King’s Exalted Position (1-3)

· In verse one, we hear the LORD (Yahweh) speaking to someone David calls “My Lord.” It is literally the first person of the Trinity (God the Father) speaking to the second person of the Trinity (God the Son, Jesus).

· Jesus uses this very passage to prove to the Jews that he is the Son of God. David calls the Messiah “My Lord,” indicating the Son of David is actually higher in rank than David himself. Matthew 22:45–46 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. It reminds me of what John the Baptist says in John 1:15 …“He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”

· When Yahweh speaks in verse 1, it is an official decree. Of course, any time God speaks, it’s important, but these verses are a sovereign declaration, with the full weight of God’s authority behind it. The CSB translates verse 1, “This is the declaration of the LORD.” And what exactly does God declare? “Sit at my right hand.” Again, down in verse 5, David says to Yahweh, “The Lord is at your right hand.”

· Anyone here left-handed? Only 1-in-10 are left handed, so you are extra special! Natalie’s mom, dad, and brother are all left-handed. She is the only right hander in her family.

· Generally speaking, the right hand is the dominant hand. And in ancient times, the right hand was the position of honor and authority. For a monarch to invite another ruler to come “sit at his right hand” was an invitation to find favor, to give counsel, even to rule. Sometimes, a prince would rule alongside his father as a co-regent, and would sit at the right hand of the king until he inherited the throne for himself. The right hand is also a place of defense. Psalm 109:31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

· When King David died, Bathsheba asked for a meeting with King Solomon. It was in Solomon’s best interest to meet with Bathsheba, because she was after all his mom! It says in 1 Kings 2:19 …And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. …

· Here, Yahweh invites Messiah to sit at his right hand “until I make your enemies your footstool.” When I get home from work and plop down on the couch, one of the first things I do is prop my feet up on our coffee table.

· One day, God’s foulest enemies and fiercest opponents will be reduced to a footstool. False teachers, godless kings, liars and cheaters, boasters and adulterers, even the Antichrist and Satan himself, will one day be nothing more than a footstool or my coffee table that serves as a nice place to rest my feet. See also vv. 2, 5, 6.

· Last summer we put up a string of patio lights in the backyard so we could sit outside late in the evening. One day, the wind picked up, and we heard a loud CRASH! It turned out the bucket and post that I had fastened the lights to had blown over, and at least half of the light bulbs were shattered. But they didn’t just break. They exploded. I found shards of glass halfway across the yard. It took me several days to find all the little pieces of glass. That is what the Messiah is going to do to all of God’s enemies.

· Dear friend, when you suffer for righteousness sake, take courage. One day, Jesus will shatter his enemies like glass. When you are tempted to get revenge, remember that vengeance belongs to him. And his vengeance will be much better than yours! When it seems like evil is winning, remember that in a single moment, the Lion of Judah will roar and all will fall before him.

· Revelation 19:15 describes this day: From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

· This is the King’s Exalted Position. But let’s look secondly at…

His Eternal Priesthood (4-7)

· This is the second time God the Father (Yahweh) speaks to God the Son (Messiah) in this passage. Psalm 2 is another place we hear a conversation within the Trinity. Psalm 2:7 … The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

· Melchizedek is a fascinating character. He was a contemporary of Abraham who ruled over the city of Salem -- what would later be known as Jerusalem. He is an elusive character, and we know very little about him. He only appears in two verses in all the OT – Gen. 14:18, and here in Ps. 110:4.

· In Gen. 14, several kings gather together by the Dead Sea, assemble their armies, and launch a surprise attack. They defeat several cities including Sodom. Lot and his family were taken captive, and all his possessions became spoils of war (v. 12, 16). That right there could have been the end of Lot! One man escaped, and reported to Abram all that happened. Abram rounds up his best fighters, 318 trained men, in a black ops mission. He defeats all the enemies, rescues the prisoners, and brings them back home. Now here’s the connection.

· Genesis 14:18–20 when the people gather to celebrate, it says Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed [Abram] and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High [El-Elyon], Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

· Notice Melchizdek had two important roles. He was king of Salem and he was a priest of God most high. In OT Israel, there were kings, but they were never priests. And there were priests, but they were never kings. The two roles were distinct. Priests came from the line of Levi, while kings came from the line of Judah. But Melchizedek was unique because he was both a priest and a king.

· Jesus of course belonged to the tribe of Judah. He had royal blood by way of his ancestry to David. We have genealogies in Matthew and Luke to confirm that Jesus was rightful heir to the throne. But if Jesus is from the line of Judah, and all Jewish priests had to come from the line of Levi, how could Jesus be a priest? And the answer is this: he is a priest not through the line of Levi, but by the order of Melchizedek. He was “cut from the same cloth” as Melchizedek, a priestly king.

· Look with me at Hebrews 7:14–17 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” …

· Hebrews 7:22–25 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

· How good to know we have a high priest, who will listen to our request and be with us in our times of weakness!

· The Pope posted the other day on his Twitter account, “Mary … is present in these days of the pandemic…. Mary is always there next to us, with her maternal tenderness. …[She] is not only the bridge joining us to God; she is more. She is the road that God travelled to reach us, and the road that we must travel in order to reach him.”

· Oh, dear friend. How terribly misguided this is. Mary was a godly young woman, but nowhere does the Bible even hint she is our mediator. There is only one king and mediator seated at the right hand of God the Father. It is not David. It is not the angels. It is not Mary. It is Jesus!

· Psalm 110 ends with a number of “He will” statements, showing what Messiah will do when he arrives. He will shatter (5), execute judgment (6), shatter chiefs (6), drink by the brook (7), lift up his head (7).

· Lift up his head (7) probably shows that the king’s strength will be renewed in the presence of his troops after battle. God’s warriors will drink and be refreshed after battle.

Conclusion

· On Pentecost, Peter quotes this passage as well.

· Acts 2:32–38 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

· Have you done this? Why put it off any longer? Why not do it today?