Psalm 110
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
I. Introduction: Note the pivotal importance of Christ’s present session at the right hand of the Father.
A. This Psalm gives a glimpse into the eternal covenantal conversation: (1) “Sit at my right hand;” (3) “Your people will …;” (4) “You are a priest forever;” (6) “He will execute judgment.”
B. We see continuity from Psalm 109 which is about his betrayal and passion – “Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor” (29); Psalm 110 is about his enthronement; Psalm 111 gives the hymn of praise that comes from the mouth of “his people” that he has saved from their sins – “He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name” (9).
C. We note continuity with Genesis 3:15 – I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed, and he shall bruise your head. Now all Messiah’s enemies are under his feet.
D. We follow the coherent impact of this theme in biblical revelation,
1. Jesus used this verse to confound the religious leaders of the day and to imply his own deity as Son of Man. [Matthew 22:44] “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is he? They said to him, ‘The Son of David.’ He said to them, How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet:’ If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” With perfect consistency, the writer of Hebrews used this verse to do the same –“And to which of the angels has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’?” (Hebrews 11:3 ).
2. Matthew 26:64 – He claimed this verse in verification of his Messiahship: as he was under trial from the chief priests. Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
3. He accomplished in our nature, what we failed to accomplish – Hebrews 2:8 (referring to the glory of man in Psalm 8) “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death” (2:9) with the introductory remarks in 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
4. As clearly implied in these texts from Hebrews, his session is the objective verification of the success and completeness of his work of redemption: “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (8:1); “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (10:12).
5. This victorious seating is the model and the guarantee of our perfect sanctification and glorification: Put On the New Self. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). As we set aside sin and run toward heaven, we are “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
II. Verses 2 – 4 – In his present power at the right hand of the Father, He consistently applies his perfect work as priest in [1] controlling his enemies and [2] saving his people.
A. The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.
1. Zion could mean, as it does at times, the church, the gathering of the people of God in consequence of the victory of the king. If so, then his mighty rule comes as the church uses the means that he himself has given it to accomplish his will. This highlights the necessity of holiness and truth in the congregation. It highlights the conquering power of the word in evangelism. To speak His word is to wield His scepter.
2. It could be a purely geographical reference, that in Zion he was crucified and rose again; and in Zion he sent the Spirit to empower the preaching of his culminated gospel ministry and mark the new covenant people with those spiritual characteristics that would separate them from the world from that time until he returns to receive to himself his holy people zealous of good works.
B. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
His rule over his enemies is not yet visible, but he nevertheless rules in the midst of them—as they go about their lives, self-centered, focused on this world, not holding the knowledge of God—Jesus, according to his gospel interests and covenant promises governs them to bring about his glory in this world. This rule was operative with Herod and Pontius Pilate during his trial; so he did with the Roman empire as his people were persecuted, and so he does presently, even with those that may oppose witness to His saving work and efforts to live a life devoted to the glory of Christ.
C. “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments;from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours” (ESV).
1. Even as he rules in the midst of his enemies while they oppose him, his people will offer themselves to him when he calls them with regenerating power. [so it was in each place: Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Ephesus, etc.]
2. This call makes them a holy people, gives them a love of holiness, adorns them with holiness as they are changed from one degree of glory to another, reflecting the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). His blood removes their condemnation, His righteousness gives them the warrant for eternal life, and his holiness infused by the Spirit of God heals their corruption.
3. Even as the dew seems to be birthed by the morning and comes almost imperceptibly into view with charming beauty and freshness, so the rule of Christ over his people gives them being. There is an analogy between the appearance of the dew and the conversion of God’s people. His death and his resurrection in a glorified body constitute the firstfruits of those from the dead. Even so, those for whom he died, and for whose sake he was raised again from the dead will be as naturally his—for He has effectually worked righteousness in their place—as the dew belongs to the peculiar conditions that give rise to it. Through the chill of the night and the first break of morning light, dew appears as the natural out flow of these conditions. Even so in his early morning rise after the chill of death, this eternally decreed, but newly-wrought savior brings his children with him into the heavenly places. He will lose none of them; for this he was born; for this he died; for this he was buried, and for this he rises, and for this he is seated
D. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
He is the king of righteousness, the king of Salem, the one who brings peace and reconciliation, and the one without beginning or end (See Hebrews 7:1–3). Through his eternally decreed and temporally-executed priesthood, he judges and he saves. He honors perfect justice and righteousness in the salvation of his people, AND
III. As he wields his merciful power for the salvation of his people, so he wields his perfect justice in execution of wrath on unbelievers.
A. “The Lord is at your right hand” (5a).
This reasserts the position of power gained for the Messiah -God and man in one person – by accomplishing redemption through absolute righteousness. This position of power and judgment forms one of the major themes of the Psalms. “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).
B. As well as drawing His people with power so that they joyfully and willingly come to Him, “He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth” (6).
This is the fulfillment of Psalm 2: “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9).
IV. The Psalmist summarized the work and its successful execution.
A. “He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore, he will lift up his head” (7).
1. The meat and drink of Jesus was to do the Father’s will: When we drink in the church, we drink that which points us to the blood of Christ shed in fulfillment of the covenant arrangement with his Father (John 18:11).
2. Though he gives us living water so that we never will thirst again, the brook from which he drinks is like the waters of Marah, bitter and polluted. As one said [Fountain Elwin (1842), from Spurgeon] “It bore along with it, as it flowed, the curse of the broken law, and the vengeance of offended justice, and the wrath of the eternal God.”
3. This brook was no refreshment for a weary warrior in pursuit of the enemy, but was an obstacle to be overcome, a poisonous draught from which he must drink for that ingesting of death was the only thing that would allow him the victory.
4. The brook passes through the Kidron ravine on the way to Gethsemane; black blood dyed its current due to sacrifices being offered by the score, polluting that stream that flowed from the altar of the Temple. It descended 4000 feet along a 20 mile route to the Dead Sea.
5. The very wrath and anger expressed in Psalm 109 against his enemies, Christ bore for his people, so that the curse justly called down on his enemies would not be theirs but only the sweet overtures of grace set forth in the beauty of holiness as provided by the covenant of grace.
6.Jesus expressed it as the cup from which he would drink: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father hath given me?” (John 6:39) “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” Jesus emphasized that his blood is “drink indeed” and unless we drink his blood, we have no life in us.– “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’” (Matthew 26:27, 28). “My father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).
B. It was this drink that gave him complete victory, so that having drunk, he lifted up his head.
Death is conquered, and the child of the manger now is seated at the right hand of his Father where he ever lives to make intercession for us.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love.
POEM
The man of meekness, man of sorrows,
Now His work is done.
His righteous strength has been the victory,
Gained for Him a throne.
The Lord is at the Lord’s right hand;
O’er all his foes He has command.
On His decree, He now will stand.
The people He has chosen
will obey His saving call.
They sense His beauty—ever fresh—
Pure holiness enthralls.
Our High Priest with wrath has striven.
By decree sin is forgiven,
Righteousness enthroned in heaven.
The King of Righteousness who saves
Also judges nations.
By grace He saves, by holy justice
Decrees conflagration
Of holy fire—eternal death—
Who love rebellion as their breath,
But of all love now are bereft.
He’s seated, having satisfied
Both righteousness and peace.
The work is done, the victory His,
Opposing strife shall cease.
The drink of death ne’er left his eye,
His heaven’s glories now are nigh,
His head is now exalted high.
No end now to His reign’s increase.
