Today marks the beginning of our Advent series. Advent is when we come together to reflect on and celebrate how God was faithful in sending the Messiah to save us from our sins and provide us with eternal hope. It’s a time where we stand between two hopes, where we look back on how Christ came and where we look ahead to his second coming. Simply put, Advent is a season in which we look back to remember the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ so that we can worship Him in the hope of His second return.
To accomplish this, we will camp out in Psalm 110, the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament. Going into this week, I didn’t realize how much this Psalm impacted New Testament theology. It seems as if every page you turn in the New Testament contains references to truths that flow out of this psalm.
As I was preparing for this Psalm this week, I honestly felt incredibly overwhelmed by the depth of this psalm. There is so much to cover that I thought I couldn’t do it justice. So, my original plan was to look at three different Psalms that pointed ahead to Jesus. Instead, we are going to divide this one Psalm into three weeks. Today, we will examine verses 1-3 and unpack how Jesus is the Divine King seated at the Father's right hand. Next week, we will discuss verse 4 and unpack how Jesus is the Eternal Priest. Then, we will look at verses 5-7 and unpack how Jesus is the victorious Judge overall.
View Psalm 110 as the Mobile Bay that feeds into various rivers and bays in Mobile. The Mobile Bay runs into the Chacaloochee Bay, Justin’s Bay, Polecat Bay, Delvin Bay, Spanish River, Tensaw River, Blakley River, Apalache River. If you wanted to explore all the waters the Bay runs into, you couldn’t do it all in one day. The same is true of Psalm 110. If we want to explore the various New Testament references carefully, we simply can’t do it all in one sitting. So, in the next three weeks, we will take our boat and follow the various streams that this psalm leads to in the New Testament.
Taking that reference and running with it, I want us first to explore a time when Jesus directly referenced this Psalm. In three of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), we find an account of Jesus quoting this psalm as he talked to the Pharisees. In quoting this psalm, he sought to highlight the divine nature of the anticipated Messiah.
WHOSE SON IS THE CHRIST?
In Matthew 22, we find Jesus being grilled by the Pharisees and the Sadducees. In verses 15-22, the Pharisees seek to trap Jesus with a question about taxes. In verses 23-33, the Sadducees ask Jesus about marriage and the resurrection. Following the religious leaders' attempt to stump Jesus, Jesus asks them his own question,
“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?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.”
Jesus presents to the religious leaders an essential question regarding the Christ, and he does this to highlight who he is. But, to understand Jesus's point, we must understand the Biblical significance of the title “Christ.” Jesus and the religious leaders are likely operating out of a knowledge that some of us might not have.
So, I want us to unpack the title Christ for a moment.
Many of us know Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” And chances are, we might think that “Christ” was Jesus’ last name. But “Christ” is not a second name; it’s a proper title. Using context clues in Matthew 22, we can conclude three things: (1) God’s people were anticipating the coming of the Christ, (2) there were questions about Jesus being the Christ, and (3) Psalm 110 spoke about the Christ.
So, what does “Christ” mean? And why is that important for our understanding of Psalm 110?
The Hebrew word “Messiah” is translated as “Christ” in Greek, meaning anointed one. In the Old Testament, “anointing was the designation of something as sacred, set apart, or special to God.” It’s being set apart and empowered by God for a specific task. We see this fairly often in the Old Testament regarding prophets, priests, and kings. In Israel, priests were always anointed (Exodus 28-30), Kings were always anointed (1 Samuel 9 & 16), and prophets were anointed sometimes, as well (1 Kings 19:16). So, the Christ is ultimately a person who has been set apart for a particular task.
Throughout the Old Testament, however, we find anticipations of a [M]essiah or [C]hrist who will come to save and sanctify his people—a greater prophet, a greater priest, a greater king. One of those anticipating passages is Psalm 110. In Psalm 110, David anticipates the arrival of one who God will set apart to save and sanctify his people.
So, as the religious leaders sought to trap Jesus with questions that would diminish the divine authority he was preaching, Jesus presented a question about the Christ that ultimately heightened his divine authority. Jesus added proper color to their understanding of the Messiah through this question. He is saying that although the Christ will come from the line of David, he will be far greater than David. The Christ cannot simply be the “son of David”because he is the Lord of David.
Let's look at the language here in Psalm 110:1, “[1] The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The language here is rich. In English, we see the same word used twice (lord), but in Hebrew, it’s two different words— “The LORD (Yahweh) says to David’s Lord (Adoni), ‘Sit at my right hand.’”
“Yahweh” is God's personal name. So, God is speaking. “Adoni” is a common name for a human master or lord. It’s a term of respect and authority, used frequently in Scripture regarding human rulers. So, David is saying that there will be one who comes on this earth who Yawheh will call up to sit at his right hand.
Notice the choice of words here (and I think this is what Jesus is alluding to in his conversation with the religious leaders). David speaks about the one who will come as his present Lord—“the LORD says to my Lord.” Jesus wasn’t born until over 1,000 years after David died, yet David was already calling him “Lord.” David is speaking of the one to come as if he already was. This highlights one of the profound mysteries of the Christ that the religious leaders didn’t understand. Jesus Christ existed long before he entered this world. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” And John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So, the manger was not the beginning of Jesus’ story. He existed before the foundation of the world. Before he ever stepped foot on earth, he was already David’s Adoni.
SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND
“Yahweh says to my Adoni: ‘Sit at my right hand.’” To sit at a king's right hand would have been a position of divine authority and favor. It was a place of highest honor and power. It signifies sharing the king's authority and ruling alongside the king. So, the language here highlights an equality between David’s adoni (the Christ) and Yahweh, a sharing of authority and rule. The anticipated Messiah is the divine ruler seated at the right hand of Yahweh.
We catch glimpses of the trinity here, where the Father and the Son are separate yet equal, ruling side-by-side together. Yet, although they are equal, the Son submits to the will of the Father, walking in perfect obedience to the Father. When the Father calls, Jesus follows. Yahweh calls the Christ to sit at his right hand to continue ruling and reigning next to him.
The phrase “sit at my right hand” implies a calling up—a beckoning call. This language makes sense when we consider Jesus's ascension. Throughout the New Testament, this verse is directly tied to that moment in Jesus’ life. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. He emptied himself and became a servant. He laid his life down on the cross and rose again three days later from the grave, and he ascended to heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand.
Look at a few of these examples for a moment.
Acts 2:32-36,
“[32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. [33] 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. [34] For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
[35] until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
[36] Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 5:29-32
“[29] But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. [30] The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. [31] God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. [32] And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Ephesians 1:20-23,
“[20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
So, we find that Psalm 110:1 is directly tied to the ascension of Jesus. When the work of the Son is complete, the Father will call him back up to his right hand, where he rules and reigns at the Father's right hand.
ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL
“Sit at my right hand,” the Father says, “until I make your enemies your footstool.” To put an enemy under your foot was a symbolic act of victory. It symbolized complete dominance, submission, and triumph over your enemies.
We see this, for example, in Joshua 10:24-24, “And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.” So, Psalm 110 anticipates a day when the Messiah will exercise complete victory over his enemies. But, notice how there seems to be a gap in time between the Messiah sitting down “at the right hand of God” and the “making his enemies his footstool.” The progression here indicates that after the Messiah comes, God will call him up to sit at his right hand, where he will await the day his enemies will be placed under his feet.
I believe there’s an already-not-yet aspect here. As we saw in Ephesians, all things have already been put under his feet. Jesus is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. He is above every name that is named, not only in this age but in the one to come, and he is the head of the church of which we are the body. But, there is also an anticipation of the greater enemy, death, being defeated once and for all one day.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says, “[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death. [27] For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.” So, simply put, we look ahead to the day when the last enemy, death, will be defeated once and for all, where we will dwell with God together in perfect harmony forever. There is coming a day when the far above ruler will destroy the last enemy, death, once and for all.
A MIGHTY SCEPTER
Look what verse 2 says, “[2] The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” A scepter would have been a ceremonial staff symbolizing authority, power, and sovereignty. In Genesis 49:10, we see the scepter promised to Judah— “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him.” This scepter represented the future kingship of the tribe of Judah, a foreshadowing of the coming of their Messiah. So, David is saying that this promised Messiah will come and rule among his enemies. His rule will last forever, never departing from him. And people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will bow before his feet, paying tribute to him. So, Jesus is a good and powerful king worth paying tribute to! He is the ruler over all, and he is worth following.
OFFER THEMSELVES FREELY
Look at verse 3,
“[3] 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.”
This is a beautiful and poetic depiction of the type of relationship this king will have with his people. He will be a good king worthy of joyful submission. His people will freely offer themselves on the day of his power. If Jesus is king, we must submit to him with happy hearts.