Christ is Lord | Psalm 110

Intro

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

“Our children are going to inherit a better world than we did.” 

“I feel our country is on the path to being stronger than ever.”

Every year, the American Psychological Association conducts a nationwide survey “to examine the state of stress across the country and understand its impact.” The survey is called “Stress in America.” Last year's report found that the majority of Americans disagree with those statements (62% and 63%). “More than three-quarters of adults (76%) said that the future of our nation is a significant source of stress in their lives, while 68% said this is the lowest point in our nation’s history that they can remember.” Uncertainty about the future was a major theme of the 2022 Stress in America report. In fact, the subtitle was, “Concerned for the future, beset by inflation.” Rising prices seem like the only certainty. 

The report says, “People react differently to uncertainty, but you can take some simple steps to build your resilience in uncertain times.” Then the APA psychologists offer strategies for navigating the fear of the unknown:

• Disrupt negative thinking.

• Do something unexpected.

• Take control where you can.

• Take your own advice.

• Don’t look for a rescuer.

How do you handle uncertainty?

Summer Psalms

It’s been our rhythm to spend several weeks each summer in the Psalms. That’s what we’re going to do for the last five weeks of this summer. The Psalms provide us with a rich source of language for expressing our faith in God through every season of life. 

Today, we’re going to be in Psalm 110.

A PSALM OF DAVID. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 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. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; 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. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

Certainty in Uncertainty Times

The Psalms can be categorized by their theme or genre. There are hymns and psalms of praise that express joyful delight in God for his glory and goodness. There are laments that express faith mingled with pain and sorrow in the midst of suffering. There are psalms of wisdom, psalms of remembrance, and psalms of thanksgiving. And there are royal psalms, which portray the ideal human king ruling in righteousness.

Psalm 110 is a royal psalm. It’s full of promises from God to his anointed King. In this Psalm, God not only reveals but guarantees how God himself will assert himself in human history, in this fallen and seemingly uncertain world. Therefore, Psalm 110 is a source of certainty and security in uncertain times. For those who know the God of Psalm 110 and this King, the future is not a source of stress, but of hope and joy.

I want to draw out the meaning of Psalm 110 and its significance for your life and these times by asking a series of questions.

Who is this king?

As with most psalms, Psalm 110 begins with a title, which tells us the author: “A Psalm of David.” Eighty-four psalms—just over half—begin with the title Of David. But, as Derek Kidner says, “Nowhere in the Psalter does so much hang on the familiar title A Psalm of David as it does here.”

Why is this title such a big deal? Because verse 1 says, “The LORD [i.e., Yahweh] says to my Lord ….” Psalm 110 is a word from God addressed, not to King David, but David’s Lord. This immediately tells us that the King in Psalm 110 is not David, but a future king who will be so much greater than David that David calls him Lord. Other royal psalms speak of a merely human king, usually in idealistic ways that point beyond that king to the coming Messiah. But this one is different. This is the only royal psalm where the king himself is bowing before the True King.

And though the identity of that King was veiled to David, the New Testament unmistakably reveals that Jesus Christ is the King foretold in Psalm 110. In fact, the New Testament quotes or references Psalm 110 more than any other Old Testament passage. It is quoted directly in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, and Hebrews. It’s alluded to in 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Peter and Revelation. Psalm 110 is foundational to how the New Testament understands Jesus Christ—both who he is and what he came to do.

Jesus himself quoted this Psalm. Here’s Matthew's account: “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, ‘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” (Matthew 22:41–46).

Jesus confounded the best and brightest Bible teachers of his day with a question about this text. First, he set them up with an easy question: “Whose son is the Christ?” Everyone knew the Christ was to be a descendant of David. But this is where Psalm 110 reveals a glorious mystery. Why would David, inspired by the Spirit, pay homage to one of his descendants by calling him Lord? Not only does Jesus imply that Psalm 110 is about himself. He hints that Psalm 110 promised a King who was both God and man.  The Pharisees weren’t wrong—the Christ was a son of David according to the flesh. But the Christ must be more than man, or else David would not bow before him.

The Apostle Peter also quoted Psalm 110 on the Day of Pentecost. His point was to prove to his Jewish audience that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s anointed King, promised by all the prophets. Acts 2:34–36: “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.” Jesus is greater than David. David never ascended into heaven, but Jesus did. Therefore, Jesus is both Lord and Christ. Jesus is the Psalm 110 King.

The author of Hebrews also explicitly claims that Psalm 110 is about Jesus when he writes, “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 1:13). A few chapters later, in Hebrews 5, the author quotes Psalm 110:4, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” and says God spoke those words to … Jesus (Heb. 5:5; cf. Heb. 7:17, 21). As great as David was as a king, he was not a priest, and he had no authority to make himself a priest. But the King in Psalm 110 becomes a priest by an unbreakable oath from God.

The author of Hebrews spends almost a whole chapter unpacking Psalm 110:4. I can’t improve on his inspired words, so let me quote Scripture interpreting Scripture: 

“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.’ … A better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever.”’ 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” (Hebrews 7:14–17, 19–25).

There is no doubt in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is the Priest-King promised in Psalm 110.

When does Jesus reign?

The events described in Psalm 110 were future to David, but where are they in relation to us? To answer this, we should look again to the New Testament. There we have a treasure trove of inspired interpretation of Psalm 110.

Psalm 110:1: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.’” When does that happen? Hebrews 1:3 says, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” And Ephesians 1:20–21 says, “He [i.e., the Father] raised him [Jesus] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 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.”

After his death and resurrection, Scripture declares that Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 

We talk a lot about Jesus’ death and resurrection—and rightly so! But you may be less familiar with Jesus’ ascension and session. His ascension refers to his exaltation to the right hand of the Father, which took place 40 days after his resurrection (Acts 1:3).

His session refers to his position—seated at the right hand of the Father. The word session comes from the Latin word sessio, which means “the act of sitting.” We still talk about Congress being in session, or the Governor calling a special legislative session. The session of Christ is not like sitting in a waiting room chair. He has assumed the highest position of authority in all the universe.  

And the session of Christ is not a minor theme in the New Testament. There are nearly two dozen references to Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. According to Hebrews 10, it is proof that his saving work is finished: “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet” (Heb. 10:11–13).

Jesus sat down because he had finished his work atoning for the sins of his people and because he began his redeeming rule over heaven and earth: “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).

The session of Christ is the source of hope, security: “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

The session of Christ gives encouragement and endurance: “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).

It is right to remember and proclaim all that Jesus did in his death and resurrection. And it is right to anticipate and long for what he is going to do when he returns. But we must not imagine that, in the meantime, Jesus is idly waiting on the sidelines until regulation time expires. We must rest and rejoice in all that Jesus is doing now as he sits at God’s right hand.

Psalm 110:1 goes on: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”“Sit until.” That means that right now God is subduing Christ’s enemies under his feet.

This is crucial to understand. Too many Christians think of the reign of Christ as a future thing.

“Someday in the future Jesus will return to set up his Kingdom, but until then,” the thinking goes, “the world is ruled by Satan.” But according to the New Testament interpretation and application of Psalm 110, the time when Jesus reigns from the right hand of God is now, even as his enemies futilely try to resist him.

Don’t let the current state of the world cause you to think otherwise. Psalm 110 helps us make sense of this. The last verse says, “He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head” (v. 7). This is an abrupt ending—not a victory parade, but “fierce battle and strenuous pursuit.” The scene is reminiscent of Gideon in Judges 8:4, crossing the Jordan river with his army of 300, “exhausted yet pursuing” the routed Midianite army. Derek Kidner writes, “We are left with the picture of the Warrior following up his victory, … pausing only to renew his strength and press on to complete the rout.”

Perhaps the clearest order of events at the end of human history is found in 1 Corinthians 15. And what does Paul cite for authority? Psalm 110. “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:24–26). 

When Jesus returns, that is the end. And Christ returns, not to start his reign, but to deliver his kingdom to the Father. And his kingdom is established because he has destroyed every rebel power. When Jesus returns, death will be the only enemy left. And he will defeat that single remaining enemy when he returns to raise the dead.

The enthronement of the King is not the end; it’s the beginning of his global conquest. This is what we call inaugurated eschatology or the already/not-yet. Christ is already reigning, but his enemies are not yet fully conquered. But they will be!

Where does Jesus reign?

There is an important contrast of locations in Psalm 110. Verse 1 reveals the king seated in heaven, at God’s right hand. But v. 5 reveals him on the battlefield: “The Lord is at your right hand; 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.” (Psalm 110:5–6). Here the king is asserting his authority “among the nations” and “over the wide earth,” though he is still the King at God’s right hand.

According to Psalm 110, Christ rules on earth because he is Lord in heaven. Tragically, many Christians talk about the reign of Christ as though his place in heaven was a drawback or disadvantage. “When he physically returns to earth, then he will finally assert authority here, but until then, his influence here will be minimal.” 

But why would Jesus be limited in a way that Satan is not? Satan is not physically present on earth, but is there any doubt that he asserts real, observable influence here? And he is inferior to Christ!

Jesus’ position in heaven is not a limitation; it is the highest possible authorization. Peter writes, “Jesus Christ … has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:21–22). Jesus began the Great Commission by claiming that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him. And he ended, “Behold, I am with you always.”

When Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36), he did not mean that his kingdom has nothing to do with this world. He meant that his authority comes from God and surpasses all earthly power. Jesus’ authority is the universal and unassailable King because his authority is divine. In Psalm 110, it is God himself who declares, “Sit at my right hand.” The King is enthroned by God’s decree, authorized by God himself, and aided in victory by God (vv. 5–6).

Verse 2 makes this clear: “The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psalm 110:2). Zion is the place where God made his presence dwell with his people. And from Zion as his capital, God causes the King’s dominion to extend into enemy territory, bringing more and more people into his kingdom.

Just how far will the King’s dominion extend? The prophet Zechariah declares, “He shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:10; cf. Ps. 72:8).

How does Jesus reign?

Psalm 110 promises that Christ will be universally acknowledged as Lord. How will that happen?

First, God promises to judge and subjugate unrepentant enemies, making them a footstool for his feet (v. 1). This is, in a nutshell, the Bible’s answer to the problem of evil. Why does God allow evil? So his King can gloriously conquer it. History does not end with the annihilation of evil, but with the humiliation of evil under the feet of Jesus. In the end, even the King’s worst enemies only serve to magnify Jesus’ glory.

But God also promises to give his King a willing people. Verse 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.”

A king with a crown and a throne and a scepter but no people is just playing dress-up. But Psalm 110 promises that King Jesus will have a vast army of people who joyfully and freely follow him. The scene described in verse 3 is that of an army rallying to their King, ready for war.

The second half of v. 3 is tricky, talking about “the womb of the morning” and “the dew of your youth.” John Calvin gives this helpful explanation: “David extols the Divine favour displayed in increasing the number of Christ’s people; and hence, in consequence of their extraordinary increase, he compares the youth or race which would be born to him to the dew. As men are struck with astonishment at seeing the earth moistened and refreshed with dew, though its descent be imperceptible, even so, David declares that an innumerable offspring shall be born to Christ, who shall be spread over the whole earth. … The testimony of experience proves that there was good reason for uttering this prediction. The multitude who, in so short a time, have been gathered together and subjected to Christ’s sway, is incredible; the more so, as this has been accomplished by the sound of the Gospel alone, and that, too, in spite of the formidable opposition of the whole world.”

Jesus rules the world by changing hearts through the power of his Gospel. As 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

This is how Christ asserts his authority on earth. His scepter is his Word (Rev. 19:15; Isa. 11:4). And as the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, enemies of God are reconciled to him. And as people, and families, and nations submit to Jesus, his Kingdom advances on earth as in heaven.  As you submit to him in every area of life, his rule and reign are manifested here. 

We were all enemies of God once. But God promised his King that he would give him a willing people. So if you are in Christ, then it was God’s grace that made you willing and his gospel that won you over. 

Conclusion

So take heart! Christ is Lord!

Psalm 110 reveals the universal and unassailable lordship of Jesus Christ. And this profound truth—that Christ is Lord—is the source of salvation and security in uncertain times. In uncertain times, rely on JESUS, the unassailable King. 

Only question remains: Do you confess that Christ is Lord? If you don’t, Psalm 110 assures you that judgment awaits. But you can be right with God today by submitting to and relying on his King. Submit to Jesus as King. Cease your rebellion and surrender to Jesus as Lord. And rely on Jesus alone. Rely on his perfect life and death for the forgiveness of your sins. Rely on him to satisfy your soul. Rely on him for life, now and forever.