Bible Lessons

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 10
Psalm 110
PSA 110
It is evident that Psa. 110 supplies the divine answer to the riddle of a suffering Messiah! In Psa. 109:44For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. (Psalm 109:4) and 5, "For My love they are My adversaries.... And they have rewarded Me evil for good, and hatred for My love." And in Psa. 110:11<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1) and 3 it says, "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.... Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power.”
The first verse of Psa. 110 is quoted five times in the New Testament. The first time is in Matt. 22:41-4641While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:41‑46) when the Lord Jesus asked the Pharisees concerning the promised Messiah. The second time is in Mark 12:3636For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Mark 12:36), and the third is in Luke 20:41-4441And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? 42And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 43Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 44David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? (Luke 20:41‑44) when He asked the same question of the scribes and Sadducees. The fourth time in Acts 2:3434For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (Acts 2:34) and 35 gives the answer the Jewish leaders could not, or would not give because of unbelief. Last of all, the fifth time this verse is quoted in Heb. 1:1313But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? (Hebrews 1:13), in declaring various glories of the Son of God.
It will be noticed that in the Psalms, the present period of grace, and the taking out of a people for heaven, chiefly from the Gentiles, is wholly left out. In verse 1 of our psalm, the despised and rejected Man of Psa. 109 is invited to sit at the right hand of Jehovah until His enemies are made His footstool. They are not being made His footstool now, certainly, for the gospel of the grace of God is proclaimed to all, both Jew and Gentile. The Church of God is composed of all who believe in the Lord Jesus from the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) to His soon-coming descent from heaven to claim them (1 Thess. 4:16,1716For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17)). This was a secret not disclosed in Old Testament days, but is expressly told in Eph. 3:1-131For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. (Ephesians 3:1‑13).
The position of Psa. 110 is that the Lord Jesus, as Israel's Messiah, has appeared again on earth according to promise. He has defeated and destroyed the mighty host assembled by the Western powers in the land of Israel. And He has set up His authority as Israel's King of Zion (Jerusalem). His people who formerly demanded and secured His crucifixion, crying "Away with Him, crucify Him," will now be willing to receive Him in the beauties of holiness (or holy splendor), and as born again in that day.
The fourth verse, speaking of the order of Melchizedek, invites a reference to Hebrews, chapters 5-8, where the subject is taken up and explained. Believers need, and have been given, a High Priest in the blessed Lord Jesus. He could not be a priest according to the law of Moses, because He was not of the tribe of Levi, but of Judah. Melchizedek furnished an illustration which the Holy Spirit has made use of, a priest not tracing his descent from a family of priests, nor passing on his priesthood to others after him.
“He shall drink of the brook in the way" in verse 7, refers to His lowly, dependent life while passing through this world on the way from the manger to the cross.
J. H. Smith