The purport of this paper is not to dwell at length on the general teaching of Psalm 110, but simply to call attention to the fullness there is in the opening verse of it, as taught us by the Lord Jesus, the subject of it, and by the Holy Spirit who indited it. We tread therefore on sure ground, for we deal not with conclusions or surmises of men, which may or may not be correct, but have before us divine teaching as to that which the words were intended to contain and to convey.
The first, as far as we know, who drew attention to this portion of the Word was the Lord Jesus Himself when in the temple at Jerusalem shortly before His crucifixion. Having been questioned as the teacher successively by the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees, and having given them each an answer, which silenced these different classes of questioners, He whom they professed to regard as a teacher, in His turn interrogates the Pharisees: "What think ye of Christ? whose Son is He?" To this they returned a ready response, "The Son of David." Again the Lord interrogated them: "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" (Matt. 22:42-4542Saying, 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? (Matthew 22:42‑45).) This question none could answer. Had they known the solution of that which seemed like a riddle, truth as to the Person of the Lord would have been understood, and statements which they characterized as blasphemous, would have been made clear to subject hearts. To us who have the advantage of fuller divine teaching, the answer is simple enough. Yet, although the Pharisees were in ignorance about His Person, the Lord by His reference to this Psalm made it clear to all, to them if they would receive it, as well as to us, that David, when he penned it, was really writing of the Christ.
The general subject of the Psalm having thus been stated, further teaching about it was postponed till its partial fulfillment could be asserted. The opportunity for this was not far distant. A few weeks later, Peter on the day of Pentecost called the attention of his numerous listeners to its statements, and pressed upon them its legitimate teaching. The Lord's ascension to heaven had in part fulfilled it. For of whom did David write? Not of himself, said Peter, for his sepulcher was with them to that day. David therefore had not risen, but Christ had; and, further, He had ascended to heaven, in proof of which He had shed forth that which they saw and heard. A bodily ascension then David sang of, not a spiritual one; an ascension in person with a human body, not one in spirit, was what the Holy Spirit by David here taught. David's sepulcher, still tenanted by its occupant, proved that David had not ascended into heaven; and the language of the verse proved that the king was not writing of himself. But He of whom the words spoke—Christ—had ascended; and on the authority of this Psalm, which spoke of Him, Peter announced that God had made him Lord and Christ. The Master had declared David thus wrote of the Christ. The Spirit by Peter calls attention to His being made Lord, a title of dignity, but not an assertion of divinity.
Yet He was, He is, God; and this same verse is quoted in support of the teaching of His divinity.
His Lordship as owned by God is clear; His divinity as declared by God is equally indisputable. "But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?" 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). Here it is the Apostle Paul who takes up the Psalm, and draws attention to the place now occupied by the Lord Jesus as demonstrative of the truth of His Person. For while Psalm 102, quoted in that same chapter of the Hebrews, takes us back to the past, and Psalm 45 carries us on in thought to the future, the quotation from our Psalm tells us of the present, thus together forming a threefold witness to His divinity. Peter then in the Acts notices the title bestowed on the man Jesus, Paul in the Hebrews reminds his readers of the place He now occupies. His ascension to heaven, and the dignity conferred on Him, were Peter's theme, so he quotes the whole verse. His divinity was the subject of Paul's teaching, so he brings forward only the latter part of it.
But we have not exhausted the teaching of these few inspired words. For the Apostle Paul refers to them three times, once more in this same epistle, and again when writing to the Corinthians.
Where the Lord is, is a testimony to His divinity; for who could sit there but one who is God? It is a Man who sits there, it is true; for before He sat down on high, He had drunk of the brook by the way; but Jehovah alone could be by the side of Jehovah in heaven. Not only, however, are we reminded of His present place, but His attitude also we learn is instructive. He sits as High Priest for a continuance (Heb. 10:1212But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:12); Gr.), whereas the priests on earth were standing daily. These latter stood, because their work was really never done; each day, each week, each month, each year, called for renewed service at the altar. He sits, because His sacrificial work is ended. To the divinity of His Person we see this Psalm bears witness, since it reveals to us where He is now; to the perfectness of His work, as never to be resumed, it also calls attention, since it expressly tells us of His attitude on high. He sits, the token that His work is done. Where He sits, throws light on His Person, and by consequence on the value of His atoning work. That He sits for a continuance, speaks volumes as regards the completeness of it. But more. He sits in expectation. But of what? To minister again, as it were, at the altar? To offer Himself afresh? No, that has been done once for all. He awaits now only God's recognition of the service He rendered to Him, by putting all His enemies under His feet. Do we rest then on our estimate of the work of Christ? No, it is Christ's estimate of it in which we are invited to share—God's estimate of it too, as witnessed by the expectation of Christ, and attested to by the Spirit's presence on earth, and by His teaching through the Word.
But further, our Psalm speaks of His enemies. "Thine enemies." God will treat them as His own enemies surely, but they are written of as the enemies of Christ. Who then are these? What will be classed in this category, when God puts Christ's enemies under His feet? When too will that be effected? On these points the Psalm, which is silent, receives elucidation from the New Testament; and this serves to remind us that there is at times more in the Old Testament scripture that what at first sight appears, needing, however, the teaching of the Holy Spirit to disclose it. In this instance, it is 1 Cor. 15:25, 2625For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:25‑26) which declares it. "For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Here by the omission of the pronoun, the thought of the Psalm is expanded to its full dimensions, and the duration of time during which that clause of its first verse will be in process of fulfillment is revealed to us. "Thine enemies" wrote David; "all enemies" wrote Paul. Nothing which can be classed as an enemy of God or His people will be exempted; but, till death itself shall be destroyed, of which Rev. 20:1414And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14) gives the account, the full mind of the Spirit, who revealed the truth by David, and commented on it by Paul, will not have been carried out.
How full then is this word! Of the Christ and Lord, David wrote, of His divinity he taught, and by the Spirit's reference to the words he penned, a light is cast both on the finished character of Christ's work, and on the enemies which are to be put under His feet. With all this in so few words, we may well remember the importance of not merely skimming the surface of the Bible, but of digging, as it were, more into its depths, as far as the Holy Spirit gives us light on its pages, its clauses, and its words.