Psalm 110 reminds me of a special package
we received in the mail several years back. Inside was a
colorful blanket with a note, all carefully wrapped in a protective
bag. The hand written note said simply, “For
Sherry’s first baby”.
We later learned it was knitted by my wife’s grandmother, prior to
her death more than 30 years earlier. She had lovingly placed it in a
storage chest, waiting for that little girl to grow up, get married
and have a child. That short note reminded my wife of her dear
grandma and communicated Grandma’s hope and confidence that the
child she knew would one day become a mom. The length of a
document has little to do with its importance. This very short
psalm is quoted 22 times in the New Testament as example of David’s
confidence in God’s promise of
the Savior. It begins,
“The LORD
says to my Lord:
‘Sit
at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your
feet‘.”
I do not understand Hebrew or ancient Greek, but as I read the
insight of brilliant men, this is one of many prophetic verses that
describe the Redeemer of mankind. Literally, God the
Father is speaking to God the Son of events yet to come. This
verse was quoted by the apostles Peter and Paul in claiming Jesus
was the Christ. Jesus
Himself used it to confound the Jewish leaders to prove King David
was expecting the Messiah to be God in the flesh. I believe
David pinned this note to scripture for Jesus the Lord to wear.
The Psalm continues, explaining that the
Christ will also be Ruler, “You
will rule in the midst of Your enemies“.
He then adds that He will be “a
priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek“.
A thousand years before David was born, Abraham, the father of the
Jewish nation had an encounter with this mysterious figure.
Remember that in Genesis chapter 14, Melchizedek was called both King
and Priest. He blesses Abraham and gave him wine and bread.
We also read that Abraham gave Melchizedek “a
tenth of everything“.
According to Hebrews 7:3-4, He was “Without
Father or Mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end
of life, like the Son of God He remains priest forever. Just
think how great He was for even the patriarch Abraham to give Him a
tenth of his plunder“.
Before Abraham even had a child, God promised him that the Savior of
the world would come through his descendents. This promise is
for me and you.
The psalm closes with
a description of the end times. “The
Lord is at Your right hand;
He
will crush kings on the day of His wrath.
He
will judge the nations… crushing the rulers of the whole earth“.
I
believe the Bible is clear that Jesus came first as a willing
sacrifice, to pay the debt of sin and redeem all who believe His
promise. However, I believe the Bible also teaches that He will
return as a warrior with sword in hand to take possession of this
world. He will defeat the enemy and the armies of man
that reject God’s righteousness. It is with this in
mind that the writer of Hebrews adds, “Let
us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who
for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God“.
(Hebrews 12:2). The psalm ends with an odd verse, “He
will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore He will lift up His
head“. I think
that means the victory is assured. Grandma’s note was based
on a hope; David’s note is based on God’s promise. We did not
receive Grandma’s gift until after the children were too old to use
it. The gift of salvation is no longer hidden. Romans
10:9, tells us, “if
you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved“.
Please don’t leave the gift unopened.