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543_Messiah, the eternal priest and king

Psalm 110 The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2 The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
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.
4 The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”

5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.

Listening to a sermon on the second coming of Christ, Queen Victoria of England was deeply moved. With tears in her eyes, she exclaimed to her chaplain, “Oh, how I wish the Lord would come in my lifetime!” The chaplain gently asked, “Why, Your Majesty?” And she replied, “Because I should so love to lay my crown at His feet.”

This humble and heartfelt worship is central to Psalm 110. This psalm gives us a glimpse into God’s eternal purpose concerning His Son, the Messiah, Priest and King forever.

This psalm is the most-quoted among all Old Testament passages. Matthew 22:43–45 and Mark 12:36–37 record the Lord’s question to the religious leaders, “How is it that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls the Messiah ‘Lord’? For David says, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” He understood clearly that the Messiah could not merely be David’s descendant, but his Lord. The majesty of this person, greater than David, the greatest king of Israel, is unmistakable.

Acts 2:34–35 is Peter’s reference to this, as he declares the Lord to be the fulfillment of David’s prophecy. 1 Corinthians 15:25 explains the greatness of Christ, who reigns at God’s right hand “until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Hebrews 1:13 and 10:13 quote it to emphasize the supremacy and victory of Christ as Lord.

Thus, the New Testament leaves us with no doubt: the “Adonai” of Psalm 110 is Jesus Christ—the exalted Messiah, the eternal Priest-King.

The psalm begins with a royal decree:
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’”

After His death and resurrection, the Messiah ascended to the right hand of God—the place of highest honor and authority. His enemies will become his footstool on that day when he rules in their midst. His kingdom will encompass all nations and his reign will be that of justice and righteousness, bringing in peace and prosperity.

Verse 3 gives us a glimpse of that glorious day when the Messiah’s people—His covenant people—will respond to Him freely and joyfully:

“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 verse describes the moment when God’s ancient people will finally recognize their Messiah and willingly offer themselves to Him in worship and service. This is consistent with many other Scriptures.

The prophet Zechariah foresaw that day when God would pour out “a spirit of grace and supplication” upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. “They will look on Me whom they have pierced,” God says, “and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child” (Zechariah 12:10). The Apostle Paul, writing in Romans 11:25–27, explains that a partial hardening has come upon Israel “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,” and that afterward, “all Israel will be saved.” The Deliverer will come from Zion, removing ungodliness from Jacob and establishing His covenant with them.

“In holy garments” speaks of a cleansed and consecrated people, clothed in the priestly garments of beauty and glory, as Isaiah exclaims in Isaiah 61:10: “He has clothed me with garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” The salvation of Israel, and indeed of all who trust in Christ, is a spiritual restoration—an inner renewal through faith in the Redeemer. And those who follow him wear the white and clean garments of fine linen that mark his servants – the army of heaven that follows him in righteousness (Rev. 19:8). Our defence and our weapon is in the holy character that fits Christ’s own. No fierce antagonism, no quarrelsome anxiety to win our point, but the gentle and pure wisdom of love, is our best course as we seek to win some to his side.

Verse 4 describes the unchangeable divine oath:

“The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”

The writer of Hebrews refers to it five times (Hebrews 5:6, 5:10, 6:20, 7:17, 7:21) to emphasize the eternal and unchangeable priesthood of Christ. Under the old covenant, priests came from the tribe of Levi, descendants of Aaron. But our Lord Jesus came, by birth, from the tribe of Judah—the royal line of David. Therefore, He could not be a priest according to the Levitical order. His priesthood had to be of a different order, and that is where Melchizedek enters the picture.

Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” appears briefly in Genesis 14 as the king of Salem (which means peace) and priest of God Most High. After Abraham’s great victory over the four kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him, bringing out bread and wine. Abraham, in turn, gave him a tenth of everything, honoring his greatness as priest and king. As Hebrews explains, the yet-unborn Levi, still “in the loins” of Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek, confirming the superior place of Melchizedek’s priesthood compared to the Levitical.

Melchizedek appears in Scripture without a genealogy—no record of his birth or death—making him a fitting type of Christ, whose priesthood is eternal. The Levitical priests were many, because death prevented them from continuing in office. But of Christ, Hebrews says:

“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 7:24–25)

We have a living High Priest—not one limited by time or mortality—but One who continually intercedes for us before the Father. His eternity is the guarantee of our salvation.

The psalm then shifts to a scene of battle and victory. The Messiah, seated at the right hand of God, now moves to execute judgment. Christ’s exaltation is as terrible for his enemies as it is happiness to his people. For those who oppose him face utter ruin. The Lord is at His right hand, and therefore he overcomes His enemies. The imagery anticipates the final conflict described in the book of Revelation, the day of God’s wrath, when all rebellion will be crushed and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

The psalm concludes triumphantly:

“He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore He will lift up His head.”

This psalm is not merely a window into the distant future—it speaks powerfully to us today. Jesus our High Priest sits at God’s right hand, in contrast with the priests of the Old Covenant. As Hebrews 10:11–13 says: “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.”

And he who intercedes for us as our High Priest is God’s appointed Judge and King. Before his judgment seat, every wrong will be righted, every injustice judged, and every loyal servant rewarded.

The message of Psalm 110 presents the two destinies of man, created in the image of God. We are called to suffer with Christ so that we may reign with him. Conversely, those who do not want Christ the Son of God to rule over them declare themselves as enemies of God, and will be crushed with his foes.

The only true service of God is that which is not forced but glad and joyful. Let us be freewill offerings to our King, priests with him, offering praise and the works of faith, as we anticipate the dawn of his everlasting kingdom. God bless.