Since the Psalm is short today I will include it in its entirety here for us all to reread, and as always the reference above is a link to the Psalm. I hope you use the links I provide, and that is why the PDF or the blog post are far superior to the WhatsApp text pasted in without links and formatting.
1 “'The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem ; you will rule over your enemies.
3 When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.
4 The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts.
6 He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth.
7 But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way. He will be victorious.'”
MAIN POINT:
Jesus is the royal Lord (King) Priest who gives the Word of God and conquers all enemies.
What makes this Psalm today so exciting is that Jesus used it to make a point when His enemies were trying to trip Him up with questions. And Jesus says things that teach us so much more about the Psalm and clearly show that David was writing about Jesus as God inspired him to write. Books are written about the technical word inspiration. But let us just let Peter’s explanation of inspiration suffice as we consider Jesus' own question to the Pharisees:
““What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of David.” Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
“Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”
How rich a passage this Psalm 110 is for us, especially when we see it through the lens of further New Testament revelation. Let me just bring out the reference to the “priest forever in the order of Melchizedek”(v4) we find in Hebrews and then I’ll try to highlight what we can learn from this passage about Jesus.
I want to include a little personal story to illustrate this passage today. I want to start by saying I am not a great writer. I am not a great teacher. I am not a great scholar. But I do love God’s Word. Yesterday I asked ChatGPT to write me an advertising blurb about the book I plan to make from these reflections on the Psalms, as I look for Jesus. And I shared the results with my friend Joy. I like Joy because she is really honest with me. She said, it needs to be edited a lot because it uses a lot of words you don’t use and it doesn’t sound like you. She said, it doesn’t show how you love the Word of God. It should use sentences that say the Word of God and how much you love it. Then it would sound more like you. And also Jesus and you love Him. I do love the Bible, the Word of God. It tells me the truth even better than Joy does. It is my very life. I need it. I am thrilled that my friend can see this and tell me that.
I’ll tell you another story. This week a special needs man abruptly came into the book store not long before closing. He has only ever previously come with someone who cares for him. His eyes didn't look good, like substance use and emotion had overcome this odd large man who is more like a twelve year old boy in a man’s body. He is truly like a bull in a china shop with quick and unwieldy movements and often he knows no personal boundaries. He unintentionally scares people. Sometimes he can sound very intelligent and speaks in a mix of Dutch and English. He was not well. I drew him into my direct attention and allowed him to get uncomfortably close and looked him in the eye and sought to love him and tell him of hope in Jesus. I took him to the Word of God and had him read the Bible. I was unaware that Rebbeca, our new volunteer, was observing the whole scene. It was a bit of a scene. I wanted to show this lost and distraught person the love of God andI was also aware there was a spiritual struggle for this person and in our store. I knew the Word of God from Hebrews 2:15 would speak comfort to his soul. I gave him the Bible and the pocket New Testament for free to keep. I read the words and he read them too. We both looked at them a few times. I could see the Word of God doing its miracle in the moment. Rebbecaa saw it too. The next day she sent me a message that encouraged me enormously. She simply was happy to see me use God’s Word and talk about God naturally to this man. I was too. God’s Word is powerful and useful and Jesus teaches us that. It is a tool, it is a microscope, it is a healing cream, a medicine, it is a mirror.
Jesus used it here as a weapon against evil intentions to humble the proud and to instruct the ignorant. This is the same thing Jesus did when Satan tried to get him to sin.
I feel I can see the smile on Jesus' face. He knew He had those old smarty pants religious leaders. I think God has revealed so many miraculous nuggets of deep truth in His Word. When we discover them, we are so enlightened and so built up and so much wiser.
Let's see if I can make this simple.
Jesus is the son of David and a man.
Jesus is the eternal God. That’s how He could have given those words about Himself to David so many years before.
And even long before David had written Psalm 110, some mysterious King priest we know nearly nothing about, blessed Abraham.
“And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High,[fn] brought Abram some bread and wine.”
Genesis 14:18
Of course this too is Jesus. The King of peace. The holy priest who brings his body and his blood to make Abraham holy, set apart for God. I will include all the reference in the Bible to Melchizedek at the end here; it is a wonderful read. And worthy of a study in and of itself.
But here we are considering Jesus in Psalm 110. And I am suggesting to you that Jesus revealed this to David, that Jesus is the King who is the Lord who says He will conquer all enemies. Jesus is the giver of the Word of God, He is the word of God. I believe He is Melchizedek then and now.
The things Jesus reveals in the Word are simple yet profound truths that will alter everything you think about everything you see and experience.
v1 Jesus the king speaks. So listen. Jesus the king has an expansive rule that covers all things. So everything will be submitted to him.
Jesus shares His royal Word through His Spirit to others. (Matthew 22:43)
v3 Those who follow Jesus as King serve with willing hearts. They go to war against the enemies of God's crown bringing everything into submission to Jesus.
v3 Jesus was doing that while asking the question in Matthew. Jesus is faithful, reliable and has strength and holiness that never run out.
v5 Jesus is protected by the Father and Jesus protects his own.
“28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand.”
vv6-7 Jesus conquers all who rise up against the kingdom of God but refreshes all who serve God.
Conclusion:
Jesus and His word are able to inform us and make us wise, they are able to win over lies and evil intentions. Ultimately it is Jesus who rules over all things. He rules through His word. If you want the blessings of our God then you must search His Word and you will find treasure beyond what you could ever imagine. The Word of God is a weapon against lies and evil and it will make you wise.
[Gen 14:18-20 NLT] 18 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
[Psa 110:4 NLT] 4 The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."
[Heb 5:6, 10 NLT] 6 And in another passage God said to him, "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." ... 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
[Heb 6:20 NLT] 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
[Heb 7:1-2, 4, 6, 8-11, 17 NLT] 1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means "king of justice," and king of Salem means "king of peace." ... 4 Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. ... 6 But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. ... 8 The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. 9 In addition, we might even say that these Levites--the ones who collect the tithe--paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. 10 For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham's body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him. 11 So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? ... 17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."
110/150 40 to go, 29 december 2023
 |
| Handwritten Psalm 110 |
Comments
Post a Comment