Psalm 110 - "A King and Priest Forever"

Psalm 110

"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head."

In Psalm 110, we behold a psalm that really sets forth the Kingdom of God. Here the Father from eternity purposed that all the glory should go to the Son. “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (v.1). This is the Kingship of His Son, the LORD Jesus Christ, set forth in the beauties of holiness. He is King of kings and LORD of lords, seated on the right hand of the majesty of God the Father.

Yet here also we see Him as Priest. “The LORD hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (v.4) Melchizedek came as King of Salem—King of Peace—and His very Name means King of Righteousness. He brought forth bread and wine, a picture of His priesthood. King and Priest together. Christ, Who came and worked out God's righteousness in His body, in the flesh on this earth, obeyed the precepts of the law and paid the penalty, shedding His blood unto death, by which is the remission, putting away, of the sins of His people. Paul said that this was the very blood of God Himself (Acts 20:28), but in a body that was prepared for Him (Hebrews 10:5), shed unto death. And how effectual is that blood? He was delivered for (because of) our offenses and raised for (because of) our justification (Romans 4:25).

So when we read, “Sit thou at my right hand,” we see a resting posture. When He finished the work, He sat down. There were no seats in the tabernacle, no place for a priest to sit, because their work was never done. But Christ sat down after His ascension because His work of redemption and justification was finished. His very Presence is our advocacy, because our sin has been put away and righteousness imputed once for all. And since the Father has sworn and will not repent, this Priesthood remains, unchanging, eternal, and effectual. This is a continual, unchanging posture, because He has finished the work.

But this Throne is also a place of judgment. For when He came the first time, there was a judgment rendered at the cross. Wrath was poured out. Not an ounce of wrath falls on those He came to save, because He bore it entirely. Just like Noah and his family went through the judgment but were spared because it fell on the ark, so the judgment of God's elect was born entirely by the LORD Jesus Christ in His death. As the judgment that the world endured also fell on those in the ark, so the wrath due God's elect fell on the LORD Jesus, and therefore they were spared although the world perished.

And here in this psalm, we see the Rod of His Strength. "Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies" (v.2). Not one detail took place but what He ordained. Even while we were yet enemies, Christ died for us. Pilate wrote, “King of the Jews” (John 19:19), not knowing what he was saying. But what he wrote, he wrote. Christ never stopped reigning. The gates of hell shall not prevail against Him. (Matthew 16:18).

"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (v.3). Not in the day of their power. "It is not of him that willeth or runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Romans 9:16). “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). Not our holiness. Not that of our own, we have none. But that righteousness He worked out, that holiness given by imputation.

The Day Star rising in the heart (2 Peter 1:19). is the very Life of Christ revealed in the heart of those for whom Christ paid their debt. This is a Spirit-wrought hunger and thirst after Righteousness, the One Righteousness that the LORD Jesus earned and established, and God imputed to the account of each of the elect upon completion of His work. This is irresistible Grace—not because we never resist (for resisting is our nature), but because the Spirit makes Christ Himself irresistible. He draws His people. He feeds them with the Bread of Life—Bread that never grows old or stale. It's Christ the Living Bread (John 6:51).

So we bow at His feet. A footstool for His enemies, but the place of Peace for His people. And He shall lose nothing of all that the Father hath given Him. King and Priest forever. Christ our Righteousness. Christ our Advocate. Christ our King. Christ our Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Christ is the exalted King-Priest appointed by God. He sits at the right hand of God the Father, signifying His sovereign rule over every enemy until all are finally subdued either in His grace for His elect, or in judgment for the reprobates. From Zion, His power goes forth. It was in that earthly Zion that He accomplished the work at Calvary, and now His Spirit goes forth to subdue in repentance every one for whom He paid the debt, making His people willing to follow Him in Truth, being drawn by His Grace. In contrast to any earthly ruler, Christ is the Eternal Priest after the order of Melchizedek—unique, royal, and unchangeable. The LORD has sworn this Priesthood, guaranteeing His saving work and intercession. The Psalm concludes with His certain victory: He judges the nations, triumphs over all opposition, and lifts His head in everlasting dominion and glory.