Messiah: The Lord, The King, and The Priest
Psalm 110
Rev Dr Devadosan Sugirtharaj
Introduction
This psalm is the psalm of David. It is one of the Psalms mostly quoted in the New Testament. Especially 27 direct quotations of Psalm 110 used in the New Testament.
1. The Character of the Messiah. Psalm 110:1-4
- The Lordship of Messiah. Psalm 110:1-2
- The Messiah is recognized as the Lord by the Lord. Psalm 110:1-2
- This verse is quoted in Matthew 22:43-45 and Mark 12:36-37 to identify Jesus Christ in order to tell the truth that the Messiah is the Lord.
- Peter used this verse to explain the deity of Jesus Christ as Messiah. Acts.2:34-35
- Paul used this verse to refer to the dominion of Jesus as the Messiah.1 Cor.15:25.
- The author of Hebrews refers to this verse as the Superiority of Jesus in Heb. 1:13,10:13.
- The Lord said to my Lord: The first Lord is Yahweh and the second is Adonai. This is the classical reference for the trinity of God. God asked the Lord to sit at his right hand as the victorious son and all authorities and dominions over to hum. Eph.1:20; Heb.8:11 Kings 5:3; Psalm 18:38; 91:13. The Messianic authority is not limited to Israel only but the entire world.
- The Messiah is recognized and honored as the King. Psalm 110:3
- When the people of God see the victory of the Messiah, they gladly give themselves to his work. They praise the Messiah and are noted for their beautiful holiness, glory, and strength.
- The Messiah is established as an eternal priest. Psalm 110:4
- The Lord made the oath regarding the Messiah as the eternal priest. Messiah is an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek who is the King and Priest. Gen.14:18-20. This truth is mentioned in the Epistle of Hebrews five times. Hebrews 5:6, 5:10, 6:20, 7:17, and 7:21.
2. The Conquest of the Messiah. Psalm 110:5-7
- The Messiah executes the kings of the nations. Psalm 110:5
- With his authority, the Messiah extends his righteous judgment of God out of Zion against all the kings.
- The Messiah judges all the nations. Psalm 110:6-7
- With his powers, the Messiah judges all the nations and exalts great glory so that there will be great grief and shame on the nations.
Conclusion
Our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, is the Lord, King, and Priest. He rules his authority over all kings and nations. We exalt and praise Him not just for who he is but also for what he does in the world. Amen.