Psalm 110

Read Psalm 110 ESV

Who - David speaks to a future king of Israel.  

What - This is a very different psalm.  David is not talking to God nor to the people, though he intended for them to hear it.  He is not talking about himself, which is very unusual.  David is talking to a future King of Israel who will have a rule greater then David’s.  This future King will be both king and priest.  So this psalm becomes a prophetic psalm.  

When - Unstated

Where - Unstated

Why - David does not explicitly say why he is talking to this future King and telling us what the Lord has revealed to him.  So what is a reasonable conclusion as to why?  I think the reason why is so we will recognize this King when He comes.  Also by telling us about Him, David is telling us of the promise He will come.   

How - David opens with a declaration from the Lord, “The Lord says to my Lord.”  David makes it clear this is not about him, but someone who is greater than David.  The Lord declares a promise, “I will make your enemies your footstool.”  This future King will have victory over all His enemies.  If there was any confusion that this future King was just a successful warrior, verse two ends that.  He is a ruler, a king, who reigns in the midst of His enemies.  He is going to be a king who the people freely give themselves to.  David ends this stanza with the most startling claim about this King, He is a priest also:  not just any priest, but a priest after the order of Melchizedek!  This means he will be a priest greater than a Levitical priest and a priest to other nations.  

The second stanza is a declaration of the absolute victory over those He executes justice against.  This stanza, and the psalm, ends with a declaration of the peace the king will enjoy.  It is easy to see why this psalm became recognized as a Messianic psalm.  It also explains why so many in Jesus's day were looking for a conquering king to restore Israel.  

So What 

1. This psalm is about Jesus.  Jesus recognizes the future king as the Messiah in Matthew 22:44 (Mark 12:36 and Luke 20:42).  The author of Hebrews expressly attributes this psalm to being about Christ in 1:13, 7:21, and 10:13, as do many other New Testament books.  Jesus is the only one who can be both priest and king.  The book of Revelation promises the kind of total victory over His enemies this psalm describes.  
2. We now live in the stanza break between verses four and five.  Jesus is the king of the church and is reigning in the midst of His enemies. We the church freely offer ourselves to Him in the holy garments made white by His blood.  He is now our high priest in heaven after the order of Melchizedek.  However, he has not come and shattered the kings and rulers who oppose Him with His wrath.  He has not executed His judgment on the nations in rebellion against Him.  He has not established His kingdom with all of its peace and tranquility.  Not yet!  But He will!  
3. Because we live between verses four and five, the temptation is to think we can join the nations and not worry about rebellion.  It is foolishness.  
4. Wait for it.  Wait for the day all of this is realized in the new Kingdom, while living in the already but not yet.