Q2. Psalm 110

[MICHELLE OXLEY]

study of Psalms.docx

[Rosesam]

Q2. (Psalm 110) Why do you think that Jesus asked the Pharisees about verse 1, "If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" What point was Jesus making? How does Jesus combine the roles of Warrior-King and Priest in his ministry to us and to this world? How do you reconcile the violence suggested in verses 5-6 with Jesus as "Prince of Peace"?

In this verse the first LORD is the Tetragrammaton with the word in all capitals and refer to Yahweh and the second Lord is “Adonai”. In Jewish culture the elder generation is always considered to be superior to the younger generation. So in Jewish minds David, their sweet psalmist and king, is definitely superior to Jesus, even though He is a descendant of David. Also an older generation will never call a younger generation – Lord. But in this psalm which was considered to be a messianic psalm by the Jews, David – inspired by the Holy Spirit – calls his descendant, the Messiah, Lord. That evidently means that his descendant is superior to him and this superiority would happen only if He is divine and not human. If the Messiah had been human alone then David would have been superior to his descendant. But if the descendant is divine then David was no match to Him and would consider himself to be inferior to his descendant. So Jesus quoted this psalm to prove that He is not just David’s descendant, but also his Lord. Also that He is divine and their Messiah who had been sent for their redemption.

In the Old Testament, the offices of Priest and King were never combined. A person could be a priest and a prophet like Samuel, or he could be a prophet and king like David. When king Uzziah tried to burn incense in the temple, he was immediately struck with leprosy, for it was not permitted. The only exception to this that we see in the Old Testament is that of Melchizedek who was both a priest and king to the Lord Most High. But this combination of priest and king is seen in Jesus and by His grace He has made us, His bride, to be both kings and priests unto Him. For we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation to proclaim His praises. As a warrior king He is leading and guiding us and fighting our battles. As a priest He ministers to us and intercedes for us. And for the world, He will be revealed as the warrior king who will ultimately be victorious and sit on His throne to rule the world. Also the world will know that He is the Lamb who was slaughtered for the sins of the world, when the sacrifices will be re-enacted in the millennial temple, as read in the book of Ezekiel.

 True peace cannot happen unless sin is judged and dealt with, which we experience in our individual lives because of what Jesus did on the cross. We don’t experience peace in the world now because the prince of the power of this world has corrupted it and filled with violence. He has to be radically and violently dealt with. When he is finally chained during the millennial period, satan is dethroned from the rulership of the world and the rightful owner to the throne, Jesus Christ, will sit on it and there will be peace. But satan is not going to easily relinquish his hold on the throne, so there would be violence, which the Bible refers to as the war of Armageddon and then there would be peace, because the Lord Jesus Christ will defeat satan by the breath of His mouth.

[Krissi]

Jewish teachings and lore is full of examples of tricky wordplays and convoluted reasoning. The Pharisees were masters of this but Jesus one-upped them with his question. He asked if the son of David could be over David, which in the Jewish mind was impossible. But there it was in the text … a fact that defied explanation.

Jesus used this text to stretch the minds of listeners to include the idea that the “the Lord said to my Lord” or the Messiah could be more than human but divine. How else could the Messiah be both greater than David and his son? This Messiah will be more powerful than all other leaders – he sits in the honourable spot at the right hand of God.

The Jews also had an image of the Messiah as a political figure who will come to vanquish their foes and put them at the top of the world power elite. So, in their collective mind, the Messiah is a king or political leader.

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But He is also described as a spiritual leader, a priest. The mention of Melchizedek is fascinating in this context. Melchizedek was the righteous king over Salem which was near Jerusalem. Melchizedek appeared to Abraham and then was a king mentioned by David. In the book of Hebrews, Melchizedek seems not to be subject to death, without parents and a forever priest.

The significance is that the Messiah merges the priestliness of Melchizedek with the idea of a warrior king.

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Peace isn't usually achieved peacefully. An element of coercion exists even in peaceful countries. Jesus/Messiah has to crush evil before conquering it. He has to crush the rulers and heap up the dead in his judgment against nations that have rejected Christ and thus spawned evil societies. Prince comes before peace.