Psalm 110 A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

²The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.

Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

³Your people shall be volunteers

In the day of Your power;

In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,

You have the dew of Your youth.

⁴The Lord has sworn

And will not relent,

“You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

⁵The Lord is at Your right hand;

He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

⁶He shall judge among the nations,

He shall fill the places with dead bodies,

He shall execute the heads of many countries.

⁷He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;

Therefore He shall lift up the head.

Commentary

Vs. 1 The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

David opens this Psalm with a prophetic declaration using the covenant Name of God, Lord, then using the descriptive title Lord (Heb. Adonai) as a designation of the Messiah, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ as being his Lord. This Psalm’s verse then was cited by the Lord Jesus Christ in addressing the Pharisees who held that the Messiah was the Son of David; which as a Man, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ was, but as David makes clear here (and Lord Jesus Christ proved to them, the Messiah is David’s Lord, and not under him, as David himself said, see Matthew 21:41-46; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44. Now as to Lord saying to David’s Lord:

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

This passage then speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ’s exaltation as the Resurrected Son of God who now awaits on the Lord's Judgment upon and subjugation of His enemies. His Person then is above all of  mankind, all angels, and every created thing in heaven and on earth (see Heb. 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2 etc. also see Acts 2:34-36; 5:31; Eph. 1:20; 1 Peter 3:22; Rev. 3:21 etc.). Now when God the Father has placed all things in subjection to Him; and all authority and power is ended; then the Son of God will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father and be subject to Him (see 1 Cor. 15:24-28). This verse then is very powerful and pivotal as to rightly understanding of the role of the Messiah.

Vs. 2 “The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.

Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”

The Psalm now moves to the Lord Jesus Christ’s Millennial Reign from Jerusalem. For it is from their that the Lord will establish His Kingdom. There will be no opposition then that can withstand Him, for He will rule in the midst of His enemies!

Vs. 3 “Your people shall be volunteers

In the day of Your power;

In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,

You have the dew of Your youth.”

Where once there might have been fear and trepidation by some of God’s people in ancient times in following Him, through His appointed leadership, into battle. In the Lord Jesus Christ’s Reign all of us will be willing volunteers in the day of His power, for none shall fear when the Lord Himself is leading us (Rev. 19:11-21). The second half of the verse then speaks to Christ’s beauty of holiness as being like the womb of the morning; like the sun rising in its brightness and bringing forth its radiant light. The Lord Jesus Christ’s perfection in beauty and holiness is His having the dew of His youth. 

And will not relent,

“You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord Jesus Christ shall then not only reign as King, but He shall also be God’s High Priest. Thus, the offices of King and Priest are Fulfilled and Perfected In Christ. Now as to His Priesthood, this shall not be according to Aaron; whose sons and descendants served as God’s priests under the Old Covenant until they died. No, the Lord Jesus Christ’s Priesthood does not come through a tribe, i.e., Levi, the Levitates. His Priesthood was first revealed to mankind through Melchizedek, the ancient figure who blessed Abraham after his victory (Gen. 14:18-20), whose person has neither beginning nor end and thus serves as a forerunner for the Lord Jesus Christ (see Heb. 4:14-16; 5:5-11; 7:1-9:28). Therefore, Lord Jesus Christ’s Priesthood like Melchizedek's and unlike Aarons shall never end.

Vs. 5-7 ⁵The Lord is at Your right hand;

He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

⁶He shall judge among the nations,

He shall fill the places with dead bodies,

He shall execute the heads of many countries.

⁷He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;

Therefore He shall lift up the head.

In these concluding verses the Lord Jesus Christ is now the Conqueror, executing God’s Judgment on His enemies. Every wicked ruler; whether kings, or presidents, or prime ministers shall know His wrath on His Day when He judges all the nations, for as the Scripture says in Isaiah, “the slain of the Lord shall be many” ^{Isaiah 66:16} (Also see Jeremiah 25:33; Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 19:11-21 etc.). The Psalm concludes then with the Lord Jesus Christ drinking of the brook by the wayside, thus fully resting in peace with His head held high after His glorious Victory, amen.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.