WWUTT 1169 A Priest Forever? (Psalms 110, 111)

Psalm 110 is a very popular psalm in the New Testament.

We see it come up several times as this psalm is a foreshadowing of the Messiah, Jesus, who was to come when we understand the text.

This is When We Understand The Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the

Word. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we feature New Testament Study, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and our

Q &A on Friday. Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We continue with our study of the psalms in our

Thursday Old Testament Study, and picking up where we left off last week, we will start in Psalm 110.

If you want to open up your Bible and join with me there, this is a short psalm, a royal psalm, and we begin with this title here,

A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.

The Lord sends forth from Zion, your mighty scepter, rule in the midst of your enemies.

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments.

From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn, and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

He will execute judgments among the nations, filling them with corpses. He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.

He will drink from the brook by the way. Therefore he will lift up his head.

This is a very popular psalm in the New Testament. It is quoted in numerous places, notably in Matthew chapter 22.

And this was when Jesus was teaching in the temple, while the Pharisees were gathered together,

Jesus asked them a question saying, what do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?

They said to him, the son of David. He said to them, how is it then that David in the spirit calls him

Lord, saying, verse 44, this is Matthew 22, 44. The Lord said to my

Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. If then

David calls him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask

Jesus any more questions. So Jesus himself demonstrates that this psalm is pointing to him.

This is a messianic psalm. It is looking forward to Christ, the Messiah, whom

God is going to send in the line of David. But even though born in David's line, he is not

David's son. He is the son of God. So Jesus again asked this question here in Matthew 22, whose son is the

Christ? Well, they say it's David's son. And yet David, speaking of the

Christ, speaking of the Messiah, says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand.

This coming Messiah, David even refers to as Lord. And we know also this pertains to Christ because Jesus is the one who is sitting at the right hand of God.

It was earlier this week sometime I quoted from Colossians chapter three, and it says there that if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

So Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophetic word that's being spoken about here in Psalm 110.

So Matthew 22 is the first place in the New Testament where this particular psalm is referenced. It comes up again in Acts 2 as Peter points out that Jesus is the one who is sitting at the right hand of God, as prophesied in Psalm 110.

Hebrews 1 says this as well in verse 13. To which of the angels has

God ever said, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

And then we have this reference to Melchizedek, which turns out to be very prominent in the book of Hebrews.

We'll get to that here in just a moment. So then verse two, the Lord sends forth from Zion, your mighty scepter.

That's a reference to kingship, of course, rule in the midst of your enemies. Your people will offer themselves freely.

Now what are we referring to there? But those who are the elect whom the father had appointed from before the foundation of the world that he had chosen, who would be the people of God born again in Christ Jesus.

Those who would put their faith in him through the hearing of his gospel. The Gentiles themselves that are being subjected to the authority of Christ by the hearing of his gospel.

They offer themselves freely. We are his people before we know we are his people for God has chosen us.

But we are are brought in. We're actualized as the people of God through the hearing of the gospel and faith in Jesus Christ.

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments.

For we receive the righteousness of Christ from the womb of the morning.

The dew of your youth will be yours. We actually have no idea what this means.

This could be some kind of a Hebrew saying, and the meaning is just lost to us. The the from the womb of the morning, like time of day, morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.

It could mean something similar to what we read in Lamentations chapter three, that the mercies of God are new every morning.

It could also mean that the number of persons who are included is the people of God in Christ are as numerous as the dew drops in the morning.

We don't know for sure. Whatever the the saying was there in ancient

Hebrew has since been lost to us. But then verse four, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, this is a phrase that comes up several times in the book of Hebrews.

I believe the first time is chapter five, but then we see it spoken about in great prominence in chapter seven.

Let's look at Hebrews chapter seven here, where it says, starting in verse one, for this

Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met

Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. And to him, Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.

He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness. And then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

So there we have the first two verses of Hebrews chapter seven. Who are we talking about here? This king of Salem, who was known as Melchizedek?

Well, of course, we read this story in Genesis chapter 14. This is after Abraham went and rescued his nephew

Lot and the spoils that he received from that raid, he took and gave to Melchizedek, king of Salem.

So in verse 17, this is Genesis 14, 17. After Abraham's return, he's known as Abram at this point, not yet Abraham.

From the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet

Abram at the valley of Sheba. That is the king's valley. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine.

He was priest of God most high. So even before we have the establishment of the priesthood, the

Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood in the book of Exodus, we have this Melchizedek, who is king of Salem, which would eventually one day be

Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Right. OK. So it's just Salem here at this particular point.

So he brings out bread and wine, a priest of God most high. And Melchizedek blessed

Abraham and said, blessed be Abram by God most high, possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be

God most high, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. So we even have words from Melchizedek spoken here in Genesis 14.

And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted my hand to the Lord God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say

I have made Abram rich. I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who went with me.

Let Aner, Eshel and Mamre take their share. So that's the story that we have of Melchizedek in the book of Genesis chapter 14.

And we don't know anything about Melchizedek other than that. He obviously speaks a few words.

That's verses 19 and 20. But we don't know where he comes from. We don't know anything about his time of priesthood, when he began, when it ended.

So since we don't have like his lineage or anything like that, there's a couple of things related to that that are going to be spoken about here in Hebrews chapter seven, that this

Melchizedek in Genesis 14 is a type or a foreshadowing of the

Christ who is to come. Not that he is Christ pre -incarnate.

There are some who believe that and have taught that. I think I remember being taught that when

I was really, really young, that Melchizedek in Genesis 14 is actually

Jesus, but a pre -incarnate form of Jesus. That isn't accurate. And by the language that we read in Hebrews seven, we know that he was just a type.

He was a foreshadowing of the Christ who was to come. He was not actually the Christ, not even a pre -incarnate form of Christ.

So going on here in Hebrews seven, verse three, he is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the son of God.

He continues a priest forever. So there you have it, that this

Melchizedek is a type. He resembles the son of God, but he is not himself the son of God.

And the fact that when we read his story in Genesis 14, and he has no mother or father or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, therefore, this is kind of a picture of Christ in that Jesus likewise has no beginning and no end.

Though he has a presence on earth for a time, a little over 30 years, and he was born incarnate to Mary, conceived of the

Holy Spirit. We still must understand that Christ has no beginning and no end.

He has a limited time in his incarnation, but his infinity is as eternal as the father and the

Holy Spirit. I'm going to skip ahead a little bit here in Hebrews chapter seven for the sake of time, jumping down to verse 15.

Another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life, for it is witnessed of him.

You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. That's Hebrews 7, 17.

For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect.

But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. In other words, keeping the law was never going to make us perfect before God.

We are made perfect in Christ. We receive his righteousness. And that's something else that's stated here in Psalm 110, that we receive his holy garments.

Hebrews 7, going on to verse 20, and it was not without an oath for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath.

But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said of him, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever. That's Psalm 110, verse four. This makes

Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.

But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever.

Interesting thing about the Greek there in Hebrews 7, 24, the Greek word is aprobaten.

He holds his priesthood aprobaten, meaning not just that he holds it permanently, but he he holds it only.

He is the only one. There is no one else that shares that priesthood.

Christ is the only one. Why do I make a point to mention that? Well, because the

Mormons believe that they hold the Melchizedek priesthood and there is a person who can become a

Melchizedek priest. You have the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood in the Mormon church. But that would contradict the scriptures in Hebrews 7, verse 24, where it says that Jesus holds that priesthood only and permanently.

No one else shares that priesthood. Now, of course, the Mormons believe that the

Bible has been corrupted and Joseph Smith came along to correct the error. But Joseph Smith even held that that is the correct reading of Hebrews 7, 24, thus contradicting the very existence of the

Melchizedek priesthood in the Mormon church. Anyway, that's just a note to mention that. We go on here.

Verse 25. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Jesus, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need like those high priests to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests. But the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a son who has been made perfect forever.

What a gorgeous chapter talking about Jesus, our great high priest, who is able to save to the uttermost

Hebrews 7, 25, again, those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

When we pray to our Lord God, it is through Christ that we pray.

And God the Father listens to our prayers and loves us, pours out his love upon us because of his son, because of Jesus.

What a good and wonderful God we serve. So we go on here in Psalm 110, verse 5, the

Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

He will execute judgments among the nations, filling them with corpses. He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.

He will drink from the brook by the way, therefore he will lift up his head.

In these current days that we live in, when there is this pandemic that is threatening the earth,

I think one of the things that it communicates to us is exactly how powerless our leaders are to stop it and control it.

When an unseen enemy such as a virus can be such a threat to so many people, and the earth can be filled with corpses over something like this, but Christ is the one who is able to save to the uttermost and he will execute judgment among the nations.

The world leaders are powerless even against a sickness or a pestilence or a disease, but the

Lord God reigns over all. And when we come to Christ, we will drink from his water, a living water, and we will thirst no more.

Jesus will lift up our head. We have no reason to be in hopelessness or despair, even of these days, for we look to that imperishable kingdom above where Christ is.

I come back again to Colossians chapter three, verse one. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Very quickly, let me add to this also Psalm 111, praise the

Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation.

Great are the works of the Lord studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is his work and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

He provides food for those who fear him. He remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just. All his precepts are trustworthy.

They are established forever and ever to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

He sent redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever.

Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

Amen. Let us conclude with prayer. Our heavenly father, we know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he has seated with you on high in glory at your right hand.

We lift up our prayers to you this day as we have such a great mediator, our high priest

Christ seated at the right hand of God. Help us to set our minds on things that are above, not in despair over things that are going on here on the earth.

For we know that in Christ Jesus, we have died to the things of this world and our life is hidden with Christ in God.

We've been resurrected again to new life. And when Christ who is our life appears, we also will appear with him in glory.

Help us to understand these words we've read today in Psalm 110 and 111.

Even this statement here that we perform his deeds with faithfulness and uprightness.

Your precepts are trustworthy. We love the law of God and delight to keep your commandments.

Because we love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Keep us in these things in these days that our hope would be in God and not in man.

We pray this in Jesus name, amen. Thank you for listening to When We Understand The Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes.

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