Considering Psalm 110 is a crucial matter in our discussion, as it predates all the prophets and the New Testament. It is referred to by many as THE Messianic Psalm, and is alluded to in the New Testament by Jesus as well as the other New Testament writers in that context. Regardless of what the New Testament says, does this Psalm proclaim anything about the Messiah being a divine being?
This will require us to get technical in this article, but, I assure you it will be worth the investigation.
There are two sections of the Psalm as a whole that we will hone in on in this article. First is Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." The verse speaks of a time in the future, when the subject (my Lord) will be sitting to the right of God (the Lord) and waiting till his enemies are subdued.
There is no mistaking who the first Lord is here if you look to the original language, and scholars on both sides of the fence agree that this is YHWH - God that is speaking. So, we can set that aside as settled and accepted. The question arises, as to who this second "Lord" mentioned in the sentence is. The other word translated “Lord" is ADONAI. In general without context, it can mean one who has rule or authority; one of high rank; one who has dominion; one who is the owner or possessor, etc. This word is applied frequently to a creature. It is applied to kings, princes, rulers, masters. What gives the word its ultimate meaning, is the context in which it occurs and used. In this verse, it is a significant thing that ADONAI is spoken to by YHWH and invited to "sit at my right hand." So, God invites David's Lord or Master to sit at His right hand. The fact that David himself (the King of Israel) refers to this one as "Lord" indicates that David clearly sees this individual as being above him. So, there is no problem this one is greater than he is. The question is, is this being divine or made divine in the context of this statement. It cannot be David, therefore, who is this? The simple answer from the text is that the one whom David considered greater than himself was God.
There is no mistaking who the first Lord is here if you look to the original language, and scholars on both sides of the fence agree that this is YHWH - God that is speaking. So, we can set that aside as settled and accepted. The question arises, as to who this second "Lord" mentioned in the sentence is. The other word translated “Lord" is ADONAI. In general without context, it can mean one who has rule or authority; one of high rank; one who has dominion; one who is the owner or possessor, etc. This word is applied frequently to a creature. It is applied to kings, princes, rulers, masters. What gives the word its ultimate meaning, is the context in which it occurs and used. In this verse, it is a significant thing that ADONAI is spoken to by YHWH and invited to "sit at my right hand." So, God invites David's Lord or Master to sit at His right hand. The fact that David himself (the King of Israel) refers to this one as "Lord" indicates that David clearly sees this individual as being above him. So, there is no problem this one is greater than he is. The question is, is this being divine or made divine in the context of this statement. It cannot be David, therefore, who is this? The simple answer from the text is that the one whom David considered greater than himself was God.
It is interesting, that even the Jewish scholars of the time of Jesus, recognized this statement in the Psalm as referring to the Messiah or Mashiach.
- It was also understood that this mashiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jer.23:5).
- The mashiach is often referred to as "mashiach ben David" (mashiach, son of David).
- He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isa.11:2-5), a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example.
- He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jer.33:15), will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the people (Isa.11:11-12; Jer.23:8; 30:3; Hos.3:4-5).
- He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles (Isa. 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1).
It is in Psalm 110 that the context of the Psalm states that the "Lord" or Messiah is invited by God to sit at His right hand. Even in ancient times more than today, to sit at the right hand of the ruler, was to be considered to be equal with the ruler. This is seen with Joseph in Egypt, who serves the Pharaoh, yet, bears in anything he does the signet power of the Pharaoh himself. In Psalm 110, to be invited to sit at God's right hand, is to be considered equal with God and bearing the power of God. This is borne out by Psa.110:5 where David states, "the Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath." What does this mean? Contextually, it means that the one whom God Himself has invited to sit at His right hand, is one who is equal to and bearing the power of God Himself. Another interesting thing to notice in the Psalm is that vs. 1 is stated as "having happened!" even in David's time. Meaning that God determined this even at that time.
So, what does the Psalm state that we should look for, if we are to find one whom God would invite to sit at His right hand?
- Someone GREATER than David, whom God considered in the Psalm to be a model for this statement in Psalms
- That this one in Psa.110:1 is going to have the authority and power of God
- This one in Psa.110:1 is also going to also be the Spiritual Leader as well as the King or ruler of the People of the world, Jew and Gentile.
- The one whom David considered greater than himself.
- The one whom in the Psalm would be a Ruler or King FOREVER and the one who would be a Priest appointed by God FOREVER.
We find that one, we have found the Messiah and we have found what God has appointed to be the one who would Sit at HIS right hand.
And if that is whom God has chosen, then who are we to say no?
Jim
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