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Psalm 110 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Psalm 110 might be quoted more frequently in the NT than any other Psalm.
The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet’?
Matthew 22:44 HCSB
David himself says by the Holy Spirit: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’
Mark 12:36 HCSB
For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet.
1 Corinthians 15:25 HCSB
Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool?
Hebrews 1:13 HCSB
Loose quotations of this psalm are found in Heb 1:3, Heb 5:6, Heb 5:10, Heb 7:17, Heb 7:21.
The confusion surrounding this psalm is centered on the opening verse. This is the declaration of the LORD to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” So, there is a declaration by God (LORD) to my Lord. Who is “my Lord” in this context?
Even the scribes and Pharisees struggled to find this answer. They viewed Psalm 110 as Messianic, but they were incorrect in their interpretation, believing that the Messiah would be exclusively human and one of David’s sons. This blinded them to the true Messiah. Jesus interprets it for them in Mark.
So Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the Son of David? 36 David himself says by the Holy Spirit: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’ 37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.
Mark 12:35-37 HCSB
Essentially, Jesus is destroying their view with a question. Why would David call one of his human descendants “Lord?” The obvious answer is, “my Lord” wasn’t just a descendant. He was also God in the flesh. Jesus was not only the Son of Man but also the Son of God. This was revealed to David years before by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When David writes the LORD said to my Lord, he is writing of a conversation between God and Jesus. This makes sense when we consider all the Scripture which notes that Jesus did indeed ascend to the right hand of God.
They said, “If You are the Messiah, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I do tell you, you will not believe. 68 And if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God.” 70 They all asked, “Are You, then, the Son of God?” And He said to them, “You say that I am.”
Luke 22:67-70 HCSB
But Jesus kept silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “By the living God I place You under oath: tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” 64 “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy!
Matthew 26:63-65 HCSB
Nelson’s Commentary gives an insightful summary of how this event ties back to Psalm 110.
“Jesus’ reply here alludes to the regal enthronement image of Psa 110:1. This reply is what convicted Him. Apparently what offended Jesus’ audience was His claim to sit in God’s presence and to exercise divine authority. In effect, His answer to their question about being the Christ was more than they expected. It was not blasphemous to claim to be Messiah. What was blasphemous was the claim to be the Judge of the Jewish people, with God’s authority. Jesus’ remark also implies the hope of vindication. Though the people would kill Him, Jesus would end up at God’s side.”
Nelson’s Commentary