Psalm 110

1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Note the connection with 109:31 and “right hand”

The formula, “YHWH speaks” is common in the Old Testament. This is a divine oracle, a declaration from God himself. The question is, to whom is YHWH speaking? Who is David’s Lord? It is a psalm of David so YHWH is either speaking to David as king or his son Solomon. These are the only two living kings at the time. There are occasions in the Psalms where David speaks of himself in the third person (for example, Psalm 63:11 - “But the king shall rejoice in God”). But if this is the case, why not say, “YHWH says to the king”? For this reason, I think this is more likely a coronation oracle for Solomon. Similar to Psalm 2, David is stepping aside and affirming the rule of Solomon in his stead, declaring him to be king even before David has passed so there can be no doubt as to Solomon’s legitimacy. The promise from God is that the king will have supremacy over his enemies. First, the king will sit at the right hand of God, a place of trust and honor. The person at the right hand held a sword and shield, so the king on the throne must have full confidence in his loyalty. But in this case it is the one on the throne, YHWH who is securing the kingdom for the one at his right hand. In the previous psalm, YHWH is depicted as standing at the right hand of David (109:31), but here the roles are reversed. As for his enemies being a footstool, this refers to the practice of a conquering king standing on the necks of those he vanquished in battle, symbolically demonstrating his dominance. YHWH promises this kind of dominance to David and his dynasty. YHWH will be with Solomon as he was with David, subduing his enemies on every side. By the time of the New Testament this was understood as a messianic text, a promise of victory to a yet unknown Judaic king from the line of David. This is why Jesus uses this psalm to ask a question of the religious scholars. Why does David call this king, “my Lord”? This king, this messiah, must be greater than David. A son of David who is greater than David. The implication is that Jesus is that messiah, one greater than David, one greater than David who will be granted ultimate victory over the enemies of man.   

2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!

3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, [Or on the day you lead your forces] in holy garments; [Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains] from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. [The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain]

The oracle promises the YHWH will extend the rule of the king into the midst of his enemies. The metaphor for this is his scepter, the visible instrument of ruling. The shepherd has his staff, the king his scepter. Furthermore, he promises that the people will be willing volunteers in the service of the king, that is on the day of battle. The phrase “holy garments” likely refers to battle clothing in context. The people are arrayed in splendor as they assemble to march to war. The final line is the most difficult to interpret. It is literally, “from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth.” Dew was thought of in a positive manner as the miraculous way in which God refreshed the earth each morning. In the desert, dew could be captured for drinking water. It refreshed plant life every morning. It is one of the ways that air is turned into water, and it really is quite amazing. So it’s likely that the metaphor has something to do with refreshment. The womb of the morning would presumably be the early morning hours, while it is still dark, when the dew point is met and water forms from nowhere on the surface of plant life. The “dew of your youth” could suggest that the king will be refreshed and feel young again, rejuvenated. Other commentators suggest this refers to young soldiers who will volunteer and appear miraculously each morning as they stream in from the countryside to join the army in service to the king. Knowing that this text ultimately points us to Jesus, this metaphor suggests the refreshing power of the church, this collective of people who willingly follow Jesus into spiritual warfare, refreshed each day by the dew of the gospel, birthed each morning from the power of the resurrection. 

4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Not only will the king sit at God’s right hand subduing his enemies, he will also serve as a representative of the people before God. The parallelism of “The LORD has sworn and will not relent” emphasizes the certainty of this promise. David’s son would be a priest-king. The tradition of Jerusalem having a priest-king goes all the way back to the days of Abraham when an enigmatic figure known as Melchizedek ruled there. The writer of Hebrews makes much of this in Hebrews 5 and 7, arguing that this priesthood is superior to that of Aaron and the law because it preceded it. During David’s day and perhaps for sometime afterward, this priesthood continued alongside the Aaronic priesthood. 2 Samuel 8 describes David’s administration, noting that “David’s sons served as priests” (2 Samuel 8:18). David fulfilled a priestly function as worship leader, prayer leader, and songwriter. Solomon would follow in his steps, building the temple and the officiating over its dedication. Nothing else is said of the priesthood of Melchizedek until the New Testament era when this concept of a priest-king is understood to have been fulfilled by Jesus, his eternal life as evidence of his never-ending priesthood. The remainder of the psalm returns to the description of the king as commander-in-chief, so this is the only verse that gives us a glimpse into the priestly role of the king. David seems to have assumed this role for himself, and the LORD seemed to be fine with it (in that he was never judged for it). This was common in the ancient world, and even today, national leaders wear different hats (the American president while a civilian is also the commander-in-chief). David and his sons were imperfect priests, and yet God used this concept to illustrate the perfect priest Jesus

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

6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs [Or the head] over the wide earth.

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

The psalmist switches from YHWH to Adonai for this final oracle. The Lord is at the right hand of the king. This is the place that a trusted protector occupied. To be at one’s right hand was to be in a favored position. From this position, the Lord will utterly destroy kings and execute judgment among the nations, crushing their heads (leaders) over the whole earth. The nations will be filled with corpses when divine judgment is accomplished. The “he” in verse 7 presents a challenge. Is this verse referring to the Lord? The “he’s” in verses 5 and 6 seem to refer to adonai as the one shattering kings and executing judgment, and there is no indication of a change in referent for the pronoun. Thus, it is the Lord who will drink from a brook by the way. The word translated “brook” usually refers to a desert wadi that is filled with a torrent of floodwaters. “Therefore, he will lift up his head” may be a summary of the preceding verses, a sign of confidence and victory (Psalm 3:2). If this is referring to the Lord, it is a striking anthropomorphism. Usually when God is portrayed as human, only certain body parts are mentioned (the arm of the Lord, the hand of the Lord, the eyes of the Lord), but here we can’t help but envision an entire man, kneeling to take a drink and then lifting up his head, refreshed and victorious. If this interpretation is correct, God is portrayed as the king’s right hand man, the “angel of the Lord” who fights for him, utterly defeats his enemies and then refreshes himself afterwards. In this interpretation, it’s not too difficult to see Jesus as this right hand man (and the New Testament authors clearly understood this psalm to be about Jesus). In this case, the strong anthropomorphism is all the more powerful. Because in Jesus we see God as a whole man (not just the arm, hand, or eye of the Lord). Jesus is God, fully anthropomorphized. The enemies of the kings that he is crushing are the enemies of mankind -- sin and death. And when Jesus was done utterly smashing sin and death, he was refreshed by God, exalted to the highest place, given the name above every name. Alternatively, the “he” in verse 7 refers to the king, and some commentators suggest that drinking from the brook is part of a coronation ritual. In fact, this is how I had always interpreted it, but now I’m having second thoughts. If this is about the king, it would be more logical to change to subject to “you”, as in verse 5, “at your right hand”. So I’m convinced that this is a promise to the king that the Lord himself will come down and fight his battles, at his side until his enemies are trounced and the Lord himself will be at rest, refreshing himself at the end of it all. David’s view of this “right hand man” was limited, but the New Testament is expansive. This is Jesus, our “right hand man” protecting us and granting us ultimate victory over every foe. The language of these verses is echoed in Revelation 19 where Jesus is the rider on the white horse, utterly defeating his foes and enabling us to reign with him.