Ep. 114. Psalm 110 | The Lord Said to My Lord

EPISODE 114

THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD: PSALM 110

Psalm 110 is directly quoted or alluded to about 30 times in the New Testament. This makes it the most quoted Old Testament passage (in the New Testament) by a long shot. We might wonder why it was such a significant section of Scripture. Why would these few verses, and two in particular, catch the attention of the Jewish people, Jesus, and the first preachers of the gospel? In part, the answer is that it was considered a clear text foreshadowing the coming of the Messiah. Jesus referenced it to show that the Messiah was not just a son of David but instead Lord to David. The Jewish people were looking for an earthly descendant of David, and Jesus showed them through this Psalm that the Messiah would reign above and over David in power and significance. 

As to the significance of Melchizedek, Jesus is referred to as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. We must remember that when we meet Melchizedek in Genesis 14, he is both a king and a priest. He was the king of Salem, which would later be Jerusalem, and he was the first priest of "God most high." At this point in the history of the Jewish people, they haven't even made a blip on the map yet. Abraham is literally the only person in the line of this people group. It would be another 1000 years before there were priests to God, Aaron being the first in the Jewish tradition. Now Aaron was of the tribe of Levi, as were all his successors, but Melchizedek was not of the tribe of Levi, nor was he a priest according to the Law of God. The Jews knew that no one was to be a priest before God unless they were of the tribe of Levi and that Melchizedek was an accepted exception. When the Psalmist penned the 110th Psalm, he declared, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." In other words, the Messiah would come and be king in the line of David but be a priest like Melchizedek. 

If not for the Jewish belief that Melchizedek was a genuine priest of God most high, they would have never tolerated the idea of a priest NOT coming from the line of Levi, but of course, Melchizedek had proven it was possible. Then Christ showed up as the perfect king and the perfect high priest, not of Aaron's line, but similar to Melchizedek. Melchizedek is so important to understanding the priesthood of Jesus; he is mentioned in Hebrews 5-7, but we will talk more about that in the book of Hebrews. (and I can't wait) 

ADDITIONAL READING: Matthew 22:43-45; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44; Acts 2:33-36; Hebrews 1:13; Matthew 26:63-64; Mark 14:61-62; Luke 22:67-69; Mark 16:19; Acts 5:30-31; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:24-25; Ephesians 1:20, 22; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3b; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:12-13; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:21-22; Revelation 3:21; Genesis 14: 18-20; Hebrews 5: 1-10; Hebrews 6:19-20; Hebrews 7: 1-22