1. The Lord
said unto my Lord—Jehovah said unto my Adonai: David
in spirit heard the solemn voice of Jehovah speaking to the Messiah from of
old. What wonderful fellowship there has been between the Father and the Son!
From this secret and intimate communion spring the covenant of grace and all
its marvelous arrangements. All the great acts of grace are brought into actual
being by the word of God; had he not spoken, there had been no manifestation of
Deity to us; but in the beginning was the Word, and from of old there was
mysterious fellowship between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ concerning
his people and the great contest on their behalf between himself and the powers
of evil.
Though David was a firm believer in the unity of the
Godhead, he yet spiritually discerns the two persons, distinguishes between
them, and perceives that in the second he has an especial interest, for he
calls him my Lord. This was an anticipation of the exclamation of
Thomas, “My Lord and my God,” and it expresses the psalmist’s reverence, his
obedience, his believing appropriation, and his joy in Christ. It is well to
have clear views of the mutual relations of the persons of the blessed Trinity;
indeed, the knowledge of these truths is essential for our comfort and growth
in grace. There is a clear distinction in the divine persons, since one speaks
to another; yet the Godhead is one.
Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool. Away from the shame and suffering
of his earthly life, Jehovah calls Adonai, our Lord, to the repose and honors
of his celestial seat. His work is done, and he may sit; it is well done, and
he may sit at his right hand; it will have grand results, and he may therefore
quietly wait to see the complete victory which is certain to follow. The
glorious Jehovah thus addresses the Christ as our Saviour; for, says David, he
said unto my Lord. Jesus is placed in the seat of power, dominion, and
dignity, and is to sit there by divine appointment while Jehovah fights for
him, and lays every rebel beneath his feet.
2. The Lord
shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. It is in and through the church that for the present the
power of the Messiah is known. Jehovah has given to Jesus all authority in the
midst of his people, whom he rules with his royal scepter, and this power goes
forth with divine energy from the church for the ingathering of the elect, and
the subduing of all evil. We need to pray for the sending out of the rod of
divine strength. It was by his rod that Moses smote the Egyptians, and wrought
wonders for Israel, and whenever the Lord Jesus sends forth the rod of his
strength our spiritual enemies are overcome. O God of eternal might, let the strength
of our Lord Jesus be more clearly seen, and let the nations see it as coming
forth out of the midst of thy feeble people. Rule thou in the midst of thine
enemies, as he does whenever his mighty scepter of grace is stretched forth
to renew and save them. Moses’ rod brought water out of the flinty rock, and
the Gospel of Jesus soon causes repentance to flow in rivers from the once
hardened heart of man. Or the text may mean that though the church is situated
in the midst of a hostile world, yet it exerts a great influence, it continues
to manifest inward majesty, and is after all the ruling power among the nations
because the shout of a King is in her midst. Jesus, however hated by people, is
still the King of kings. Jesus, it appears from this text, is not inactive
while he sits at Jehovah’s right hand, but in his own way proves the abiding
nature of his kingdom both in Zion and from Zion, both among his
friends and his foes. We look for the clearer manifestation of his almighty
power in the latter days; but even in these waiting times we rejoice that to
the Lord all power is given in heaven and on earth.
3. In
consequence of the sending forth of the rod of strength, namely, the power of
the Gospel, out of Zion, converts will come forward in great numbers to enlist
under the banner of the Priest-King. Given to him of old, they are his people,
and when his power is revealed, these hasten with cheerfulness to own his sway,
appearing at the Gospel call as it were spontaneously, just as the dew comes
forth in the morning. This metaphor is further enlarged upon, for as the dew
has a sparkling beauty, so these willing armies of converts have a holy
excellence and charm about them; and as the dew is the lively emblem of
freshness, so are these converts full of vivacity and youthful vigor, and the
church is refreshed by them and made to flourish exceedingly. Let but the
Gospel be preached with divine unction, and the chosen of the Lord respond to
it like troops in the day of the mustering of armies; they come in shining
uniforms of holiness, and for number, freshness, beauty, and purity, they are
as the dewdrops which come mysteriously from the morning’s womb.
4. We have
now reached the heart of the psalm, which is also the very center and soul of
our faith. Our Lord Jesus is a Priest-King by the ancient oath of Jehovah: “he
glorified not himself to be made a high priest,” but was ordained thereunto
from of old, and was called of God a high priest after the order of
Melchizedek. It must be a solemn and a sure matter which leads the Eternal to
swear, and with him an oath fixes and settles the decree forever; but in this
case, as if to make assurance a thousand times sure, it is added, and will
not repent. It is done, and done forever and ever; Jesus is sworn in to be
the priest of his people, and he must abide so even to the end, because his
commission is sealed by the unchanging oath of the immutable Jehovah. If his
priesthood could be revoked, and his authority removed, it would be the end of
all our security; the oath of God establishes our Lord both in his priesthood
and in his throne. It is the Lord who has constituted him a priest forever; he
has done it by oath; that oath is without repentance, is taking effect now, and
will stand throughout all ages: hence our security in him is beyond all
question.
The declaration runs in the present tense as being the only
time with the Lord, and comprehending all other times. Thou art, that
is, thou wast and art, and art to come, in all ages a priestly King. The order
of Melchizedek’s priesthood was the most ancient and primitive, the most free
from ritual and ceremony, the most natural and simple, and at the same time the
most honorable. That ancient patriarch was the father of his people, and at the
same time ruled and taught them; he swayed both the scepter and the censer,
reigned in righteousness, and offered sacrifice before the Lord. There has
never arisen another like to him since his days, for whenever the kings of
Judah attempted to seize the sacerdotal office they were driven back to their
confusion: God would have no king-priest save his Son. Melchizedek’s office was
exceptional: none preceded or succeeded him; he comes upon the page of history
mysteriously; no pedigree is given, no date of birth, or mention of death; he
blesses Abraham, receives tithe, and vanishes from the scene amid honors which
show that he was greater than the founder of the chosen nation. He is seen but
once, and that once suffices. Aaron and his descendants came and went; their
imperfect sacrifice contained for many generations, because it had no finality
in it, and could never make the comers thereunto perfect. Our Lord Jesus, like
Melchizedek, stands forth before us as a priest of divine ordaining; he was not
made a priest by fleshly birth, as the sons of Aaron; he mentions neither
father, mother, nor descent, as his right to the sacred office; he stands upon
his personal merits, by himself alone; as no man came before him in his work,
so none can follow after; his order begins and ends in his own person, and in
himself it is eternal, “having neither beginning of days nor end of years.”
The King-Priest has been here and left his blessing upon the believing seed,
and now he sits in glory in his complete character, atoning for us by the merit
of his blood, and exercising all power on our behalf.
5–7. The last
verses of this psalm we understand to refer to the future victories of the
Priest-King. He will not forever sit waiting, but will come into the fight to
end the weary war by his own victorious presence. He will lead the final charge
in person; his own right hand and his holy arm will get him the victory.
5. Now that
he has come into the field of action, the infinite Jehovah comes with him as
the strength of his right hand. Eternal power attends the coming of the Lord,
and earthly power dies before it as though smitten through with a sword. In the
last days all the kingdoms of the earth will meet with swift and overwhelming
ruin. What are kings when they dare oppose the Son of God? A single stroke will
suffice for their destruction.
6. He shall judge among the heathen, or, among the nations. All nations will feel his power, and
either yield to it joyfully or be crushed before it. He shall fill the
places with the dead bodies. In the terrible battles of his Gospel all
opponents will fall till the field of fight is heaped high with the slain. This
need not be understood literally, but as a poetical description of the
overthrow of all rebellious powers and the defeat of all unholy principles. Yet
should kings oppose the Lord with weapons of war, the result would be their
overwhelming defeat and the entire destruction of their forces. Read in
connection with this prophecy Revelation 19:17–21. Terrible things in
righteousness will be seen ere the history of this world comes to an end. He
shall wound the heads over many countries. He will strike at the greatest
powers which resist him, and wound not merely common people, but those who rule
and reign. If the nations will not have Christ for their Head, they will find
their political heads to be powerless to protect them. Or the passage may be
read, “he has smitten the head over the wide earth.” The monarch of the
greatest nation will not escape the sword of the Lord; nor shall that dread
spiritual prince who rules over the children of disobedience be able to escape
without a deadly wound.
7. He shall drink of the brook in the way. So swiftly will he march to conquest that he will not stay
for refreshment, but drink as he hastens on. Like Gideon’s men that lapped, he
will throw his heart into the fray and cut it short in righteousness, because a
short work will the Lord make in the earth. Therefore shall he lift up the
head. His own head will be lifted high in victory, and his people, in him,
will be upraised also. When he passed this way before, he was burdened and had
stern work laid upon him; but in his second advent he will win an easy victory;
aforetime he was the man of sorrows, but when he comes a second time his head
will be lifted in triumph. Let his saints rejoice with him. “Lift up your
heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.” In the latter days we look for
terrible conflicts and a final victory. Long has Jesus borne with our
rebellious race, but at length he will rise to end the warfare of
long-suffering, by the blows of justice. O King-Priest, we who are, in a minor
degree, king-priests too are full of gladness because thou reignest even now,
and will come ere long to establish thine empire forever.
Excerpt from:
The Treasury of David
By Charles H Spurgeon
