Seder 16: Psalm 110 and High Christology

Psalm 110 is a royal psalm.  Without any extra information, we might interpret it in much the way we do Psalm 45.  A prophet has received a revelation from God about his lord, the king of Israel.  And since the king of Israel is a type of the Messiah, the psalm points ultimately to the Messiah.

However, we do have extra information.  The psalm's superscription connects the psalm to David.  Moreover, Jesus (Matt 22:41-46, Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44) identified the psalmist as David and David's lord as the Messiah.  For his argument to have been convincing, his listeners must have accepted these identifications as well.  (Later rabbinic interpreters saw the psalmist as Abraham's servant Eliezer and Abraham as Eliezer's lord.  Were they, in part, reacting against Christian application of Psalm 110?)

The first verse of Psalm 110 is especially important in Christian theology:  "The LORD says to my Lord:  'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' "  This verse places the Messiah in a very high position.  To be at God's right hand is to be very close to God, with God's full support.

And in the ancient world it was the ruler who sat.  Everyone else stood.  This verse pictures the Messiah sharing God's throne.  God rules everything because he created everything.  So the Messiah who shares his throne is a Creator, not part of the creation.

The apostles used Psalm 110 to describe Jesus' current position on God's throne:

Eph 1:20-23:  "that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."

The New Testament use of Ps 110:1 supports the "early high christology" position that the first Christians believed in the deity of Jesus.

The deity of the Messiah is also supported by Ps 110:5:  "The LORD is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath."  Depending on which Lord is which in this verse, it either says that the Messiah at God's right hand is himself the LORD, or that the LORD is at the Messiah's right hand.  Either reading would place the Messiah at a level equal with God.

Seder 10: Psalm 45---A Royal Wedding Psalm

Psalm 45 falls into the category of "royal psalms", psalms connected to the kings of Israel.  Traditionally, many references to the Messiah, the ultimate Davidic king, have been seen in the royal psalms, and that is true of this one in particular.

The occasion for Psalm 45 seems to have been a royal wedding.  The psalm speaks to both the king (vv 2-9) and his bride (vv 10-15), reminding them of the special privileges and responsibilities that go with occupying the throne of David.

To the king, the psalmist declares that "God has blessed you forever," a reference to the Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:16).  The king will be successful in battle as long as he is fighting for the cause of "truth and meekness and righteousness."  In meekness he should rely on God, the true King.

The message to the king points to an ideal of what the king of Israel should be.  The king is God's representative on earth, and he should be carrying out God's will, upholding righteousness (vv 6-7).

The bride is apparently from another nation, and the psalm instructs her to "forget your people and your father's house" (v 10), to follow the example of Abraham and Ruth.

The psalm concludes with God's promise that "I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever" (v 17).  This is a reaffirmation of God's promise to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

This psalm can also be read in reference to the Messiah. What is an ideal for a human king is a description of the Messiah. This psalm is quoted in Heb 1:8-9 as part of a chain of scriptures that the author of Hebrews claims are statements made by God the Father about Jesus the Son.  Specifically, Hebrews 1 quotes Ps 45:6-7:

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.  The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.  Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."

Early Christians noticed two divine figures in these verses, the God being addressed in verse 6 and the God who anoints that first God in verse 7.  They recognized this passage as an affirmation of the deity of Jesus.

If verses 2-9 of the Psalm can be seen as words about Christ, verses 10-11 can be seen as words about the Bride of Christ.  Like Abraham, Ruth, and the queen, Christians are called to be loyal first to the King and to submit to Him.