Psalm 110
Psalm
110 is a psalm of the Messiah. The
reference to the Lord sitting at the right hand of the Lord makes this point
clear.
Additionally,
we have the reference in this psalm to the order of Melchizedek. For cross referencing in the New Testament, see
Hebrews 5-7, which makes reference to this concept on numerous occasions. There is a reason that this concept is
significant – especially with what we know of Jesus’ lineage.
It was
long believed that the Messiah would be both priest and king. However, there is a bit of genealogical issue
with this idea. The priests came from
the tribe of Levi. David’s offspring
would be king, but they were from the tribe of Judah. The problem is how to have someone come from
the tribe of both Judah and Levi.
This
problem is solved when we turn in our Bibles back to Genesis 14:18. In this passage we hear about Melchizedek,
who was both king of Salem but also a priest of God. {Note
that historically this story in Genesis occurs well before the priestly order
of the Levites was established during the Exodus out of Egypt.} What this means, then, is that the king of
Salem is also a priest of God.
However,
we also know that Salem is the prior name of Jerusalem. {See
the name Salem within Jerusalem?}
This means that the kings of Jerusalem who are of the line of David can
be both priest and king – although their priestly nature is not at all from
Levi but through the means of Melchizedek.
This means that Jesus, who is of the lineage of David, can be both
priest and king. He does indeed fulfill
the prophecy of the Messiah.
And
what of this Messiah? Why is this
concept so important? He is at the right
of God. In the Day of Judgment He will
execute judgment upon the nations. He
will watch as the ways of the world are smashed before him. The Messiah – and therefore the people who
are aligned with the Messiah – will be brought in peace with God in the
end. We will drink from the brook that
runs by God’s dwelling and lift up our head with the Messiah.
In a
life filled with hardship, this is an important psalm to remember about the
future. If our hope is in the Messiah,
we will one day be at peace with God. If
peace with God is the promise, then what is a little hardship to be endured in
the short term?
Psalm 111
This leads
us quite naturally into Psalm 111. Psalm
111 is a psalm of praise. God is great
because His works are so significant that they are remembered. Think about that for a second. How many people do you know whose works are
remembered like God’s works are remembered?
Sure, we might know about a few ancient Pharaohs. We might even know about a few Roman
Emperors. We might know about a few
ancient historians and philosophers. But
do we know anything about anyone like we know about God and His works?
Furthermore,
what works we do know of human beings are works that come and go. They don’t last. Quite naturally, the works of people start
and stop within our lifespan. But not so
with God. We know of God’s work
millennia ago – how He came to Abraham, led His people out of Egypt, gave the
Law to the world, brought His Son to this world to reconcile us to Him,
etc. We know of God’s work yesterday and
the days before because it is in our own lives.
And we know of God’s work in all the time in between – work such as with
Luther, Bonheoffer, Augustine, etc. God
is remembered throughout all time; God is great! There is no end to His ability to work
wondrous deeds!
This
brings us to the end of the psalm. The
beginning of wisdom is fear (awe) of the Lord. It might seem easy to ignore the works of the
Lord in this life because we can’t exactly see His hand without seeing through
the eyes of faith. But what is life when
it ignores God? Is life worth living
apart from the greatness of God?
No. The reason that the beginning of wisdom is
the fear of the Lord is because it is only when we fear the Lord that we really
start living. It is only when we turn to
God and see the big picture of life that life becomes worth living at all. Without God, all we do is satisfy our own
desires. With God, we find something
bigger than ourselves for which to live.
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