ADVENT 2009MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS

Psalm 110

Psalm 110A psalm of David

1The LORD says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Psalm 110A psalm of David

1The LORD says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

David (King)

The LORD (Yahweh)

My Lord (?)

Matthew 2241Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."

JESUS’ UNDERSTANDING OF PS 110

43He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand,until I put your enemies under your feet’”? 45If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?"

46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Psalm 110A psalm of David

1The LORD says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

David (King)

The LORD (Yahweh)

My Lord (Davidic Messiah)

Psalm 110

2The LORD sends forth from Zionyour mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Psalm 110

3Your people will offer themselves freely

on the day of your power,in holy garments;

from the womb of the morning,the dew of your youth

will be yours.

Psalm 110

4The LORD has swornand will not change his mind,

“You are a priest foreverafter the order of Melchizedek.”

Genesis 1418And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19And he blessed him and said,"Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Psalm 110

4The LORD has swornand will not change his mind,

“You are a priest foreverafter the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 1105The Lord is at your right hand;he will shatter kings on the day

of his wrath.

Either1)Yahweh is at the right hand of Messiah, or2)Messiah is at the right hand of Yahweh

1The LORD says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand . . .”

Psalm 1106He will execute judgment

among the nations,filling them with corpses;

he will shatter chiefsover the wide earth.

Psalm 1107He will drink from

the brook by the way;therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 110 paints a picture of a powerful messiah who will rule the nations and conquer the enemies of God, while . . .

Our Christmas celebrations focus intensely on an infant born in a stable.

Rightly understood, Christmas is the celebration of much more than Jesus’ lowly birth.

The Messiah of Advent gives us a fuller understanding of the Jesus of Christmas.

Christmas is about God sending His promised Messiah King-Priest to establish God’s kingdom once and for all, defeating all of God’s enemies with God-given power and authority.

Matthew 11Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him . . .”11And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.

Luke 132He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Luke 151He has shown strength with his arm;he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;53he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Luke 167And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,68"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,for he has visited and redeemed his people 69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

71that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us . . .74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Acts 234For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,"'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,35until I make your enemies your footstool.'36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Revelation 1911Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war . . .15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron . . . 16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

As we complete our journey through Advent and move into the season of Christmas, let us remember that the child whose birth we celebrate is not merely a precious infant.

He is also the One whom God has made both King and Priest forever, and to whom God has given all authority. It is Jesus who accomplishes our salvation.

Through Him God is reconciling all things to Himself, and conquering all which stands in the way of reconciliation.

Jesus Christ is truly worthy of our humble worship.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Most merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what I have done,and by what I have left

undone.

I have not loved you with

my whole heart;I have not loved my

neighbor as myself.

I am truly sorry and I humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on me and forgive me;

that I may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,to the glory of your

Name. Amen.