Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: The 110th Psalm is quoted or alluded to by Jesus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, Paul, and other New Testament writers more than any other passage in the Old Testament. But this Psalm is also a source of great controversy. So is it really a messianic prophecy or just wishful thinking? We'll find out today right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctly first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. Our Bible teacher is Dr. Gary Hedrick, president of CJF Ministries in San Antonio, Texas. You can reach our offices by dialing 1-800-926-5397. Gary's subject today is the truth about Psalm 110. And since this Psalm is the most often quoted Old Testament prophecy in the entire New Testament, that means if it can be discredited, the whole messianic house of cards comes tumbling down. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. Now with today's study, here is Dr. Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: All right, thank you and welcome, listening friend, to another edition of Messianic Perspectives. It's good to have you with us today as we continue this series of studies on the truth about Psalm 110. And this is a very important series of studies because, like we said last time, the 110th Psalm is the most frequently quoted messianic prophecy in the entire New Testament. Psalm 110 is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament more than any other passage of Old Testament scripture.

And we've been going through this Psalm verse by verse where we have these seven sublime messianic prophecies. We said the first prophecy is in verse one where David says his Lord has been exalted to sit at the right hand of God himself. The first Lord speaking to the second Lord says, "Sit thou at my right hand." So that means David's Lord is seated at the right hand of God in heaven.

Okay, let's go on to the second prophecy. It's in the second part of this verse where David says his Lord will one day vanquish his enemies. Verse one, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand," now here it is, "until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Now what does that mean when it says the Lord will make his enemies his footstool? It means the Messiah's enemies will be brought into total and complete subjection to him.

And who are those enemies? His enemies are those who oppose his work and his will. You see, there are two things here that we need to remember. And the first thing is just the fact that we have enemies. Sometimes we are so naive and we forget that we are in a warfare and that this world is a battleground. We want lives that are easy and trouble-free.

But the Lord says no, you are soldiers and you are in a war. You have real enemies, enemies of the gospel. Philippians 3:18 calls them enemies of the cross. Paul told Timothy to endure hardness like what? Like a good soldier of Yeshua the Messiah. But I don't see too many of us enduring hardness, especially not in this country. Most of us are doing everything we can to fit right in with the world.

We don't want to go against the flow. We act like there is no war, but there is. That's the first thing we need to remember. We have enemies. And by the way, the whole enemy effort is being coordinated by Satan himself, who is our primary enemy. The Bible says we're supposed to beware of the wiles of the devil, or literally the strategies of the devil, the schemes of the devil.

In other words, the forces of darkness are very cunning. They are intelligent. They plan and they scheme and they strategize. That's why we have to stand strong in the Lord, like the Bible says, and in the power of his might, like it says in Ephesians chapter six. So we have real enemies, and fortunately we also have a real Lord and a real Holy Spirit and real power with which to oppose the enemy.

And we have real armor. According to Ephesians six, it says we're supposed to put on the whole armor of God, not just part of it, but every piece of armor because if we forget just one piece, that's where the enemy will strike. He always strikes at our weakest point. But there's something else. Not only do we have real enemies, but God has a definite plan that he is working out in this world.

Remember, we said we have an enemy who is dedicated to opposing God's work and God's will. But God also has a strategy. He has a plan. The enemy is not the only one at work in this world, even though he's left his ugly footprints all over this globe. God is also at work in the world. Philippians 2:13 says it is God who works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

So let's not forget that. Let's not forget that God has a plan. Even when it looks like the enemy is winning the war, God has a plan. Even when we have to endure trials and heartaches and hardships, God has a plan. Even when it looks like everything is crashing down all around us, he has a plan, and he is at work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

And not only does he have a plan, but he has the power and the authority to carry it out. Romans 8:28 says he is able to make all things work together for good to those who love him and those who are the called according to his purpose. And it's interesting that he doesn't say there that everything that happens to us is good. What he says is he's able to take the things that happen to us and make them work for good.

In other words, God can take even the bad things that happen—and listen, bad things do happen—but he can take those bad things that happen and make something good come out of them. So those are the first two prophecies here in Psalm 110 verse one. First, David says his Lord has been exalted to sit at the right hand of God himself, and second, David says his Lord will one day vanquish his enemies. "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Now notice, there's a progression here. We're going to talk more later about the present tense and future tense in these prophecies, and here's a good place to start noticing the distinction between the present and the future. The Lord said to David's Lord, "Sit thou at my right hand." That's present tense. He's inviting the Messiah to assume the place of honor at his right hand. There's no waiting.

But then he says, "Until I make your enemies your footstool." That's something that happens in the future. In the Hebrew, this word "until" is the same word that's used in Genesis 49, where Jacob said the scepter would not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes. So in Genesis 49, he's talking about something that will not happen until something else occurs.

And in Psalm 110, he's talking about something that will happen right now until something else occurs in the future. Okay, so what are those two things? The thing that happens in the present tense is the enthronement of the Messiah at the right hand of God in heaven. That's where he is right now. And by the way, what is he doing there?

Well, we could spend another whole series of programs, in fact, we could spend ten series of programs just talking about what he's doing right now. But the short answer is that he is carrying out his ministry of intercession for us, his intercessory ministry for his people. Romans 8:34 says the Messiah is the one who died, was resurrected, and is now at the right hand of God making intercession for us.

He is our mediator. He is our advocate. He is our intercessor. Each of these words has a special meaning: mediator, advocate, intercessor. Each one describes some aspect of our Lord's present ministry from his place at the right hand of the Father. But you know what? We can make it real simple: one little three-letter word, Y-O-U, you. His work right now from the right hand of the Father is for you.

He is interceding on your behalf. He is your advocate. He is your mediator. If you have a personal relationship with him, if you know him as your Savior and your Messiah and your Lord, he is your representative before God the Father in heaven right now, this very hour, this very moment. He is there representing you. He is watching over you very carefully.

Listen, he knows every problem, every heartache, every need that you have. He knows about every unpaid bill. He knows every sick loved one, every bad report from the doctor, every wayward child, every broken relationship, every lost job, every temptation, every trial. He knows, and he knows you. He knows how much you can bear. That's why the Bible says he has promised not to put more on us than we can bear. First Corinthians 10:13.

Have you ever stopped to realize that everything that happens in your life must first pass through God's screening process? You see, he's the Alpha and the Omega, or in Hebrew, the Aleph and the Tav. He's the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the one who is and who was and who is to come. That means he's not confined by time. He is in the past. He is in the present.

He is in the future all at once, right now. So that means whatever tomorrow holds for you, he already knows about it. And if there's anything out there in the future that you cannot handle, he will stop it dead in its tracks before it ever gets within a thousand miles of you. That's his personal promise to you. You see, that's what our Lord is doing today at the right hand of the throne of God. He is our intercessor, our mediator, our advocate, our representative.

Now notice, it says here in Psalm 110:1 that he is seated at the Lord's right hand until he makes his enemies his footstool. So in the present tense, he is seated in heaven at the right hand of God, and he holds that position not only by virtue of the fact that he is the Lord, but also by virtue of the fact that he died for us. He paid the price for our redemption. That means we belong to him.

That is why he is our intercessor, our mediator, and our advocate. And in the future, remember that future tense, in the future, he will come again and put all enemies under his feet. That happens at the second coming, and we'll talk more about that later. So this takes us through the first two of these seven prophecies in Psalm 110. We'll start with the third prophecy on the next program. Until then, this is your friend Gary Hedrick saying God bless you, take care, bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you Gary, and thank you listening friend for tuning in today. We've been listening to our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick, talking about the truth about Psalm 110. If you are interested in Bible prophecy, you'll be glad to know that our special offer this week is the CD or tape of this current series of studies on the truth about Psalm 110 by our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick. It's available for a suggested contribution of just $6 or more.

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So when you write, consider helping us with a gift above the suggested amount. We'd be very grateful. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series of studies on the truth about Psalm 110 right here on Messianic Perspectives.