In the New Testament Psalm 110 is the most quoted part of the Old Testament. Some scholars believe that the Book of Hebrews is an exposition of this psalm. One commentator writes of the psalm: ‘To the modern reader, Psalm 110 is full of puzzles. To the early church, it was full of treasures; a dozen books of the New Testament quote from it or allude to it, some more than once.’ Each verse in the psalm points to several treasures and we will consider some of the riches found in verse 3.
The psalm was one of Martin Luther’s favourite passages of Scripture. During one of his illnesses he was reflecting on the psalm and was so helped by it that he said he would write a commentary on it if he recovered. He did recover and wrote a commentary of over 120 pages on the psalm.
The imagery of the psalm is taken from the warfare of the time. It describes a King making war on his enemies, and in this war he has an army of volunteers. The warfare is fought on a worldwide basis and will result in total victory for the King.
The psalm is obviously a Messianic one because it points forward to aspects of the person and work of Jesus. There are many such psalms. We are aware that Psalms 22 and 69 describe Jesus on the cross, although Psalm 22 also includes a reference to his subsequent glory. Psalm 110 is not really about the cross, but describes events subsequent to the cross, events connected to the Saviour’s day of power. In this sermon, I would wish to consider, firstly, what is meant by ‘the day of his power’. Then we shall look at the volunteers who enlist in the army of Christ. Thirdly we can think about the description of the Messiah (‘you have the dew of your youth’).
The Day of His Power
The psalm opens with a conversation between the members of the Trinity. In the conversation, the Father says to the Son, ‘Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.’ These words were said to Jesus when he ascended on high and was called by his Father to sit on the divine throne. On that occasion, described for example in Revelation 4 and 5, Jesus as the God/Man began to reign over his kingdom. It was the commencement of the day of his power.
How long is this day going to last? The answer is given in the same invitation. It will last until all his enemies are made his footstool, in other words until the Day of Judgement. The events of that day will be the climax of the reign of Jesus, and it will be the occasion when his Lordship will be confessed by those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth (Phil. 2:9-11). The climax does not mean that Jesus then ceases to rule over his people. After all, his kingdom is said elsewhere to be an everlasting kingdom. What Psalm 110 is describing is the end of the stage in the unfolding of the kingdom of Jesus when he will have enemies to conquer. Once all these enemies are conquered, he will present a perfect and victorious kingdom to the Father; but Jesus will remain ruler of the perfect kingdom as it experiences further developments throughout eternity.
Where does Jesus rule? Verse 2 gives a surprising answer to this question. It does not merely say that he rules over his enemies; it informs us that in addition Jesus rules in the midst of his enemies. In other words, his kingdom will be governed and enlarged in this world. Who or what are the enemies of Jesus? The devil is an enemy, who Jesus defeats again and again as he liberates his people from the kingdom of darkness. Death is an enemy, which Jesus defeats by making it the door into his presence for his people. Sin is an enemy in many forms, but the weapon that Jesus uses to deal with it is the Holy Spirit working through the gospel and sanctifying sinners. Various philosophies and political theories are enemies, and Jesus overcomes them with his truth. This warfare against his enemies has been engaged in since he ascended, and it will last until he returns and is acknowledged as Lord by all intelligent creatures. And Jesus never gets defeated.
The volunteers in the army of Jesus
The first item to note about each of the soldiers of Christ is that they are volunteers and not conscripts. In previous times it was common for army commanders to force people to fight for them. This is not the case with the soldiers of Christ. Why do they enlist so willingly?
One factor in their response is that they have understood what the King has already done for sinners. The reality is that initially there were no soldiers on his side. Every person who is now in his army was at one time an enemy of the King. But the King came to deal with his enemies, and he did so by coming into the world from heaven to provide pardon for them. This involved him having to suffer on the cross of Calvary, not only in a physical manner, but also inwardly as he bore the wrath of God against the sins of his future soldiers. They were enemies when Jesus died for them. Yet the King sent out his ambassadors with the offer of pardon and these enemies found themselves, in one way or another, being drawn to the cross.
Of course, we should ask why they believed this message and why they were so keen to enlist in the King’s army. The answer to the question is the secret working of the Holy Spirit whereby he persuades them of the truth of the message. The individual is not aware that he is being secretly drawn to Christ by the Spirit. Instead he discovers that he has a growing interest in the message of Jesus, that his interest develops into gratitude, and gratitude into love.
Jesus will have converts from the womb of the morning. In other words, there will be volunteers for his service from the onset of his kingdom. This is what took place. Shortly after his ascension and exaltation, ten days according to Acts 2, Jesus received the first volunteers into his kingdom on the Day of Pentecost. Three thousand men, and no doubt thousands of women and children, enlisted in his service. And the volunteers have been coming ever since.
When individuals join an army they are given a health check to ensure that they are suitable soldiers. The health check that the volunteers for Christ’s army have involves whether they are penitent for their sins, whether they have devoted themselves by faith to their new Ruler, whether they now possess a new heart which loves their King, and whether they have decided to leave the world. The converts on the Day of Pentecost passed this health check, and so has every recruit ever since.
When individuals join an army, they are given suitable attire to wear to enable them to fight against their enemies. The attire that is given in our verse is described as ‘the beauties of holiness’, which seems to be a reference to the garments of the priests, the white robes that they wore as they served God. In Revelation 19:14 there is a description of the army of Christ that follows him into battle: ‘And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.’ What is the attire that these soldiers of Jesus wear? I think it points to their sanctification, their holiness, which can be viewed from three angles: initial sanctification at conversion when they become priests, progressive sanctification as they serve Jesus throughout their lives, and perfect sanctification of soul and body on the resurrection day. Also their souls are made perfect in holiness when they die and go to heaven.
The soldiers of Christ have weapons to use in this warfare. As priests, they have the powerful weapon of intercession; they also have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, which they use when declaring the gospel. As they serve, they have their battle-songs, which is praise to the Lord. In the heavenly army, they share in the victories that their Leader has over his and their enemies. Unlike him, they are sometimes wounded, but when that happens, they discover that their King has infallible remedies. When the devil tempts them to sin, when the world and the flesh overpower them, they discover that Jesus has the remedy for their defeat. As they confess their failures, he restores them to his service.
Individuals join an army to seek glory and fame. Earlier we mentioned how Jesus would remain the Ruler of his kingdom for ever. Yet there are places of honour for each of his soldiers in the ongoing activities of his eternal kingdom. In some of his parables, Jesus points to some administration functions (ruler over ten cities or five cities) that will be given to his people. In other places it is said that they will sit down with Jesus on his throne. Whatever is meant by these illustrations, it does mean that they are going to experience a great reward when their Leader says to them, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’
These soldiers of Christ receive provision from him as they fight his battles. In the midst of their enemies, he provides a table for them in a hostile environment. Such a time of refreshment occurs every Lord’s Day when they gather as priests to worship God and receive from him. Other means of grace, whether private or public ones, are also occasions of refreshment.
The Young-Looking King
The psalmist depicts God the Father saying to his exalted Son, ‘You have the dew of your youth.’ His words are an Old Testament description of the resurrection life that Jesus possesses. All the vitality and strength that are linked to youth are seen in exalted ways in the glorified humanity of Jesus. They are an expression of his beauty and glory.
In addition, the reference to the dew points us to another feature of the heavenly experience of the exalted Christ – his reception of the Spirit, the oil of joy, above his companions. He engages in his warfare not only from a position of total power, but he also celebrates each conquest with great joy.
May his power and joy be realised by us and may we get a taste of them both as we serve as his soldiers.
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