Day 335: Refreshed and victorious - Psalm 110 vs 5 -7

5-6 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7 He will drink from a brook along the way; and so he will lift his head high. Psalm 110 New International Version

This Psalm has been about the Messiah and the eternal Kingdom the Father gives Him. In vs 1 the Father had said “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The apostle Peter quoted this verse on the day the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in Jerusalem after Jesus ascended to heaven. He told the crowd who gathered “God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. And, being exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David didn’t ascend to heaven, yet he said: 'The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”' Therefore let all Israel be assured of this - God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:32-36)

Psalm 110 went on to say that not only would Messiah be a victorious King whose followers would serve Him willingly, but He would also be an eternal Priest – someone who is the mediator between sinful people and a holy God. Peter spoke of that too when the people were filled with fear realizing they had crucified the Messiah. “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘What shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.'” (Acts 2:37-39) The Messiah is a King who brings God's forgiveness. But what do vs 5-6 suggest?

They imply that there are battles along the way and victories to be won. He wages war against the nations and brings about God's judgement. But when Jesus came He explained that His Kingdom would start insignificantly and it's growth would be like yeast spreading through a lump of dough. That speaks of small beginnings and almost silent growth. And it's warfare won't be the noise of clashing swords and shields, but the preaching of the gospel. He said to His followers “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.

The Psalm tells us one more thing about Messiah in vs 7. What do you think the meaning of that could be?

If you said you're not quite sure then you and I are in the same situation. And so are many other believers. The Bible version I used today has a footnote which says of vs 7: “The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.” I'm going to venture a thought, but I'm not saying it's the only explanation or even the correct one. Did you spot something common in the two readings from Acts 2:32-39 above, and again in Matthew 28:19-20?

They all spoke of the gift of the Holy Spirit. In John 7:38-39 Jesus said: “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John tells us that: “By this Jesus meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” We also know that when Jesus started His ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven he went to the Jordan river and was baptized by the man called John the Baptist – and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. So while ‘drinking from a brook along the way’ may simply be a poetic manner of describing how Messiah would be refreshed during His time in the world – it may go further and have the work of the Holy Spirit in mind. That was true of the early Church. Acts 9:31 says: “The church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Messiah is victorious – and He is still causing His Church to increase.