The GOAT of quotes!
by Pastor Stephen Abraham
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The Lord says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’ (Psalm 110:1).
Read Psalm 110:1–7
The most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1.
Full of battle language and allusions to defeating enemies and instigating a new era, Psalm 110 is perhaps the premier messianic victory psalm.
When you have defeated an enemy king, you put your foot on their neck. His neck = your footstool – like the ultimate ancient mixed martial arts (MMA) fight victory pose!
But there are questions:
- Who does God himself call ‘my lord’ (verse one)?
- Who is this ‘lord’ who sits at God’s right hand (verse one)?
- Who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) of all kings (verse one; verses five and six)?
- Who is this king who is also a priest (verse four)?
- Whose reign as king/priest lasts forever (verse four)?
Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, Peter and the writer of Hebrews all testify that this great messianic psalm is fulfilled in one person alone in all of history: the crucified and resurrected Christ Jesus. As Peter says in his great Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:32–36:
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
‘Melchizedek’ (meaning ‘king of righteousness’) is one of the most mysterious figures in Scripture. Genesis 14:18 calls him the King of Peace (Salem). The priesthood of Melchizedek serves as a foreshadowing of Christ’s priesthood in at least three key ways. Firstly, in both Melchizedek and Christ, the roles of king and priest are united (see Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1). Secondly, Melchizedek is portrayed as a priest appointed directly by God, without reliance on lineage – a trait Christ shares, as he comes from the tribe of Judah rather than the Levitical priestly line (compare Hebrews 7:3). Thirdly, Melchizedek’s priesthood appears self-contained, with no record of predecessors or successors in his priestly line, just as Christ’s priesthood stands alone.
Lord Jesus, reigning King and eternal High Priest, rule in our hearts and lives. Defend us from every enemy and strengthen us in faith through your word. Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a retired Lutheran pastor and musician who served as a school pastor and church planter in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. Having to retire due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic
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