Psalm 110:4
The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.” (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Psalm 110 and Hebrews 10:19-25
Psalm 110 begins by establishing the Messiah as King David’s Lord and King. In fact, he is the King of Kings. He will have an everlasting kingdom and rule for all of eternity. The psalm then presents the Messiah also as an eternal high priest:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek’” (vs. 4).
This would make the Messiah both a priest and a king. This is not a thing. Kings were not priests and priests were not kings. Kings were not granted priestly rights. When God established the monarchy of Israel, kings could not perform the duties of the priests. King Uzziah is a good example of this separation of powers.
King Uzziah was a good king for the most part and sought God’s favor. He was given great success by God and ruled for 52 years. However, Scripture records an incident where his power went to his head. One day he entered the temple to burn incense on the alter of incense. The high priest and eighty other priests followed him in there to try to stop him. By all accounts, they did stop him before he lit his match, but he became angry at the priests for trying to stop him. The priests were right and God struck Uzziah with leprosy for his disobedience. (2 Chron 26:16-21).
But there is one person in David’s past who was both a priest and king – Melchizedek. If you want to look back at our posts on January 5 and 6, we covered Melchizedek extensively. He was a mysterious figure who appeared to Abraham after a battle and blesses him. In response, Abraham gives Melchizedek a tithe of his spoils. Melchizedek is not mentioned again in Scripture until Psalm 110.
However, the author of Hebrews spent an entire chapter on Melchizedek and even quotes Psalm 110 twice in there. The purpose of this long dissertation in Hebrews chapter seven is to show that the priesthood of the Messiah is higher than the earthly priesthood that has been established through Aaron. So let’s look at the priesthood of Jesus through the lens of the book of Hebrews.
The first point the Hebrews’ author makes is to show that the Messiah’s priesthood is perfect so it had to come from the same source as Melchizedek’s priesthood and not the Levitical priesthood. Perfection could not be attained through the Levitical priesthood (Heb 7:11). The priesthood of the Messiah had to become a priest on the same basis that Melchizedek became a priest – “on the basis of the power of an indestructible life” (Heb 7:16). The Messiah would have no “beginning of days or end of life” (Heb 7:3) thus his priesthood is perfect.
The second point the Hebrews’ author makes is to explain that Jesus’ became a priest with an oath. This puts Jesus’ priesthood above the Levitical priests because they were made priests “without any oath” (Heb 7:20). The Levitical priests were established based on their lineage. Jesus was made a priest because God guaranteed it with an oath. “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath” (Heb 6:17). “Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant” (Heb 7:22).
The last point to cover regarding the Messiah’s priesthood is that it would last forever. The Levitical priests all grew old and died. Once they died, they were no longer priests (Heb 7:23). And remember the purpose of the priest was to petition God on behalf of the people to forgive their sins. This is also the purpose of Jesus in his role as priest – to save us from our sins. “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:24-25). Only because Jesus lives forever can he petition God on our behalf and save us completely from our sins.
Psalm 110 is one of the most influential and important psalms of our Christian faith. It’s quoted by virtually every gospel and every apostle in all of their writings as proof that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. Jesus currently sits at the right hand of God ruling as the King of Kings and interceding on our behalf as our eternal High Priest.
He is also returning to earth one day to “judge the nations” and “crush kings” and “crush the rulers of the whole earth” (vs. 5-6). So what should be our response to all of this?
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:19-25).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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