Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Lord Said to My Lord: The Reign of the Messiah (Psalm 110) | Charles Spurgeon
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to reformed thinking. So imagine a reigning absolute
- 0:06monarch. He possesses total sovereignty
- 0:09over his realm, you know, commanding armies, dictating
- 0:12laws, and receiving the bowing allegiance of every noble in the
- 0:15land. Right.
- 0:16The highest authority, yeah. Now picture that same absolute
- 0:20monarch stepping down from his elevated throne, walking across
- 0:24the Royal Court toward his own physical son, bowing his face to
- 0:28the floor in total submission and calling that child is Lord.
- 0:31Wow, that is quite an image it. Completely shatters the natural
- 0:35order of human genealogy, authority, and dominion.
- 0:38Well, they simply do not ascend the family tree in that
- 0:41direction. A father does not bow to a son.
- 0:43No, they definitely do not. But 3000 years ago, a king wrote
- 0:46a song doing that very thing. Today we are taking a deep dive
- 0:50into the source material. Charles Spurgeon's massive
- 0:52commentary The Treasury of David.
- 0:54Such a staggering work. It really is, and we're
- 0:57specifically focusing on his exhaustive analysis of Psalm
- 1:01110. Our mission is to extract the
- 1:04most significant theological insights from this ancient text
- 1:08and examine how it shapes Protestant orthodoxy,
- 1:11specifically the Westminster Confessions understanding of the
- 1:15offices of Christ. It is a phenomenal piece of
- 1:17scripture. We are taking a single ancient
- 1:20song consisting of just 7 verses, and we are going to see
- 1:24how it acts as the absolute bedrock for the most vital
- 1:27doctrines of the Christian faith.
- 1:29Yeah, the density of it is wild. It is The sheer density of truth
- 1:33packed into this short palm is unlike almost anything else in
- 1:36the ancient Near East. We are looking at a text that
- 1:38moves logically from a divine decree in the highest court of
- 1:41Heaven through the administration of grace on
- 1:43earth, into an unchangeable oath of priesthood and concluding
- 1:47with a cosmic victorious conquest.
- 1:49It is basically a complete theological system in poetic
- 1:52form. Spot on.
- 1:53It covers everything. So if you were driving to work
- 1:55right now, or folding laundry, or sitting at your desk, you
- 1:58might be wondering why a 3000 year old poem matters to your
- 2:01daily life. Why should you care about this
- 2:05specific arrangement of Hebrew poetry?
- 2:07That is the big question. Here is the reality.
- 2:10This text is the key to grasping the Trinity, the Incarnation,
- 2:15and the absolute ironclad security of your standing before
- 2:19God. It is the most quoted Old
- 2:23Testament passage in the entire New Testament.
- 2:26Jesus quoted it to confound the Pharisees.
- 2:29The Apostle Peter anchored his entire Pentecost sermon around
- 2:33it. The author of Hebrews
- 2:34practically built his entire letter on its central premise.
- 2:37So let's look at the opening declaration.
- 2:39Let's do it. Verse one begins right at the
- 2:41top of the cosmic hierarchy. A Lord said unto my Lord, Sit
- 2:44thou at my right hand. To grasp the weight of that
- 2:46opening phrase, we need to look at the commentary provided by
- 2:49the Puritan scholar Edward Reynolds.
- 2:51I love Reynolds. Me too.
- 2:53He referred to this text as David's Creed.
- 2:56Reynolds points out that in this one short sentence, we have the
- 2:59Doctor of the Trinity and the Incarnation wrapped together in
- 3:03a single divine interaction. That is massive.
- 3:06It is you have Jehovah the Father speaking to the Son.
- 3:09The Father is the one speaking the decree, and the Son is the
- 3:12one receiving the appointed place of supreme honor.
- 3:15In the original Hebrew, the distinction is clear.
- 3:19He always says to add an eye. Yes, the eternal uncreated God
- 3:23is speaking to the sovereign Ruler.
- 3:26It is a glimpse into the eternal counsel of the Godhead, long
- 3:30before the foundation of the earth was ever laid.
- 3:33This brings us right back to that opening paradox I mentioned
- 3:35earlier, which raises a massive logical question.
- 3:38How can a human father call his own descendant Lord?
- 3:41Yeah, that is the puzzle. The Pharisees in the New
- 3:43Testament were completely stumped by this.
- 3:45The answer highlights the dual nature of Christ perfectly.
- 3:49He is David's physical descendant according to the
- 3:51flesh born into that specific royal lineage.
- 3:54Yet he is simultaneously David's sovereign God according to his
- 3:58divine nature. He's the root in the offspring
- 4:01of David. But what I find truly
- 4:04fascinating here is the specific command given by the Father.
- 4:08Sit thou at my right hand. Yes.
- 4:11In the context of reformed theology, this posture of
- 4:14sitting carries immense, almost immeasurable weight.
- 4:17It absolutely does. Christ is not taking this throne
- 4:20by military force or through a heavenly coup.
- 4:23This authority is granted by the Father specific decree.
- 4:27It is the fulfillment of what theologians call the eternal
- 4:30covenant of redemption. Furthermore, the posture of
- 4:33sitting at the right hand implies resting after a
- 4:36completely finished work. If you study the architecture of
- 4:39the earthly Tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem, you will
- 4:41notice a glaring omission in the furniture.
- 4:43Oh, I know where you're going with.
- 4:45There were no chairs. Not at all.
- 4:46A priest in the earthly temple never sat down.
- 4:49Day after day, year after year, they stood repeatedly offering
- 4:52the same sacrifices. Why?
- 4:54Because the blood of bulls and goats could never actually take
- 4:56away sin. Right, the work of atonement was
- 4:58never done. That is right.
- 4:59The debt was never fully paid. But Christ ascends to heaven and
- 5:03sits down. That single action tells us the
- 5:06atonement is complete. The debt is cancelled.
- 5:09The work of mediation has succeeded entirely.
- 5:12But sitting on a throne in heaven does not automatically
- 5:15subdue a rebellion on earth. You cannot just have a king
- 5:19resting in glory while adversaries rage below.
- 5:22No, you definitely cannot. There must be an outcome for
- 5:25those who oppose that legitimate authority.
- 5:27That logical necessity brings us to the second-half of the first
- 5:30verse. Until I make thine enemies thy
- 5:33footstool. This phrase reveals the precise
- 5:36orderliness of divine justice. The sources bring in the
- 5:39writings of Joshua Arndt and Edward Reynolds to analyze the
- 5:42specific imagery. They explain that the signifies
- 5:45complete, undeniable victory. Like a physical conquering.
- 5:48Yes, in the ancient Near East, victorious kings would literally
- 5:51place their feet on the necks of conquered monarchs to
- 5:54demonstrate total subjugation. But Reynolds adds a brilliant
- 5:58theological nuance here. What does he say?
- 5:59Putting the enemies as a footstool denotes an extreme
- 6:03easiness of victory for God. These cosmic rebels are nothing
- 6:07to Him. They do not pose A genuine
- 6:10threat to the stability of his throne.
- 6:12Wow, that is quite a perspective.
- 6:13Furthermore, it denotes a restoration of perfect
- 6:16symmetrical order. When the enemies are under the
- 6:19foot of the king, the universe is functioning in its proper
- 6:22alignment. Rebellion is an anomaly.
- 6:25The footstool is the correction of that anomaly.
- 6:28Wait, I am struggling to see how the malice of an enemy is
- 6:31actually useful to the king. OK, unpack that a bit.
- 6:34Well, if these adversaries actively hate the gospel, and
- 6:37they are intentionally rebelling against this authority, how do
- 6:40they become something as functional and supportive as a
- 6:42footstool? A footstool supports the weight
- 6:45of the one sitting on the throne.
- 6:46How does a sworn rebel become functional?
- 6:49That is the crucial question, and it drives us straight into
- 6:52the Reformed doctrine of Providence.
- 6:54God does not merely observe evil, He sovereignly overrules
- 6:57it, right? Reynolds explains this mechanism
- 7:00by comparing wicked men to household utensils.
- 7:04Yeah, in a great estate you have vessels of honor, like fine
- 7:08silver plates used for royal banquets.
- 7:10But you also have vessels of dishonor, like a refuse bin, a
- 7:13spittoon, or a boot scraper. The enemies of the cross are
- 7:16acting out of their own voluntary rebellion.
- 7:19God does not force them to sin, right?
- 7:21They choose it, yes. Yet God's Providence is so vast
- 7:25and all-encompassing that He utilizes their malice as
- 7:28instruments to carry out His divine decrees.
- 7:32They are unwittingly elevating the throne.
- 7:34That makes a lot of sense. Think of the crucifixion itself.
- 7:37The greatest act of human malice became the very instrument of
- 7:40human salvation. Their opposition only makes the
- 7:43victory more visible and the throne more exalted.
- 7:45The extreme shame of that position is terrifying to
- 7:48consider. The enemies are bearing the
- 7:50crushing weight of divine wrath, which is a perfect mirror of
- 7:53their own actions. Absolutely.
- 7:55They once trampled on the sanctuary of God.
- 7:57They used the grace of God as pavement to walk all over.
- 8:00Therefore, absolute symmetric justice dictates that they
- 8:03become the very pavement, the very footstool for the King.
- 8:06It is a sobering thought. It is a terrifying reality, but
- 8:10as you said, it's a perfectly ordered justice.
- 8:13But if the king is seated in heaven and his enemies are being
- 8:16subdued, how does that rule actually manifest on earth?
- 8:21What is the mechanism of his administration?
- 8:22That is the next logical step. This moves us right into verse
- 8:262. The Lord shall send the rod of
- 8:28thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst divine
- 8:31enemies. We must identify the instrument
- 8:34of His rule. The sources make it clear that
- 8:36this rod of strength is the gospel itself.
- 8:39It is the preaching of the Word. It is not a physical sword of
- 8:42iron. Kurostom's commentary on this is
- 8:45fascinating. He points out that the cross
- 8:47seemed like an emblem of absolute shame and weakness to
- 8:49the Roman world. Oh.
- 8:50Completely. To the Greeks, it was utter
- 8:52foolishness. To the Jews it was a stumbling
- 8:55block. It was an instrument of torture
- 8:56reserved for the lowest slaves. Yet it was a specific weapon
- 8:59that broke the ungodliness of the world.
- 9:01It is a massive reversal. It makes me think of the Rod of
- 9:04Moses in the Book of Exodus. Moses held a simple piece of
- 9:08wood. When the Israelites were dying
- 9:10of thirst in the desert, Moses took that wooden rod and struck
- 9:13the hard flinty rock, and life giving water poured out to
- 9:18sustain a nation. That is a great connection in.
- 9:20The exact same way the gospel is this seemingly simple,
- 9:24unimpressive instrument. It strikes the hardened, flinty
- 9:27human heart, and it brings forth rivers of genuine repentance.
- 9:31That connection to Moses illustrates the mechanism
- 9:33beautifully, and the geographic detail included here is equally
- 9:37vital. Out of Zion, why Zion?
- 9:40Why did the Rod of Strength originate there?
- 9:41Yeah, why not somewhere else? Benjamin Weiss points out that
- 9:44this proves the omniscience and the absolute sovereignty of God.
- 9:48The Christian Church began in Jerusalem.
- 9:50That is the exact location where Christ was rejected, mocked,
- 9:53scourged and crucified. Ground Zero.
- 9:56Yes, consider the apologetic weight of that historical fact.
- 9:59If the disciples had fled to a distant heathen country, say
- 10:02Parthia or Britannia, to start this new movement, critics would
- 10:06have immediately labeled it a myth.
- 10:07Oh, for sure, They would have argued that it was a fairy tale
- 10:10invented far away from any actual eyewitnesses who could
- 10:13refute the claims. Instead, the Kingdom of the
- 10:16Cross thrives precisely where it faces the most severe
- 10:19concentrated opposition. It began in the very city where
- 10:23the empty tomb was located. It is the ultimate proof of its
- 10:26historical legitimacy. He rules right in the very
- 10:28center of enemy territory. But a king needs subjects.
- 10:33Naturally a. Scepter without a willing people
- 10:36is just a piece of wood. If the rod of the gospel goes
- 10:39out into hostile territory, who is actually going to respond to
- 10:42it? How does a rebel become a
- 10:43subject? This brings us to the first part
- 10:46of verse 3. Thy people shall be willing in
- 10:48the day of thy valor. The translation of the original
- 10:51Hebrew text here reveals A stunning truth.
- 10:54The word translated as willing is actually a plural noun that
- 10:57translates literally to willingness itself or free will
- 11:00offerings. Willingness itself.
- 11:01Yes, it is not just that these people grudgingly agree to
- 11:05follow the king. They become the very embodiment
- 11:07of eagerness. They are completely voluntarily
- 11:10yielded. I want to look at this strictly
- 11:12through the lens of Reformed theology, specifically the
- 11:15doctrine of effectual calling. The Westminster Confession
- 11:19teaches total depravity, the idea that human beings, left to
- 11:24their own natural state, are completely resistant to God.
- 11:28Their wills are bound by sin. They do not naturally seek God.
- 11:33So if humans are nationally hostile to this king, how do
- 11:36they suddenly become willingness itself?
- 11:39What is the mechanism here? That is the tension we have to
- 11:41address. Does God force them against
- 11:43their will? Are they dragged into the
- 11:44Kingdom kicking and screaming, violating their human agency?
- 11:48Thomas, Jacob, and Chrysostom provide a masterful synthesis of
- 11:51this tension. Grace does not destroy natural
- 11:54liberty. It does not violate the human
- 11:55will or turn a person into a programmed machine.
- 11:58OK, so how does it work? Jacob describes this action as a
- 12:01sweet drawing. God the Holy Spirit works so
- 12:04thoroughly upon the internal disposition of the human heart
- 12:07that the rebellion simply melts away.
- 12:09The individual's eyes are open to see the supreme beauty and
- 12:12worth of Christ, and as a result, they follow entirely
- 12:15voluntarily. The will is renewed.
- 12:18To put it clearly, God does not force the will.
- 12:21He changes the nature. That is a crucial distinction.
- 12:24It really is, and because the nature has changed, the will
- 12:28freely chooses its new highest desire.
- 12:31It is a day of mighty action by the Spirit, causing the Sinner
- 12:35to run toward the very Savior they previously despised.
- 12:39And the phrase day of thy valor or day of thy might literally
- 12:43refers to the day the king musters his forces for battle.
- 12:46Let me use an analogy to try and explain the mechanics of how
- 12:49that works. Think about human taste.
- 12:51OK, if you if you absolutely hate the taste of boiled
- 12:55broccoli, no amount of external force will make you truly desire
- 12:58to eat it. Very.
- 12:59True, you might eat it under the threat of punishment, but you're
- 13:02only doing it out of fear your will is being coerced.
- 13:05But imagine if a doctor could perform a procedure that
- 13:07magically rewired your taste buds so that broccoli suddenly
- 13:11pasted exactly like your favorite dessert.
- 13:13That would change everything. Right.
- 13:15You would not be eating it under coercion anymore.
- 13:17You would consume it because you genuinely, intensely desire it.
- 13:21Your nature was changed, so your will followed freely.
- 13:24That is a fantastic way to put it.
- 13:26That is the exact mechanism Jacob is describing.
- 13:29With effectual calling, God rewires the spiritual taste
- 13:32buds. And now that this army is
- 13:34mustered and they're completely willing, we have to examine what
- 13:38they look like. How are they equipped for this
- 13:40cosmic conflict? The aesthetics of this army are
- 13:43so unique. They really are.
- 13:45The second-half of verse 3 gives us breathtaking imagery.
- 13:49They are arrayed in the beauties of holiness, and possess the dew
- 13:52of thy youth. We must analyze Alexander
- 13:54McLaren's observation regarding this specific uniform.
- 13:57He points out that these warriors are not wearing
- 14:00chainmail. They're not carrying broad
- 14:01swords, Spears, or Shields of heavy iron.
- 14:04Which is what you would expect. Right, they're wearing priestly
- 14:06garments. The beauties of holiness refers
- 14:09to the sacred pure attire of the priests waiting before the altar
- 14:13in the temple. This entirely subverts our
- 14:15expectation of what a military force should look like.
- 14:18It makes me think of the Battle of Jericho.
- 14:20In the book of Joshua. You have this massive fortified
- 14:23city with impenetrable walls. How does the army of Israel
- 14:27attack it? Not conventionally.
- 14:29No, they do not build siege Rams or battering Rams.
- 14:32They March around the city blowing musical instruments and
- 14:35carrying the Ark of the Covenant.
- 14:36Their primary weapon was their consecrated obedience to God.
- 14:40Precisely. In the exact same way, the army
- 14:43of this priest king goes into the fiercest spiritual battles
- 14:47armed not with carnal weapons, but with purity, worship and
- 14:51holiness. And then we encounter the
- 14:52metaphor of the dew of thy youth.
- 14:55We need to unpack the physics and the poetry of Dew because it
- 14:58is a brilliant illustration. I am looking forward to this
- 15:01part. First, dew is formed in absolute
- 15:03silence. In the dark of night, you cannot
- 15:05hear dew falling. This perfectly mirrors how the
- 15:08Holy Spirit works secretly, quietly, and invisibly in the
- 15:11human heart during regeneration. That is beautiful. 2nd Dewdrops
- 15:16are completely innumerable. They cover every blade of grass
- 15:19across a vast field. 3rd When the morning sun finally rises,
- 15:24each tiny drop reflects that immense light, creating a
- 15:27dazzling display. In the same way, the countless
- 15:30converts of this king reflect the glorious light of Christ in
- 15:33a dark, parched world. I found a historical detail on
- 15:36the commentary that connects this perfectly.
- 15:39The Romans actually called their young, lightly armed frontline
- 15:42troops Rori, a name derived directly from a supposed
- 15:45resemblance to Do. Oh, that is fascinating.
- 15:48It paints a picture of freshness, vigor, and vitality.
- 15:52This spiritual army is not a weary, defeated, exhausted
- 15:55militia. They are a vibrant, living force
- 15:57that brings moisture and life to a dead earth.
- 16:00But all of this victory, the willing army, the scepter from
- 16:02Zion, the defeated enemies, relies entirely on the validity
- 16:06of the King's authority. Which brings us to verse 4, the
- 16:09absolute axis upon which the entire Psalm turns.
- 16:12The centerpiece. The Lord has sworn and will not
- 16:15repent. Thou art to priest forever after
- 16:17the order of Melchizedek. Wait, why does the creator of
- 16:21the universe need to swear an oath?
- 16:23God's word is truth itself. If he states a fact it is
- 16:27immovable. So why utilize the added human
- 16:31formality of an oath? Is his bare word not sufficient?
- 16:35That is a brilliant theological inquiry, and Daniel Fetely,
- 16:38along with John Owen, provide the precise answer.
- 16:41God swears an oath specifically for the absolute security of the
- 16:45believer Security. By swearing an oath, God
- 16:47voluntarily limits his own absolute prerogative.
- 16:50In the ancient world, an oath bound the speaker to a specific
- 16:53course of action under the penalty of a curse.
- 16:56God is binding himself to this promise in a way that he cannot
- 16:59legally revoke. That gives it so much weight.
- 17:01When God instituted the Levitical priesthood with Aaron,
- 17:04there was no oath involved. That system was intentionally
- 17:07temporary. It was designed to eventually
- 17:09fade away when the reality arrived.
- 17:11I see the contracts. But here the oath guarantees
- 17:14that Christ's priesthood is perpetual.
- 17:17It cannot be altered, replaced or rescinded.
- 17:19Therefore, the salvation of the people he represents cannot be
- 17:23lost. That offers massive comfort for
- 17:26you as a listener. It means you're standing before
- 17:28God is not based on your own fluctuating performance or your
- 17:32daily moral successes and failures.
- 17:34It is anchored to an unbreakable oath made by the Father to the
- 17:38Son. That is exactly the application.
- 17:40But we need to look at the specific historical figure
- 17:42mentioned here, Melchizedek. Why this mysterious figure from
- 17:45Genesis chapter 14? Why not simply say he is a
- 17:48priest in the familiar line of Aaron?
- 17:50Melchizedek is the perfect theological type or
- 17:53foreshadowing of Christ for several specific historical
- 17:56reasons. First, look at his name and his
- 17:59title books. Here Melchizedek translates to
- 18:01King of Righteousness and he ruled over Salem, which means
- 18:04peace. So he is simultaneously the King
- 18:07of righteousness and the King of peace.
- 18:08That is a striking combination. Second, he has no recorded
- 18:12genealogy in the Genesis narrative.
- 18:14He appears on the page of history without a father,
- 18:17mother, or lineage mention, and then he vanishes.
- 18:20This literary absence symbolically points to Christo's
- 18:23eternal, uncreated nature. That is so interesting. 3rd, and
- 18:27perhaps most crucially for Reformed theology, Melchizedek
- 18:31held an extraordinary call completely outside the
- 18:34established levitical system. Right, because those roles were
- 18:36separated. Yes.
- 18:38In the history of Israel, the offices of king and priest were
- 18:41strictly separated by divine law.
- 18:44The kings of Judah could not offer sacrifices.
- 18:46Bad things happened when they tried.
- 18:48Very bad things. When King Isaiah presumptuously
- 18:51tried to enter the temple and act as a priest, God struck him
- 18:54with leprosy on the spot. The crown and the censor were
- 18:57never to touch, but Melchizedek held both.
- 19:00He was a priest king, combining ultimate regal authority with
- 19:03total spiritual mediation. Combining those two offices is
- 19:06the ultimate guarantee of the Covenant of Grace.
- 19:09You have a king who possesses the absolute authority and
- 19:13military might to conquer your enemies, combined with a priest
- 19:17who possesses the tender compassion and sacrificial blood
- 19:20to forgive your sins. It is a perfect provision.
- 19:22They exist in one eternal person.
- 19:26Because this priesthood is secure and because the Atonement
- 19:29is definitively finished, the king now rides out to finalize
- 19:33the victory over all remaining opposition.
- 19:36This moves us into verses 5 and 6.
- 19:38The tone really shifts here. It does.
- 19:40The language here shifts dramatically.
- 19:42It becomes intensely violent and graphic.
- 19:44The Lord at the right hand shall strike through kings in the day
- 19:46of his wrath. He shall fill the places with
- 19:48the dead bodies. He shall wound the heads over
- 19:50many countries. It is heavy imagery.
- 19:53I have to ask the obvious question, how are we supposed to
- 19:55interpret this? Does Reformed theology read this
- 19:57as a literal earthly bloodbath? Are we anticipating a physical
- 20:01battlefield heaped with human casualties?
- 20:04It is a valid concern when reading ancient poetry, but the
- 20:07commentators guide us away from a purely literal, carnal
- 20:11interpretation of this warfare. OK, this is a highly poetic
- 20:16description of the total overthrow of unholy principles,
- 20:19demonic systems, and spiritual adversaries.
- 20:23We are looking at the decisive defeat of rebellion itself.
- 20:26So it is spiritual, yes. Christopher Wordsworth's
- 20:29commentary is particularly illuminating on this specific
- 20:32phrase. He focuses on the imagery of
- 20:34wounding the head over the white earth.
- 20:36The head. He connects this directly back
- 20:38to the very first Gospel promise in Genesis 3.15, where God
- 20:42declares to the serpent in the garden that the seed of the
- 20:45woman will eventually crush his head.
- 20:47This text in Psalm 110 is describing the ultimate defeat
- 20:50of Satan and the complete dismantling of his global.
- 20:53Dominion that clarifies the violent imagery perfectly is
- 20:56spiritual warfare described using the military terminology
- 20:59of the ancient Near East. Spot on.
- 21:01It reminds me of the visceral story of jail in the book of
- 21:04Judges. The enemy general Sazara is
- 21:06fleeing from battle and he hides in her tent.
- 21:09I know this story well. While he sleeps, Jail takes a
- 21:12heavy wooden 10 peg and drives it straight through his skull.
- 21:16It is a decisive, crushing, fatal blow to the leader of the
- 21:20opposition. In the same way the Kingdom of
- 21:23heaven is striking at the very head of the snake.
- 21:25The systems of the world that oppose Christ are receiving a
- 21:28fatal blow. And delivering that decisive
- 21:31glow requires immense exertion. A cosmic victory of this
- 21:34magnitude comes at an unfathomable.
- 21:37Cost. It was not easy.
- 21:38No, this brings us to the final verse, verse 7.
- 21:42To achieve this massive conquest, what did the king have
- 21:45to endure during his earthly incarnation?
- 21:48He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift
- 21:51up the head. The commentators present 2
- 21:53primary interpretations of the specific brook, and I want to
- 21:56examine both of. Them.
- 21:57Let's hear the first one. First, there is the view held by
- 21:59Fountain Elwin. He views this brook as the
- 22:01bitter, polluted stream of God's wrath and human sin.
- 22:05He compares it historically to the Brook Kidron, located just
- 22:08outside the walls of Jerusalem. The Kidron Valley, Yes.
- 22:10During the massive temple sacrifices at Passover, the
- 22:13blood of hundreds of thousands of slaughtered lambs would
- 22:16literally drain out of the Temple man and flow down into
- 22:19the Kidron Valley, making the brook run dark red.
- 22:22That is a snark visual. Jesus physically crossed this
- 22:26very brook on the night he was betrayed on his way to the
- 22:29Garden of Gethsemane. So in this view, Christ is
- 22:33drinking the bitter, agonizing cup of penal substitution.
- 22:37He is absorbing the terrifying wrath of God so that his people
- 22:41do not have to drink it. That is a thoroughly moving
- 22:44interpretation, focusing entirely on the passive
- 22:46obedience and the intense suffering of Christ.
- 22:49But there is a second interpretation.
- 22:50OK, let's hear. It is vigorously supported by
- 22:53scholars like Andrew Bonar and Henkstenberg, and it focuses on
- 22:57his active obedience and energetic pursuit.
- 22:59Like a warrior. Yes, they can.
- 23:01Compare this imagery to the famous story of Gideon's men in
- 23:04the Book of Judges. When Gideon was pursuing the
- 23:07fleeing Midianite army, he selected only the men who did
- 23:10not stop to comfortably kneel down and drink leisurely from
- 23:13the river like. The ones who kept moving.
- 23:15Instead, he chose the warriors who hastily lap the water from
- 23:18their hands while staying on their feet, remaining entirely
- 23:21focused on the pursuit. I see the parallel.
- 23:23In this view, Christ is the tireless, relentless warrior who
- 23:28does not stop to indulge the flesh, seek earthly comfort, or
- 23:31rest. He presses furiously forward
- 23:35toward the cross, taking only the briefest refreshment
- 23:37necessary to sustain his mission.
- 23:40What I find so satisfying is that both of these historical
- 23:43views arrive at the exact same theological conclusion.
- 23:46They really do. Both highlight his severe
- 23:49voluntary humiliation, whether that humiliation involves
- 23:52bearing the bitter wrath of God or enduring the exhausting
- 23:55physical fatigue of his earthly ministry.
- 23:58And it is this very humiliation which logically and
- 24:01theologically results in his exaltation.
- 24:03Therefore shall he lift up the head, because he scoops so
- 24:05incredibly low to drink from the brook, The Father lifts his head
- 24:09in total resurrected triumph. The logic of the Gospel is that
- 24:13the way up is always down. This establishes the permanent
- 24:15pattern of redemption. Humiliation precedes exaltation.
- 24:20The brutal suffering of the cross paves the definitive road
- 24:23to the glory of the throne. It is a complete synthesis of
- 24:26everything we have discussed in these 7 verses.
- 24:29Let us pull all of these threads together.
- 24:31We started in the highest court of heaven with the Father's
- 24:34divine decree establishing the Son on the throne.
- 24:38We examined how the enemies of God are utilized by sovereign
- 24:41Providence to become a footstool of perfectly ordered justice.
- 24:46We witnessed the scepter of the gospel striking out from Zion,
- 24:49and learned how the Holy Spirit effectually calls a totally
- 24:52depraved people, altering their desires and turning them into a
- 24:56willing army as fresh and innumerable as the morning dew.
- 24:59It is quite the progression. We looked at the unbreakable
- 25:02oath of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which legally
- 25:04guarantees our salvation, and finally we saw the ultimate
- 25:08spiritual victory achieved through the bitter suffering and
- 25:11relentless pursuit of the king who drank from the brook in the
- 25:14way. I want to speak directly to you,
- 25:16the listener, for a moment. This is not just abstract
- 25:20academic theology meant for textbooks.
- 25:21This is intensely practical for your daily life.
- 25:24It really is. Knowing that Christ holds these
- 25:26offices permanently, knowing that He is a king who rules
- 25:30sovereignly over every microscopic detail of history,
- 25:33and a priest who intercedes eternally for your specific
- 25:36failures provides absolute security in a chaotic world.
- 25:40Amen with that. When everything around your life
- 25:42feels unstable, frightening, or completely out of control, you
- 25:46have a priest king anchored at the right hand of God by an
- 25:49irrevocable oath. That reality changes how you
- 25:52face tomorrow. It changes your entire paradigm.
- 25:56And that leaves us with a final question for you to ponder long
- 25:58after this audio stops. Let's hear it.
- 26:00If this priest king is currently seated in absolute authority at
- 26:04the right hand of the Father, and if all earthly and spiritual
- 26:06enemies are slowly but surely being subjugated as his
- 26:09footstool, how does that alter the way you view the greatest
- 26:13political terrors or personal crises in your life today?
- 26:16That is a great question. Are you viewing those
- 26:18circumstances as overwhelming threats to your existence, or
- 26:21are you learning to see them simply as future footstools for
- 26:24your king? Keep seeking, keep studying, and
- 26:28we will catch you on the next deep dive.