A Famous King, A More Famous Successor

Two Psalms of David

I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.—Psalm 2:6

The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.—Psalm 110:5

Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, though widely separated in the book of Psalms, are both Messianic Psalms of David. The latter says in the superscription “A Psalm of David,” and the context bears out that it was about this famous king, and his more famous successor Jesus. Acts 4:25 explicitly attributes the former to “thy servant David.” Both psalms are applied to Jesus by New Testament writers. Both are similar in that they speak of Messiah vested with royal authority subduing his enemies and both are famous psalms well known and well discussed.

Psalm 2

Both Psalm 2 and 110 refer to Christ entering his royal honors at his resurrection. “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). In the Hebrew language, as in the Greek, the word for begotten is used either for begettal or birth, and could be rendered “generated.” It is rendered “begotten” here in most translations probably ­because the active agent is Jehovah, generally supposed to represent the dominant male gender as opposed to the female (though of course the difference in gender does not truly apply to spirit beings).

The analogy in this text, however, is not to begettal, as though the subject were an embryo. The subject is a son, and the “generating” is represented as complete. Literally, as applied to David, it signifies David’s authority as a divinely appointed king ruling from Zion, which was David’s seat of authority. “I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (verse 6).

The Israelites had a favored position before Jehovah: “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 82:6). How much more was David favored, as the anointed leader of Israel. “Thou art my father, my God” said David, and God said of David, “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:26, 27). So David was placed in authority over his neighbors, and ruled over them.

As applied to the greater David, Messiah, it pertains to his resurrection when he was highly exalted above all other powers. “God hath … raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee … now no more to return to corruption” (Acts 13:33,34).

Smiting of the Nations

Verses 8 and 9 are the natural consequences of this raising to power. “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

One key to understanding the Divine Plan of the Ages is to recognize there are two separate and distinct ages of redemption—the Gospel age for the selection of the spiritual class and the Millennial age for the gathering of all others into Christ. The words of Psalm 2 apply to both ages, and at the outset of each there are different kings opposing the rule of the anointed one.

Acts 4:26,27 speaks of the royal opposers at the first advent: “The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together.” These enemies, both Jewish and Roman, were to be broken under the power of the newly exalted king. His disciples would do “not only … this which is done to the fig tree [cursed and shriveled], but also … this mountain … [shall] be cast into the sea” (Matthew 21:21). Both the Jewish state (the fig tree) and the Roman empire (the mountain) were swept away to allow the growth of Christianity. (Compare Revelation 8:7, 8, which describes these judgments.)

The judgments of this psalm are applied again at the close of the Gospel age, as the ­Millennial kingdom becomes established in the earth. “He that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (Revelation 2:26,27).

In both cases the leaders of this world are advised to submit quickly to the new power, to avoid the severe blows otherwise necessary. “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little” (Psalm 2:10-12). Those who submitted to King David quickly were spared much difficulty, and such powers as bent to the ­advance of Christianity, or now bend to the authority of the incoming kingdom of Christ, meet correspondingly less severity in the transition.

Revelation testifies that awesome force will be employed to dislodge the powers that be, reticent to recognize the situation and yield gracefully. “Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron [breaking the power of nations]: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15).

Psalm 110

The resurrection of Christ is referenced in this psalm as elucidated in the New Testament. Paul combines the testimony of Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 as finding fulfillment together at the raising of Christ. “Christ glorified [honored] not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever ­after the order of Melchisedek” (Hebrews 5:5,6).

Paul’s point is that Jesus entered upon his heavenly high priestly duties as Melchizedek when he was raised to heaven and now, with everlasting life, is a priest “for ever”—unlike the Levitical priests who were replaced generation after generation because of death. Jesus, since his resurrection, is “made … after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec … of whom it is witnessed that he liveth” (Hebrews 7:16,17,8, citing Psalm 110:4).

Melchizedek

The mention of Melchizedek in Psalm 110:4 is the first mention of this historical personage since the account in Genesis 14. The original Melchizedek was King of Salem, which many regard as the same urban area which later was known as Jeru-Salem. The name Melchizedek comes from two parts, Melchi (king) and Zedek (righteous). Paul comments how fitting this description is of Christ, “being by interpretation [meaning of the name] King of righteousness, and after that also [by title] King of Salem, which is, King of peace” (Hebrews 7:2).

Later kings of Jerusalem did not emulate the godliness of Melchizedek, but retained titles that were essentially the same. When Joshua defeated the king of Jerusalem, his name was Adonizedek (Joshua 10:1). Adoni (lord) has replaced Melchi (king), but it uses the same concept as the name in Genesis 14. Probably like the name Abimelech (father-king), it was used by successive rulers generation after generation.

The first godly king of Jerusalem we have ­record of, after the time of Melchizedek, is David—the very one to whom the promise was given, “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” It is an appropriate title for David, a righteous king who as ruler of ­Jerusalem was a successor of the original Mel­chize­dek, and prototype of the greater Melchi­zedek to come.

Melchizedek in Genesis 14 was both a king and a priest. These offices are combined also in Christ, but in the days of King David they were separated. In a sense David did do priest­ly things—he brought the ark of the covenant back to a place of dignity and reverence, ­secured the worship of Jehovah among the ­people, and prepared for the building of the temple. In this way he combined the services of both offices perhaps as much as any Judean king could.

But, literally, he was not and could not be an officiating priest under the law, as that privilege was assigned to the Levitical tribe, specifically to the sons of Aaron. However, combining the title of David (king, Melchi) with the name of the officiating priest (Zadok, or Zdk since Hebrew has no vowels), produces the name Melchi-zdk, or Melchizedek. Like Zerubbabel and Joshua much later, David and Zadok jointly comprised a picture of our great Melchizedek priest, Jesus (Zechariah 3:8, 4:7).

Smiting the Nations

Psalm 110, just as Psalm 2, speaks of the king ruling from Zion and subduing his enemies. Jehovah is the one who offered this privileged authority: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (verse 1). Also, as in Psalm 2, the rod would break his enemies. “The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” David did this in a typical way during his reign over his neighboring Gentile kingdoms, subduing and then ruling them. Jesus did this also by successively subduing Judea and Rome and then ruling through conversion (compare Psalm 45:5 and Revelation 6:2). But the fullest application of this promise is in the present transition from the Kingdoms of this world into the kingdom of Christ, during the parousia (Christ’s presence).

Verse 3 speaks of the willingness of the youth in King David’s realm to support his campaigns by joining his military ranks. The thought is expressed more clearly in the NIV than in the King James translation: “Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.” As David’s warriors stood valiantly on his side, so the early disciples were arrayed in loyal support of Jesus’ conquests through conversion. Now, beyond the veil, in the close of the harvest, the risen saints are “arrayed in holy majesty” beside our conquering king. “The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14).

By this force all opposing powers will be defeated “in the day of his wrath … [when] he shall wound the heads over many countries” (verses 5, 6). Nothing will impede the progress of this mighty victor. As warriors wearied of pursuit and battle might refresh themselves at a nearby brook and thus be sustained and refreshed, so our triumphant Lord will not succumb to any fatigue or discouragement in his campaign. “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law” (Isaiah 42:4).