The Coronation of the King Text: Psalm 110:1-3
Introduction: The Most Quoted Psalm
There are certain passages of Scripture that function like the main load-bearing walls of a house. If you don't understand them correctly, the whole structure of your theology will begin to sag and warp. If you remove them, the entire building collapses into a pile of incoherent rubble. Psalm 110 is just such a passage. It is the single most frequently quoted portion of the Old Testament in the New. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself wielded it like a sword to silence the Pharisees, and the apostles Peter, Paul, and the author of Hebrews all lean upon it heavily to explain who Jesus is and what He is doing right now.
This is a coronation psalm. It is a declaration, made in the heavenly court, of the enthronement of the Messiah. And because it is a royal psalm, it is a military psalm. It is a psalm of conquest. We live in a sentimental age that wants a Jesus who is a gentle teacher, a moral example, a sort of celestial guidance counselor. But the Jesus of Psalm 110 is a warrior King, a priest on a throne, who is currently, actively, and effectively subjugating all His enemies. He is not wringing His hands in heaven, hoping we can hold the line down here. He is seated in the ultimate position of power, directing a campaign that cannot fail.
To misunderstand this psalm is to misunderstand the nature of Christ's present reign. It is to misunderstand the task of the Church. It is to misunderstand the trajectory of human history. The modern church, particularly in the West, is shot through with a theology of defeat, a theology of escape, a theology of cultural surrender. We have been taught to think of the Church as a beleaguered minority, huddled in a foxhole, waiting for an airlift to rescue us from a world that is inexorably spiraling down the drain. But this psalm paints a radically different picture. It shows us a triumphant King, a victorious scepter, and a willing army. This is the reality. This is what is actually happening. Our task is not to wish it were so, but to believe it, and to act like it.
The Text
Of David. A Psalm.
Yahweh says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet."
Yahweh will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, "Have dominion in the midst of Your enemies."
Your people will offer themselves freely in the day of Your power; In the splendor of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, The dew of Your youthfulness will be Yours.
(Psalm 110:1-3 LSB)
The Divine Decree (v. 1)
The psalm opens with a conversation within the Godhead. It is a report of a divine decree.
"Yahweh says to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.'" (Psalm 110:1)
David, writing under the inspiration of the Spirit, overhears and records a conversation between God the Father and God the Son. The first name for God is Yahweh, the personal, covenant name of God. The second is Adonai, my Lord. This is the very verse Jesus used to tie the Pharisees in theological knots. He asked them, if the Messiah is David's son, how is it that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him Lord? (Matthew 22:44). The only possible answer is that the Messiah is both David's son according to the flesh, and David's Lord according to His divine nature. He is the God-man. This verse is a direct assertion of the deity of Christ, spoken a thousand years before His incarnation.
The Father's command to the Son is twofold. First, "Sit at My right hand." This is not an invitation to rest and retire. The right hand is the position of all authority, all power, all executive privilege. When Joseph was exalted in Egypt, he stood at Pharaoh's right hand. To be seated at the right hand of God is to be installed as the acting regent of the cosmos. The apostle Paul tells us this happened at the ascension, when God "raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion" (Ephesians 1:20-21). This is Christ's current location and His present activity. He is reigning.
The second part of the command gives the duration of this session: "Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet." A footstool is where a triumphant king rests his feet, often on the neck of a conquered foe. The image is one of total subjugation. Notice the grammar. The Father says He will do this. The Son sits, and the Father gets to work putting all things under His feet. But how does He do it? He does it through the work of the Son, by the power of the Spirit, through the instrument of the Church. This word "until" is the engine of postmillennialism. Christ will remain seated in this position of authority until all His enemies are subdued in history. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, which happens at His second coming (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). This means every other enemy, every rebellion, every idol, every Christ-hating institution, will be subdued prior to His return, through the power of the gospel.
The Royal Scepter (v. 2)
Verse 2 describes how this subjugation is accomplished. It is not done by Christ remaining in heaven, detached from the world, but by extending His power into it.
"Yahweh will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, 'Have dominion in the midst of Your enemies.'" (Psalm 110:2 LSB)
The Father sends the Son's scepter, His rod of authority, out into the world. And where does He send it from? From Zion. In the Old Testament, Zion was the earthly location of God's throne, Jerusalem. In the New Testament, Zion is the Church, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22). The authority of Christ is located in heaven, at the right hand of the Father. But the power of Christ is manifested on earth, through His people. We are Zion. The Great Commission is the scepter of King Jesus. When we preach the gospel, when we disciple the nations, when we teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded, we are wielding the royal scepter of our King.
And notice the command: "Have dominion in the midst of Your enemies." This is not a promise of a future rule after all the enemies are gone. It is a command to rule right now, right here, in the middle of them. The kingdom of God is not a separated, holy huddle. It is an invasion. It is a fifth column. We are to establish the crown rights of King Jesus in every area of life, art, science, politics, education, while surrounded by those who hate Him. This is not a defensive war; it is an offensive one. We are not called to seek a truce with the world. We are called to conquer it, peacefully, through the foolishness of preaching and the power of faithful obedience.
The Willing Army (v. 3)
But how can such a conquest be possible? A heavenly king, a hostile world. Verse 3 gives us the answer: God provides the army.
"Your people will offer themselves freely in the day of Your power; In the splendor of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, The dew of Your youthfulness will be Yours." (Psalm 110:3 LSB)
This is a glorious promise. "In the day of Your power," that is, in this current age between the ascension and the consummation, Christ's people will be a volunteer army. They will "offer themselves freely." This is the fruit of regeneration. God does not need to conscript His soldiers; He creates them anew, and their new nature delights to serve their King. The gospel does not just offer a pardon; it creates a patriot. It makes us willing.
And what is their uniform? "In the splendor of holiness." Our warfare is not carnal. Our weapons are not carnal. We advance the kingdom through the beauty of holy lives. Holiness is not a drab, legalistic affair. It is splendid. It is beautiful. It is attractive. When the world sees a people who love one another, who are joyful in tribulation, who are courageous in the face of threats, and who live lives of ordered, beautiful righteousness, they are seeing the uniform of the King's army.
Finally, the psalm describes the size and character of this army. It will be like the dew "from the womb of the dawn." This is a beautiful poetic image. Think of the dew on a summer morning. It is innumerable, covering every leaf and blade of grass. It is fresh, vibrant, and new every day. And it appears silently, powerfully, out of the darkness. This is a picture of Christ's army. His people will be a vast, numberless multitude. They will be characterized by youthful vigor and freshness, constantly renewed by the Spirit. They are not a tired, retreating remnant. They are the dew of the dawn, a sign that the night is over and the day of Christ's total dominion is breaking upon the world.
Conclusion: Enlisted in Victory
This psalm is the death knell of all pessimistic, retreatist eschatologies. It is the marching orders for the Church of Jesus Christ. Our King has been crowned. His authority is absolute. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will remain there until every single one of His enemies is made His footstool.
His scepter, the gospel, has been extended from Zion, which is us. We are commanded to take dominion, right in the thick of the enemy's camp. And we are promised that God will provide a vast, willing, holy, and vibrant army to accomplish the task. The outcome is not in doubt. The victory has already been secured in principle by Christ's death and resurrection, and it is being applied in history by His present reign from heaven.
Therefore, we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. We are not trying to establish a kingdom; we are expanding the kingdom that has already been established. Do not be dismayed by the headlines. Do not be intimidated by the blustering of Christ's enemies. They are on the wrong side of history. They are opposing a King who cannot lose. Our job is simply to be found faithful, to offer ourselves freely in this day of His power, to put on the splendor of holiness, and to get about the business of discipling the nations for our great King and Savior. He is reigning now, and He will reign until all things are put under His feet.