The Warrior King on the Warpath Text: Psalm 110:5-7
Introduction: A Psalm Our Effeminate Age Wants to Forget
We live in a sentimental age. Our generation wants a Jesus who is perpetually meek and mild, a cosmic therapist who affirms our choices, a gentle shepherd who would never, ever raise His voice, let alone a sword. They have fashioned for themselves a Christ made of marshmallow, suitable for fireside chats but utterly useless in a war. This Jesus is a fiction, a disarmed and declawed caricature designed to soothe the consciences of a rebellious people. He is, to be blunt, an idol.
The Christ of the Scriptures, however, is another thing entirely. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is the one whose eyes are like a flame of fire and out of whose mouth goes a sharp, two-edged sword. He is the one who will strike the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. And Psalm 110 is one of the clearest, most potent, and most frequently quoted prophecies of this Messiah. It is a warrior's song. It is a coronation anthem for a King who is also a priest, and a priest who is also a conqueror.
The New Testament writers had this psalm soaked into their bones. They understood that the ascension of Jesus Christ was not a retreat. It was an enthronement. It was the moment the Father said to the Son, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." That "until" is not a question mark; it is a promise of historical, progressive, and total victory. The entire age between the first and second comings of Christ is the era in which the Son, from His throne, is actively subjugating all His foes. This is not something that happens in a panic at the last minute. It is the central project of human history.
The verses before us today are the graphic depiction of this subjugation. They are what we call imprecatory. They call for judgment, for the crushing of God's enemies. This kind of language makes modern Christians nervous. We have been taught a form of piety that is more concerned with being nice than with being righteous. We want to love our enemies, as we should, but we have forgotten that true love for the oppressed requires a holy hatred for oppression. True love for righteousness requires a holy hatred for wickedness. These verses are a divine corrective to our limp-wristed Christianity. They show us the King on the warpath, and they invite us to rejoice in His righteous and terrible victory.
The Text
The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will crush kings in the day of His anger.
He will render justice among the nations,
He will fill them with corpses,
He will crush the head that is over the wide earth.
He will drink from the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He will lift up His head.
(Psalm 110:5-7 LSB)
The Lord at His Post (v. 5)
We begin with the position of our conquering King.
"The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His anger." (Psalm 110:5)
Now, we must be careful here. In verse 1, the Messiah, David's Lord (Adoni), is invited to sit at the right hand of Jehovah (YHWH). The right hand is the place of supreme power and authority. But here in verse 5, the psalmist turns and addresses God the Father, telling Him that the Lord (Adonai, the Messiah) is at His right hand. The point is one of perfect union and shared purpose. The Father and the Son are utterly one in this campaign of conquest. The Son is at the Father's right hand, wielding all authority, and the Father is at the Son's right hand, upholding Him as His divine champion. There is no division in the Godhead about this business of crushing evil.
And what is the business? "He will crush kings in the day of His anger." The word is "crush" or "shatter." This is not a polite disagreement. This is warfare. The kings of the earth are those rulers and authorities who set themselves against the Lord and His Anointed (Psalm 2:2). They are the proud, the tyrants, the architects of rebellion who refuse to bow the knee. And this verse promises their utter demolition.
Notice when this happens: "in the day of His anger." This is not a peevish outburst. The wrath of God and of the Lamb is a holy, settled, and righteous opposition to all that is unholy and unrighteous. For centuries, God shows patience. He sends His messengers, He offers terms of peace through the gospel. But there comes a point, both for individuals and for nations, when the accounts are called due. This "day of His anger" is not limited to the final judgment. It is any time in history when the rebellion of men reaches a certain pitch and God determines to bring a particular kingdom or ruler to ruin. History is littered with the wreckage of empires that thought they could defy the King of kings. He shatters them.
The Carnage of Justice (v. 6)
Verse 6 continues this graphic description of Christ's judgment, and it does not spare our sensibilities.
"He will render justice among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will crush the head that is over the wide earth." (Psalm 110:6 LSB)
First, we see the scope of His work: "He will render justice among the nations." Christ's kingdom is not a private spiritual hobby. It is a universal government. His justice is not just for the sweet by and by; it is for the nasty here and now. He is the governor among the nations (Psalm 22:28). This means He judges their laws, their policies, their cultures, and their religions. And where they are found wanting, where they institutionalize rebellion, He brings them to account.
The result of this judgment is stark: "He will fill them with corpses." This is the language of total military victory. When a just war is fought against a wicked aggressor, the battlefield is filled with the bodies of those who took up arms against the righteous king. This is not something to be morbidly fixated on, but neither is it something to be ashamed of. The death of unrepentant evil is the triumph of justice. When God's judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). The sight of God's enemies overthrown is a cause for praise and a warning to all who would follow in their footsteps.
Then the focus narrows to the ultimate enemy: "He will crush the head that is over the wide earth." Who is this? This is a direct echo of the protoevangelium, the first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15, where God promises that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. The "head over the wide earth" is Satan, the prince of this world, the spiritual power behind every rebellious throne and every wicked ideology. But it also refers to his earthly figureheads, the great antichrist figures of every age who embody that serpentine rebellion. Christ's work in history is the systematic, relentless crushing of that ancient serpent and all his offspring. He is undoing the works of the devil, not just in individual hearts, but in the power structures of the entire world.
The Relentless Victor (v. 7)
The psalm concludes with a curious and powerful image of the warrior-king.
"He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head." (Genesis 110:7 LSB)
What are we to make of this? This is a picture of a warrior in hot pursuit of his routed enemies. He is so focused on the chase, so intent on complete victory, that he does not stop for a formal meal or a long rest. He simply stoops, scoops a drink from a stream he is passing, and continues the fight. It is a picture of relentless, untiring, and zealous pursuit.
Some have seen in this a reference to Christ's sufferings, His "drinking the cup" of wrath for us. While that is a true biblical theme, the context here is one of conquest and victory. This is not the suffering servant, but the conquering king. This drink is not a cup of sorrow, but a moment of refreshment in the midst of a triumphant campaign. It speaks of His humanity, yes, but it is His humanity engaged in the utter destruction of His enemies.
And what is the result? "Therefore He will lift up His head." This is the posture of a victor. The defeated hang their heads in shame. The conqueror lifts his head in triumph. Because of His relentless work, because He does not grow weary or faint in the task of subjugation, His ultimate and final victory is assured. He will not stop until the job is done. He will not rest until every foe is vanquished and every knee has bowed.
Conclusion: Whose Side Are You On?
This psalm presents us with a stark choice. There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who are the enemies of Christ, destined to be made His footstool, and those who are His willing people, serving Him in the beauty of holiness. There is no third option. There is no neutral ground. You are either with Him or against Him.
The modern world, and sadly much of the modern church, has tried to file the teeth off the Lion of Judah. They have tried to pretend these verses are not here. They want a king who doesn't crush, a judge who never judges, and a victory with no casualties. But that is not the gospel. The good news is not just that Christ died for our sins, but that He rose again and is now enthroned as the conquering King of the universe. The gospel is the announcement of His victory.
Our response, then, is twofold. First, for those who are outside of Christ, the message is simple: Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way (Psalm 2:12). Bow the knee. Surrender your arms. The King offers terms of amnesty, full pardon purchased by His own blood. But do not mistake His patience for permission. The day of His anger is coming. Do not be found among the kings who are crushed or among the corpses that fill the nations.
Second, for us who are His people, the message is one of profound encouragement and a call to arms. Our King is not losing. He is not wringing His hands in heaven, wondering how it will all turn out. He is on the move. He is executing justice. He is crushing the serpent's head. And He calls us to be His willing soldiers in the day of His power. We are to advance His kingdom, proclaim His crown rights, and live as loyal subjects of the one true King. We should not be surprised or dismayed by the rage of the heathen. Their thrones are temporary, their plots are futile, and their end is destruction. Our King is on the warpath, and because He will lift up His head in victory, so shall we.