The Priest King at God’s Right Hand | Psalm 110
Study Type: Expository Bible Study
Psalm 110 gives us one of the clearest Old Testament portraits of the coming Messiah. David speaks of a Lord greater than himself who sits at God’s right hand, rules in the midst of His enemies, serves as a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, and ultimately triumphs in judgment.
The New Testament repeatedly identifies Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of this remarkable Priest King. This study will walk through Psalm 110 in its historical and literary setting, trace how Jesus and the apostles interpret it, and consider what Christ’s present reign, eternal priesthood, and certain victory mean for us today.
Scripture Reading
Psalm 110 (ESV)
Sit at My Right Hand
A Psalm of David.
[1] The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
[2] The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
[3] Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.
[4] The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
[5] The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
[6] He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.
[7] He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.
Historical Context
Psalm 110 is identified as a psalm of David.
David was Israel’s king, yet the psalm opens with David speaking about another figure whom he calls:
“my Lord.”
That immediately makes the psalm unusual.
David himself occupied the royal throne.
Yet he speaks of another ruler who is invited to sit at the right hand of the LORD, receives authority over His enemies, and is declared to be a priest forever.
No ordinary Israelite king fully fits that description.
The psalm therefore reaches beyond David’s own reign toward a greater Davidic ruler.
The New Testament repeatedly identifies that ruler as Jesus Christ.
Literary Context
Psalm 110 belongs among the royal psalms, passages that celebrate or anticipate God’s king.
But Psalm 110 contains something particularly striking.
Under the Mosaic covenant, the offices of king and priest were ordinarily distinct.
Israel’s kings came through the royal line of David and the tribe of Judah.
The Levitical priesthood came through Aaron and the tribe of Levi.
Psalm 110 brings those two offices together in one person.
The coming ruler is both:
King
and
Priest forever.
That combination becomes one of the major Old Testament foundations for the New Testament explanation of who Jesus is and what He accomplishes.
Psalm 110:1
The LORD Says to My Lord
David writes:
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’”
In the Hebrew text, the first “LORD” represents the divine name Yahweh.
David then refers to another person as:
“my Lord.”
Jesus Himself draws attention to this wording.
In Matthew 22, Jesus asks the Pharisees:
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”
They answer:
“The son of David.”
That answer is true, but incomplete.
Jesus then quotes Psalm 110:1 and asks how David can call the Messiah “Lord” if the Messiah is merely understood as David’s descendant.
Jesus is not denying that the Messiah comes from David’s line.
Scripture clearly teaches that He does.
The point is that David himself recognizes the Messiah as greater than himself.
The Messiah is truly David’s son according to His human lineage, yet He possesses a dignity and authority greater than David.
The fuller New Testament revelation identifies this promised Messiah as Jesus Christ, the eternal Son who entered David’s line according to the flesh.
Seated at God’s Right Hand
The LORD tells David’s Lord:
“Sit at my right hand.”
The right hand represents the place of royal authority, honor, and rule.
The New Testament repeatedly applies this verse to Jesus following His resurrection and ascension.
Peter quotes Psalm 110 in Acts 2 and explains that the risen Christ has been exalted.
Hebrews repeatedly uses the same imagery to describe Christ seated at God’s right hand.
Jesus did not merely rise from the grave and disappear from the biblical story.
He was exalted.
He reigns.
His present position is one of royal authority.
Until I Make Your Enemies Your Footstool
God promises:
“until I make your enemies your footstool.”
In the ancient world, placing enemies beneath one’s feet pictured complete victory and subjection.
The image points toward the final defeat of every enemy opposed to God’s Messiah.
Paul develops this theme in 1 Corinthians 15:
“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
1 Corinthians 15:25 (ESV)
Then Paul identifies the final enemy:
“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
1 Corinthians 15:26 (ESV)
Christ’s resurrection therefore does more than demonstrate that He personally survived death.
It announces the beginning of death’s ultimate defeat.
Psalm 110:2
Rule in the Midst of Your Enemies
David continues:
“The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
This is an important statement about the Messiah’s reign.
Christ does not wait for every enemy to disappear before His reign begins.
He rules while opposition remains.
Sin remains.
Death remains.
Unbelief remains.
The world continues to resist His authority.
Yet none of those things means Christ has lost His throne.
He reigns now in the midst of opposition, while Scripture looks forward to the day when every enemy will be finally and openly subjected beneath His feet.
The kingdom is already present in the reign of Christ, but its final victory has not yet been fully displayed.
Psalm 110:3
A Willing People
Verse 3 describes the people belonging to this King:
“Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power.”
The King does not stand alone.
He has a people who willingly belong to Him.
Their allegiance is not merely forced external compliance.
They offer themselves freely.
The remainder of the verse contains difficult Hebrew imagery and has produced several interpretations.
For that reason, we should be cautious about building major theological conclusions from every detail.
But the central movement is clear.
The Messiah possesses a people who willingly identify themselves with His reign.
From a broader New Testament perspective, Christians obey Christ not in order to purchase salvation but because they belong to the King who has saved them.
Grace produces willing allegiance.
Psalm 110:4
A Priest Forever
Verse 4 introduces the great theological surprise of the psalm:
“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”
The King is also a priest.
And His priesthood is permanent.
This is not presented as a temporary arrangement.
God confirms it with an oath:
“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind.”
The priesthood of this coming King does not depend upon the ordinary Levitical system.
It belongs to another order.
“the order of Melchizedek.”
To understand why that matters, we need to return briefly to Genesis.
Who Was Melchizedek?
Melchizedek appears in Genesis 14.
After Abraham returns from battle, Melchizedek comes to meet him.
He is identified as:
king of Salem
and
priest of God Most High.
Abraham receives Melchizedek’s blessing and gives him a tenth of the spoils.
Then Melchizedek largely disappears from the biblical storyline until Psalm 110.
That makes his reappearance here remarkable.
Centuries after Genesis 14, David announces that the coming Messiah will possess a priesthood:
“after the order of Melchizedek.”
The significance is not that Jesus and Melchizedek must be the same person.
Scripture does not require that conclusion.
Rather, Melchizedek provides a God given biblical pattern of a royal priesthood outside the later Levitical order.
Hebrews shows that this pattern ultimately finds its fulfillment in Christ, whose priesthood rests not on Levitical descent but on:
“the power of an indestructible life.”
Hebrews 7:16 (ESV)
A Priesthood Greater Than Levi
The book of Hebrews develops Psalm 110 extensively.
Jesus did not descend from Levi.
He came from Judah.
Under the Mosaic arrangement, that would not qualify Him for the Aaronic priesthood.
But Christ does not become priest through Aaron.
His priesthood belongs to another order.
Hebrews also points out the significance of Abraham’s relationship to Melchizedek.
Abraham receives Melchizedek’s blessing and gives him a tenth.
That relationship helps Hebrews demonstrate that the Melchizedekian pattern is not subordinate to the later Levitical priesthood that came through Abraham’s descendants.
Christ therefore possesses a priesthood greater than the temporary priesthood of Levi.
The Better Priest
Old Covenant priests repeatedly offered sacrifices.
Their work continued because those sacrifices could never finally remove sin.
Jesus is different.
He offered Himself.
Unlike the repeated sacrifices of the Old Covenant priesthood, Christ offered Himself once for all.
His sacrifice is sufficient and complete.
Hebrews says:
“he offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.”
Hebrews 10:12 (ESV)
Then He sat down at the right hand of God.
Psalm 110 helps us understand both truths.
Christ is the Priest who provides the sacrifice.
He is also the King seated at God’s right hand.
And because He rose from the dead and lives forever, His priesthood never passes to another.
Our Great High Priest
This has enormous significance for believers.
Christ’s priesthood is not merely an interesting theological category.
A priest represents people before God.
Jesus has accomplished the sacrifice necessary for reconciliation with God and continues as the living mediator of His people.
Hebrews says:
“he always lives to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25 (ESV)
Our standing before God therefore does not rest upon personal performance.
It rests upon Christ’s finished work and perfect priesthood.
Sanctification matters deeply.
Christ calls His people to holiness and obedience.
But our obedience never becomes the foundation of our justification.
The believer is accepted because of Christ.
Psalm 110:5 to 6
The Victorious King
The final portion of the psalm returns strongly to the language of victory.
The psalm speaks of shattered kings and judgment among the nations.
This is not merely the language of invitation.
The Messiah who saves is also the King who judges.
Scripture presents both truths.
Christ offers mercy to sinners.
Christ also possesses authority to judge.
These truths should not be separated.
The same Jesus who serves as the great High Priest also reigns as the victorious King.
Judgment Is Part of the Messiah’s Victory
Modern readers can sometimes become uncomfortable with biblical descriptions of judgment.
But if evil is real, final justice matters.
A king who never confronts evil would not finally be righteous.
Psalm 110 therefore looks toward the day when opposition to God’s rule will not continue forever.
The Messiah will triumph.
The New Testament carries this expectation forward.
Christ will return.
The dead will be raised.
Judgment will occur.
Every enemy will ultimately be defeated.
And the last enemy, death itself, will be destroyed.
Psalm 110:7
The King Lifts Up His Head
The psalm closes with an unusual image:
“He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.”
The precise details of this picture are not completely certain.
A reasonable interpretation is that it portrays the victorious King being refreshed during His advance and then lifting His head in triumph.
The central emphasis is clearer than every detail of the imagery.
The King is not overcome by the conflict described in the preceding verses.
He emerges victorious.
We should therefore avoid constructing a separate doctrine from the brook itself.
The verse functions most naturally as the closing picture of the victorious ruler Psalm 110 has described from the beginning.
King and Priest in One Person
This is the central theological contribution of Psalm 110.
The Messiah is not simply a king.
And He is not simply a priest.
He is both.
As King, Jesus rules.
As Priest, Jesus represents His people before God.
As King, He defeats His enemies.
As Priest, He provides the sufficient sacrifice for His people.
As King, He sits at God’s right hand.
As Priest, He lives forever to intercede.
Those roles meet perfectly in Christ.
Jesus Uses Psalm 110
One reason we can interpret Psalm 110 confidently as messianic is that Jesus Himself uses it that way.
In Matthew 22:41 to 46, Jesus asks:
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”
The Pharisees respond:
“The son of David.”
That answer is biblically true.
But Jesus shows them that it does not say enough.
David calls the Messiah:
“my Lord.”
The Messiah therefore cannot be reduced to an ordinary royal descendant.
He is the Son of David, but He is greater than David.
The New Testament reveals the fullness of that truth in Jesus Christ.
Peter Preaches Psalm 110
Peter makes the same connection at Pentecost.
After proclaiming the resurrection of Christ, Peter quotes Psalm 110.
He then declares:
“God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 2:36 (ESV)
The resurrection and exaltation of Jesus reveal His messianic kingship.
The crucified Christ was not defeated.
He was raised.
He was exalted.
He reigns.
Paul and the Defeat of Christ’s Enemies
Paul also develops the theology of Psalm 110.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says:
“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
That means Christ’s present reign and His future victory belong together.
He reigns now.
Yet Scripture still looks forward to the final destruction of every enemy.
The last enemy is death.
The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that death will not have the final word over those who belong to Him.
Hebrews and Psalm 110
No New Testament book develops Psalm 110 more fully than Hebrews.
Hebrews repeatedly uses both major declarations of the psalm.
Psalm 110:1:
“Sit at my right hand.”
Psalm 110:4:
“You are a priest forever.”
Together they explain the identity and work of Christ.
Jesus is the exalted King.
Jesus is the eternal Priest.
His sacrifice is complete.
His resurrection demonstrates His indestructible life.
His ascension places Him at God’s right hand.
His priesthood continues forever.
And His intercession for His people does not cease.
Canonical Context
Psalm 110 stands within a much larger biblical storyline.
God promised Abraham that blessing would reach the nations.
Melchizedek appeared as king and priest.
God promised David an enduring royal line.
Then Psalm 110 brings those strands together.
David announces a coming Lord who will:
sit at God’s right hand,
rule in the midst of His enemies,
possess an everlasting priesthood,
and triumph in judgment.
The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of that expectation.
He is:
the Son of David
David’s Lord
the risen King
the eternal High Priest
the mediator of the New Covenant
the One seated at the right hand of God
the One who offered Himself once for all
the King whose enemies will ultimately be placed beneath His feet
Biblical Theology
Several major biblical themes converge in Psalm 110.
Messiah
David anticipates a ruler greater than himself.
Kingship
The Messiah reigns with divine authorization.
Exaltation
He sits at God’s right hand.
Priesthood
He serves forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Atonement
The New Testament reveals that the eternal Priest offers Himself once for all as the sufficient sacrifice for sin.
Intercession
The risen Christ continues to represent His people before God.
Kingdom
Christ presently reigns even while opposition remains.
Judgment
His reign will ultimately result in the complete defeat of every enemy.
Core Truth
Jesus Christ is the promised Priest King who reigns at God’s right hand, has offered Himself once for all for His people, lives forever to intercede for them, and will ultimately triumph over every enemy.
Psalm 110 does not present us with a weak or uncertain Messiah.
He is the reigning King.
He is the eternal Priest.
And His victory is certain.
What Does This Mean for Us?
Psalm 110 changes the way Christians should think about Christ.
Jesus is not merely someone who lived long ago and left teachings for us to follow.
He is alive.
He reigns.
He intercedes.
And He will return.
Our faith is not built upon the memory of a dead religious teacher.
It rests upon a living King and Priest.
We Have a King
Christians live in a world filled with political instability, cultural change, conflict, fear, and uncertainty.
Psalm 110 reminds us that none of those things determines who ultimately rules.
Christ sits at God’s right hand.
His throne does not depend upon elections, governments, economies, armies, or cultural approval.
Human kingdoms rise and fall.
Christ remains King.
That does not make earthly events unimportant.
It puts them in their proper place beneath the sovereign reign of Christ.
We Have a Priest
Believers also struggle with sin, guilt, weakness, and failure.
Psalm 110 reminds us that our King is also our Priest.
Christ does not merely command us from a distance.
He has accomplished the sacrifice necessary for our reconciliation with God.
And because He lives forever, His priestly ministry never ends.
The believer’s standing before God rests not in personal performance but in Christ’s finished work and perfect priesthood.
We Should Willingly Belong to Him
Psalm 110 describes a people who offer themselves willingly.
That raises an important question.
Do we treat Christ merely as Savior, or do we recognize Him as King?
We do not obey Christ in order to earn salvation.
But salvation does not leave us independent of Christ’s authority.
Grace brings us under the rule of the One who saved us.
The Christian response is willing allegiance.
We Should Not Fear the Final Outcome
Psalm 110 is also deeply encouraging because the ending of the story is not uncertain.
Christ has enemies.
The church faces opposition.
Sin remains active.
Death still brings grief.
But none of these enemies will have the final word.
Christ:
“must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
1 Corinthians 15:25 (ESV)
His victory is not wishful thinking.
It rests upon God’s promise and Christ’s resurrection.
Application
Psalm 110 gives us several questions to consider.
Do I think of Jesus primarily as someone who helps me, or as the King who has authority over me?
Am I resting in Christ’s finished sacrifice, or am I still trying to establish my standing before God through performance?
When I fail, do I remember that Christ remains my living High Priest?
Does Christ’s present reign shape the way I respond to cultural and political uncertainty?
Am I willingly submitting my priorities, habits, relationships, and decisions to His rule?
Do I live as though Christ’s final victory is certain?
Psalm 110 calls us not merely to admire Christ.
It calls us to trust Him and bow before Him.
Progress
Christian maturity includes growing in our understanding of who Christ truly is.
At first, we may think mainly about what Jesus has done for us.
That is essential.
But Scripture gradually teaches us to see more.
The One who died for us is also the One who reigns over us.
The Savior is King.
The King is Priest.
The Priest lives forever.
And the One who intercedes for us today will ultimately defeat every enemy.
Growing in Christ means increasingly trusting all of who He is.
Encouragement
There are times when our circumstances make Christ’s reign difficult to see.
The world can appear chaotic.
Sin can seem powerful.
Our own failures can leave us discouraged.
Death can appear overwhelming.
Psalm 110 directs our attention somewhere else.
Look to the right hand of God.
The throne is occupied.
The Priest lives.
The sacrifice has been offered.
The King reigns.
And His enemies will not prevail forever.
The Christian hope rests upon a living Christ whose priesthood never ends and whose kingdom cannot fail.
Challenge and Reflection
Consider the two great truths Psalm 110 reveals about Jesus.
He is King.
Where are you resisting His authority?
He is Priest.
Where are you struggling to trust the sufficiency of His work?
Then consider His present position.
He is seated at God’s right hand.
Are you living as though Christ truly reigns?
Finally, consider His promised victory.
His enemies will become His footstool.
What fear looks different when viewed from the certainty of Christ’s final triumph?
Closing Charge
Psalm 110 gives us one of Scripture’s clearest Old Testament portraits of the coming Messiah.
David sees a Lord greater than himself.
A King seated at God’s right hand.
A ruler whose enemies will ultimately be defeated.
A Priest whose ministry never ends.
The New Testament tells us His name.
Jesus Christ.
He has offered Himself once for all.
He has risen from the dead.
He has ascended.
He sits at the right hand of God.
He intercedes for His people.
He reigns in the midst of His enemies.
And He will return in victory.
So trust the Priest who has provided the sufficient sacrifice.
Submit to the King who rightfully rules.
Rest in His finished work.
And take courage.
The throne is occupied.
The Priest lives forever.
The King will prevail.
Soli Deo Gloria
To God alone be the glory.
Scriptures Referenced
Primary Passage: Psalm 110
Supporting Passages: Genesis 14:18 to 20, 2 Samuel 7:12 to 16, Matthew 22:41 to 46, Acts 2:29 to 36, 1 Corinthians 15:20 to 28, Hebrews 1:1 to 14, Hebrews 5:5 to 10, Hebrews 7:1 to 28, Hebrews 10:11 to 14
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