“I DON’T KNOW WHAT JESUS IS TO YOU, BUT I HOPE HE IS TO YOU WHAT HE IS TO ME!”

Though Jesus is not mentioned by name in the Psalms, many of the themes, prophecies, and prayers found within the Psalms point to Jesus and find their ultimate fulfillment in his life, death, and resurrection. Who is Jesus, and why is He significant to us?

We are journeying through the Book of Psalms.

The Psalms are prayers and hymns. So, as we journey through the Psalms, may they guide you as we learn more about who Jesus is and what He means to You. But, before we begin, let’s invite God’s presence.

Father, we want to know Jesus; some say he is the stone that the builders rejected but later became the chief cornerstone.  Others say he is the lily of the valley; still others claim he is the bright morning star. Open our eyes of understanding that we may get to know Him.

Psalms (Lesson 9)

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Day 1

Although prayers, poems, and songs, the Book of Psalms is also prophetic. And, though written many years before Jesus was born, they speak of Him.

In fact, in the Book of Psalms, we can read about almost everything Jesus would do to save us humans.

Jesus in Hebrew is the name Yeshua, meaning the one anointed as deliver, rescuer. Thus, he is also called the Christ the anointed one.

Therefore, Jesus is viewed as the fulfillment and culmination of the Psalms’ deepest themes and predictions for saving us humans. In them, Christ, the anointed one, life is predicted with the greatest of accuracy.

What topics about the anointed one does the Book of Psalms include?

The Book of Psalms tells us the following about Christ:  

• It tells of His deity: Jesus is God.
• It tells of his Sonship: He is the Son of God.
• It tells of his obedience, He obeyed God’s commandments.
• It tells of his Zeal for the temple of God: He insisted that those in the temple show respect for the House of God.
• It tells of his identity as the Good Shepherd; He declared Himself the Good Shepherd who takes care of His sheep.
• It tells of His betrayal: One of his own disciples betrayed him.
• It talks about His suffering: He suffered a cruel death on the cross. (Split)
• It reveals that His bones would not be broken: Instead of breaking his bone as was typically done at a crucifixion, the soldiers pierced Him in His side.
• It speaks of His death and resurrection: He died, and three days later, He woke up from the dead.
• It foretells His ascension: He was taken up to heaven with a cloud of angels escorting Him.
• It tells of his priesthood: He is now in heaven standing before the Father, interceding for us.
• It foretells of his kingship. He is declared King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

Thus, metaphorically speaking, the passage from Psalm 118:22, 23 is speaking of Jesus.

He “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22, 23, NKJV).

This psalm is speaking about Jesus, who was initially deemed unworthy by his own people, but ultimately, He became the most important of all.  (Split)

He was despised and rejected by many during his life, but He is now the cornerstone of our faith, for it is only through Him that we can go to the Father.

Interestingly, the psalmist wrote about the life of Jesus in the Book of Psalms hundreds of years before He came to this earth. 

It comes as no surprise that Jesus when talking to His disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:44, refers to the Psalms.

44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)

Using the Book of Psalms, it was his purpose to show them proof of who He was. The Psalms and much of the Bible help us to identify who Jesus is.

As a matter of fact, Psalms 24, 45, 72, and 101 portray Jesus as our King and Judge. Psalms 88 and 102 are prayers showing that Jesus suffered just as we suffer. Jesus knows what we are going through, and he understands our pain.

Thus, when we read the palmist’s laments, thanksgivings, praises, and cries for justice and deliverance, they echo the prayers of Jesus pleading to the Father on our behalf to save humanity. (Split)

Pause and read Psalm 23, Psalm 28:9, Psalm 80:1, Psalm 78:52, 53, Psalm 79:13, and Psalm 100:3.  What do they say about the relationship between the Lord and His people? What do they say about who Jesus is to us?

Then, View the next segment of this video: Day 2: The Divine Self-Sacrificing Shepherd.

Psalms (Lesson 9)

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Day 2: The Divine Self-Sacrificing Shepherd

The Book of Psalms portrays the Lord as a shepherd and God’s people as the sheep of his pasture. Using the image of sheep for God’s people and the portrayal of the Lord as a Shepherd helps us to understand God’s guidance and sustaining care for his people. God takes care of His people.

We, as his sheep, learn to depend on God to give us everything we need. This image of us as sheep and God as our shepherd shows us the loving relationship between God and us.

You see, shepherds lived with their flocks and cared for each sheep individually.

This imagery shows that God owns the flock. They are his, as expressed in Psalm 95:6-8 and Psalm 100:3 because He gave them life.

Psalm 95:6-8

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:

“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, (Psalms 95:6-8) amd

Psalms 100:3

3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalms 100:3) (Split)

He not only has the right to claim us as His because he made us but also because He made us a promise to save us, see Psalm 28:9 and Hebrews 13:20.

In Psalm 80:1, we read about the Shepherd who led Joseph like He led a flock of sheep.

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! (Psalms 80:1) (Split)

In this word picture, Joseph symbolizes Israel. This image of the Shepherd leading Joseph is a reminder of the promise that Jacob gave Joseph concerning Israel.

Using the image of a shepherd, the psalmist is asking God to keep the covenant made with his people. You can read about this covenant in Genesis 49:24. (Split)

You see, in the times of Ancient Israel, kings were considered the shepherds of their people.

2 Samuel 5:2 provides an example of this, expressing that King Saul had in the past been the shepherd for the people of Israel, but David was now being endorsed as the shepherd of Israel.

Human kings often fail to take care of their people. They did not live up to their calling.

The point is only Jesus takes tender care of people. That is why only Jesus can be called the Good Shepherd. (Split)

Different from human kings or leaders, the Good Shepherd is willing to give up His life for His sheep.

Read John 10:11-15. What does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, say about Himself?

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15)

What’s more, in John 10:4, 27, Jesus says that His sheep know His voice, and they follow Him.

John 10:4

4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:4, 27)

It is said that even today, shepherds in the Middle East can call their sheep to come to them. When the sheep hear their shepherd’s voice, they separate from other sheep who are not part of their flock. Then, the sheep follow their shepherd.

There are times when God’s flock suffers difficulties, trials, and hard times. They think that their experiences are a sign that the Lord is not pleased with them and has perhaps left them. But the Good Shepherd never leaves His sheep, nor does He forsake them. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is always searching for His lost sheep. He seeks to save those who are lost. This powerful picture shows God’s love for us. The Good Sheperd loves us so much that is willing to die for His sheep just as Jesus says in John 10:11, 15.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:11, 15)

Ironically, the Good Shepherd, Jesus, becomes a sacrificial lamb on behalf of the sheep. This is what John meant in John 1:29 when he says: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

The Good Shepherd becomes a Lamb to us, His sheep.  Who is Jesus to You?                     

Pause and Read Psalm 22, Psalm 42, Psalm 88, Psalm 102, and Psalm 118:22; although Jesus was the Christ, the anointed, the one anointed to save his people, how did his people treat him? Think about it! How do you treat him?

Then View the next segment of this video, Day 3: The Suffering Messiah

Psalms (Lesson 9)

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Day 3: The Suffering Messiah

Many of the Psalms talk about the Suffering Savior, expressing the Messiah’s agonizing feelings of pain, suffering, and extreme feelings of loneliness. See Psalm 42, Psalm 88, and Psalm 102.

Psalm 22 explicitly tells of Jesus’ death.

As a matter of fact, Jesus prayed the words of Psalm 22:1 on the cross in Matthew 27:46.

Matthew 27:46

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The relationship between Jesus and His Father is one of extreme love and closeness.

John 1:1-2 and John 10:30 indicate that their relationship was so intertwined that a unity existed between them such that they were of one in heart and mind (John 1:1, 2; John 10:30).

John 1:1-2 indicates that both the Father and the Son existed from the beginning.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)

And John 10:30 expresses that although they are separate, they are one.

30 My Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)

More than any pain or agony Jesus suffered on the cross was his feeling of separation from the Father. Although innocent and without sin, our sins caused a deep separation between Jesus and His Father.

However, regardless of the depth of separation between the Father and the Son because of our sins, Jesus’s suffering could not break the unity that existed between the Father and the Son.

Therefore, in a time of utter forsakenness, when Jesus experienced the extreme separation on the cross between Him and the Father, He still trusted fully and unconditionally in the Father despite his feelings of being abandoned.

Desire of Ages helps us to understand what caused this separation between the Father and the Son.

“Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 753.

It is our sins that cause the separation between the Father and the Son.

Showing the people’s hatred, cruelty, and animosity toward Jesus in his final hours on the cross, Psalm 22 uses threatening animal symbols such as strong bulls, roaring lions, and dogs to highlight the people’s cruelty and hatred. These animals show just how much the people hated the Messiah, the Anointed One, during His final hours on the cross.

In fact, in Psalm 22:6, the Savior is compared to a harmless and helpless worm that has no power to hurt anyone.

Jesus, in Psalm 22, hundreds of years before Christ came to this world, tells us how the crowd at the cross made fun of Him. Furthermore, when Jesus cried out to His Father in Mathew 27:35, He quoted Psalm 22: 8

43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” (Matthew 27:43)

Psalm 22:18 foretold of how the soldiers divided Jesus’ clothing, and Matthew 27:35 tells of this actual event, saying:

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” (Matthew 27:35)

While on the cross, the people saw Jesus as the same as a weak, helpless worm whom they wanted to crush or destroy. Little did they realize the value of the worm that they desired to destroy. This supposed weak worm would become the “chief cornerstone,” the stone spoken about in Psalm 118:22 that the builders rejected.

The chief cornerstone is the most important stone in a building’s foundation. It sets the building’s level, angle, and outer dimensions.

22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. (Psalms 118:22)

The Savior, the Messiah, the Anointed one that the people rejected, when He woke up from the dead, became the hope of salvation for everyone willing to accept him as their savior. (Split)

See to Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:10-12.

Matthew 21:42

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42)

Acts 4:10-12

10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12) (Split)

Although Jesus suffered when the ones, He came to save rejected Him, God honored Jesus by making him a living “chief cornerstone” of His spiritual temple. Read Ephesians 2:20-22 and I Peter 2:4-8. (Split)

Ephesians 2:20-22

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-22)

I Peter 2:4-8

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (Split)

6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”

8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. (I Peter 2:4-8) (Split)

I do not know who Jesus is to you, but he is the Chief Corner Stone.

Anyone who rejects the Chief Corner Stone rejects God’s means of saving them.

You see, we humans have two choices: 1) we can fall on the Rock and be saved. Or 2) Have the Rock fall on us and be broken. 

In other words, Jesus is God’s means, our only means of being saved from our sins. If we reject Him, he will become our Judgement. As expressed in Isaiah 8:14 and Matthew 21:44.

Isaiah 8:14

14 He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 8:14)

Matthew 21:44

44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44) 

Jesus suffered for you. He paid the penalty for every sin you have ever committed.

I don’t know who Jesus is to you, but He is my Chief Corner Stone.

Psalms 89 and Psalm 132 talk of a Davidic covenant. What is that? Pause and read Psalm 89:27-32, 38-46, and Psalm 132:10-12 to determine what the Davidic covenant is and why it is important to you. Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Then continue to the next segment of this video, Part 4: Forever Faithful to His Covenant.

God made a special promise to David. This special promise is called the Davidic covenant. This covenant was to support David’s future line. God promised David that through His bloodline, Israel would be blessed forever. You can read more about this covenant: 2 Samuel 7:5-16; Psalm 89:1-4, 19-37; Psalm 132:12-18.

Psalms 89: 34-37 says:

34 “My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.

36 “His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me.

37 “It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah. (Psalms 89: 34-37)

God agreed to keep His covenant with the line of David forever under the condition of the king’s faithfulness to Him. In other words, God’s promise to David would endure as long as the king obeyed God.

God is faithful; he always keeps his promises, but even the most devoted human kings, such as King David, were not always faithful to the Lord. Even the best leaders do not always remain loyal to God.

Therefore, in Psalm 89, the psalmist laments, crying out to God because the people seem to have lost the blessings, the Davidic promise, the promises God made with David. But did God reject Israel forever? Of course not!

 The psalmist in Psalms 38:1 and 74:1 ask:

Psalms 38:1

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! (Psalms 38:1)

Psalms 74:1

1 O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? (Psalms 74:1)

You see, God’s anger demonstrates to His people how He feels about sin. His wrath is an expression of His divine judgment against sin.

But God’s wrath, His anger, doesn’t last forever. Why, because of His everlasting love. Because of his love, he forgives us of our sins when we repent, confess, and turn away from sin.

Nevertheless, God becomes discontent when we turn away from Him and do evil. He shows his anger and discontentment by administering punishment. Thus, we learn that disobedience has dire consequences.

The consequences of our sins help us to understand how terrible sin is.

Read Psalm 89:38-46 to see what the palmist says has happened to them because of their sins. In fact, they have experienced so much hardship that the psalmist asks in Psalms 89:46

46 How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? (Psalms 89:46)

Certainly, they know that God’s anger will not continue forever

 For in Psalms 89: 47 and 50, a ray of hope springs up when the people remember that God always keeps His promise; he remembers His mercy. 

The psalmist’s heart springs with hope, knowing that God’s faithfulness will lead Him to “remember” His grace toward them.  (Psalm 89:47, 50).

Psalms 89:47 says

47 Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men? (Psalms 89:47)

Psalms 89:50 says

50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants— How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples, (Psalms 89:50)

Knowing our lives are short. God remembers anger toward us. although we may fail God, He never fails us. God is always faithful, and He always keeps his promises. Thus, we can trust in His promises to save us through the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ.

Who is Jesus,

Mathew 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

In Colossians 1:15 it says:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

What’s more, Hebrews 1:8 tells us He is the Son of God whose kingdom will last forever.

8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8)

God declares Jesus, the son of David, as King and His righteous rulership will last forever.

Psalm 89:27 says, speaking of David, who is also a type or prefigure that corresponds to Christ, “Also I will make him My firstborn, / The highest of the kings of the earth” (NKJV).

So, who is the “firstborn son” in Psalm 89:27? Is the psalmist talking about King David?

No, because according to 1 Samuel 16:10, 11, King David was the 8th child of his parents. So, he was not the firstborn.

Here, the “firstborn son” is talking about Jesus. This we see in Colossians 1:16, 20-22. God gave Jesus special honor when He raised Him from the dead. God made Jesus the supreme and most powerful King in the entire universe.

Acts 2:30-31 says.

30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,

31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. (Acts 2:30-31)

Who is Jesus? He is the King of the Universe, and His throne will last forever.  (Split)

Pause and Read: Psalm 89:27-32, 38-46, and Psalm 132:10-12. Notice what they reveal about Christ and His Eternal Kingdom.  Then View the next segment of this video: Day 5: Eternal King of Unrivaled Power

Psalms (Lesson 9)

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Day 5: Eternal King of Unrivaled Power

Psalms portray God as the Father of the Messiah.

This picture points to the coronation of the king of Israel. When a man was made king, God adopted the king into his covenant and made him His own son. See: Psalm 2:7; Psalm 89:26-28.

Psalm 2:7 foretold the dawning of a new and everlasting covenant. And it foretold of Christ’s royal priesthood when Jesus the Messiah was raised from the dead.

Acts 13:33-39 talks of the fulfillment of this dawning. 

Psalm 2:7 also tells us that Jesus will be our High Priest, and Hebrews 5:5 talks of its fulfillment.

5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. (Hebrews 5:5) (Split)

Psalms 110:1 foretells of, Acts 7:55-56 depict the Savior sitting at God’s right side. This place of honor shows that Jesus is in a position of honor and authority. He has control over all the earth.

Psalms 110:1

1 The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (Psalms 110:1) 

Acts 7:55-56

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:55-56) (Split)

The point here is what God says he will do. So, when the war between God and Satan ends, Christ will have obtained total victory over his enemies. Thus, Psalm 110: 1 says that His enemies will become His “footstool”

 “Footstool,” according to the Adult Bible Study, is an image that reflects the custom of the ancient Near Eastern kings who placed their feet on the necks of their defeated enemies to demonstrate total dominance over them.

This happens when Christ breaks them with His rod of iron, as foretold in Psalm 2:9 and Psalm 110:2.

 Psalms 2:9

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ” (Psalms 2:9)

Psalms 110:2

2 The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalms 110:2)

The lesson also points out that the rod (“staff”) was originally held by tribal leaders as the symbol of the tribe, as expressed in Numbers 17:2-10.

Christ’s rod comes from Zion because He represents the people of Zion. His rod is a symbol of divine judgment, which ends the rule of evil and depicts Christ’s unrivaled reign.

But, before this happens, Psalm 2:10-12 tells us that God, in his mercy, will give the wicked kings an opportunity to confess their sins and worship the Messiah.

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. (Splpt)

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Psalms 2:10-12)

In Daniel 7, a scene of the future after Jesus wins the battle against His enemies is portrayed. Daniel 7:22 and 27 shows that after the judgment is given “‘in favor of the saints of the Most High,’ ” Jesus’ kingdom is set up on earth.

Daniel 7:22

22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. (Daniel 7:22)

And Daniel 7:27

27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ (Daniel 7:27)

Thus, in Daniel 7, we are told that Jesus’ kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Our surety that this promise will be fulfilled is what Jesus did when He died on the cross. Because of what happened on the cross, God’s promise is sure.

In Psalms 2:12, God promises a blessing to everyone who trusts in the King, and Psalm 89:15-17 paints a picture of God’s people filled with joy. They rejoice in His name all day long because He is a righteous King. His kingdom is everlasting.

Who is Jesus? He is the Righteous King whose kingdom is everlasting.

In the end, good is going to win. Evil is going to lose. Justice will be done. Pain and suffering will be eliminated.

To be on the winning side, we must have a relationship with Jesus. Who is Jesus? He is the victor over pain and suffering.

Pause and read Psalm 110 to determine what special work Jesus is doing for us in His heavenly Sanctuary. Then continue to the next segment of this video: Day 6: Eternal Priest in the Order of Melchizedek

Psalms (Lesson 9)

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Day 6: Eternal Priest in the Order of Melchizedek

We see in Psalm 110:1-3 that God endows Jesus with a kingship that will last forever. Then, in Psalm 110:4-7, we find that God gives Jesus superior priesthood, which is in the order of Melchizedek.

God endorsed his word of giving Jesus both an eternal kingship and an eternal priesthood with an official promise that will not be broken.

We can have strong consolation in this promise. Why, because just as it says in Hebrews 6:18:

18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:18)

We can be sure that God will keep his promise. Thus, Jesus will be Priest and King forever.

 This promise of Jesus’s perfect kingship and perfect priesthood is a display of God’s mercy and grace toward us.

Our sins continuously put us in the position to be separated from God. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, our sins and open rebellion constantly provoke God to cut us off. 

But his promise of grace through Jesus Christ the Messiah is unchangeable. God is faithful, and He always keeps His promises.  

Therefore, for those who accept Jesus as their eternal priest and king, who confess and repent of their sin, God’s unchangeable promise is guaranteed. His grace is irrevocable for those who repent of their sins. This point is made in Exodus 32:14 and Psalm 106:45, 

Exodus 32:14

14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:14)

Psalms 106:45

45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies. (Psalms 106:45)

This divine oath is special in that God’s promises that Jesus, the Anointed, is both the Messiah King and a Priest after the order of Melchizedek, as previously expressed in Psalm 110:4.

God making Jesus both our eternal King and eternal Priest is significant because Israel’s kings were not allowed to serve as priests as shown in Numbers 8:19; 2 Chronicles 26:16-21.

When the Bible talked about kings or people bringing offerings to the priests in the Old Testament, the priests were the ones who offered the animals to God. Different from this practice, Psalm 110 establishes that the Messiah King is different from the rest of Israel’s kings and priests. (Split)

Jesus is a Priest, much like Melchizedek.

Genesis 14:18-20 indicates that Melchizedek was both the king of Salem, an early name for Jerusalem, and priest of the “the most high God.”

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;

20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. (Genesis 14:18-20)

In fact, nowhere else in the Old Testament does it say that King David or any other king of Israel was a king and priest, the same as Melchizedek. This description is only found in Psalm 110. Therefore, this Psalm is talking about a distinctive king-priest in Israel’s history. This Psalm can therefore only be referring to Jesus, the Messiah.

In Hebrews 7:20-28, the apostle Paul talks about the work of Jesus as our High Priest. He compares his work to the work of Israel’s Old Testament High Priest. Paul in Hebrews 7:22 points out that Jesus is a surety of a better covenant.

22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. (Hebrews 7:22)

This is because Jesus is both Divine King and our everlasting Priest. Thus, He is superior to any other human priest or king.

Serving in heaven’s temple. Jesus upholds a superior covenant that is based on God’s oath and not human promises.

Human high priests are mortal; they die, but Jesus is immortal, his priesthood is not affected by sin and death.

Thus, his work as a high priest is eternal. Death can’t end His work the way sin and death ended the work of human priests.

So Jesus can save us from sin. Just as it says in Hebrews 6:19-20

Hebrews 6:19-20

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrew 6:19, 20). (Split)

We can trust that Jesus, our King and High Priest, will bring an end to the evil in our hearts and also an end to sin in this world.

The promise found in Psalm 2:6-9 and Psalm 110:1, 2, and 5 are sure. Thus, as our Priest and King, has the right to claim our obedience and trust. If you have not, why not accept Jesus as your Priest and King today?

Father, Thank You for making Jesus our Eternal King and High Priest in Jesus’ name, Amen 

 

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