Kingdom – that is a loaded word!

Two thousand years ago at the Lord’s trial while standing before Pilate, the discussion was about kingdom (John 18:33-38). And here two millennia later we are faced with similar questions. Ask most Christians about the “kingdom of God” and you’re likely to hear a variety of answers, it’s in heaven and spiritual, the church is building the kingdom so Jesus can return, kingdom is within us (righteousness, peace and joy). While there are aspects of truth in each view, I think when presented alone they miss the larger picture.

We have been laying a foundation to establish Israel’s ordained relationship to the land. At this point, let me say plainly that a kingdom must have a king. And the king must have a people and a geography over which to rule. If those assumptions are reasonable then it should be straight forward to begin connecting some dots.

• Land was given to Israel by covenant from the king, land was never given to the church.
• By faith, the church is considered the offspring of Abraham, members of his family. By extension we are grafted in to the olive tree allowing us to share in their inheritance. See Romans 9-11.

This leads us to a profound understanding. There are two deeply connected realities to “kingdom.” First is the idea of being a child of the king, having relationship with our heavenly father and growing in that reality. The second is equally important; it speaks to geography, authority, kingdom government and economy. Currently, these two realities are in their infancy and disconnected from one another. The church possesses a small down payment of the relational side of kingdom. By the same token, Israel possesses a small down payment of the land aspect of kingdom.

You might recall when the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority (Acts 1:6-7). In other words, despite national Israel having just executed him, rejecting his ministry and messianic claims, he did not reject their claim to the Kingdom of God. He just did not answer the question. 

Although the Bible talks about this topic in many locations, mostly the Old Testament, I did not give it much thought until the last few years. One of those Old Testament locations is Psalm 110. This psalm touches on the background for establishing God’s kingdom headquartered in Jerusalem. Although only seven verses in length, with amazing clarity, it presents some of the Biblical themes we have been studying.

Please take a moment to read the Psalm.

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 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. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.  He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore, he will lift up his head.
Psalm 110

If you have never read this Psalm before you might be shocked considering the Lord’s vengeance against his foes. But keep in mind he has been patient and long suffering for thousands of years; at some point evil and wickedness must be dealt with as they cannot be allowed to corrupt his coming glorious kingdom. 

Psalm 110 – Breaking it Down
Let us look at some of the Biblical ideas referenced in Psalm 110.

Relationally: Since David is the author of the Psalm, it appears he is eavesdropping on a conversation between God the father and God the son.
The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Geographically: It identifies God’s earthly dwelling place as Zion.
The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Considering the People of God Like glistening dew at daybreak, the Lord’s people will be at full strength like young warriors in their prime. 
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…

Concerning Timing: It is in “the day of his power” or “the day of the Lord.”  We know from many passages in both Old and New Testament that “day of the Lord” language refers to the time of the end.
Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power…

Regarding Melchizedek: Melchizedek was both a priest and king without genealogical record. This had never happened before, that one person served both roles. Having no genealogical record speaks to his eternal quality. Featuring Melchizedek in the psalm hearkens back to Abram’s vengeance on the invading kings of Genesis 14. In the same way Abram defeated the invading armies, so will Jesus with his army conquer his enemies and lead us into his eternal kingdom.
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Purpose
Finally, interwoven throughout the Psalm is the Lord’s purpose, something that has been in his heart from the beginning. That purpose speaks to the establishment of an eternal kingdom from Zion with people who love and willingly serve him throughout the ages. This will require the crushing defeat of his enemies – those who work at cross purposes to the Lord’s.

The following bullet points explain this in greater detail.

• Observe the words and phrases: “I make your enemies your footstool”, “mighty scepter”, “rule in midst of enemies”, “day of your power”, “shatter kings on day of wrath”, “execute judgment among the nations”, “filling them with corpses”, “shatter chiefs over the wide earth.” The overarching theme is one of God’s judgement, power, rulership and establishment of his kingdom from Zion/Jerusalem.
• The passage goes on to establish this warring king as one following the pattern of Melchizedek who blessed Abram after a tremendous military victory in Genesis 14.
• His people are fully committed to his cause, and they offer themselves freely in his service.

Messianic Connections
Jesus picks up the Psalm 110 story line in the synoptic gospels to help us connect the dots. In Mathew, Mark and Luke, while talking with the Pharisees, Jesus identified himself as the Messianic figure of Psalm 110. 

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Mathew 22:41-46

The underlined part above is from Psalm 110

In other words, when comparing the gospel account with David’s Psalm, Jesus is saying that not only is he the Christ and Son of David, but he is also the Lord to whom David referred.  And that Lord is a priest and king, as was Melchizedek, who blessed Abram with a significant land grant in Genesis. In the same way Abram exercised his authority in the land, taking vengeance on the invading kings and their armies so will the Messiah exercise his authority in the land on the day of his power.

By referring to Psalm 110, Jesus was pointing the religious leaders to himself as prophesied by David.  Had they been able to comprehend and accept the connections he was making, perhaps things could have turned out differently, but that was not to be.

For that reason:

 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Mathew 22:46

Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, we are laying a brief foundation for a “last days study.” Hopefully, by this time we are beginning to understand some specifics of God’s plan of redemption. He first chose a people group; he then connected those people to the land.  Further he gave his people sovereign authority in the land and chose a city for himself where he could live with his family.  In this post we see that enemies have invaded and taken his land and must be vanquished on the “day of his power.”

In the next installment we will turn our attention to timing.  When will the day of his power/wrath occur?