What does it mean that "the Lord said to my Lord"?

Psalm 110 starts without preliminaries, "the LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool". The name LORD in capitals in the A.V. signifies God's personal name, Jehovah, and "my Lord" has the meaning, my Master. There are thus two Persons. The God of Israel addressed the Messianic King "Sit thou at my right hand".

Obviously at the time of address He was not at the right hand. The Psalm is prophetic. Our Lord Jesus tells of this in Matthew 22. The shepherds of Israel, self appointed, all made an assault against the Son of God. The Herodians were the political faction in Israel; the Sadducees, the rationalists, the Pharisees ritualists. Politicians, rationalists ritualists, all join together, an "ecumenical" movement against the concentrated truth of God presented in the person of the Son of God. They were asking Him questions with the intention of ensnaring Him; but He could not be ensnared, and He asked them a question: "What think ye of Christ, whose son is he?" That put them on the horns of a dilemma. They said, "David's son". He replies, "How then does David in spirit call him Lord (Psalm 110:1) saying, the LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool?" After that, "neither durst any man … ask him any more questions". Our Lord gives us warrant to see that Psalm 110 applies exclusively to Himself. It gives us witness to the glory of that blessed Person who was traduced here by men. They dishonoured Him, they brought Him down, they treated Him ignominiously. The Psalmist, speaking by the Spirit of Christ, honoured Him, glorified Him; but beyond what the prophetic Spirit had to say in the rest of Psalm 110, this part of the Psalm has already been fulfilled. "Sit thou at my right hand"; that is where He is today; "until I make thy foes thy footstool". We are living in the "until". Our lot is cast in that word in Psalm 110, "until". "Sit thou" does not mean cessation of activity for Him; it means exaltation, glory and honour for Him. Hebrews 2 tells us, "We see not yet all things put under him", but there is something we do see, "we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels on account of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour". That is where and how He is today, and we have a link with Him in the period covered by the word, "until".

In the opening words of this psalm, the first "LORD" is in capital letters, and when found so printed, generally indicates that it means Jehovah. The verse therefore might be read, "Jehovah said unto my Lord;" that is, Jehovah said unto Christ. This verse is frequently quoted in the New Testament. It was by it that Jesus so put the Pharisees to silence, "that no man was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions." Our Lord searched their consciences about His own blessed person. He said, "What think ye of Christ? whose Son is He? They say unto Him, The Son of David." This, so far as it went, was quite true. The blessed Lord therefore went on to say, "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his Son?" This is and always has been the difficult problem for man to solve. How could Jesus be both David's Son, and David's Lord? The answer is simple enough. As David's Lord, He was the Creator of David, for God created all things by His Son; but as born of Mary, who was of the house and lineage of David, He was David's Son. This first verse, therefore, announces the coronation of Jesus, after He had accomplished redemption and rose from the dead. It is Jehovah, His God, who had forsaken Him on the cross in righteousness, because our sins were upon Him, righteously welcoming Him as the Conqueror of all our enemies, and the One who triumphed over death, Satan, and the grave, and installing Him in the highest place of honour, power, and glory. "Sit thou on My right hand." As Jehovah's righteous servant, then, He is crowned with glory and honour, and there He waits. "until His enemies be made His footstool." When the time comes for Jehovah to bid Him to arise and take to Himself His great power and reign, He will then "put all enemies under His feet."

(3) They are silenced, — Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, all the leaders of the unhappy people, — and He turns -upon them with a question which reaches the bottom of the whole controversy, the question of His Person; of the true glory of Christ. Was He merely David's Son? Why then did David, speaking by the Spirit, call Him "Lord," saying, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet"? How could He be his Son and yet his Lord? Clearly no answer could be made which did not admit His higher nature.

(Vv. 35-37). Having answered all questions and silenced every opposer the Lord, Himself, asks a question of supreme importance, for it touches the glory of His Person upon which all blessing for man depends. "How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit, the LORD said to my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." The questions of His adversaries had been based on the reasonings and imaginations of their own minds: the Lord's question is based on Scripture, and goes to the root of their solemn position, for it brings to light the mystery of His Person, which they refused to acknowledge. The scribes saw truly that the Messiah would be the Son of David, but they did not see, what the Holy Spirit distinctly states in their own Scriptures, that He was not only the Son of David but also David's Lord. How can He be both David's Son and David's Lord? There is only one answer. He is truly Man, and yet as truly a Divine Person. Refusing to own the truth of His Person they miss the blessing, and the One they reject passes to the right hand of God, there to wait until the time comes to deal with all His adversaries in judgment.

His opponents having finished with their questions the Lord propounds to them His great question, arising out of Psalm 110. The scribes were quite clear that the Messiah was to be the Son of David; yet here is David speaking of Him as his Lord. Amongst men, and in those days, a father never addressed his son in such terms, but the reverse: the son called his father, lord. How could the Christ then be Son of David? Were the scribes wrong in what they asserted? Or could they explain it?

They could not explain it. They were silent. The explanation was exceedingly simple, but face to face with the Christ, and unwilling to admit His claims, they wilfully shut their eyes to it. He was the Son of David, and David called Him Lord by the Holy Ghost, so there was no mistake. The explanation is that it was the Son of God who became the Son of David according to the flesh, as is so plainly stated in Romans 1:3. When once the Deity of the Christ is fully acknowledged all is plain. These verses throw a good deal of light upon the statement in 1 Corinthians 12:3, that, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

Without any doubt we can see our Lord Jesus Christ in this Psalm's prophetic announcement. Indeed, did He not silence His captious objectors in the Gospel — those false shepherds from amongst Herodians, Sadducees, and Pharisees — with three questions posed from this Psalm? "What think ye of Christ? whose son is He?" When they replied, "The Son of David," He said unto them, "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord saith unto my Lord, Sit thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" Thus were their cavils silenced.

The "right hand" speaks of authority, power, and eminence. According to Exodus 15:6, delivering and subduing power belong to the right hand. In Genesis 48:14 the right hand is the dispenser of sovereign and irrevocable blessing. In the Psalm, David's Lord is invited by Jehovah to sit on His right hand. This is a fundamental truth, used by our Lord in the synoptic gospels as attesting the greatness of His Person. His exaltation thus is hailed in Acts 2:32-36, as indicating God's approval of Him and at the same time reversing man's judgment.

It was now the Lord's turn to propose His question in order to bring out His own position. He asks the Pharisees to reconcile the title of Son of David with that of Lord which David himself gave Him, and that in connection with the ascension of this same Christ to sit at the right hand of God until God had made all His enemies His footstool, and established His throne in Zion. Now this was the whole of Christ's position at that moment. They were unable to answer Him, and no man durst ask Him any more questions. In fact, to understand that Psalm, would have been to understand all the ways of God with respect to His Son at the time they were going to reject Him. This necessarily closed these discourses by showing the true position of Christ, who, although the Son of David, must ascend on high to receive the kingdom, and, while waiting for it, sit at the right hand of God according to the rights of His glorious Person — David's Lord, as well as David's Son.

The vindication of the Lord and the subjugation of all evil are involved in this exaltation. Let us consider the words of David in Psalm 110 "The Lord says to my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." The Lord used this great saying in His conflict with the Pharisees as a challenge and a warning, giving them thereby an opportunity of discerning who He was and of repenting their enmity towards Him. The words declare His Deity, for they tell us that He was David's Lord, but they also proclaim His exaltation consequent upon His humiliation and rejection by men. Peter takes them up in this way in his Pentecostal appeal to the nation, and his appeal was most powerful; he set two ways open to his hearers, the one was that of surrender to Him whom God had set at His right hand, but refusing that, the other was to be crushed beneath His victorious feet. And it must be one or other for every soul of man.

The Pharisees were unable to answer the hard question that the Lord Jesus put to them. They agreed that the Christ (the Anointed) was of David's seed. They also agreed that Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm and that in verse 1 David had referred to the Lord as his Lord. How then was the Christ David's son and at the same time his Lord? The two statements appeared to be contradictory. It was an enigma to them. They could not answer the question and Jesus did not enlighten them. The answer was standing before them but they did not have faith to perceive it. Perhaps they would agree that Jesus was the Son of David. That was easily established. He was the son of Joseph who was a son of David (Matt. 1:20; Luke 3:23). They could not understand and would not believe that Jesus was the Lord referred to in Psalm 110:1. The truth of the matter lay in the incarnation of the Son of God who was the Anointed of God (Acts 10:38; Matt. 3:16). The Anointed was standing before them, come of David's seed according to flesh (Rom. 1:3; John 7:42). Jesus was David's Lord, an affirmation of the Deity of Jesus. He was also a Son of David, an indication of His true humanity. Note that Jesus never suggested that He was not of David's seed. He knew that He was. The question that He submitted to the Pharisees was a test and they failed the test. The time was future when Jesus would be seated at God's right hand in glory. This incident in Matthew 22 reveals David's influence. His psalm was used by the Lord Jesus to silence the proud Pharisees. The Lord Jesus credits David with speaking by the Holy Spirit's power and inspiration (Mark 12:36). He was among the many writers in the Old Testament who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 1:21).

David was one of the five persons who spoke of Jesus as “My Lord.” The others were Elizabeth, Mary of Magdala, Thomas the apostle and Paul the apostle to the Gentiles (Luke 1:43; John 20:13; John 20:28; Phil. 3:8). Praise God that we who are believers in Jesus can say along with Paul, “To us there is … one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor. 8:6).

The Pharisees were unable to answer the hard question that the Lord Jesus put to them. They agreed that the Christ (the Anointed) was of David's seed. They also agreed that Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm and that in verse 1 David had referred to the Lord as his Lord. How then was the Christ David's son and at the same time his Lord? The two statements appeared to be contradictory. It was an enigma to them. They could not answer the question and Jesus did not enlighten them. The answer was standing before them but they did not have faith to perceive it. Perhaps they would agree that Jesus was the Son of David. That was easily established. He was the son of Joseph who was a son of David (Matt. 1: 20; Luke 3: 23). They could not understand and would not believe that Jesus was the Lord referred to in Psalm 110: 1. The truth of the matter lay in the incarnation of the Son of God who was the Anointed of God (Acts 10: 38; Matt. 3: 16). The Anointed was standing before them, come of David's seed according to flesh (Rom. 1: 3; John 7: 42). Jesus was David's Lord, an affirmation of the Deity of Jesus. He was also a Son of David, an indication of His true humanity. Note that Jesus never suggested that He was not of David's seed. He knew that He was. The question that He submitted to the Pharisees was a test and they failed the test. The time was future when Jesus would be seated at God's right hand in glory. This incident in Matthew 22 reveals David's influence. His psalm was used by the Lord Jesus to silence the proud Pharisees. The Lord Jesus credits David with speaking by the Holy Spirit's power and inspiration (Mark 12: 36). He was among the many writers in the Old Testament who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1: 11; 2 Peter 1: 21).

David was one of the five persons who spoke of Jesus as "My Lord." The others were Elizabeth, Mary of Magdala, Thomas the apostle and Paul the apostle to the Gentiles (Luke 1: 43; John 20: 13; John 20: 28; Phil. 3: 8). Praise God that we who are believers in Jesus can say along with Paul, "To us there is... one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him" (1 Cor. 8: 6).