________________________________________ #5 Holy Wit – Bible Study Christ as Priest Forever (Behold Your King: Christ in the Old Testament – Psalm 110; Genesis 14:18–20; Leviticus 16:32–34) ________________________________________ Scripture Reading (NKJV): Psalm 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Psalm 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Psalm 110:3 Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” Psalm 110:5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. Psalm 110:6 He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries. Psalm 110:7 He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head. Psalm 110 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 1. A Priest Declared by Divine Oath Psalm 110:4 marks a dramatic shift in the psalm. In the midst of royal authority and military triumph, the LORD introduces a priesthood — not provisional, not ceremonial, but eternal. This priest is established not by genealogy or ritual succession, but by divine oath. “The LORD has sworn and will not relent.” Scripture emphasizes that this appointment is irreversible. God binds Himself to this declaration. This immediately sets the priesthood of the Messiah apart from the Levitical order, which depended on lineage and ended in death. Here, priesthood rests on God’s unchanging word. Psalm 110:4 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A4&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 2. Melchizedek: Priest Before the Law Melchizedek appears briefly in Genesis 14, yet his role is decisive. He is both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He blesses Abraham, and Abraham gives him a tithe. The direction matters: the greater blesses the lesser. The patriarch of Israel receives blessing from a priest who exists outside Israel’s later institutions. Melchizedek’s priesthood predates the Law, the tabernacle, and Aaron. Psalm 110 reaches back to him intentionally to describe a priesthood that does not depend on Mosaic structures. This is not a reform of Leviticus; it is something older and greater. Genesis 14:18–20 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+14%3A18-20&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 3. Why This Priest Is Not Like Aaron Under the Mosaic Law, priests came exclusively from the tribe of Levi. Kings came from Judah. The separation was strict. Attempts to combine the roles were treated as rebellion. Yet Psalm 110 deliberately unites kingship and priesthood in one person. The psalm does not say “according to the order of Aaron,” because that priesthood already existed — and was limited. Aaron’s sons served temporarily, offered sacrifices repeatedly, and died. The priest of Psalm 110 stands forever. The Old Testament itself signals that the Levitical priesthood was provisional, pointing beyond itself. Leviticus 16:32–34 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+16:32-34&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 4. Christ as Priest: Once for All Christ fulfills what Psalm 110 anticipates. He does not offer sacrifice for Himself. He does not repeat offerings. He does not leave His office. He enters not a copy of the heavenly sanctuary, but the true one. His priesthood is effective precisely because it is final. Where the Levitical system managed sin temporarily, Christ removes it decisively. The oath of Psalm 110 finds its meaning here. Hebrews 7:23–25 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+7%3A23-25&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 5. Priest and King, Not Competing Roles Psalm 110 refuses to separate Christ’s mercy from His authority. The same One who intercedes as priest will judge as king. Scripture does not allow us to soften one role to preserve comfort in the other. His priesthood secures forgiveness; His kingship secures justice. Both are necessary. The Messiah is not gentle because He is weak, nor authoritative because He is distant. He is both — perfectly and eternally. Psalm 110:5–6 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A5-6&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 6. A Priest Who Guarantees Access to God If Christ is priest forever, then access to God is no longer provisional. Forgiveness does not expire. Intercession does not pause. Believers are not dependent on human mediators, rotating offices, or repeated sacrifices. Christ Himself is the guarantee. Psalm 110 assures us that what Christ begins, He completes — and what He secures, He keeps. Hebrews 5:5–6 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+5%3A5-6&version=NKJV ________________________________________ Reflection Questions 1. Why is it significant that God appoints the Messiah as priest by oath rather than lineage (Psalm 110:4)? 2. How does Melchizedek’s blessing of Abraham shape your understanding of biblical authority? 3. What does it mean for your assurance that Christ’s priesthood is eternal and unchanging? 4. How should Christ’s dual role as priest and king shape both your worship and obedience? ________________________________________ Prayer Points 1. Thank God for appointing Christ as eternal priest by His unchanging oath. 2. Praise Christ for His complete and final sacrifice on your behalf. 3. Ask for confidence rooted in Christ’s continual intercession. 4. Pray for a life shaped by gratitude rather than fear. ________________________________________ For further study (NKJV): Hebrews 8:1–2 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+8%3A1-2&version=NKJV Hebrews 9:11–12 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+9%3A11-12&version=NKJV Hebrews 10:11–14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A11-14&version=NKJV ________________________________________ #HolyWitBibleStudy #GordonMcGinnis #ChristInTheOldTestament #Psalm110