#5 Holy Wit – Sidecar Reflections Behold Your King: Christ in the Old Testament – Psalm 110 The One Who Never Hands You Off ________________________________________ He had learned the pattern early. You explain your situation once. Carefully. Politely. With just enough honesty to be taken seriously but not enough to make anyone uncomfortable. The person across the desk nods, makes notes, assures you they understand — and then, inevitably, says the phrase that means everything is about to reset. “I’ll need to pass this along.” Different office. Different person. Same story — told again, slightly more tired this time. By the third retelling, the problem feels heavier, not because it has grown, but because you have to carry it from hand to hand. No one is hostile. Everyone means well. But no one stays with it long enough to see it through. That’s when Psalm 110:4 begins to sound less poetic and more startling: “You are a priest forever.” Forever means no handoff. No rotation. No shift change. No, “Let me introduce you to someone else who can help with that.” The Levitical priests did their work faithfully. They truly did. But even at their best, they had to step aside. They aged. They died. Their work continued, but they did not. The system moved forward by replacement. Christ does not. Melchizedek blesses Abraham and disappears. Aaron’s sons serve and are buried. But Christ stands — not because He refuses to leave, but because there is no reason for Him to. No one else needs to be brought in. Which means when you come to God — with the same confession again, the same weakness, the same failure you thought you’d outgrown — you are not explaining it to someone new. You are not reopening a case file that has gone cold. The Priest already knows it. He was there the first time. He is there this time. He will be there when you are too tired to explain it properly. That’s what “once for all” actually feels like on the ground. Not dramatic. Not flashy. Just mercifully uninterrupted. Christ does not save you and then assign you a number. He does not forgive you and then forward the request. He does not intercede and then step away to let someone else manage the follow-up. He stays. And for people who have spent their lives being passed along — misunderstood, delayed, rescheduled — that may be the quietest and strongest mercy of all. ________________________________________ #HolyWitSidecar #GordonMcGinnis #ChristInTheOldTestament #Psalm110

________________________________________ #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

#3 Holy Wit – Sidecar Reflections Behold Your King: Christ in the Old Testament – Psalm 110 The Man Who Sat Down ________________________________________ The church council meeting had gone long, as these things do. Coffee had gone cold. Someone had brought cookies that looked homemade but tasted like a well-meaning lie. Papers were shuffled. Opinions were shared. No one was quite sure who was actually in charge, though several people felt strongly that it might be them, or at least should be. At some point, the pastor stopped talking. Not dramatically. He simply sat down. It took a moment for anyone to notice. Meetings are noisy in a quiet way, and people assume motion equals leadership. But once he sat, the room gradually stilled. The papers stopped shuffling. The opinions paused mid-flight. The silence wasn’t awkward — it was settled. Later, someone asked why he’d done that. “Well,” he said, “I’d said what needed saying.” That’s the moment Psalm 110 describes — though on a scale that makes church councils look like children arguing over who gets the red crayon. “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand.’” Not pace while the universe sorts itself out. Not stand ready in case this all goes sideways. Sit. Because sitting is what you do when the work that matters has been done. When authority is settled. When the outcome is no longer in question. We tend to imagine Christ as busy — rushing between crises, scrambling to keep things from falling apart. But Psalm 110 gives us a different picture. Christ reigns because He has finished redeeming. He intercedes because His priesthood does not expire. He judges because history is not drifting — it is moving toward a conclusion. The world looks chaotic because we are down on the floor, arguing about cookies. But Christ is seated. Which means the kingdom is not fragile. Which means evil is not winning. Which means the chair of ultimate authority is not empty, contested, or up for election. The Man who matters most has already sat down. And the meeting, however long it feels, is heading toward adjournment. ________________________________________ #HolyWitSidecar #GordonMcGinnis #ChristInTheOldTestament #Psalm110

#3 Holy Wit – Bible Study The King Who Rules, Reigns, and Intercedes (Behold Your King: Christ in the Old Testament – Psalm 110) 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. The Lord Speaks to David’s Lord Psalm 110 opens with one of the most theologically explosive sentences in Scripture: “The LORD said to my Lord.” David, Israel’s greatest king, speaks of someone greater than himself. This is no poetic flourish. It is a deliberate confession that the Messiah is not merely David’s son, but David’s sovereign. Jesus Himself presses this point in the Gospels, forcing His hearers to reckon with a Messiah who cannot be explained by mere human descent. The Old Testament here openly anticipates a King who is divine, enthroned by God Himself, and exalted above all earthly authority. Psalm 110:1 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A1&version=NKJV Matthew 22:41–45 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A41-45&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 2. A King Enthroned at the Right Hand of God To sit at the right hand is not a posture of rest but of authority. In the ancient world, the right hand was the seat of power, judgment, and rule. This Messiah does not wait passively for history to unfold; He reigns now while history is being brought into submission. The kingdom is advancing even as opposition remains. This psalm shatters the idea that Christ’s reign begins only in the future. His enemies are real, but their defeat is certain. Psalm 110:1 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A1&version=NKJV Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+1%3A3&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 3. The Willing People of the Messianic King Unlike earthly tyrants who rule by coercion, this King commands a people who follow willingly. They are not dragged into service; they present themselves freely. Their strength is not merely political or military, but moral and spiritual. The Messiah’s kingdom advances through transformed hearts, not forced allegiance. Even here, the Old Testament anticipates the church — a people made willing by grace. Psalm 110:3 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A3&version=NKJV John 10:27 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A27&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 4. A Priest Forever, Not Like Aaron Here the psalm introduces something utterly foreign to Israel’s categories: a king who is also a priest. Under the Mosaic Law, kings came from Judah and priests from Levi — the roles were strictly separated. Yet Psalm 110 declares a priesthood older and greater than Aaron’s, rooted in Melchizedek. This priest does not offer repeated sacrifices; He stands forever, mediating eternally. The Old Testament itself signals that the Levitical system was provisional, pointing beyond itself to a perfect priest. Psalm 110:4 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A4&version=NKJV Hebrews 7:23–25 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+7%3A23-25&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 5. The Warrior Who Will Judge the Nations The psalm closes not with sentiment but with certainty. The Messiah is patient, but He is not passive. The same King who intercedes as priest will one day judge as ruler. Mercy and justice are not competing themes; they are unified in His reign. Scripture refuses to let us domesticate the Messiah into a comforting symbol. He is Savior now — and Judge in due time. Psalm 110:5–6 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110%3A5-6&version=NKJV Acts 17:31 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A31&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 6. Christ Before the Gospels Psalm 110 demolishes the idea that Christ is a late invention of the New Testament. Long before Bethlehem, Scripture spoke of a divine Lord, reigning King, eternal Priest, and coming Judge. The apostles did not retrofit Jesus into the Old Testament; they recognized Him there. The Messiah of Psalm 110 is not awaiting relevance — He already reigns. Psalm 110 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110&version=NKJV Romans 1:3–4 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1%3A3-4&version=NKJV ________________________________________ Reflection Questions 1. Why does David’s reference to “my Lord” challenge purely human views of the Messiah (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:41–45)? 2. How does Christ’s present reign at the right hand of God shape the way you interpret current events and opposition? 3. What does it mean for you personally that Christ is both King and eternal Priest (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:25)? 4. How should the certainty of Christ’s future judgment affect both your hope and your holiness? ________________________________________ Prayer Points 1. Thank God that Jesus Christ reigns now as King at His right hand. 2. Praise Christ for His eternal priesthood and continual intercession for His people. 3. Ask for grace to live willingly under His rule rather than resisting His authority. 4. Pray for confidence and peace rooted in the certainty of Christ’s final victory. ________________________________________ For further study (NKJV): Hebrews 1:13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+1%3A13&version=NKJV Hebrews 5:5–6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+5%3A5-6&version=NKJV 1 Corinthians 15:25 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15%3A25&version=NKJV ________________________________________ #HolyWitBibleStudy #GordonMcGinnis #ChristInTheOldTestament #Psalm110