How does Psalm 110:7 illustrate Christ's humility and obedience to God's will? Setting the Scene • Psalm 110 paints a portrait of the Messiah as King, Priest, and Victor. • Verse 7 slips in a seemingly simple image—“He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore He will lift up His head.” • That short sentence captures the Messiah’s willingness to stoop low before He stands tall. Humility on Display: “He will drink from the brook by the road” • A brook sits lower than the surrounding ground. To drink, one must bend down—an intentional picture of condescension. • The phrase “by the road” adds the idea of vulnerability. The King is not in a palace; He is out where the dust and danger are. • Christ fulfilled this posture of lowliness: – John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” – Matthew 8:20 — “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” • The verse signals a Servant-King who does not insulate Himself from hardship but embraces it. Obedience in the Midst of Conflict • Psalm 110 describes a military campaign (vv. 1-6). Stopping to drink during battle seems risky, yet He does so because it is necessary to keep fighting. • Christ likewise obeyed necessities that looked small yet were strategic for God’s larger plan—praying in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39), resting by Jacob’s well (John 4:6), enduring the cross (Hebrews 12:2). • Each act shows submission to the Father’s timetable rather than self-preservation. “Therefore He will lift up His head”—From Lowliness to Exaltation • The sequence matters: first the stooping, then the lifting. • Philippians 2:8-9 echoes the pattern: “He humbled Himself… therefore God exalted Him.” • Lifting the head signals victory, renewed strength, and divine approval. • Resurrection and ascension fulfill the promise—Acts 2:32-36 connects Psalm 110 directly to Christ’s enthronement. New Testament Echoes • John 4:34 — “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.” The brook episode anticipates Christ finding sustenance in obedience. • Hebrews 5:8 — “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered.” The battlefield brook prefigures the school of suffering. • Revelation 5:5-6 — The Lion who is also a Lamb: exalted yet bearing marks of humility. Takeaways for Believers • The path upward still runs downward first—service before glory. • Small obediences—pausing to “drink from the brook” God provides—sustain us for larger battles. • Assurance: every act of humble submission has a “therefore” attached; God will lift the heads of those who follow Christ’s example (1 Peter 5:6). |
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