This Psalm was written by David (the title above it says “A Psalm of David”). In this Psalm David is clearly speaking prophetically of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel who is presently sitting at God’s right hand but who will one day return to this earth to rule as “the Son of David.”

Let’s take a good, close look at verse 1, “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’” (NKJV). In this Psalm David had received a revelation about a conversation between “God the Father” (the first Person who is called “LORD,” which means “Jehovah”) and the “Lord Jesus Christ” (the second Person who is also called “Lord,” though here the word simply means “master, ruler”).  God the Father is telling His Son, the One Who will one day be the “Ruler” over Israel and the entire world, that He must continue to sit at His right hand until His enemies become “His footstool” (a unique way of saying that His enemies would be “subdued under His feet,” as we see in Psalm 47:3, “He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet”).

How can we be sure that this is indeed a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ? We surely know, from many New Testament passages, that Jesus Christ is presently “sitting at the right hand of God.” In Mark 16:19 we read, “So then, after the Lord (Jesus) had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.” To this we could add many other verses, such as Luke 22:69; Acts 5:31; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:13; 8:1; 12:2 and 1st Peter 3:22. We also have verses that clearly speak of Christ waiting there until God decides to make His enemies His footstool. Hebrews 10:12-13 declare, “Buy this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.” And finally, there are verses which speak of Christ leaving God’s right hand and returning to earth to rule in power and glory. “Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said, Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). See also Matthew 24:30 and 25:31.

We also have a passage (that quotes Psalm 110:1) that proves behind a shadow of a doubt that David was referring to Jesus Christ. I’m referring to Acts 2:29-36 where the Apostle Peter is preaching to his fellow-Jews to persuade them that Jesus is their Messiah, whom God has glorified at His right hand until His enemies will be made His footstool. I will quote the whole passage and let the words speak for themselves:

“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being EXALTED TO THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but HE SAYS HIMSELF: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

I would also encourage you to read Matthew 22:41-46 where the Lord Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 to prove that David was speaking prophetically of the Messiah and that He would be both David’s “son” (a MAN born through his line) and his “Lord” (He would be GOD, the Divine Ruler over all men).  (362.3)  (DO)