Letter Answering Department Survey--Lord speaks to the Lord ...what is Matthew 22:44-45

SUBJECT: Psalm 110:1 and Matthew 22:24

QUESTIONS: Since YHVH is the Tetregramaton Which is the divine name of God. Which you state later became Jesus Christ. How can this be when a scripture says The LORD (YHVH) said to my Lord sit thou at my right hand until I make all thine enemies thy footstool? In other words, if the first “Lord” is Jesus Christ and the second “Lord” is Jesus Christ, how and why would Jesus Christ be talking to Himself?

ANSWER:

Let us look at the verse referred to:

Matthew 22:44-45

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

Now look at the commentary on this verse:

Matthew 22:44

[The Lord (Yahweh (OT:3068), Jehovah) said unto my Lord, (la-'Adoniy (OT:113), my prop, stay, master, support), Sit thou on my right hand] Take the place of the greatest eminence and authority. Till I make thine enemies thy footstool-till I subdue both Jews and Gentiles under thee, and cause them to acknowledge thee as their sovereign and Lord. This quotation is taken from Ps 110:1; and, from it, these two points are clear:

1. That David wrote it by the inspiration of God; and

2. That it is a prophetic declaration of the Messiah.

~from Adam Clarke's Commentary

Psalm 110:1-2

110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

Ps 110:1

3068 The LORD

5002 said

113 unto my Lord,

3427 Sit thou

3225 at my right hand,

5704 until

7896 I make

341 thine enemies

1916 thy footstool.

~Interlinear Transliterated Bible

OT:3068

Yehovah (yeh-ho-vaw'); from OT:1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:

KJV - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare OT:3050, OT:3069.

~Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary

OT:113

'adown (aw-done'); or (shortened) 'adon (aw-done'); from an unused root (meaning to rule); sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine):

KJV - lord, master, owner. Compare also names beginning with "Adoni-". ~Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary

Notice this verse from the Living Bible:

Psalms 110:1

110:1 Jehovah said to my Lord the Messiah, "Rule as my regent-I will subdue your enemies and make them bow low before you."

So it appears that Jehovah (the one who is to become Christ) is talking to the Messiah who is Jesus Christ. In actuality, it is God, the Father talking to Jesus Christ by way of the SPOKESMAN.

Remember the New Testament verse?

John 1:1-4

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Clearly this is speaking of Jesus Christ. The meaning of the "Word" here is "spokesman". Jesus Christ is the spokesman for God. If God, the Father has anything to say, He says it through Jesus Christ, both in the New Testament and the Old. This is true even when God, the Father is speaking about Jesus Christ.

Christ said no-one had ever seen God the Father, NOR HEARD HIS VOICE. Whenever SPEAKING was done, whether in saying "Let there be light," Or, "Let us make man in our image" it was the Divine WORD (Logos) who was doing the speaking. JHVH, or Jehovah, according to Bullinger, is the term used for God in covenant relationship with Israel: as "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," as distinct from such terms as 'EL,' 'EL SHADDAI,' 'ELOAH,' 'ELOHIM,' 'JAH' and 'I AM.' However, JEHOVAH (JHVH) also means GOD THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS (See Bullinger's AP. 4,II). Bullinger explains, "The Oracle (OR ORACULAR UTTERANCE) of Jehovah" which gives the answer. The One doing the speaking, always in the first person, as if God the Father said it Himself, is the Divine ORACLE, or SPOKESMAN. I have never believed, by the way, that the Old Testament does not reveal, or refer to, God the Father. This is very obvious from not only this scripture, but from Daniel 7:13, 14.

From early on in Genesis (eg. 1:26) it is obvious the Godhead consists of more than one. It remains for Christ Himself to make clear the relationship between Himself and His Father in heaven. Therefore, "The LORD (JEHOVAH) SAID (through the Divine SPOKESMAN, ORACLE, or WORD) unto my Lord (Adonai)..." etc. It would be as if I were speaking FOR my father to MYSELF. Thus: "My father says unto me, 'Sit thou on my right hand until..." etc.