BUT OF THE SON
HE SAYS: pros de
ton Huion:
But with reference to the Son He says (Wuest)
He says - added by the translators but it is warranted as it speaks
of the Father Who is describing His Son, the Messiah. Jews would have (or
should have) been familiar with these psalms the writer uses to create a
firm foundation for his premise that the non created, preexistent, eternal
Jesus is far superior to all finite, created beings such as angels.
Be aware that in some
cults purposely mistranslate Psalm 45:6-7 as "Thy divine
throne," because they dislike this strong affirmation inherent in the phrase
"Your throne O God" which clearly states that Jesus Christ is God. The words
of the writer of Proverbs 30 ring true...
Do not add to His words Lest He reprove
you, and you be proved a liar. (Pr 30:6)
But is
the Greek particle de which serves to connect one clause to
another, most frequently denoting transition to and serving to
introduce another topic in the present case drawing a striking contrast with
the angels. Such sound doctrine seems to have been greatly needed in
the first century church for in his letter to the saints at Colossae Paul
warned them...
Let no one keep defrauding
(present
imperative
with a negative implies they were already
being defrauded!) you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the
worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen,
inflated without cause by his fleshly mind (see note
Colossians 2:18)
As
MacDonald so beautifully phrases it...
Now follows a galaxy of glories in
which the Son is seen to be incomparable.
(MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
What are
some of the "stars" in this glorious galaxy? That Christ is God
is a clear statement of His deity and is substantiated by the Old Testament
quote from Psalm 45 (note that the writer uses at least one OT quote in
every chapter in Hebrews!). Furthermore, He is forever and ever which
speaks of His eternal sovereignty. Indeed, in one of my favorite hymns by
Isaac Watts we joyfully concur that...
Jesus Shall Reign
(play hymn and sing to Him, the
King)
Jesus shall reign
where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From north to south the princes meet,
To pay their homage at His feet.
There Persia, glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold;
And barb’rous nations at His word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.
To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.
People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.
Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.
Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.
Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!
Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.
The scepter well becomes His hands;
All Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.
With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.
As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall He send his influence down:
His grace on fainting souls distills,
Like heav’nly dew on thirsty hills.
The heathen lands, that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at His first dawning light;
And deserts blossom at the sight.
The saints shall flourish in His days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from His throne
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.
Indeed the
glorious kingdom of the King of kings shall “stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.” And all God's people shout "Praise
to Jehovah now and forevermore!"
Regarding this great
hymn by Isaac Watts, G J Stevenson records an interesting note...
Perhaps one of the most interesting
occasions on which this hymn was used was that on which King George, the
sable, of the South Sea Islands, but of blessed memory, gave a new
constitution to his people, exchanging a heathen for a
Christian form of government. Under the spreading branches of
the banyan trees sat some thousand natives from Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, on
Whitsunday, 1862, assembled for Divine worship. Foremost amongst them all
sat King George himself. Around him were seated old chiefs and warriors who
had shared with him the dangers and fortunes of many a battle—men whose eyes
were dim, and whose powerful frames were bowed down with the weight of
years. But old and young alike rejoiced together in the joys of that day,
their faces most of them radiant with Christian joy, love, and hope. It
would be impossible to describe the deep feeling manifested when the solemn
service began, by the entire audience singing Dr. Watts’ hymn…
Who so much as they could realize the full meaning of the poet’s words? For
they had been rescued from the darkness of heathenism and cannibalism
and they were that day met for the first time under a Christian
constitution, under a Christian king, and with Christ Himself reigning in
the hearts of most of those present. That was indeed Christ’s kingdom set up
in the earth. (Notes on the Methodist Hymn Book)
As
Pink
comments
"How sharp is the antithesis! How immeasurable the gulf
which separates between creature and Creator! The angels are but "spirits,"
the Son is "God." They are
but "ministers," His is the "throne." They are
but "a flame of fire," the executioners of judgment, He the One who commands
and commissions them."
As discussed below
this
verse provides us with one of the most emphatic, unequivocal proofs of the
Deity of Christ in the Scriptures because the Witness is no less that the
Father Himself testifying to the Godhead of the Messiah, Who was
despised and rejected by men.
Pink adds
"how
fittingly is this quotation from Psalm 45 introduced at the point it is in
Hebrews 1. In
verse 6 we are told that all the angels of
God have received command to "worship" the Mediator, now we are shown
the propriety of them so doing—He is "God!" They must render Divine honors
to Him because of His very nature. Thus we may admire, once more, the
perfect order of Scripture."
THY THRONE, O GOD IS FOREVER AND
EVER: Ho thronos sou ho theos eis ton aiona tou aionos: (Ps 45:6
45:7)
(Heb
3:3-note;
3:4-note
Isa 7:14;
45:21;45:22
45:25
Jer 23:6;
Hos 1:7;
Zec 13:9;
Mal 3:1;
Mt 1:23;
Lu 1:16
17;
Jn 10:30
33;
20:28;
Ro 9:5-note;
1Ti 3:16;
Titus 2:13-note
14-note;
1Jn 5:20)
(Ps 145:13;
Isa 9:7;
1Cor 15:25;
2Pe 1:11-note)
Jonathan
Edwards rightly reminds us that...
Earthly monarchies that ever have been,
those that have ruled over the bigger part of the known world, as
particularly the Grecian and Roman monarchies, they have come to an end, but
Christ's is an everlasting Kingdom, His throne is forever and ever.
ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME
by Edward Perronet
All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let
angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
This quotation is the
fifth in this chapter and again is from the
Septuagint (LXX)
translation of
Ps 45:6,7. This psalm was most likely a
marriage ode written to celebrate a royal wedding, but later came to be understood by
the Jewish rabbis as a Messianic hymn, being so classified because
verses 6-7 referred to David's throne as eternal (2 Sa 7:16).
Ps 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is
forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. 7
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Thy God,
has anointed Thee With the oil of joy above Thy fellows.
C H Spurgeon
(in Treasury of David) writes the following thoughts on Psalm 45...
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and
ever. To whom can this be spoken but our Lord? The psalmist cannot
restrain his adoration. His enlightened eye sees in the royal Husband of the
church, God, God to be adored, God reigning, God reigning everlastingly.
Blessed sight! Blind are the eyes that cannot see God in Christ Jesus! We
never appreciate the tender condescension of our King in becoming one flesh
with His church, and placing her at His right hand, until we have fully
rejoiced in His essential glory and deity.
What a mercy for us that our Saviour is
God, for who but a God could execute the work of salvation? What a glad
thing it is that He reigns on a throne which will never pass away, for we
need both sovereign grace and eternal love to secure our happiness. Could
Jesus cease to reign we should cease to be blessed, and were He not God, and
therefore eternal, this must be the case. No throne can endure for ever, but
that on which God Himself sitteth.
The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right
sceptre. He is the lawful monarch of all things that be. His rule is
founded in right, its law is right, its result is right. Our King is no
usurper and no oppressor. Even when He shall break His enemies with a rod of
iron, He will do no man wrong; His vengeance and His grace are both in
conformity with justice. Hence we trust Him without suspicion; He cannot
err; no affliction is too severe, for He sends it; no judgment too harsh,
for He ordains it. O blessed hands of Jesus! the reigning power is safe with
you. All the just rejoice in the government of the King Who reigns in
righteousness.
Ray Stedman
comments that
"The contrast between a royal personage and his
servant-companions is the point of the quotation. This
king is addressed
twice as God ("O God"
in this verse and "God, Your
God" in the next);
possesses a throne, a scepter and a kingdom; loves righteousness and hates
wickedness; has a special anointing of joy; and continues as king forever
and ever. No angel could claim these attributes. The cause of the
king's joy is traced to his love of righteousness and hatred of wickedness.
Here, by contrast, may be a hint of the moral defection of the host of
angels who fell with Satan. Angels could and did sin, but the Son's love of
righteousness kept him safe through the most severe temptations. Even those
unfallen angels who also, presumably, love righteousness do so on the basis
of choice, while the Son's love of righteousness is inherent in his very
nature. For this reason (therefore) God has set him above his companions."
Thy
throne O God is
translated by some cults as “Thy divine throne,” because they are attempting
to refute this strong affirmation by the Father ("O
God") that Jesus Christ is
God. The First Person of the Trinity spoke to the Second Person of the
Trinity and called Him God introducing unique and powerful evidence of the
deity of Jesus. It is notable that the assignment of Deity to Christ here
represents one of only a few places in the NT where Christ is directly
referred to as God. (cf
Jn 1:1,
20:28,
Ro 9:5-note)
A key point in the
writer's argument is the fact that in this verse Christ is explicitly
addressed as “God.” It is not just that the Son has a superior status
and more important functions in redeeming and ruling. He is a different
category of person. He is a different kind of being. No angel can be
addressed as “O God.” He can, because of His divine nature.
"Let him be crowned
with majesty
Who bowed His head to death,
And be His honours sounded high
By all things that have breath."
-CHS
Andrew Murray
writes...
Christ is God: to many Christians
this has been a dead article of faith, held fast and proved out of
Scripture, but without any living influence on the soul. To the true
believer it is one of the deepest and most precious truths for the
nourishment of the inner life.
Christ is God: the soul worships
Him as the Almighty One, able to do a divine work in the power of divine
omnipotence.
Christ is God: even as God works
in all nature from within, and in secret, so the soul trusts Christ as the
everywhere present and the Indwelling One, doing His saving work in the
hidden depths of its being.
Christ is God: in Him we come into
living contact with the person and life of God Himself The truth lies at the
foundation of our Epistle, and the Christian life it would build up:
Christ is God. (Andrew Murray. The Holiest of All)
Forever and ever
(aion) (literally unto the aeon of the aeon) is used
ten times (click
here for uses) and at least six uses refer specifically to the
enduring nature of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures
repeatedly affirm the endlessness of Christ’s kingdom.
Andrew Murray
writes that...
Christ is the King eternal. His dominion
is an everlasting dominion. The full meaning of the word eternal will become
clear to us later on. Eternal is that which each moment and always exists in
its full strength, immoveable, unchangeable. "We receive a kingdom that
cannot be moved," because our King is God, and His kingdom for ever and
ever. The rule of Christ our Priest-King, even now, in our souls, is in the
power of an endless, an imperishable life: the faith that receives this will
experience it. (Ibid)
Ps 145:13 Thy
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endures
throughout all generations.
Spurgeon comments that...
The point upon which the Psalmist's mind
rests is the eternity of the divine throne, -- "thy reign is a reign of all
eternities." The Lord's kingdom is without beginning, without break, without
bound, and without end. He never abdicates His throne, neither does He call
in a second to share His empire. None can overthrow His power, or break away
from His rule. Neither this age, nor the age to come, nor ages of ages shall
cause His sovereignty to fail. Herein is rest for faith. "The Lord sitteth
King for ever."
And Thy dominion endureth throughout
all generations. Men come and go like shadows on the wall, but God
reigneth eternally. We distinguish kings as they succeed each other by
calling them first and second; but this King is Jehovah (Jehovah/Jesus),
the First and the Last. Adam in his generation knew His Creator to be King,
and the last of his race shall know the same. All hail, Great God I Thou art
ever Lord of lords!
CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS
by Matthew Bridges
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon
His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity
Crown Him the virgin’s Son, the God
incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.
Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.
And so
Isaiah affirms that
the government will rest on (Messiah's)
shoulders; and His Name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase
of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his
kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then
on and forevermore" and if there was any doubt this would come to
pass Isaiah adds that "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."
(Isa 9:6
9:7)
Daniel speaks of the
endless duration of Messiah's dominion writing "
I
kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One
like a Son of Man (the Mess
iah) was coming, and He came up to
the Ancient of Days (God the Father) and was presented before Him.
And to Him (the Messiah) was given dominion, glory and a kingdom,
that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His
kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed." (Dan
7:13, 14) (See Dr Walvoord's notes on
Chapter 7 Daniel’s Vision Of Future World History)
(Or Dr Richison's notes
Daniel 7:13;
Daniel 7:14)
Luke records that the
Messiah...
will reign over the
house of Jacob
forever; and His kingdom will have no end. (Lu
1:33).
Even in the new earth John
describes...
the throne of God and
of the Lamb (see
note
Revelation 22:1)!
AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE
SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM: kai he rhabdos tes euthutetos kai he rhabdos tes
euthutetos rhabdos tes basileias sous:
(2Sa 23:3;
Ps 72:1-4;72:7
72:11-14
99:4;
Isa 9:7;
32:1
32:2;
Jer 23:5;
