THOU HAST LOVED  RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS: egaphesas (2SAAI) dikaiosunen kai emisesas (2SAAI) anomian: (Heb 7:26; Ps 11:5; 33:5; 37:28; 40:8; 45:7; Isa 61:8) (Ps 119:104; 128 Pr 8:13; Amos 5:15; Zech 8:17; Ro 12:9; Rev 2:6, 2:7, 2:15)

The writer is quoting from Psalm 45:7

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...

Phillips outlines these verses as follows...

1. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF CHRIST
"thy throne"

2. THE DEITY OF CHRIST
"O God"

3. THE DYNASTY OF CHRIST
"for ever and ever"

4. THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST
"the sceptre"

5. THE INTEGRITY OF CHRIST
"righteousness"

6. THE SPIRITUALITY OF CHRIST
"God . . . hath anointed"

7. THE VIVACITY OF CHRIST
"the oil of gladness"

-- Phillips Sermon Outlines

Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before Thee.

Spurgeon writes:

They are the basis of the divine government, the sphere within which His sovereignty moves. God as a sovereign is never unjust or unwise. He is too holy to be unrighteous, too wise to be mistaken; this is constant matter for joy to the upright in heart.

Hast loved...and hated - note the past tense here,  the Father commending His Son for the moral perfection He had manifested upon earth in the days of His humiliation. But these attitudes remain true of Him still, for He changeth not.

The writer of Hebrews again alludes to Jesus' love of righteousness and hatred for sin writing (of Jesus) that...

it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens (see note Hebrews 7:26)

Andrew Murray writes...

Christ is a righteous King: He is Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness. In His kingdom all is righteousness and holiness. There "grace reigns through righteousness." It is the kingdom of heaven: in it the will of God is done on earth as in heaven. And when it is farther said, Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, we are reminded that the righteousness is not only His as a divine attribute, but His too as the fruit of His life on earth. There He was tested, and tried, and perfected, and found worthy as man to sit upon the throne of God. The throne which belonged to Him, as Son of God and heir of all things, He had as Son of Man to win. And now He reigns over His people, teaching them by His own example, enabling them by His own Spirit to fulfil all righteousness. As the King of Righteousness He rules over a righteous people. (Ibid)

Loved (25) (agapao [word study] - see related study of noun agape) means to love unconditionally and sacrificially and by its verbal nature calls for action. This quality of love is not so much an emotion as it is an action initiated by a volitional choice. Agapao expresses the purest, noblest form of love, not motivated by superficial appearance, emotional attraction, or sentimental relationship. It pictures a love awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it and thus this love springs from an apprehension of the preciousness of the object. It is the love of esteem and approbation.

Jonathan Edwards writes that love of righteousness in this context...

refers to that unparalleled instance of the love of moral Rectitude which Christ has given in becoming a Sacrifice for sins by his atonement doing more than ever hath been done, by any rational agent towards displaying his love of Righteousness and Hatred of Iniquity.

Righteousness (1343) (dikaiosune from dikaios [word study] = just, righteous = root idea of conforming to a standard or norm) is derived from a root word that means “straightness.” It refers to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard or norm and so is in keeping with what God is in His holy character.

Righteousness is a moral concept. God’s character is righteous (see notes on this attribute) and as such is the definition and source of all righteousness. Thus God is totally righteous because He is totally as He should be. The righteousness of human beings is defined in terms of God’s perfect standard of righteousness. Righteousness in Biblical terms describes the righteousness acceptable to God and thus which is in keeping with what God is in His holy character. Rightness (a way of expressing the idea of righteousness) means to be as something or someone should be. In short, the righteousness of God is all that God is, all that He commands, all that He demands, all that He approves and all that He provides (through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the perfectly Righteous One).

In the OT God's character is described as righteous. The Mesopotamian term comes from a river reed which was used as a construction tool to judge the horizontal straightness of walls and fences. God uses this term to be used metaphorically of His own nature. He is the straight edge (ruler) by which all things are evaluated. This concept asserts God's righteousness as well as His right to judge.

Rightness describes right as opposed to wrong, good as opposed to evil, sinless as opposed to sinful. Righteousness is the opposite of "lawlessness" here (and also in 2Cor 6:14)

Righteousness is being right and doing what is right,  based upon the unerring standard as the revealed will of God. From that standard the incarnate Son never deviated because He truly loved righteousness. The psalmist writes...

He loves righteousness and justice.
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD. (Psalms 33:5)

Spurgeon Comments on Jesus' love of righteousness

The theory and practice of right He intensely loves. He doth not only approve the true and the just, but His inmost soul delights therein. The character of God is a sea, every drop of which should become a wellhead of praise for His people. The righteousness of Jesus is peculiarly dear to the Father, and for its sake He takes pleasure in those to whom it is imputed.

Sin, on the other hand, is infinitely abhorrent to the Lord, and woe unto those who die in it; if He sees no righteousness in them, He will deal righteously with them, and judgment stern and final will be the result.

Pink writes that...

The same Lord Jesus that loved with boundless consuming love also hated with terrible consuming fire and will continue to do so while the ages roll. The goodness of God requires that God cannot love sin. (Attributes of God)

Lawlessness (458) (anomia) signifies everything that is contrary to the will and law of God.

Lawlessness is living as though your own ideas are superior to God's.

Lawlessness says, "God may demand it but I don't prefer it."

Lawlessness says, "God may promise it but I don't want it."

Lawlessness replaces God's law with my contrary desires. I become a law to myself.

Lawlessness is rebellion against the right of God to make laws and govern His creatures. All these things the Son hated in the days of His flesh (and still hates).

Jesus not only acted in righteousness (His conduct) but He also loved righteousness (His character). Because Christ loved (loves) righteousness, He hated (hates) lawlessness.  Is this basic spiritual dynamic true in your life? Is it not true that where there is true love for God, there is abhorrence of sin? Yes, believers still sin, but we hate it as it is a direct affront to the grace and mercy of our loving Master and King. When we love God’s right standards (all of His standards are right!), we will hate lawlessness in every shape, form or fashion. We will be like the men described in Ezekiel who

sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed (Ezekiel 9:4)

But let us read the full passage in Ezekiel 9:4 (the context being the imminent and final destruction of the Temple and the Holy City of Zion or Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586BC, his third and final attack on the city)

And the LORD said to him (Ezekiel), "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark (literally in Hebrew = taw) on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."

Comment: Taw (or Tav) is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, written at that time like a cross and in context marking those persons who would be spared. The Septuagint translates Taw with the Greek word semeion which means sign by which the character and truth of any person or thing is known. In ancient Mesopotamia, a cross-shaped mark on the forehead was called ishpalurtum in Akkadian, written sometimes with the Sumerian logograph BAR which looks exactly like the older forms of the taw. A somewhat similar procedure is described also in Gen 4:15, although a different Hebrew word is used there and the forehead is not mentioned. Since God’s departure (and Shekinah - see studies - Glory of God: Past, Present and Future; The Glory of God) from the Holy of holies removed all protection and gave the people over to destruction, it was necessary for the angelic scribe to mark for God’s preservation of  the righteous who had been faithful to Him. Those left unmarked were subject to death in Babylon’s siege (Ezekiel 9:5). Here was a respite of grace for the remnant. The rest were to be killed (Ezekiel 9:5-7).

Righteousness and lawlessness are like oil and water! Don't think you can mix them! Dear believer don't think you can practice lawlessness and then expect righteousness to emanate from you because you have a quiet time each morning! You can mark it down -- Oil and water do not mix beloved! There is a secular saying that "opposites attract" but not in the spiritual sphere! A love of righteousness cannot exist without a hatred of lawlessness. Don't be deceived by saying or hearing others say say, “I love righteousness, but I also like sin.” These two entities are as far apart as are the two poles of a magnet and when there is true love for God, there will be a true love of righteousness and true hatred of sin. And so the writer of Hebrews says that our Lord hated sin just as surely as He loved righteousness.

Recall His entry into the Temple at the time of the first Passover in John chapter 2...

13 And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated.
15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables;
16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise."
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR THY HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."

And as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (see note 2 Peter 3:18), we too will find that that the joy of fellowship with Him (see note Philippians 3:10) and progressive conformation to His image (see note Romans 8:29), will bring forth an increasing love of the things He loves (righteousness) and the hatred of the things He hates (lawlessness). You can mark it down - By one's attitude toward righteousness on one hand and sin on the other, believers can tell how close they are walking with the Lord. It is good for us all to do a David like (man after God's own heart) inventory from time to time pleading with our Perfect Father...

Search (command in Hebrew and LXX! David came boldly to the throne of grace! cp note Hebrews 4:16) me, O God, and know (command) my heart; Try (command) me and know (command) my anxious thoughts and see  (command) if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead  (command) me in the everlasting way. (Spurgeon on v23 on v24)

THEREFORE GOD THY GOD HATH ANOINTED THEE: dia touto echrisen (3SAAI) se o theos o theos sou: (Ps 89:26; Jn 20:17; 2Cor 11:31; Eph 1:3; 1Pe 1:3) (Ps 2:2 Ps 2:6; 89:20; Isa 61:1; Lk 4:18; Jn 1:41; 3:34; Acts 4:27; 10:38)

for this reason God, your God anointed You with [the] oil of great happiness above Your companions. (Analyzed Literal)

therefore God, your God, has anointed you  (Philips)

That is why I your God have chosen you (UBS)

Why therefore (dia touto)? Because He loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

Andrew Murray comments...

Therefore, because He loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God anointed Him. When He ascended to heaven, and sat down on the right hand of the throne, He received from the Father anew and in fullest measure, as the Son of Man, the gift of the Holy Ghost to bestow on His people (Acts 2:33). That Spirit was to Him the oil of joy, the joy that had been set before him, the joy of His crowning day when He saw of the travail of His soul. An anointing above His fellows (but see MacArthur), for there was none like Him; God gave Him the Spirit without measure. And yet for His fellows, His redeemed, whom, as Head, He had made members of His body. They become, partakers of His anointing and His joy. As He said,

"The Lord hath anointed Me to give the oil of joy."

Christ, our King, our God, is anointed with the oil of joy, anointed, too, to give the oil of joy: His kingdom is one of everlasting gladness, of joy unspeakable and full of glory.

O ye souls, redeemed by Christ, behold your God! the Son in whom the Father speaks. Let this be the chief thing you live for--to know, to honour, to serve your God and King. This is the Son in whom God speaks to you in all the divine mystery, but also in all the divine power and blessing, which marks all God's speaking. Let our hearts open wide to receive the King God hath given us.

And as often as we are tempted with the Hebrews to sloth or fear or unbelief, let this be our watchword and our strength:

My Redeemer is God! In this faith let me worship Him.

My Redeemer is God! let my whole heart be opened to Him, to receive, as a flower does the light of the sun, His secret, mighty, divine working in me.

My Redeemer is God! let me trust this omnipotent Lord to work out in me His every promise, and to set up His throne of righteousness in my soul in a power that is above all we ask or think.

 My Redeemer is God! let me wait for Him, let me count upon Him, to reveal Himself in the love that passeth knowledge. Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: My Redeemer is God!

1. Who is God? And what is God to us? "He in whom me live and move end have our being." He is the life of the universe. And how wonderfully perfect all that life is in nature. When we know this God as our Redeemer, "in whom we live and move and have our being" in a higher sense, what an assurance that He will make His new life in us as wonderful and perfect.

2. "Thou heat loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore." . . This was His way to the throne; this is the only way for us, living and doing right, and hating everything that is sin. (Andrew Murray. The Holiest of All)

If the first God in the text is an address, Christ is again addressed as divine. Thus Jerome, Augustine, and others translate Psalm 45:7...

O God (referring to the Son), Thy God (referring to the Father), hath anointed thee.

Anointed (5548) (chrio) means literally to daub, smear, anoint with oil or ointment, to rub oneself with oil. The figurative use means to consecrate or set apart for sacred work. It means to assign a person to a task, and in the present context conveys the implication of supernatural sanctions.

Christ is the Greek word Christos (Anointed = Greek equivalent of Hebrew word transliterated Messiah) which is derived from this verb chrío., first used in the NT in Luke 4:18 (see below)

We see the NT "definition" of the OT term Messiah in John's gospel...

He (Andrew) found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ).  (Jn 1:41)

Kenneth Wuest writes that

Kings were anointed in Israel with oil when they ascended the throne. Our Lord was anointed with the Holy Spirit for His three-fold office of prophet, high priest, and king, at His baptism in the Jordan, which was at the time of His entrance into His ministry."  Christ has been anointed rather than appointed and this anointing is that of the victorious one ruling eternally. Recall that the title Messiah (Christ) means “anointed one"

In the clearly Messianic Psalm 2 the writer records...

The kings of the earth take their stand, And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed: (Ps 2:2)

In Psalm 89 we read of David's anointing which pictured the anoint of the greater David...

I have found David My servant; With My holy oil I have anointed him (Ps 89:20)

Spurgeon comments:

By the hand of Samuel, David was anointed to be king long before he ascended the throne. The verse must also be expounded of the Prince Emmanuel; He became the servant of the Lord for our sakes, the Father having found for us in His person a mighty Deliverer, therefore upon Him rested the Spirit without measure, to qualify Him for all the offices of love to which He was set apart. We have not a Saviour self appointed and unqualified, but one sent of God and divinely endowed for his work. Our Saviour Jesus is also the Lord's Christ, or anointed. The oil with which He is anointed is God's own oil, and holy oil; He is divinely endowed with the Spirit of holiness.

Jesus applied Isaiah 61:1-2 to Himself in Nazareth (see Luke 4:16-21) at the beginning of his ministry, reading in the synagogue on the Sabbath.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, (notice below that Jesus stopped in the middle of the verse - the first part was fulfilled in His First Coming and the last part - the "day of vengeance" - will one day be fulfilled at His Second Coming in glory to judge and wage war) and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Luke records...

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,
18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN,
19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
20 And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:16-21)

Peter told Cornelius that

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Spurgeon comments that...

Jesus is the anointed king, and though we share in the anointing yet is He far above us. Christ is infinitely greater than Christians. We are right glad to have it so.

John MacArthur feels that

Jesus was officially anointed as king when He went to heaven after His resurrection. At that time the Father exalted Him and gave Him a name above every name (see notes Ephesians 1:20; 21; 22). He assumed His kingship at His ascension. Although He has not yet brought all of His kingdom together, someday soon He will. Jesus’ nature (that is, His deity), like His title and His being worshiped, show His superiority to angels. (MacArthur, John: Hebrews. Moody Press or Logos)

A GOODLY THEME IS MINE
Thy throne is ever sure,
Establishèd of God;
Its scepter is of righteousness,
Of equity its rod.
Thou lovest perfect right,
Hatest iniquity;
Therefore with oil of festive joy
The Lord anointed Thee.
                     Play Hymn

WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE THY COMPANIONS: elaion agalliaseôs para tous metochous sou: (Ro 15:13; Gal 5:22) (Heb 2:11; 1Cor 1:9; 1Jn 1:3)

more than your companions (Phillips)
with the oil of exultant joy above your associates (Wuest)
above thy partners (YLT)
above thy fellows (KJV)

Anointing with oil is associated with happiness in the OT, Isaiah referring to

the oil of gladness instead of mourning (Isa 61:3)

Guests were anointed at feasts, where oil was used as an emblem of the highest honors.

Jamieson feels that...

The anointing here meant is not that at His baptism, when He solemnly entered on His ministry for us; but that with the "oil of gladness," or "exulting joy" (which denotes a triumph, and follows as the consequence of His manifested love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity), wherewith, after His triumphant completion of His work, He has been anointed by the Father above His fellows (not only above us, His fellow men, the adopted members of God's family. whom "He is not ashamed to call His brethren," but above the angels, fellow partakers in part with Him, though infinitely His inferiors, in the glories, holiness, and joys of heaven; "sons of God," and angel "messengers," though subordinate to the divine Angel -- "Messenger of the covenant").

F B Meyer writes of the oil of gladness that...

Here is the secret of perennial joy. So far as we enter into Christ's spirit, we shall share in His joy, a joy such as our fellows cannot know. (Gems From the Psalms)

Along the same line David writes that God

dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. (Ps 23:5-note)

Spurgeon comments:

May we live in the daily enjoyment of this blessing, receiving a fresh anointing for every day's duties. Every Christian is a priest, but he cannot execute the priestly office without unction, and hence we must go day by day to God the Holy Ghost, that we may have our heads anointed with oil. A priest without oil misses the chief qualification for his office, and the Christian priest lacks his chief fitness for service when he is devoid of new grace from on high.

In the East the people frequently anoint their visitors with some very fragrant perfume; and give them a cup or glass of some choice wine, which they are careful to fill till it runs over. The first was designed to show their love and respect; the latter to imply that while they remained there, they should have an abundance of everything. To something of this kind the psalmist probably alludes in this passage. Samuel Burder

Anointing the head with oil is a great refreshment. There are three qualities of oil -- laevor, nitor, odor, a smoothness to the touch, brightness to the sight, fragrancy to the smell, and so, gratifying the senses, it must needs cause delight to those anointed with it. To this Solomon alludes when persuading to a cheerful life, he saith, "Let thy head lack no ointment." How fully doth this represent the Spirit's unction which alone rejoices and exhilarates the soul! It is called the "oil of gladness", and the "joy of the Holy Ghost." Nathanael Hardy

It is an act of great respect to pour perfumed oil on the head of a distinguished guest; the woman in the gospel thus manifested her respect for the Saviour by pouring "precious ointment" on his head. An English lady went on board an Arabian ship which touched at Trincomalee, for the purpose of seeing the equipment of the vessel, and to make some little purchases. After she had been seated some time in the cabin, an Arabian female came and poured perfumed oil on her head. Joseph Roberts.

In the East no entertainment could be without this, and it served, as elsewhere a bath does, for (bodily) refreshment. Here, however, it is naturally to be understood of the spiritual oil of gladness. T. C. Barth.

Thou hast not confined thy bounty merely to the necessaries of life, but thou hast supplied me also with its luxuries. In "A plain Explanation of Difficult Passages in the Psalms", 1831.

The unguents of Egypt may preserve our bodies from corruption, ensuring them a long duration in the dreary shades of the sepulchre, but, O Lord, the precious perfumed oil of thy grace which thou dost mysteriously pour upon our souls, purifies them, adorns them, strengthens them, sows in them the germs of immortality, and thus it not only secures them from a transitory corruption, but uplifts them from this house of bondage into eternal blessedness in thy bosom. Jean Baptiste Massillon, 1663-1742.

Above Thy companions - This is the key phrase regarding the superiority of Jesus. The question one must address is "Who are the 'companions'"? Are they men or angels? To be sure, Jesus is over both groups but recall that context is the key to accurate interpretation. Who has the writer been discussing in Hebrews 1:4-14? Clearly the context the favors companions as a reference to the angels. Otherwise we would have to accuse the writer of taking a brief "rabbit trail" stating that Jesus is superior to men.

MacArthur writes that

Some commentators believe companions refers to men. But angels, not men, are being discussed in the passage. The Greek word simply connotes an association, nothing more. The point being made here is that Jesus Christ is greater than angels, who are His associates, His heavenly companions. But they are only messengers of God. Christ, too, is a messenger of God, but much more than a messenger and therefore much greater than they. He is exalted, anointed, above all others. (MacArthur, John: Hebrews. Moody Press or Logos)

Companions (3353) (metochos [word study] from metecho = have with, describing participation with another in common blessings) describes one who shares with someone else as an associate in an enterprise or undertaking. It speaks of one who is a co-participant, companion or sharer with someone else in a common undertaking - a business partner, a companion, an accomplice, a comrade.

Metochos - 6x in 6v - Luke 5:7; Heb 1:9; He 3:1, 14, 6:4, 12:8-see notes Heb 3:1, 3:14 ; 6:4 ; 12:8 NAS =  companions(1), partakers(4), partners(1).

Metochos was used in classical Greek to refer to a wife, a business partner, a member of a board of officials, and a joint owner of a house. (Liddell and Scott) In Koiné Greek usage outside the New Testament, the word metochos was commonly used in the sense of a “sharer” or “partner.” It was used of the “associate collectors of public clothing for the guards,” of payment “to Sotas and associates, collector of money-taxes,” of “colleagues,” and a “joint-owner of a holding whose price is under discussion.” (Moulton and Milligan).

It is notable that metochos is used other several times in Hebrews (

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F B Meyer has the following devotional thoughts on Psalm 45 that relate to this section of Hebrews...

The inscription of this exquisite Psalm, To the chief musician, indicates that it was intended to be employed in God's service. Therefore, though it was probably suggested by Solomon's marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh, we must pass beyond the mere outward interpretation to consider these glowing words in their relation to Christ and his Church. The Psalm is distinctly applied to Him (Heb 1:8). The union between Him and his people is often described in such imagery (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23). Let us pray for the time when the universe shall ring with this marriage-ode: when the hour of the marriage of the Lamb shall have come and heathen nations partake the joy (Rev. 19:7).  (Gems From the Psalms)

(Meyer in Our Daily Walk writes) IT IS difficult to decide the occasion of this Psalm, which was written to celebrate a royal marriage. But there is much which goes far beyond the immediate circumstances out of which it sprang. We recognize its prophetic character, as well as its historic basis, and that it points onward to Christ the King. It is so quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9, and we may therefore certainly appropriate the Psalm as directly addressed to our Lord, who is our rightful King.

Christ's claim rests on these grounds: The Righteousness of His Rule. His sceptre is not a rod of iron, but of "uprightness." Our King loves righteousness and hates wickedness. Therefore His throne stands firm, and He claims the allegiance of all pure and upright souls. Would that all rulers and leaders realized that right makes might!

Psalm 102 is a psalm of an individual lamenting the victory of his enemies. The psalmist was overwhelmed by his enemies (Ps 102:1-11), but then he finds consolation in the fact that the Lord will not abandon those who love Him but will deliver them (Ps 102:12-22 ). The universe, seemingly so permanent and established, will be rolled up, changed, and replaced by new heavens and a new earth. The writer to the Hebrews quoted Psalm 102:25-27 to show that the Son is eternal and is Lord over the created order

Steven Cole explains that...

This sixth quotation is taken from Psalm 102:25-27, which begins, “A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.” The psalmist has gone through some difficult trials, which he describes in strong poetic language in the first part of the psalm. He feels as if he is about to be taken away in the midst of his days. But in his weakness and desperation, he considers the eternality, power, and unchangeableness of the Lord as Creator. He says that even though heaven and earth will perish, God remains. Like a man throws away old clothes, God will throw away the universe, but He remains the same, and His years will never come to an end.

The remarkable thing about the quote is that in the psalm, these verses clearly describe Almighty God, and yet the author of Hebrews applies them directly to Jesus. Oscar Cullman observed,

“We should generally give much more consideration to the by no means self-evident fact that after the death of Jesus the first Christians without hesitation transferred to him what the Old Testament says about God” (in P. Hughes, p. 68).

To this Jewish church, these words were not just a theological statement about Jesus’ superiority to the angels. They were also meant to be a source of great comfort in the midst of trials. The same eternal Creator who sustained the psalmist in the midst of his calamity would sustain them in the midst of their troubles. And that eternal Creator is none other than their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8note). Even if you are taken away in the midst of your days, you have a lasting refuge in the eternal, unchanging Lord Jesus Christ! (Hebrews 1:4-14 The Son's Superiority over Angels)

In the beginning - What does this time phrase indicate? Clearly one must conclude that if Jesus was present in the beginning of creation, then He is better than the creation including the angels. In other words, Jesus was was preexistent before they even came into existence.

John records the same truth this way...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (Ed: Including angels). (John 1:1-3)

Thou...didst lay the foundation of the earth clearly refers to God's creative power as described in (Proverbs 8:29)

When He set for the sea its boundary so that the water would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

Similarly in Isaiah declares that the LORD

"created the heavens and stretched them out" and "spread out the earth and its offspring" and "gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it." (Isa 42:5).

Again in Isaiah God declares

surely My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand together. (Isa 48:13).

Jeremiah acknowledges the  Lord God's role in creation declaring

Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You. (Jer 32:17).

Zechariah says it is God Who

stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. (Zec 12:1)

Lay the foundation (2311) (themelioo from themélios = foundational, fundamental, describing that which lies beneath, foundation [stone], base and reference is always to something secure and permanent in itself)  means to lay a foundation or provide with a foundation and so to place on a firm, secure foundation. The radical notion of themelioo is to ground something securely. Figuratively, it refers to providing a firm basis for belief or practice establish, strengthen, settle (place so as to stay, establish or secure permanently), cause to be firm and unwavering.

AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF THY HANDS: kai erga ton cheiron sou eisin (3PPAI) oi ouranoi:: (Dt 4:19; Ps 8:3;8:4, 19:1; Isa 64:8)

Note that the writer again quotes almost word for word from the Septuagint (see above).

David is overwhelmed by God's creative power writing

" When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained. What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?" (Ps 8:3;8:4) 

Contrasting the superiority of Jesus with Moses, the author makes a similar appeal to Jesus' creative power arguing that He