Hebrews 1:7-9

November 1, 2005 at 11:13 am (Hebrews)

Hebrews 1:7-9
“Of the angels he says, ‘he makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.’ But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’”

Our passage today continues the proof of Jesus’ superiority sparked by verse 4 (“having become superior to the angels”). We learn today the difference between the angels and Jesus. The point of verse 7 is not to get caught up with the images of “fire” and “wind.” That is not the reason why Paul quotes this passage. The reason Paul quotes this passage ( Psalm 104:4) is that the angels are described as ministers. Therefore, the contrast with verses 8-9 could not be more dramatic. The angels are ministers, but the Son is God.

Verse 8 is quite remarkable. Notice the beginning of the verse: “of the Son he says.” The “he” here is God the Father. God the Father therefore addresses Jesus as “God.” In the quotation itself, of course, it is the Psalmist who addresses Jesus as “God.” But the beginning of verse 8 indicates that God also speaks it. The angels are only ministers, but the Son is the King. That is why the Psalm talks about the scepter. Paul makes a point about saying that it is the righteous scepter that is the scepter of the kingdom. That is because Paul is talking about Jesus being our great high priest. In order for that to happen, Christ needs to be perfect and upright. That is why Paul reverses the original quotation (which is from Psalm 45:6-7). The original quotation says “the scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of uprightness.” Paul is emphasizing the perfect righteousness of Jesus by changing the quotation ever so slightly.

Verse 9 tells us that Jesus has been anointed as high priest. This is because Jesus was upright and perfect. Because Jesus fulfilled ALL the law’s demands, God the Father has highly exalted Him.

Notice that Jesus addresses the Father as God here. In the same passage, then, we see that God addresses the Son as God, and the Son addresses the Father as God. They are both God, and yet there is only one God.

The phrase “oil of gladness” means that Jesus’ high-priesthood is cause for great rejoicing. Our sins are taken away. There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The word “rejoicing” is a strong word. It could be translated “the oil of exulting.” The background for this is, of course, the anointing of the Old Testament high priest, which happened with oil. This was a solemn but glad occasion in the life of Israel. But now, we have the great High Priest Jesus who has offered the greatest sacrifice of all: Himself. That is why God has exalted Jesus to a position “beyond your companions.” These companions are angels, most likely, but also us. Jesus is beyond them all. Let us then be thankful that we have such a high priest.

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