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Archive for the ‘Hebrews’ Category

Greetings! Continuing with our study in Hebrews we come to Heb 1:10-12 which quotes Psa 102:25-27.

 Heb 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.

First things first! And… the very first thing we encounter in Heb 1:10-12 is the all important “And.”

Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands

And Remember how Heb 1:8,9 began with the phrase, “But unto the Son He saith?” That phrase meant the Father was saying Heb 1:8,9 to the Son (as a Holy Spirit given unction). The word ”And” here is the Greek word “kai” (in the cumulative sense), so  Heb 1:8,9 and Heb 10-12 must be looked at as carrying through a very close train of thought. Thus, Heb 1:10-12 is also said to the Son by the Father.

So, Heb 1:10-12 should be understood as reading:

(But unto the Son He saith), Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.

In this case, we also want to especially note the last thing mentioned in Heb 1:9, which is the Oil of Gladness. Read the rest of this entry »

This is part two of the section on Heb 1:8,9 which quotes from Psa 45:6-7. For Heb 1:8, please see Heb 1:8 Jesus is God.

Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the Oil of Gladness above thy fellows.

Thou hast loved righteousness The Gk. word for “loved” used here is “agapao.”

G25. agapao, ag-ap-ah’-o; perhaps from agan (much); to love (in a social or moral sense):–(be-) love (-ed). Compare G5368. (“…the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety… being chiefly of the heart.” – From G5368’s note on G25.)

In brief, agapao, is a decision made in one’s heart to hold something in a “regard of  love.” One also might call it a “place” one sets aside in one’s “heart.” This is the “regard” and not the “expression” of love. The “expression” of love is the Gk. word ”agape.” (For more on ”agapao/agape,” please see Understanding Agapao/Agape Love).

“Thou hast loved righteousness” means that God loves righteousness and holds in a special regard in His heart. The Gk. word used here for “righteousness” is “dikaiosune,” which means “to have equity in one’s character or deeds.” 

G1343. dikaiosune, dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay; from G1342; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification: — righteousness.

The idea of equity of character or deed follows the principle of God being sovereignly pure and good. This belief should cause all to, not only believe in God, but also to trust in Him. This entails believing His Words and instructions, provided one can verify they are, indeed, God’s. This emphasizes the importance, again, of knowing God’s Word for oneself, for that is the only way to identify God short of His standing right in front of you: He does not contradict Himself. Read the rest of this entry »

In Heb 1:8-9, the book of Hebrews turns from pointing to scriptures that say Jesus is superior to angels, to those that point to Jesus as God. Again, because these verses point to Psa 45:6-7, we look at the whole of Psa 45 to bring things into context. We’ve just done that in our post, Psa 45 A Wedding For Jesus.

Heb 1:8-9 But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.

Most of Heb 1:8,9 is a Key Phrase quoted from Psa 45:6-7.

Psa 45:6-7 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.

Key Phrases are used by the Holy Spirit to trigger more information than readily appears to the eye. Consider a forty year old man sitting with a friend he’s known all his life. In referring to past events, only key phrases are necessary to trigger memories they’ve both shared in the past. A person sitting next to them without that history would not be able to understand the references they make, because they don’t share the memories the two men share.

So it is with the Bible. It’s been written through the contribution of many writers, but the Holy Spirit has overseen the entire juncture to insure the cohesiveness of all of it. If someone knows God’s Word, then Key Phrases work to tie things together, and reveal more than reads evidently at first glance. Read the rest of this entry »

Psalm 45

Hi. This post has been a long time coming. I apologize for the delay, but basically, the entire Psalm is here (no more part one, part two). I know this post is rather lengthy, but it’s full of juice and I hope you’ll take the time to take it in.

Thank you all so much for your patience and for continuing to come back to read what we have to offer in Jesus Name.

Psa 45:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim This could be also be interpreted, To the chief Musician on behalf of the lilies, a poetic song for the Musician. Lilies aren’t mentioned much in the Bible, but where they are is notable, because they all set around Solomon in one way or another. For example, lilies are mentioned in the Song of Solomon (understood by many as a parable/prophecy of the loving, intimate relationship between Christ and His church). Lilies are also featured outside Solomon’s Temple in the artistic brim work around the top of the Bronze Laver (used for ceremonial washing of the hands and feet 2 Chr 3:17-4:5), and on the caps of the two pillars, known as Jachin and Boaz (which sit on the front porch before the great entrance 1 Ki 7:18-22).

Lastly, in the parable of the lilies of the field (Mat 6:28-29, Lk 12:27-28), Jesus uses lilies as an example in a parable on how to live a right life before God. More on lilies, later.

sons of Korah These were Levites David placed in the tent of the tabernacle to minister in praise and worship songs before the dwelling place (God’s presence) (1 Chron 6:22-32). The sons of Korah are known for many psalms, some containing prophecy. They were assigned this duty until Solomon built the temple, after which they returned to their Levitical duties.

Maschil This means this is a song or a poem one must sit and contemplate over.

A Song of loves The word loves is in the plural form, representing a song of more than one love.

Psa 45:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

My heart is inditing a good matter The psalmist’s heart is gushing forth like a mighty river about a great thing.

I speak of the things which I have made touching the King I believe the LXX (Septuagint or Greek version) is more appropriate here. It says: It is I that address my works to the King.

my tongue is the pen of a ready writer The psalmist is prepared and willing to speak.

Psa 45:2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.

Thou art fairer than the children of men The prophet Isaiah speaks in Isa 33:17 of seeing the King in His beauty, but later tells us in Isa 53:2 of the Messiah growing up – His appearance not being a thing of beauty we would outright desire. In other words, that which the world esteems to be outer beauty cannot compare to the greater beauty found within the Spirit of God. Some may argue, “Oh no! The Lord was beautiful! Just look at all the paintings!” Well, there is no known authentic painting painted of Jesus that was actually created while He was alive or by someone who knew Him.

If Jesus’ appearance was simply that of a common man,
would He be any less beautiful?

Isa 52:13-15 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred (distorted) more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Coming up in Psa 45:6, this King will be identified as God. My point being the King is not of the “children of men,” but is a “child of God.” In fact, He is the only begotten Son of God (2 Sam 7:14 ). Read the rest of this entry »

So far, Hebrews 1:1-6 has been devoted to proving through the scriptures how Jesus Christ is higher than the angels. We now come to Heb 1:7 which quotes Psalm 104:4. Keep in mind the concept of Key Words and phrases. No matter how brief the quote, it’s always important to look it up and keep things in context. In this case Psalms 104 is important because it’s entirely devoted to praising the glorious works of God! Since it’s already been established that Jesus Christ is the one who created all things (Heb 1:2-3; Jn 1:1-3; Eph 3:9; Col 1:15-19; Heb 11:3), the whole of Psalms 104 is a celebration of all that Jesus has done! So, to anyone knowing that truth of proper doctrine, what seems like a minor reference is actually huge, because of all that Psalms 104 has to say and it says a lot!

When you compare the two, it’s very easy to see Heb 1:7 quotes Psa 104:4.

Heb 1:7 And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.

Psa 104:4 Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire.

So, let’s keep that in mind and return to breaking down Heb 1:7.

Heb 1:7 And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.

And of the angels He saith Looking back at Heb 1:5-6 we see these verses all indicate “He saith,” means, “the Father saith.” 

Who maketh “Who” here is Jesus. Again, Jesus created everything (Heb 1:2-3; Jn 1:1-3; Eph 3:9; Col 1:15-19; Heb 11:3) and Psalms 104 is all about the the creations Jesus has made. The Gk. word for “maketh” is “poieo,” which means to appoint, design, or to bring forth. Thus, the scripture is saying, Jesus made (designed; appointed) His angels to be spirits. The gist of it is to reiterate Jesus’ superiority to the angels. In other words, He that created the thing – designed and appointed it it’s destiny -  is naturally greater than the thing created.

His angels spirits Some translations, such as the ESV say, He makes His messengers winds, His ministers a flaming fire. Just to clear up any question as to why different words would be used for different translations, let’s look for a moment at the word used within the Gk. text, which is “pneuma.” Pneuma’s basic meaning is a current of air (see below), and refers not only to the wind, but the wind-like nature of that which is spirit or spiritual. Read the rest of this entry »