Slices
Prepare
Ideas of monarchy and political systems are shaped by fairy tales, stories from history and contemporary experiences of royalty. When we sing of ‘Jesus as King’, what do you think about?
Bible passage
The Son superior to angels
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
‘You are my Son;
today I have become your Father’?
Or again,
‘I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son’?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
‘He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.’
8 But about the Son he says,
‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.’
10 He also says,
‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.’
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet’?
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Explore
In June 2022 the UK celebrated the late Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee. Increasingly, as she became more frail, she passed duties on to her son, Charles. But her authority as monarch remained.
This is different from the authority the Father grants to his Son. The right hand is the place of honour (vs 3,13). The writer uses references, mainly from the psalms, to expand on this authority. For example, through the words of Psalm 2:7 (see v 5), he sees Jesus, sitting at the Father’s side in heaven (v 3) – his identity as the Son of God revealed (see yesterday’s note). On earth Jesus had submitted to the authority of the Father, willingly emptying himself (Philippians 2:7). But always, eternally, he is God’s Son (eg Matthew 3:17).
Notice what God says about Jesus’ throne and everything that it stands for (vs 8,9; see Psalm 45:6,7). All this is accompanied by celebratory anointing and activity. God pours even more accolades upon his Son’s head (vs 10–13). Take time to reflect upon each of these. No human coronation comes anywhere near to this. God the Father and God the Son reign together.
Respond
The old chorus ‘Yesterday, today, for ever’ includes the words, ‘All may change, but Jesus never’ (AB Simpson, 1843–1919). Tell God what today’s unimaginable descriptions of Jesus mean to you.
Deeper Bible study
Join today with the angels in worshipping the risen, exalted Christ.
Yesterday’s reading ended with an allusion to Psalm 110:1 and concluded that Jesus’ exaltation to God’s right hand signalled his superiority to the angels. The measure of his superiority is the exalted name he has inherited. This is the ‘name that is above every name’.1 Today’s reading is a chain of Old Testament quotations establishing that.
There is enough here for a week’s readings, so we can only scratch the surface. The quotations begin and end with a rhetorical question, ‘To which of the angels did God ever say …?’ (vs 5,13), implying that God only spoke these words to his exalted Son and not to angels. Several quotations are from psalms originally spoken to the Israelite king, including the first and the last.2 Psalm 110:1 is also reflected in verse 3, where the Son is seated at God’s right hand. King David ruled God’s people with the power and authority of God. What I call ‘ancient Near Eastern royal court hyperbole’ has now found its true fulfilment in the risen Christ, who rules the entire universe with that same power and authority.
The third quotation and its introduction (v 6) are complex, but ‘firstborn’ reflects Psalm 89:27, where it is implied that God announced he would make the son of David, the firstborn, the ruler of the kings of the earth. This verse is not about the birth of Jesus but, along with the rest of the chapter, it is about his exaltation to God’s right hand, his introduction to the world to come3 as ruler of the kings of the earth. Since Jesus is now reigning over all things, we live in the overlap of the ages. We live in the present evil age, but the age to come is already here.
If the age to come is already here, how should we conduct ourselves in the present evil age?4
1 Phil 2:9–11 2 Pss 2:7; 110:1 3 See Heb 2:5 4 See, for example, Rom 13:11,12
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 20,21; Luke 20
Pray for Scripture Union
Spot the Difference, a holiday for primary age children, starts this weekend. It runs alongside Make the Difference where teenagers can take their first steps into leadership. Pray for leaders Steve and Nicola Clarkson and Ruth Hughes, and that the children and young leaders will feel welcomed and will grow in faith.
We love your prayers!
Thank you for praying for us, we are so thankful that you bring the work of Scripture Union, our partners, and the children and young people that we reach before God in your personal prayers. If you’d like to be more involved in prayer, make sure you are signed up to receive a copy of Connecting You our supporter prayer magazine.
