The `rod' of iron of Psalm 2:9 is the Hebrew shebet.

The `rod' of iron of Revelation 2:27; 12:5, 19:15 is the Greek rhabdos.

The priesthood of Melchisedec is `for the age'.

The throne of the Son is `for the age of the age'.

Psalm 110:1 is quoted in six places in the New Testament.

Three of these quotations are in the Gospels, and record the Saviour's challenge `Whose Son is He?'

One is in the Acts, to prove that Christ ascended.

One is in Hebrews 1:13 and

One in 1 Corinthians 15:25 which takes us beyond the `age' of Psalm 110, or the `age of the age' of Hebrews

1:13 to the `End' when God shall be all in all.

The sceptre of Psalm 45:6 is shebet in the Hebrew. It is this verse that is quoted in Hebrews 1:8 and the apostle

declares that these words were addressed to `The Son'. Kingship is indicated by the sceptre, as in the prophecy:

`The sceptre shall not depart from Judah' (Gen. 49:10).

`Of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood' (Heb. 7:14).

To those readers who can appreciate suggestions without having them worked out for them here, we draw

attention to the fact that the first occurrence of the word `sceptre' says that it shall not depart from Judah, and that

the last occurrence says that it shall depart from Egypt (Zech. 10:11). We have enough however before us, not to

stop at every interesting aside. We have noted in our list printed above, that the word `rod' is the translation of the

Hebrew mattell. Now Ezekiel speaking in a parable likens Israel to a vine that had strong `rods' or `sceptres', but

that this vine was cast to the ground, her rods broken, `so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule',

referring presumably to Zedekiah (Ezek. 19:14). The point of interest to us at the moment is that a `rod' matteh can

become a `sceptre' shebet.

Now Aaron's `rod' was a symbol, not of kingship but of priesthood (Num. 17:9,10). The rod of strength that is

to be sent out of Zion (Psa. 110:2) is the rod of a priest. We are therefore prepared to discover that `king' (Psa.

45:1) and `priest' (Psa. 11 0:4) unite in Him Who is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Nowhere else

in the New Testament than in the epistle to the Hebrews do we read of Melchisedec, but there he is spoken of nine

times, where he is set forth both as King of Righteousness, and King of Peace, Priest of the Most High God, and

made like unto the Son of God. The Melchisedec priesthood is shown to be infinitely superior to the priesthood of

Aaron, and Melchisedec himself is shown to have been greater even than Abraham.

`Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils'

(Heb. 7:4),

and the point of this discrimination is reached when we learn that `perfection', the goal of this epistle, can never be

attained under the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7:11).

Christ, therefore, must not be thought of simply as a king, neither must He be thought of simply as a priest, He is

a KingPriest, and so differs essentially from every king and every priest of Israel. The prophet saw Him from afar

under the title `The BRANCH' saying `He shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne;

and the counsel of peace shall be between them both' (Zech. 6:13). The `both' referring to the combined office of

King and Priest that Messiah alone can bear. Psalm 45:6 tells us that `the King' with His `sword', His `arrows', His

`terrible things' has a `right sceptre'. Hebrews 1:8 says that it is a sceptre of `righteousness'. Neither the word

`right' nor the word `righteousness' is the one usually employed. In Psalm 45:6 the word is mishor, from yashar,

and in Hebrews 1:8 the word used is euthutes. There is evidently something distinctive about this `sceptre' and the

rule it denotes that we should seek to understand.

First let us observe that this was the original state of man at his creation, not `righteous' for that involves positive

deeds, but `upright' (Eccles. 7:29). It is the character given to Job at the opening of that book; he is described as

being `perfect and upright', although later he was convinced that he had no valid `righteousness'. A number of the