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"Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty One, with Thy glory and Thy majesty.
And in Thy majesty ride on prosperously. . . . Thine arrows are sharp; the peoples fall
under Thee; (they are) in the heart of the King's enemies,"
and the close parallel with Rev. 19: must not be forgotten when endeavouring to fix the
time of Heb. 1: 8. To carry such statements into the new heavens and new earth is
manifestly wrong, and any system of interpretation which would necessitate it is thereby
put out of consideration. Psa. 110: is quoted in Heb. 1: 13 in close connection with the
quotation from Psa. 45:, thereby showing that these passages are linked together.
"Sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet."
This Psalm is quoted seven times in the N.T. (Matt. 22: 44; Mark 12: 36;
Luke 20: 42; Acts 2: 34; I Cor. 15: 25; Heb. 1: 13, and 10: 13) and is nearly always
connected with that phase of the divine purpose which revolves around the throne of
David, the city of Jerusalem, and the people of Israel. The second verse of Psa. 110:
continues:--
"The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of ZION; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies."
The passage further speaks of the willingness of Israel, the Melchizedek priesthood,
the striking of kings, the day of wrath, and the filling of places with dead bodies. It is
evident that Psa. 110: does not speak of the new creation. Both Psalms 45: and 110: have
kings and enemies prominent. In Heb. 1: another Psalm is quoted, namely Psa. 2:, and
this in correspondence with the quotation from Psa. 110: already noticed. Briefly the
passage may be regarded like this:--
Heb. 1: 5-14.
A | Unto which of the angels saith He at any time.
B | Thou art My son (cf. Psa. 2:; Psa. 89:).
C | Angels, spirits, ministers, flame of fire.
D | O God--Throne (cf. Psa. 45:).
D | Thou Lord--Creation (cf. Psa. 102:).
A | Unto which of the angels saith He at any time.
B | Sit Thou on My right hand (cf. Psa. 110:).
C | Ministering spirits.
Psa. 2: is well known to most readers. There we read of enemies in the shape of
nations, rulers, and kings. There we again read of ZION, and "His wrath." Also the
"rod"--the "sceptre" of Psa. 45: It is a rod or sceptre of iron when used in ruling the
nations, because it is intrinsically a sceptre or rod of righteousness. There is no scriptural
necessity to make the sceptre of Psa. 45: refer to an age other than that of Psa. 2:
Further, the Son of Psa. 2: is the King who is God's King on the holy hill of Zion, and the
Priest of Psa. 110:, the King Priest of Zech. 6: 13, "a Priest upon His throne." Psa. 89:
quoted in Heb. 1: still keeps us close to the covenant made to David, relating to his seed
and throne. The passage:--
"Also I will make Him my Firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth" (verse 27).