As we continue the God’s Image study, I want to follow the words in Hebrews back to the passages being quoted.
In our previous post, we examined Jesus’ received honor and the importance of sequence. But the words Hebrews uses were already present in Scripture before Jesus’ earthly ministry.
That gives us another question to consider:
What did those earlier passages describe, and how does Hebrews bring them forward in speaking about the Son?
For this post, we will follow three of those connections: Psalms 2, 45, and 110.
Psalm 2: The King Who Receives
Psalm 2 begins with opposition to YHWH (יהוה) and His anointed. It then describes God establishing His king on Zion.
The king recounts the decree spoken to him:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
— Psalm 2:7, LSB
The following verse describes the nations as an inheritance God will give him.
I want to notice the relationship throughout the passage. God establishes the king, addresses him as Son, and promises him an inheritance.
The king’s authority belongs within that relationship.
Hebrews 1:5 brings the declaration of sonship into its explanation of Jesus’ distinction. The earlier words become part of the testimony concerning him. Hebrews 1:5.
This helps me see why we should examine more than an isolated title. The surrounding actions tell us who appoints, who speaks, and who receives.
Psalm 45: The King and His God
Psalm 45 presents a royal scene. Its opening identifies the king as the subject of the song. It describes his majesty, the righteousness of his rule, and a wedding setting that includes a queen and her attendants. Psalm 45.
Within that scene, we find:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever”
— Psalm 45:6, LSB
The next verse includes:
“Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You”
— Psalm 45:7, LSB
The king is addressed as God while also having a God who anoints him.
Hebrews explicitly applies these verses to the Son. Hebrews 1:8–9.
The relationship we noticed in Hebrews is therefore already present in the psalm it quotes. The anointing, the righteousness, and the distinction between the one anointed and his God belong together.
The wider wedding scene also gives us a thread to return to when we study the Bridegroom and Bride. For now, I want to preserve that setting without assigning every figure an identity before examining the connections.
Psalm 110: Who Invites Whom to Sit?
Psalm 110 gives us another important distinction:
“Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,
Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
— Psalm 110:1, ASV
The ASV makes the divine name visible here.
YHWH (יהוה) speaks. Another is addressed as the psalmist’s Lord. The invitation places that Lord at the speaker’s right hand.
The promise also identifies who will act: the speaker will subject the enemies.
Hebrews 1:13 quotes this passage in its comparison between the Son and the angels. Hebrews 1:13.
The position is extraordinary, but the relationship remains visible. We have someone granting the place of honor and someone receiving it.
The Importance of “Until”
There is another detail in Psalm 110 that I do not want to overlook: until.
The invitation to sit and the promised subjection of enemies are connected, but the wording includes an interval. Being seated does not mean we should automatically place every promised outcome at that same moment.
This continues our attention to sequence.
We need to distinguish what is promised, what has been accomplished, and what the passage still presents as an outcome to be reached.
If we compress everything into one moment, we can miss the movement the text itself describes.
Earlier Words, Further Fulfillment
These psalms existed before Jesus’ earthly ministry. Hebrews draws upon them to explain his sonship, kingship, and exalted position.
That is a concrete reason to ask the question that often guides my study:
What is this pointing toward?
I want to read the earlier setting carefully and then follow how a later passage uses it. Here, Hebrews gives us explicit connections to examine.
This allows us to explore patterns and fulfillment while remaining accountable to the words. We do not have to erase the earlier royal setting to recognize the further application Hebrews makes.
Nor should we assume that every detail has the same fulfillment simply because several passages share an image.
The connections deserve to be followed individually.
Keeping the Relationships Intact
Across these three passages, certain actions keep appearing:
God establishes. God promises. God anoints. God grants a place at His right hand.
The king receives an inheritance, anointing, and honor.
For me, these relationships are essential to understanding the first commandment. Honoring the Son includes recognizing the One who establishes him in that position.
I want to preserve both the greatness of the honor and the identity of its giver.
What This Asks of Me
When I read a familiar passage, do I slow down enough to notice who is speaking?
Do I follow the pronouns, the promises, and the sequence? Or do I move immediately to the explanation I already know?
These small details can shape our understanding of an entire passage.
Jesus’ instruction concerning love for God and love for our neighbor remains central to this study. Matthew 22:37–40.
For me, careful attention is part of that love: taking God’s words seriously and representing them faithfully when I share them with others.
Threads to Follow
Psalm 2: The appointed king, sonship, and promised inheritance.
Psalm 45: The king addressed as God and anointed by his God.
Psalm 110: The speaker, the recipient, and the promised victory.
Sequence and fulfillment: Distinguishing an appointment from the completion of every promise.
The royal wedding: Keeping the Bridegroom and Bride connection available for further study.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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