Hebrews 1:9 Commentary and Bible Study

Continuing with the quotation from Psalm 45, the writer of Hebrews shows the character of the Son from what the Father says about him in words of praise and admiration. ‘Therefore God,’ – a reference clearly to the Father – ‘even thy God hath anointed thee.’ The kings of old in Israel were anointed with oil to symbolise their receiving the kingship and authority, and Christ – though always equal with the Father, equally God, equally divine – was anointed. He was anointed at the very beginning of his ministry, and as he reads out Isaiah in a synagogue in Galilee he refers to his being anointed that very day to embark upon his ministry. He is spoken of as being anointed when he is received up into heaven in glory and seated at the right hand of God the Father. In prophecy in the Old Testament he spoken of as being anointed, even before he came. So he is anointed to the task; he is anointed in the task, and he is anointed at the close of the task. He is anointed with – and one picture follows another – ‘the oil of gladness.’ Why is it identified as ‘the oil of gladness’? Let us put it slightly differently: it is the oil of joy. Christ has secured by purchasing souls the right to administer and to distribute great joy and happiness. ‘Above thy fellows.’ Who are they? Some people say, the angels. But the angels are not Christ's fellows. They are created; he is divine and he did not take the nature of angels. Through his incarnation he took upon himself a human body. So we, the saved, are the only people who can be said to be in any sense fellows of Christ. He has a body which he assumed and is glorified on high, by which we shall see him with our new bodies’ eyes in glory. The integrity of this kingdom arises from the personal tastes and character of the one who occupies the throne: he loves righteousness and hates lawlessness. He is an absolute monarch who will not allow lawlessness to exist in his kingdom. His character is utterly reliable and incorruptible. Go from him as far as you like and lose touch with him entirely, and you can be sure that he is still operating according to the same principles, for his integrity is within him and does not rely on any external monitor. The Father loves the Son and has infinite satisfaction in all that he does. He knows that he can utterly rely on him to be faithful even while incarnate on earth and away from the courts of heaven. The Father’s approval will make up for all the shame and humiliation the Son has borne in exposing himself to the opposition of sinful men, and in making atonement for his people. The Father has given Jesus Christ indications of love that he has not given to any other.The Son has been tested more exactingly than any other being. He has experienced the greatest possible suffering, suffering which he could only endure because he was supported by his divine nature. He has been tempted beyond all limits and yet he has come forth as gold, being described as having feet of brass, able to withstand the furnace of affliction. Under test, his character has been shown to be unchangeably committed to the truth and his love of righteousness is stronger than any other being, having been tested to a degree that we cannot imagine. The Father who alone understands this perfectly, has rewarded the Son by exalting him out of his humiliation to a height which is above every other creature. He is said to be anointed with gladness above his fellows, above his human companions, above the angels of heaven, above all creation. The oil of gladness or exultation is given to him because he has accomplished something which is of inestimable worth. If we were to say that the plan of God was gloriously ambitious in its conception, because of its scope, its difficulty, its triumph, its extraordinary breadth and length, height and depth, then we would say that its impossibly ambitious goal has been accomplished flawlessly. It is with this behind him that the Son has been anointed with the oil of gladness. It is the gladness of looking back on all his suffering and now possessing the joy that was set before him. He has the joy of knowing that all this was accomplished without ever giving way to any unrighteous methods or tactics or help. He has overcome by truth and vindicated truth in the process. In the context of Christ’s superiority to angels, he is said to have been anointed above his fellows, and the word ‘above’ could be translated ‘beyond’ or ‘in preference to’. He has been given a name which is above every name.