The king has come!
Today's reading Hebrews 1:5-14
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Today's Blog
“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.’” (Hebrews 1:8)
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The basis of the covenant made between God and Israel in the Old Testament is that he is their king and they are his people, with all the privileges and obligations of that agreement (Ps.95;3,7; 149:2). It’s a kingdom which is glorious and everlasting (Ps.145:12-13), destined to extend to the whole world (Ps.47:7-9; Ps.98:4-6) and characterised by justice (Ps.45:6-7).
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So when Jesus began his public ministry with the announcement that “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near” (Mk.1:15) he was making the startling claim that he himself is the promised king, the one who fulfils everything that has gone before. The writer of Hebrews makes that same identification very particularly by quoting those verses from Psalm 45:6-7, recognising that they are “about the Son” whose throne is the very throne of God himself.
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The word “kingdom” only occurs once more in Hebrews but the whole message of the book is that in Jesus all is fulfilled and a new covenant is established through which we can truly be God’s people and serve him as our king (8:8-10; 9:14). That calls for a whole-hearted response: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (12:28).
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(To dig a bit deeper into Hebrews 1:5-14 click here for some commentary notes.)