Useful Bible Studies > Hebrews Commentary > chapter 1

God declares the greatness of his Son

Hebrews 1:10-12

This passage is Psalm 102:25-27. It is another passage that may surprise us. But in Hebrews 1:10-12, the Holy Spirit shows its real meaning.

Psalm 102 is the prayer of a man whose troubles are great. He describes his desperate state. It seems that he must die soon. But in this situation, the man gives honour to God. The man’s life is short, but God rules always. The man knows that God will help his people. And they will record how he acted to rescue them.

After these confident statements, the man in Psalm 102 returns to his own situation. He says that God has made his life short. But he asks God to allow him to live. And then the words appear that we find in Hebrews 1:10-12. And this is a surprise for us. When we read only Psalm 102, these words seem to be the man’s words to God. But in the Book of Hebrews, the author associates these words with God’s words to his Son.

That gives a whole new meaning to Psalm 102. The man with the troubles clearly means Jesus. And the words in Psalm 102:25-27 are God’s reply to his Son. Christ was there in the beginning, when he created heaven and earth (John 1:1). And Christ will be there at the end of time, when heaven and earth disappear (2 Peter 3:10). God will change everything, and Christ will always rule in the New Jerusalem on the new earth (Revelation 22:3).

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mark 1:10-11; Matthew 28:19). This does not mean that there are three gods. The Bible declares clearly that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 10:30). Hebrews chapter 1 declares strongly that Christ is God. That is why Hebrews 1:10 calls him ‘Lord’. That is the word that people used to translate God’s most holy name into the language called Greek. That name of God is YHWH in the language called Hebrew. It means ‘He is always God.’ It has the same meaning as Hebrews 13:8, which says: ‘Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and always.’

There are other Bible passages that are very much like Psalm 102. Two of the most important ones are Psalm 22 and Isaiah chapter 53.

Next part: Christ at God’s right side (Hebrews 1:13)

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