The author of Hebrews is seeking to show his Jewish readers that Christ’s supremacy includes supremacy over every angelic being. An undue regard for angels was common among the Jews of this period, and the author of Hebrews is taking care to lift the name of Christ above every name. He accomplishes this through a chain of quotations from the Old Testament.
“For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Heb. 1: 5-9).
Christ is the begotten Son. The first quotation here is from the second psalm. This is a clear reference to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which we learn from from the psalm itself and from how St. Paul quotes the same passage elsewhere. This is the argumentative position the phrase occupies in the original psalm, and this is the application Paul makes of it in Acts 13:33. The begetting here is from the dead, as Paul speaks in Colossians 1:18.
If we look up all the New Testament quotations of the second psalm we find out that the opening lines are quoted with reference to the crucifixion of Jesus. “Why do the nations rage . . .” (Acts 4:25). The heathen plot in verses 1-3. God laughs at them and rebukes them in vv. 4-6. So what is the next thing that happens? The resurrection — “this day have I begotten thee.” And immediately after the resurrection, God gives all the nations to Christ as His blood-bought inheritance — which is a theme of a good portion of the rest of this epistle. But Paul puts the matter beyond dispute when he says, “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Acts 13:33).
This expression here of Christ’s “being begotten” should not be confused with John’s expression “only-begotten,” which has special reference to Christ’s eternal relationship to the Father, and not to His earthly birth, or His resurrection. Christ is begotten from the dead and so all the nations of men belong to Him.
He reigns over these nations as the rightful heir of David. Christ reigns as the Son of David. God had promised David that his seed would reign forever, a promise is found in 2 Samuel 7:14. Some of it clearly applies to his sinful descendants like Solomon (i.e. “If he commits iniquity . . .”), but as the author of Hebrews makes plain, the final and ultimate fulfillment of this promise is found in Christ. This is the throne of David, occupied by Christ. Christ is the king of the world because of the resurrection and not as a result of the Second Coming. Christ is king now, and not later.
Being in this position, He is the one that angels worship. When Christ is brought into the world (i.e. as a man), God commands the angels to worship Him. He is clearly greater than they are, but how much greater? This command is found addressed to the gods in Psalm 97:7, and in the Septuagint the command is addressed to angels in Dt. 32:43. This recipient of angelic worship is a Davidson. Because of the Incarnation, the angels are summoned to worship the God/man, which means that they must not and cannot be seen as greater than man. They are servants of man.
So what are these angels? Psalm 104:4 tells us that they are creatures and servants — spirits, ministers, and flames of fire. Because God is growing man up to maturity in Christ, our angelic servants were much more impressive when we were spiritual toddlers in the old covenant, under the care of these spiritual nurses. But now in the new creation, mankind in Christ has dominion over all things, including the angels. The psalm quoted makes it very plain that these angels were and are part of the created order of things (winds and fire), over which God reigns. But there is more than this. God has always exercised divine sovereignty over all things (atoms, hairs on head, sparrows falling to the ground, etc.). Buyt now we are talking about something different — we are talking about the mediatorial reign of Christ, the resurrected man, and the reign with Him of all who have faith in Him. He has made us kings and priests. The mediators in the old covenant were angels. The mediator and prince in the new covenant is a Man, and men who have faith in Him extend the manifestation of His kingdom through preaching the gospel and faithful worship.
So then God Himself speaks, addressing the Son. To the Son, God says, “Your throne, O God . . ” The force of these words is inescapable. For those who would deny the Deity of Christ, these are among the most embarrassing words in the Bible. God Himself speaks to the Son, calling Him God. No refuge can be found in Greek grammar, though many seek it there. Because He is God, Christ’s throne is eternal. But remember, this is also the throne of David. In addition, the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom; Christ reigns according to His character; the standard of His kingdom is not relative. It does not vary or fluctuate, any more than He does. Our Lord Christ loves righteousness, and He hates lawlessness; Christ is our supreme ruler, and Christ loves and hates. Our lives should reflect our understanding of this. If we do not love as He loves, we do not love. If we do not learn to hate as He does (hating lawlessness), then we do not know the meaning of love. All who love the Lord hate evil. Therefore, God’s God has anointed Him with the oil of gladness. As the Christ, He is the anointed one. This is what Christ and Messiah mean.
At the same time, it is the oil of gladness. Where did Christians get the idea that goodness slouches around with a long face? Christ is our king and He reigns. He loves righteousness and He hates lawlessness. Those with long faces are revealing to the world far more than they know. Christians must live as though they served a triumphant King Jesus — for they actually do. Fussy Christians, prim and proper Christians, tsking Christians, sentimental Christians, schoolmarmish Christians, keep-off-the-grass Christians — all need to go and learn what the oil of gladness refers to. Because He has received the oil of gladness, He is the Christ. Now we are Christians — we share His name, and the power of His anointing is ours as well. But again, it is the oil of gladness.