8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
8 But to the Son He says:
The “but” here contrasts temporal angelic ministry with the Son’s eternal and immutable dominion. He is the eternally anointed King. His dominion is the great antithesis to angels who merely serve the King.
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
The fifth quotation in verses 8 and 9 is from Psalm 45:6-7. This passage describes the final and eternal triumph of the Messiah-King. The Father addresses the Son as eternal God here–He rules “forever and ever.” He is eternal in nature.
The quotation from Psalm 45 is set in contrast to the fourth citation. Angels belong to the created order. The created order is one thing, but Christ does not belong to the finite created order but to an eternal order.
The Father gave the attribution of “God” to the Son. The Father Himself acknowledged the Son as God. He addressed the Son as “God.” The Father declared the Son to be God Almighty. This speaks of His absolute authority.
“Throne” conveys something of the Messiah’s rule in time on earth.
PRINCIPLE:
The Father gave testimony about the Son’s deity.
APPLICATION:
Angels will worship the Son when He is enthroned as King over the entire earth (He 2:5-9).
It is important to note that the Father made a statement about the deity of the Son. This is one of the most emphatic statements in the Bible about the idea that the Son is God. The Father’s testimony corresponds closely to the Son’s testimony about His own deity (Jn 5:18; 10:30, 33). The apostles also affirmed the deity of Christ (Ro 9:5; 1 Ti 3:16; Ti 2:13); 1 Jn 5:20.
