One of the challenging aspects of preparing a sermon on any text of Scripture is deciding which points to emphasize and which to treat lightly or leave out altogether. Almost every Bible passage contains references and allusions to other verses, shared terminology, and thematic links to other texts. Still other times, we find that the passage we are studying is used by a later author, and this provides us with interesting insight into the possible interpretation and application of the original text. It is clear that the writers of Scripture were themselves very familiar with the earlier revelation, but it is impossible to explore each of these in a single message, and it would be very tiresome if we tried!
For example, in last week’s message on Psalm 102, we overlooked an important connection between the last stanza of the psalm and the first chapter of the book of Hebrews in the NT.
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
Psalm 102:25-27
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You will endure;
yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
like a cloak You will change them,
and they will be changed.
But You are the same,
and Your years will have no end.”
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
Hebrews 1:10-12
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain;
and they will all grow old like a garment;
like a cloak You will fold them up,
and they will be changed.
But You are the same,
and Your years will not fail.”
Now in the context of Hebrews 1, the author is making the argument that Jesus is better than the angels. First, he says that he is better because the name “son” is used of Jesus in a way that it is never used of angels, and he quotes Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 as proof. Next, he says that God instructs the angels to worship Jesus, according to Psalm 97:7. Third, he compares the servant-hood of the angels to the eternal dominion of Jesus Christ by quoting Psalms 104:4 and 45:6-7. To this he adds the quotation in v.10-12 of Psalm 102:25-27 to prove that Jesus is eternal and unchanging in his nature and his regal authority. Apparently, the author of the book of Hebrews concluded that Psalm 102 contained a reference to Messiah’s identity as the Son of God; he even added the word “Lord” at the beginning of his quotation to make it clear that Jesus is Lord of all.
But this causes us to ask whether Psalm 102:25-27 would have been understood by the original readers as a reference to Messiah, or if the writer of Hebrews is taking license to change the text in his quotation. One possible explanation is that he is quoting from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT), which inserted the word “Lord” some 250 years before the time of Christ. Another possibility is that the quotation reflects the popular Jewish interpretation in the 1st century that these verses applied to Messiah, even though the original readers would not have understood it in that way. A third possibility, which seems most likely, is that the writer of Hebrews believes that Jesus is the Creator (a fact which was revealed by Jesus’ own teaching and by other NT writers and which the writer of Hebrews states plainly in v.2), and therefore whatever is said of the Creator in Psalm 102 applies directly to the Son of God. While Psalm 102 does not differentiate between the Father and Son in creation, later revelation makes it clear that it was Jesus, the Son of God, who made all things. Leon Morris sums up the point well when he says, “This universe that seems to solid and permanent will be rolled up, changed, and replaced by a totally new heaven and earth. But through it all the Son remains unchanged. Our years come to an end, but his will never do so.”