Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

mercy'child'cation of sins, sat down on the right hand of theMajesty on high.'20 Therefore, in contrast to Judaism, our outstanding cause for confidence and hopeis that 'we have such a high priest, who sat down onthe right hand of the throne of the Majesty in theheavens.'21This, asserts the writer of this epistle,is 'the chiefpoint'of the things which he has to say.For, because Jesus is on the throne, and on thethrone as our high priest, we can rightly expect Himto be both able and willing to help us. So we are exhorted to come to Him on the throne, and to findit a throne of grace, where we may at His hands 'receive and 'find grace to help us in time ofneed.'22Let us, therefore, realize, and seek never toforget, that our high priest is not, like the Jewishpriests, endlessly renewing acts of sacrifice, whichcan never take away sins, but that, because of Hisfinished sacrifice, He sits enthroned in the place ofall power, able to save to the uttermost all who comeunto God by Him.23The Enthroned ChristGod promised David, and confirmed it by asolemn oath, that He would cause his son or hisseed to possess his thone and to reign for ever.24This prophecy was reiterated by Isaiah with specificreference to 'a that is to be born: 'and thegovernment shall be upon his shoulder: ... Of theincrease of his government and of peace there shallbe no end, upon the throne of David, and upon hiskingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgment and with righteousness from henceforth evenfor Before His birth the ever.'25 angel Gabriel saidof Jesus, 'and the Lord God shall give unto him thethrone of his father David : and he shall reign overthe house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdomthere shall be no end.'26 It is important to seek tolearn from the Scriptures themselves how and whenthese promises are fulfilled. For instance, do thesepromises imply, as one might naturally suppose, thatthe true Son of David,of whom they speak, mustreign, like David did, as king in the earthly Jerusalem? Is the setting up of such a kingdom something for which we may rightly still look ?On this point Psalm ex is again of outstandingsignificance. Many modern scholars have denied itsDavidic authorship. Happily over against theirtheories we are able to place the solemn, explicit assertion of our Lord Himself. When He quoted itsopening words, He said most emphatically that Davidhimself said them in the Holy Spirit, and said themconcerning the Christ.27 This makes it plain thatDavid himself was inspired to declare words fromGod, which clearly indicated the distinctive characteristics of the rule of the Messiah. For thesewords said that God would enthrone Him, not in theearthly Jerusalem, but at God's right hand in heaven.Also, they declared God's solemn pledge that Heshould be 'a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek'28; that, in other words, He would exercise His kingly rule in a way in which David hadnever done, as a priest upon His throne29; and thatthis is the kingshipwhich is to be His for ever.When, therefore, it says in the same psalm that 'theLord shall send forth the rod of thystrength out ofZion,'30 it must mean out of the heavenly Zion, notthe earthly Jerusalem. For (as we have alreadyseen that the Epistle to the Hebrews declares soplainly) it is in heaven at God's right hand that theChrist sits, as the enthroned priest who lives forever; and, indeed, it is as we come to mount Zionand to the heavenly Jerusalem that we find Jesusthere able to function in royal power as the mediatorof a new covenant.31 It is thus from the heavenlyZion that, as the enthroned priest, the promisedChrist sends forth His strength for the help of Hispeople.Nor does this interpretation lack other andequally unmistakable confirmation. The apostle Peterexpounded these very truths on the dayof Pentecost; namely, that the exaltation of Jesus by Godto His own right hand in heaven was nothing lessthan the setting of Him as the promised Christ uponthe throne of David, and that from that throne inthe heavenly Zion He has poured forth the strengthof the Spirit upon His people. Peter's words are soimportant and so explicit that one cannot do otherthan let them enforce their own witness. Of DavidPeter said, 'Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, thatof the fruit of his loins he would set one upon histhrone; he forseeing this spake of the resurrectionof the Christ . . . This Jesus did God raise up . . .Being therefore at the right hand of God exalted,and having received of the Father the promise ofthe Holy Ghost, he hath poured forth this, which yesee and hear. For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto myLord, 'Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thineenemies the footstool of thy feet. Let all the house ofIsrael therefore know assuredly, that God had madehim both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom yecrucified.'32Additional parallel confirmation of the sameinterpretation is provided in Acts xiii. 32, 33 byPaul's declaration that God's words, 'Thou art myson, this day have I begotten thee,'33 found fulfilment when He raised up Jesus from the dead. Forthis means that the other accompanying propheciesof Psalm ii were also then fulfilled. So we are led tobelieve that, following the opposition against theLord's anointed which was manifested in the crucifixion of Jesus. God set His king upon His holy hillof Zion by raising Jesus from the dead, and exaltingHim to His own right hand in heaven, 'Ask of me,and I will give thee the nations of the earth for thypossession.'34Jesus, therefore, enthroned at God'sright hand now, is the promised Christ, the Son ofDavid, enthroned in Zion upon the throne of David.(To be continued)1. Lk. i. 31-33. Quotations are all from the Revised Version.2 Mt. ii. 2.13 See Dn. vii. 13, 14.3 See Jn. xil. 14. 15; Mt. xxi. 1-9.14 See Heb. ii. 9, 10.4 Mt. xxvii. 27-29.15 Heb. ii. 12.5 Jn. xix. 14-22.16 Dn. vii. 18.6 Mt. xxvii. 41, 42.17 See Heb. x. 4. ix. 8.7 Ps. viii. 6.18 See Heb. i. 13, v. 6, 10; cf. Ps. ex. 1, 4.8 Heb. ii.8.19 Heb. vii. 1-3.9 Heb. ii. 5.20 Heb. i. 3.10 Heb. Ii. 7, R.V. mg.21 Heb. viii. 1.11 See Heb. Ii. 14, 15.22 Heb. iv. 16.12 Heb. ii. 9.23 See Heb. x. 11-13, vii. 25.24 See 2 Sa. vii. 11-13; Ps. lxxxix. 34-36.25 Is. ix. 6, 7.26 Lk. i. 32, 33.27 See Mk. xii. 35-37.28 Ps. ex. 4.29 Cf. Zc. vi. 12, 13.30 Ps. ex. 2.31 See Heb. xii. 22-24; cf. viii. 1, 6.32 Acts ii. 30-36.33 Ps. ii. 7.34 See Ps. ii. 1-9.September 22, 1954181