A Scepter of Righteousness

“But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.”  Hebrews 1:8-9

The writer of Hebrews, who has never been identified, had just described the purpose of God’s angels, in that they were created to do whatever tasks that God requires.  He gave them speed like the wind and also invisibility like the wind.  He also gave them a burning desire to obey Him, a “flame of fire”, quoted from Psalm 104:4.  The “flame of fire” can also describe the intense pressure that the Holy Spirit can bring upon a person by either conviction of sin or stirrings within the heart of a believer to carry out a task or mission in the name of Christ.

The writer then began to contrast the supreme office held by God’s Son in the kingdom of God.  He chose Psalm 45:6-7, from which he also quoted, to identify Jesus Christ as the One whose kingdom is forever intending to assure his readers that Christ is God, and that He is the One whereby God intended to reveal Himself to the world.  It is interesting to note that in verse 8, God calls His Son, God.  What further proof would anyone with a rational and seeking mind need to verify that Jesus is indeed God?  Nevertheless, many have chosen to reject that truth, but eventually every person that has ever lived will know the truth and recognize Jesus as Lord, but many will not be able to call Him Savior (Philippians 2:10-11; Revelation 1:7).

When Christ returns, He will rule in righteousness and banish all evil.  A “scepter” is a staff carried by a ruler as a sign of his authority, like a policeman wears a badge or a shield on his or her uniform.  The badge represents the authority of the municipality in which the officer serves.  Ancient kings could have used the staff as a weapon to display their power over their realm.  However, Jesus’ scepter is not a physical staff or badge, but it is a spiritual one backed by all the powers of heaven.  His presence or even just His word is all that is needed to righteously rule over His kingdom.

When we come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, He imparts to us His righteousness.  Because Christ is perfect and sinless, He is the epitome or the exact representation of righteousness and therefore His heart is set on righteousness, and He hates sin.  (I hate sin, too, and I will be glad when I don’t have to deal with it any longer).  Jesus hated sin so much and loves people so greatly that He suffered and died on the cross to provide an escape for mankind from the ravages of sin.  Because of His love for mankind and abhorrence to sin, along with His complete devotion to and obedience to His Father, God anointed Him, set Him above and apart from the angels and all others, including kings, prophets, and priests.  Kings were usually anointed with oil on their heads when entering their office.  The “oil of gladness” referred metaphorically to the joy and happiness of Christ with which He was anointed to be Savior and King.  Later in Hebrews (12:2), the writer tells us that Jesus looked forward to the “joy that was set before Him” despite the pain and shame of the cross that He endured.

We have heard today about a different gospel that is preached even in some churches which do not take sin seriously.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “God hates sin, but loves the sinner”.  It is true that God loves all people.  That’s why He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for the sin of all men and women.  The old gospel song that we used to sing in church, “Just As I Am” which was also a staple at each Billy Graham crusade when the invitation was given is a song which represents the truth that God will accept us just as we are when we repent and believe in Christ.  But it is also a truth that if we are sincere in our faith, God will bring about changes in our lives to enable us to measure up more closely to His standards of holiness as we allow the Holy Spirit to reprove us of our sin.  Is this not why Jesus is returning to earth–to reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8)?  One who is truly saved no longer desires to live a life of sin.  How can those who claim to be a Christian yet live a sinful lifestyle not understand the simple truth that Jesus died to save us from sin?