Hebrews 1:10-12: how amazing!

by Angus Harley

“¹⁰ And,

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
¹¹ They will perish, but You remain;
And they all will become old like a garment,
¹² And like a mantle You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”” (Heb.1:10-12)

The Jewish Christians reading this letter would have been blown away by the writer’s incredible arguments that Jesus was God the Creator. One moment they are bowing in worship to what they perceive to be the only God- the Father; the next they are throwing down their crowns before Jesus, the Son of God. Gloria, gloria ao Senhor!

Then there is the sheer awesomeness of God by his hands creating all things, and those same hands rolling up this creation and putting it away, changing it with a new creation. This is truly mind-blowing!

I am also amused and greatly encouraged by the writer’s interpretation of Psalm 102. Let’s quote a section of it in its original context:

 “²³ He has weakened my strength in the way;
He has shortened my days.
²⁴ I say, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days,
Your years are throughout all generations.
²⁵ “Of old You founded the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
²⁶ “Even they will perish, but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
²⁷ “But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
²⁸“The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.””

Two things are incongruous, upside down, even, in comparison with the Hebrews’ account: 1) the OT view has the speaker as a lamenting and worshipping Jew; 2) this Jew is adoring Yahweh, the Father. Hebrews, by radical contrast, has the speaker as the Father, and Yahweh as the Father’s Son. I mean to say!

When I think of the chaos this implies for those who deny Jesus’ deity, I am truly amused.  For all the OT texts about ‘Yahweh’ and ‘God’ are opened up to this new, divine Son interpretation. Oh, the great wisdom of God!

Then there is the touching beauty of the words. For the focus is the divine Son, yet not just the divine Son, but also the divine Father who is delighting in the praise of his own Son and his glory. Absolutely magnificent, and truly touching!

As if this is not enough, as an NCTer I rejoice at the hermeneutic implied in this switch of emphasis. For the NCT hermeneutic is thoroughly vindicated in it: the NT must have interpretive priority for the writer of Hebrews’ interpretation of Psalm 102 to stand. Let’s tease this interpretive principle out. It is apparent that many things were not fully disclosed in the OT revelation. Jesus, for example, was the Creator-Word who was present “in the beginning” to create all things (John 1:1-3), something that Genesis 1 does not in words reveal; yet, it is revealed to the extent that the One called “God” in Genesis 1 includes Jesus Christ. Then there is the switch from the human speaker to the divine speaker (the Father). That particular switch is no doubt due to the same Christological turn that makes Psalm 102 directly about Jesus. For all the psalmists, regardless of who they were, were prophetic voices of God. They exclaimed his mind and will in writing (see Matt.10:20; 1 Cor.2:10, 11, 12, 14; see John 3:34; Exo.4:11-12; Mark 13:11; Acts 6:10). The writer of Hebrews has, in this Christological light, warrant to put the voice of the Father to what were the words of man in the original psalm. I say again, NCT reader, we are vindicated in the accuracy of our hermeneutic. Thank you for such encouragement, Lord Jesus