Daily Readings and Thought for January 25th. “THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD HAS ANOINTED YOU”
Our Psalms reading today is at first puzzling in its reference to God. What is highly interesting is that this (the quote above) is taken up and quoted in the letter to the Hebrews (Ch,1 v.9) concerning the relationship of Jesus Christ and God. It is possible, but potentially misleading and confusing to refer to Jesus as God; this is one of only two passages that do so. Again and again we are told he is “the son of God” and that the time will ultimately come when “he delivers the kingdom to God … that God may be all in all.” [1 Cor. 15 v.24,28]
What Psalms and Hebrews do show is that the Almighty is called the God of Jesus. We recall Jesus himself said the same thing after he rose from the dead, telling Mary Magdalene, “I am ascending to my Father and your father, to my God and your God” [John 20 v.17] John completes this chapter by saying, “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) the son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” [v.31]
Note the phrase – “that by believing” This sort of belief is not something you accept in a casual fashion. If you believe your house is on fire you immediately do all you can about it! Similarly, if we really see the need to have real “life” – that is, “life in his name” the name of Christ, by belonging to him in the way he has appointed, we take action.
The Psalm (45) tells us that because “you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions, your robes are all fragrant with myrrh …” [v.7,8]. There follows a poetic picture of the kingdom and those blessed to be there, “with joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.”[v.15]
Those who truly believe in Jesus will one day also be “anointed with the oil of gladness”. In a sense, this happened to Joseph as we read today in Genesis (Ch, 41); the end result of his faithfulness to God in living by God’s principles. But our Psalm today concludes by stating that those who “have loved righteousness” that “I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
