The Book of Hebrews
Chapter 1
Heb_1:1
"our
ancestors"
- This would be the ancestors of the Jewish people to who the book is
addressed.
"spoke
in various ways"
- Supernatural interventions into history as well as storms, plagues,
historical events.
"through
the prophets"
- Major and Minor prophets. God spoke in visions,
dreams, and face-to-face communication
Num_12:6-8
he said, "Listen to my words: "When there is a prophet
among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to
them in dreams. (7) But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is
faithful in all my house. (8) With him I speak face to face, clearly
and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you
not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
2Pe_1:21
For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets,
though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.
Heb_1:2
"last
days"
- The last days began with Jesus, and the character of Jesus
revelation is of culmination. The end is in sight.
"spoken
to us by His Son"
- Through Jesus as He walked the earth, and after His ascension
through the apostles, the ensuing books of the Bible.
Act_1:1-2
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to
do and to teach (2) until the day he was taken up to heaven, after
giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had
chosen.
This
continues the plan of progressive revelation.
- Patriarchs - through physical interaction - Adam and Eve Gen_3:8-24, Cain Gen_4:1-16.
- Patriarchs - through spiritual interaction - Enoch Gen_5:24, Noah Gen_6:13-14.
- Patriarchs - dreams and visions - Abraham Gen_15:1, Abimelech Gen_20:3, Jacob Gen_31:1-11, Joseph - J, Nathan - 2Sa_7:17.
- Patriarchs - physical interaction - Jacob - Gen_32:24-25, Burning Bush Exo_3:2, Plagues Exo_5:1, Red Sea - Exo_14:22.
- Mosaic Period - Law (God's nature, pointing to Christ) Exo_20:22, Law (tutor) Gal_3:24-25.
- Mosaic Period - Spiritual Awareness (God's external interactions, combined with internal dreams and visions are now joined to the divine regulations to start waking up the spiritual man.)
- Mosaic Period - Dwelling with Man - The Ark Exo_25:21-22, Tabernacle Exo_25:21-22.
- Mosaic Period - Continued physical, dream and vision - Cloud Exo_19:9, Manna Exo_16:35, Conquest through Joshua.
- Davidic Period (Primarily external still) - David - Psa_51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me, Othniel - Jdg_3:10, Gideon - Jdg_6:34, Saul and his messengers - 1Sa_10:10, 1Sa_19:20.
- Prophetic Period - Minor and Major Prophets - Bring awareness of inward working of God and bring them back to God. Declare relationship between God's and man's Spirit.
- Immanuel Period - God with us - Isa_7:14, If you have seen me, you have seen the Father Joh_14:9.
- Pentecostal Period - The presence of the Holy Spirit - Joe_2:28 And it will happen afterward thus: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your elders will dream dreams; your young men shall see visions.
1Co_3:16-17 Do you not know that you are God's temple and the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17) If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy this one. For God's temple is holy, which you are.
- The Future - Us with God - Joh_14:2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places; but if not, I would have told you, because I am going away to prepare a place for you.
Rev_21:22 And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God All-Powerful is its temple, and the Lamb.
"heir
of all things"
- His name is above every name
Php_2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and
every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
Psa_2:8
Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the
earth your possession.
"made
the universe"
- creator of matter and history
Joh_1:3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made.
Col_1:16
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Heb_1:3
"the
radiance of God's glory"
- Jesus is what shines out from the Father.
Mat_17:1-2
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother
of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. (2) There he
was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became as white as the light.
"the
exact representation of His being"
- precise duplication
Joh_14:9
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have
been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the
Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
"sustaining
things by His powerful word"
- moves all things forward on their appointed course
Col_1:17
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
"provided
purification of sins"
- much more will be said about this in the future chapters.
"sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven"
- conveys Christ's royal power unparalleled glory.
Psa_110:1-2
Of David. A psalm. The LORD says to my lord: "Sit at my right
hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." (2)
The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, "Rule
in the midst of your enemies!"
Present
rulership is over the church and heavenly angelic hosts.
Eph_4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every
respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Col_1:18
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and
the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might
have the supremacy.
Col_2:10
and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over
every power and authority.
Future
rulership is over Israel in the Millennial Kingdom
Isa_9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the greatness
of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on
David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The
zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Dan_2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another
people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end,
but it will itself endure forever.
Dan_7:13-14
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one
like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached
the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. (14) He was given
authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of
every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be
destroyed.
Heb_1:4
The
Jewish people were under pressure to abandon their belief in Messiah
and return to the Mosaic system of Judaism. The previous 7 actions
would demonstrate to the Jewish people the full diety of Jesus and
His superiority of any other messengers from the outset of the
letter.
It
is likely that the Jewish readers regarded angels too highly. Angels
are very important to the Jewish people. Multitudes of angels were
involved with them in the Old Testament. Explaining that Jesus was
superior to the angels would help them to get a proper perspective of
Jesus.
Notes
Two
terms for Christ are the focus of the letter to the Hebrews, as we
see going through the chapters:
- Son of God - Jesus is God's Son, which the previous 7 actions declare. Jesus is better, higher than the angels as God's Son. As we read through the letter, we should understand the term "Son of God" as a term signifying Jesus's superiority.
Deu_33:2
He said: "The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them from
Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy
ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.
Psa_68:17
The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands;
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.
Gal_3:19
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of
transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.
The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
This
position of Jesus as higher than the angels is also cautionary to
those who claim to be angelic mediators who claim to connect the
living with angelic beings or dead relatives. These practices are
found in cults and New Age occultic proponents. Finding a "spiritual
guide" or "channeling are other examples. Jesus is higher
than the angels and the biblical revelation about these subjects.
- High Priest - will be the subject of much of the following chapters.
Heb_1:5
The
seven quotes:
"You
are my Son; today I have become your Father"
- The writer to Hebrews appeals to his Jewish readers on the basis of
David's declaration in Psa_2:7
that Jesus is the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. Angels were
referred to as "sons of God", but never as a "Son of
God". Only Jesus has the name "Son of God".
Psa_2:7
I will proclaim the LORD's decree: He said to me, "You are my
son; today I have become your father.
"I
will be His Father, and He will be my Son" - a
reinforcement to the above quote.
1Ch_17:13
I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my
love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.
Heb_1:6
"Let
all God's angels worship Him." - A
second reinforcement.
Heb_1:7
"He
makes His angels spirits, and His servants flames of fire" -
Angels are created as spirits, powerful, invisible, and servants of a
higher power whom they serve with judgment and illumination. They are
servants, unlike the Son of God, who's role is to rule.
Psa_104:4
He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
Heb_1:8-9
"Your
throne, oh God, will last forever and ever..." -
This is another quote showing the difference between Jesus and
angels. The Son will rule, not serve. His throne is unending, not
changing. The Son exercises royal power, and the angels are
ministers.
Psa_45:6-7
Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice
will be the scepter of your kingdom. (7) You love righteousness and
hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your
companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
Heb_1:10-12
"In
the beginning Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth..." -
The
6th quote, shows that the Son is immutable, unchanging. As the
creator living out side of creation, He is the cause of change, but
is not affected by that change. This cannot be said of the angels,
who are also created.
Psa_102:25-27
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the
heavens are the work of your hands. (26) They will perish, but you
remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will
change them and they will be discarded. (27) But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
Heb_1:13
"Sit
at my right hand..." -
The 7th and last quote, angels stand and serve, Jesus sits and rules.
The vindication here is that of the second coming, and His future
rule on David's earthly throne in Jerusalem.
Psa_110:1
Of David. A psalm. The LORD says to my lord: "Sit at my right
hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
Heb_1:14
A
primary purpose for angels is revealed in this verse. They are
ministers of those who will inherit salvation. They assist humans in
achieving deliverance against our enemies, and bringing all humans to
salvation.
"inherit"
- Inheritance is usually a term used of something someone receives
through a will, not through any action on their own part. Our
inheritance is all that God wants to give us. We will receive an
inheritance, however, we are liable to lose some of that inheritance
through unfaithfulness, as in the case of Esau.
Heb_12:16-17
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for
a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. (17)
Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he
was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could
not change what he had done.
A
part of our inheritance is rewards. Like our inheritance, we can
forfeit rewards based on our actions while alive on earth.
1Co_3:6-15
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it
grow. (7) So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is
anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (8) The one who plants
and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be
rewarded according to their own labor. (9) For we are co-workers in
God's service; you are God's field, God's building. (10) By the grace
God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone
else is building on it. But each one should build with care. (11) For
no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which
is Jesus Christ. (12) If anyone builds on this foundation using gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, (13) their work will be
shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will
be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each
person's work. (14) If what has been built survives, the builder will
receive a reward. (15) If it is burned up, the builder will suffer
loss but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through
the flames.
The
closing passage is an encouragement to the readers. It details
Jesus's right to rule in the coming Millennial Kingdom, based on 7
respects:
- He is the Son of God (Heb_1:5 a).
- He is the promised son of David (Heb_1:5 b).
- He is the sovereign whom angels worship as Yahweh (Heb_1:6).
- His ministry is not that of a temporary servant like the angels (Heb_1:7).
- His ministry is that of the eternal ruler (Heb_1:8-9).
- He is the immutable creator (Heb_1:10-12).
- He is the sovereign who will rule as victor over all His enemies (Heb_1:13).
