From Hebrews 1-6
In the face of drifting away, the author reminds his audience of God’s word. Firstly through angels and now in these last days through His Son. His Son, made purification for sins and is superior in every way. The author motivates his listeners through threat of punishment and reminds them of the varied forms of salvation held out in the gospel. He calls you and I to personal commitment and responsibility.
This post is part of my bible in a year series.
Passage and Comments
We are not really told what the issues the audience were dealing with. This is fairly key to understanding the bigger picture of the letter and why it was written.
The letter assumes a fair amount of knowledge in Judaism. Stories and temple practices from Judaism and the Old Testament (OT) are assumed knowledge. In comparison, Jesus Christ is commonly argued as being superior in every way.
Consequently we can safely assume the audience largely consisted of Jewish converts to Christianity who are perhaps undergoing persecution, questioning their new faith and being tempted to fall back into Judaism.
The audience at a couple of key points is also warned against repeated sin. It is not clear whether falling back into Judaism is this sin. Or if sins such as idolatry, adultery, jealousy, pride, etc are in mind. Perhaps both are in view.
The book of Hebrews starts like an epic drama.
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Heb 1.1-4)
‘God spoke’. A common and repeated theme throughout the letter is that God and the Holy Spirit speaks. God has spoken to their fathers, but – the word stresses the importance of what is next – in these last days he has spoken through his Son.
‘Exact imprint’. His Son we find out is much more significant than their fathers. He is heir of all things, and through him the world was created and upheld. He is the radiance of God’s glory (no one else is named who does that) and the exact imprint of his nature. The image in mind is of a die used to shape metal into an exact shape.
God (the Father) and Jesus Christ (His Son) are like the sun and its light.
They belong intimately together. They can be distinguished in some ways, but they can never be separated.
‘Purification for sins’, ‘He sat down’. This same Son is the one who made purification for sins (through his death on the cross and washing is in view) and then sat down. Meaning, through this action he has set in motion a chain of events where God’s redemptive purposes will be accomplished. He sat down to rest after his work. His work is done.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”?(Ps 2.7)
Or again,
“I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? (Ps 89.26-27)
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”(Dt 32.43)
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”(Ps 104.4)
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”(Ps 45.6-7)
10 And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”(Ps 102.25-27)
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? (Ps 110.1)
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Heb 1.5-14)
‘Angels’, ‘Ministering spirits’. These are messengers from God. There is debate over whether these are actual angels or humans or perhaps a combination. Either way these angels have through the OT communicated God’s will to his people.
‘But of the Son’. Using quotation after quotation from the OT the author of Hebrews repeatedly rams home his point. The Son through whom God is speaking through in these last days is superior in every way to the angels of the past. The old has been superseded by the new.
2 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Heb 2.1-4)
‘Therefore’, ‘the message’, ‘declared at first’. The first of several ‘therefores’, the author points his audience back to the gospel and warns them of the consequences of drifting away. The gospel is the message they have heard, the message declared by the Lord (the gospel of the Kingdom), the message declared by the apostles. The gospel demonstrated to be God’s through the accompanying signs of the Spirit.
Words for Believers
In the face of drifting away, the author reminds his audience of God’s word. Firstly through angels and now in these last days through His Son. His Son, whom we know to be Jesus, who died for our sins and is superior in every way. He motivates his listeners through threat of punishment and reminds them of the varied forms of salvation held out in the gospel.
He calls you and I to personal commitment and responsibility.
Do you think there is anything superior in this world to Jesus? Are you in danger of drifting away from Christ into your former life style? Time to have a self check of where you stand.
Copyright © Joshua Washington and thescripturesays, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
