Hebrews

Hebrews 1:1

In our day and age, it is noteworthy that this writer doesn't feel the least bit reserved about starting with the assumption that everyone knows of God.  There is no effort needed to convince anyone in this regard, only to make sure they have a good understanding of who He is, the person and work of which came to us in Christ.  God is real, He's alive and He's doing His thing.    

In the past God spoke to the fathers.  These were the Jewish forefathers.  God spoke to men through the prophets at various times and in various ways.  The prophets didn't control when God spoke to them or how they were to convey a message in spite of what you see on so called Christian TV.  God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and Moses declared God's truth to the people.  To Elijah God spoke through a still, small voice and Elijah brought the prophetic word to the people.  For Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to him and he was shown things and the message was given that he was to proclaim. 

God spoke to some of the prophets who acted out scenarios as they brought God's message to the people.  Their lives proclaimed God's message.   This got people's attention so they could deliver the word.  To send His message, Ezekiel was made mute, another prophet had to cook with dung, another married a prostitute and the list goes on. 

The prophets weren't just speaking messages, they were living and walking them out.  That's how God did it in the past, the writer said.

Hebrews 1:2

It's worth mentioning that the writer believed he was living in the last days.  He lived in anticipation of the return of Jesus.  We live in those same last days.  We should have an even greater anticipation of the return.  In these last days, God spoke to us by His Son.  "The word became flesh and dwelt among us," the book of John says.  Jesus didn't bring us a message from the Father, Jesus was the message from the Father.  In John 14, Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." 

The Father appointed Jesus as heir of all things.  Everything that exists will come under His authority.  As the firstborn, Jesus will inherit the entire universe.

God is the creator all things.  He made the worlds through Jesus (Col 1:16, 1 Cor 8:6, John 1:3).  This word for worlds might be better understood as ages.  It's space and energy, matter and time.  It's all that every was and ever will be in the heavenlies; all things physical and all things spiritual.  It was all made through Jesus, making Jesus Himself eternal.  He is God the Son, He always was.  He created time.  He created space.  He created angels and even dirt.  There's a poem that says, He died upon a cross of wood,
yet made the hill on which it stood.

Hebrews 1:3

Jesus is the express image of God the Father.  He is the brightness of God's glory.  The brightness of God's glory shone on Moses when he was on the mountain.  The people saw that Moses had been in the presence of God when he came down.  His face reflected the countenance of God.  The Shekinah glory, the brightness of God's glory was a pillar of fire between the Egyptians and the Israelites.  It was a perfect consuming fire that could purify and protect.  It was frightening but it brought comfort and safety to many.  This is a picture of Jesus. 

The brightness of God's glory blinded Paul on the road to Damascus.  No man has seen God.  Though some men have seen the radiance of his glory.  Jesus is that radiance of God's glory.  We can't see the sun but we see the light from the sun.  We can't see God but we can see the son that came from the Father.  Jesus is the radiance of God's glory.

In Matthew 17 we see the brightness of God's glory in the transfiguration.  It says, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  Jesus is the radiance of God's glory and the express image of the Father.  The express image is what you get when you press something into a mold.  You get an exact likeness.  Jesus is an exact likeness of God.  Jesus said in the book of John, He who has seen Me has seen the Father.

The writer is making it clear that Jesus is God.  This seems very basic but it is so important.  Because if you don't have a right understanding of who Jesus is, you can't rightly understand scripture.  A wrong understanding of who Jesus is and what He did will result in a flawed faith.  It you believe in the wrong Jesus then your hope is no hope at all.  We each need to make sure we have the right Jesus.

Jesus maintains all things.  All things from the beginning of time have been kept in order and maintained perfectly at God's will.  At no time has God let it slip from His control.  At not time has Jesus ever been surprised.  When Jesus wept in the garden, He knew what was coming.  He was perfect and sinless yet the burden of the sin of the world was going to be placed on Him.  He was made sin and that was the plan from the beginning of time.  He shed His blood and died to pay for sin and then in power and authority he was raised again.  And He sat down at the right hand of God.

Not just anyone could sit at his right hand.  How much higher and loftier does one have to be to sit on the right hand of God?  Who else; what else would qualify?  No one, no thing.  That's the point.  The writer wants every reader of this to understand the high and holy place of Jesus.  His superiority over all can not be questioned.  Yet, that's what was happening at the time.  At the writing of this letter people were placing angels above Jesus.  Some were saying Jesus was merely an angel.  That brings us to verse 4

Hebrews 1:4

Jesus is superior to angels.  No mere angel has sat at the right hand of God the Father.  Angels are ministering spirits, servants of God.  Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the trinity.  Through suffering, redemption was made perfect through Jesus.  No angel has done this.  In fact, in 1 Peter 1:12, Peter said the angels marvel at the salvation process and message.  (See also Colossians 2:18 and Revelation 19:1-10)

In four short verses, the writer has established these facts about Jesus. 

• He is appointed heir of all things.
• He is creator of the universe. 
• He is the radiance of God's glory. 
• He is the exact representation of God. 
• He sustains things by his word. 
• He provides purification for sins. 
• He sits at the right hand of God. 

Now, with that established, he will make the contrast.  On one hand we have Jesus and all we know about him.  On the other we have angels.  And as fascinating, amazing and mysterious as angels are, they are not to be compared or confused.

Hebrews 1:5a

This quote is from Psalm 2, verse 7.  The angels collectively are called sons of God but no angel has ever been called a Son.  God declared Jesus His Son.  He said 'I have begotten You.'  The word begotten means the Father and Son share the same being.  This is the mystery of the trinity; they are the same while being distinct persons.

Hebrews 1:5b

This is a quote that comes from 2 Samuel 7:14.  As Nathan prophesied to King David, he said:

¹² "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.

The passage seems to speak of Solomon as the Lord speaks through Nathan to David.  Yet, the writer uses it to make his case about Jesus.  This confirms that he wasn't just talking about Solomon but also the son to come, Jesus.

Hebrews 1:6

This quote is from Psalm 97:7.  The lesser worships the greater.  Again, this shows Jesus is greater than the angels.

Hebrews 1:7

This comes from Psalm 104:4 and it shows the angels are His servant.  Here's what the Psalm says:

O LORD my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
² Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

³ He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
⁴ Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.

The angels serve Jesus.

Hebrews 1:8-9

The writer of Hebrews says God is saying this about the son, then he quotes 2 verses from Psalm 45:6-7.  God the Father calls Jesus God and declares Him king by His scepter of righteousness.  God the Father, by the work of God the Holy Spirit, anointed God the Son.  That's an amazing passage.  And no angel, as fascinating as they are, has ever been anointed and declared King.

Hebrews 1:10-12

This passage is quoted from Psalm 102:25-27.  The writer here attests that this is about Jesus Christ.  Jesus is creator of the heaven and the earth.  And even though they will perish, Jesus will never perish.  He is eternal.

Hebrews 1:13

And this quote is from Psalm 110:1.  God told Jesus to sit at His right hand until he makes his enemies a footstool for his feet.  As we said before, not just anyone sits at the right hand of the majesty.  No angel sits there.  Angels don't sit down, they are ministering for the Lord.

Hebrews 1:14

Angels are ministering spirits.  They are sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation.  That's you and I.  The angels work for us.  Angels were created and not eternal beings.  They can make choices.  We know that because many of them made the wrong one when one third of the angels followed Satan into rebellion.  Angels have a place and function in the Kingdom.  In the bible, we see these stories involving angels:

• In Acts 7:53 we learn Moses received the law through angels.
• In Deuteronomy 33:2 The Lord came from Sinai with a myriad of holy ones.
• In Psalm 68:17 the chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands.
• In Galatians 3:19 the law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.
• We know 2 angels destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah
• 1 angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
• At Passover we see the death angel kill the firstborn.
• In 2 Kings 6:16-18 Elisha asks God to show his companion what is really going on and their eyes were opened to the spiritual world and the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire.
• In Acts we see angels spring the disciples from prison.

All these passages show the importance and ministry of angels in God's kingdom but none show them higher than Jesus.  To the Hebrew of that day, this would have been devastating to the traditions and teachings.  They placed so much priority and authority on angels.  But, to put Jesus equal to an angel is to degrade and dethrone Him.  Those who don't claim Jesus as God eternal, creator, sustainer, savior and redeemer sitting at the right hand of God the Father have another Jesus.  They actually have no Jesus at all.

We can see this first chapter is the beginning of the Essay.  The writer is presenting his case for the superiority of Christ.  As we continue, he'll build his case and it will grow in us a higher view of the One we hold so high.

© 2011 Doug Ford

Updated & revised 2019