PM Home Bible Study Group; October 8, 2014
Hebrews 1:5-2:4
Theme: The supremacy of Jesus over the angels means that we ought to submit to the good news that has been declared to us concerning Him.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
In our first study, the glories of Jesus were presented to show us His supremacy over all. In the first four verse, we were shown that His supremacy was displayed as (1) the Revelation from God, (2) the Heir of all things, (3) the Agent of all creation, (4) the Expositor of God, (5) the Upholder of the universe, (6) the Redeemer from sins, and (7) the Supreme over the angels. As verse 4 says of Him, He is supreme in His exaltation, “having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
Jesus did not ‘become’ better than the angels by some form of progress over them. As their Creator, He was already ‘better’. Rather, we might say he ‘became’ better as a matter of declaration from the Father. The Father declared no other to be His Son but Him, nor has any other beside Him been exalted to the right hand of the Father’s majesty. But this leads the writer of Hebrews to talk further about Jesus’ supremacy with relation to the angels in the rest of Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2.
The reason this is important is because angels—in the is present state of things—occupy a higher place in the created order than men. And their impact on the realms of mankind are significant. In the Book of Daniel, we’re told that they—to some degree—exercise powerful influence over the activities of kingdoms. The appearances of angels in Scripture often cause great terror in those who see them. And Ephesians 6:12 lets us know that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” It would be hard for us to think of any created being of a higher order than angels. And yet, Jesus stands supreme over them in that He is the Mediator of a new covenant—superior to anything that has preceded it, and superior to anything that might even be brought to us by the mediation of angels.
The superiority of Jesus over the angels means that we must submit to the good news concerning Him. Taking his Jewish readers back into the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures, the writer of Hebrews develops his thesis by showing . . .
I. THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS OVER THE ANGELS.(1:5-14).
A. In verses 5-6, he beings by showing how the Old Testament Scriptures declared Christ to be the Firstborn Son that the angels worship. He writes,
For to which of the angels did He ever say:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”? (v. 5a).
Here, he is quoting from Psalm 2:7; which is a Messianic psalm that testifies to the supremacy of the Christ. The Christ did not become the Son in the sense that He was not the Son until the Father had declared Him so. Rather, it was the declaration that it was so that honored the Son before all. Nor did the Father “begot” the Son on the day of this declaration, because He was eternally the begotten Son of the Father. Rather, He was recognized and declared to be Son before all in His humanity. It’s at Jesus’ baptism that the Father declared, before mankind, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). But this was not done to any of the angels. Similarly, the writer quotes 2 Samuel 7:14, and God’s words to King David concerning his promised Offspring:
And again:
“I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”? (v. 5b).
This high honor is something that God declared to be true of the royal King that would come from David’s body. But it isn’t said of an angel. Instead, the writer of Hebrews loosely quotes Psalm 97:7; saying,
But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him” (v. 6).
Jesus’ title as “Firstborn” speaks of His role of supremacy as the Son of the Father. He was brought into this world by His incarnation. And looking ahead, the psalmist prophetically affirms that at the birth of this Firstborn Son into the world, the angels would worship Him. And indeed they did—as is told to us in Luke 2:14—saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So, Jesus’ supremacy over the angels is shown in His title—Firstborn Son.
B. His supremacy is also shown in that Christ is declared to be the Creator that made and is served by the angels. The writer quotes Psalm 104:4—a psalm that glorifies the God of Creation—when he writes;
And of the angels He says:
“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire” (v. 7).
This phrase magnifies the glory of the angelic beings. They mighty, and powerful, and resplendent in brightness and beauty. They far exceed men—in mankind’s present state—in majesty. But note that they are called “ministers”. They are created to serve. By contrast, the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 45:6-7—a psalm of King David that highlights the majesty of the Messiah; and writes,
But to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (vv. 8-9).
Note that the Messiah is twice called “God” in these words; and that He has been anointed by God over His “companions”. Furthermore, the writes quotes Psalm 102:25-27—presenting them as speaking of the Christ (as shown by the conjunction “And”); and writes,
And:
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail” (vv. 10-12).
In making these words apply to the Messiah, the writer of Hebrews is identifying Jesus as the Creator—eternal in His nature, and Master over all that He has created. The powerful and glorious angels are mere creations of His hand!
C. Finally, the supremacy of Jesus is shown in that Christ is to be honored while the angels are declared to be servants (vv. 13-14). Already, in quoting Psalm 104:4, the writer has affirmed angels to be “ministers”. But then—quoting Psalm 110:1—the writer of Hebrews asks,
But to which of the angels has He ever said:
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? (v. 13).
The “right hand” of God is the place of highest imaginable honor; and the writer has already affirmed in 3 that, after having atoned for our sins, that’s where the resurrected and glorified Jesus is now seated. And to have all of His enemies made His footstool is to say that Christ has conquered all and that all bow to His reign (see also Hebrews 10:13). But which of the angels—the ministers of God’s creation—have ever been invited to sit at God’s right hand? To which of them has it ever been said that their enemies would be made their footstool? Instead, the writer of Hebrews asks, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (v. 14). In Psalm 103:20, we’re told that the mighty angels of the Lord—who excel in strength—are those “who do His word”. They are ministers who serve God’s purposes for us—His redeemed people! We, in fact, are destined—in our glorified state in exaltation with Christ—to be their judges (1 Corinthians 6:3). So, while they remain glorious and mighty, they are nevertheless merely created beings; while Jesus is exalted above all honor!
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Thus—in terms of His majesty (as Firstborn), and in terms of His power (as Creator), and in terms of His Honor (as seated at God’s right hand)—Jesus is clearly shown to be supreme over the angels. This leads the writer of Hebrews, then, to stress . . .
II. THE OBLIGATION WE HAVE TO HEED THE GOSPEL CONCERNING HIM (2:1-4).
A. One of the characteristics of the Book of Hebrews is that it contains a series of warnings not to fall away from the faith, but rather to move forward faithfully. And this is the first. The writer says we must exercise diligence not to drift away from the gospel. At the beginning of Chapter 2, he writes, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (v. 1). If men drift away from a mere human philosophy, it really doesn’t matter. But to drift away from the testimony of One who exceeds the angels in majesty, power and honor, is to drift away from the truth! Having heard it and having believed it at one time doesn’t secure someone from wandering. Paul urged Timothy to keep “faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck” (1 Timothy 1:19). Earnest diligence is needed to stay in the truth of the gospel, and to not wander from it.
B. The writer of Hebrews underscores this by affirming that we have a greater revelation that is more obligatory than that given through angels (vv. 2-4). Even if an apostle—or even an angel from heaven—were to come and preach another gospel, we’re told, we are not obligated to what is said (Galatians 1:8). But to this gospel, we have absolute obligation.
1. We’re told that the former revelation had obligations that involved punishment (v. 2). The writer says, “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward . . .” (v. 2). And this is true of the law. Angels were involved in the giving of the law to the people of Israel. Acts 7:53 says that the Jewish people “received the law by the direction of angels”; and as Paul wrote in Galatians 3:19, “it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator” (that is, Moses). And to disregard such a message—so authoritatively given by angels—was to suffer punishment.
2. If that’s the case, then how will we escape punishment if we neglect this new revelation? The writer asks, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (vv. 3-4). Note the greater authority of the gospel:
a. It was first spoken through the Lord; whose preaching ministry while on earth was expressed in these words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
b. It was also confirmed by the apostles—those who heard Him. They not only heard Him, but they also heard the Father affirm that His words were to be heard. Peter wrote, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-19). It was at that time that the heard the Father say, “Hear Him!”
c. Finally, the writer of Hebrews affirms that the Father affirmed the validity and authority of the gospel with signs, and wonders, and with miracles, and with gifts of the Holy Spirit. The story of the Book of Acts details the apostolic experience of this. As Paul said, “Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12).
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The superiority of Jesus over the angels, then, affirms to us the superiority of the gospel concerning Him over the old covenant of the law. The Jewish readers to whom the writer penned this letter were exhorted not to shrink back out of fear of leaving the old covenant. They needed to come wholeheartedly to Christ.
Similarly, we should not shrink back either. We should embrace it with bold confidence—and trust completely in the Lord Jesus that it declares to us.