Hebrews 1

Hebrews 1 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. "The author contrasts the gradual and multiform revelations given of old in the person of the prophets, with the revelation given at the end of the Jewish dispensation in the person of Him who is Son.… God having spoken [through the prophets];… [at various or] sundry times describes rather the many imperfect revelations—which were still parts of one whole—given through Enoch, Abraham, Moses, etc., each knowing in part only; whereas [various or] diverse manners points to the many ways in which the revelations were given—mysterious promise, pregnant type, dark prophecy, or it may be, though less probably, dream, vision, audible utterance." (Schaff's Commentary), even “by the personal appearances of Christ, the Word of the Lord.”(Sutcliffe's Commentary) Now, under the new dispensation, "the revelation is the life and dying and explicit teaching of Christ, with the added enlightenment—still in Christ—of the Holy Spirit..." (Schaff) poured out upon all flesh at Pentecost. "He gave the Words of the Father to the apostles (John 17:8) and they to us, and that is the way in which we of this age have been spoken to of God.” (E.M. Zerr) God "has "in these last days" or "at the end of these day" spoken to us by His Son. This is "perfectly agreeable to the phrase באחרית הימים, used in Genesis 49:1 to which the apostle refers, and in which places the days of the Messiah are intended..." (Gill’s Commentary)—> " And Jacob called his sons and said: 'Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days…’" Only Judah and Benjamin were part of the remanent of Judah. The other ten tribes were already destroyed, captured, and subsequently scattered in the Assyrian attack on the Northern kingdom of Israel. In Genesis 49:3-4, it prophesied that "though the the first-born, whereas Reuben could have anticipated preeminence among his brothers, leadership of the tribes, priesthood within the family, and the double portion of the birthright. However, he forfeited these blessings preferring rather to give free reign to his lust (Genesis 35:22; cf. Esau). The leadership of the tribes therefore went to Judah, the priesthood to Levi eventually (cf. Exodus 32:25-29; Numbers 3:12-13), and the double portion to Joseph.” (Dr. Thomas Constable) Moreover, in Genesis 49:10, Judah receives prophecy about the scepter "which was and is the symbol of royal command, the right to rule. Judah was to exercise leadership among the tribes until Shiloh came at which time Shiloh would extend Judah's rule to worldwide dominion.... Shiloh (lit. the 'bearer of rest') is a proper name. It refers here not to the city in Canaan of that name but to a person who would arise in the tribe of Judah and bring peace to the world, namely, Messiah (cf. Genesis 3:15; Numbers 24:17). We should probably translate it 'whose it (the ruler's staff) is' or 'to whom it belongs' rather than transliterate it 'Shiloh' (cf. Ezekiel 21:26-27).” (Dr. Thomas Constable) “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” (Genesis 49:27) “Benjamin produced many warriors in Israel's history (e.g, Ehud, Saul, Jonathan, et al.) and demonstrated a warlike character among the tribes ( Judges 5:14; Judges 20:16; 1 Chronicles 8:40; ch12; 2 Chronicles 14:8; 2 Chronicles 17:17; et al.).” (Dr. Thomas Constable) However, this could predict it’s actions towards the remnant of the apostles and disciples in Jesus' day. "In the last days"-- or better, "at the end of these days"-- "The common text speaks of the Son as introducing the new economy; the corrected text speaks of Him as closing the old. Christ’s kingship really began at Pentecost; but the last days of the old economy continued overlapping the new till Jerusalem was overthrown, and the possibility of keeping the Levitical law had passed away (Hebrews 8:13)." (Schaff's Commentary) "There had been the patriarchal period, the period under the Law, the prophets, etc., and now was the period during which God‘s ‘last’ method of communication would be enjoyed, and under which the world would close. It might be a very long period, but it would be the ‘last’ one.” (Albert Barnes) The prophets had spoken the Word to the children of Israel. Yet they “did not understand the heights and depths of their own messages— 1 Peter 1:10… Still less did they comprehend the whole of God’s revelation in OT times… Like John the Baptist they had to testify ‘I am not the Light, I am only sent to bear witness of the Light.’…" (Aolph Saphir) And there was 400 years of silence from Malachi to Messiah. And now, the silence has been broken by the Word made flesh, who was dead but made alive again, testifying to His church by the heavenly witness of "the Word", as well as the earthly witnesses of "the Spirit, and the water, and the blood." (1 John 5:7–8) Jesus’ revelation to mankind is pure "for Jesus Christ is the exact expression of the divine nature. All things were created by Him, are controlled by Him, and one day will return to Him as His rightful possession (1:1-3a). Besides revealing God to needy sinners, Jesus brings needy sinners to God, by providing them with cleansing from sin through his death on the cross. Because of who Jesus is and what he has done [on earth for mankind], God has given Him a position far above all things, angels included (3b-4).” (Bridgeway Bible Commentary) The Son was made a little lower than the angels, but He has obtained a more excellent name— Yahweh is Savior— than they. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved...” (Acts 4:12) for Jesus paid the price of our redemption- His blood- and He will inherit the creation, including the redeemed. The angels "are a part of the Son's inheritance.” (John Wesley) Hebrews 1 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? [Psalm 2:7] And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”? [2 Samuel 7:14] 6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” [Deuteronomy 32:43 Septuagint; Psalm 97:7] 7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” [Psalm 104:4] There is an angel craze today. People desire the aid of angels but not the Son— Who created and commands them. He is infinitely more precious to us in our salvation. For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? [Psalm 2:7] (5a) Psalm 2 begins with a prophetic overture: "Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed: Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!” (Psalm 2:1-3) This found its fulfillment in the successive kingdoms which suppressed the Jews after the Babylonian captivity but ultimately in the Roman crucifixion of Messiah at the desire of the Jewish leaders and consent of the masses of the people- the children of Israel. They did not believe that the Father and the Son were One. They said, "“Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” Yahweh laughed in verse 4 of this Psalm. It did seem that they had won upon His death, "but Sunday's a comin." According to Paul, the Father begat the Son by His resurrection from the dead, “And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’ [Psalm 2:7].” (Acts 13:32-33) And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”? [2 Samuel 7:14] (5b) “The prophecy is in Second Samuel, the seventh chapter, of God to David when David said he wanted to build a house for God. Nathan had to tell David that God wouldn’t allow him to build the house because his hands were bloodied with war. ‘But you tell David that I’m going to build him a house and I shall raise up of David a seed and He shall sit upon the throne forever and I will be to Him a Father and He shall be to me a Son.’ God’s declaration to David concerning the seed that should rise up from David and reign over the world. With that announcement, David was speechless. As David knelt before God he said, ‘What can I say? I was nothing. I was only a shepherd kid chasing after sheep and You called me to rule over Your people. Now You’ve spoken of the kingdom to come. Oh God, what can I say’ And David, probably the most articulate person in the history of man, was speechless before the grace and the goodness of God.” (Chuck Smith Bible Commentary) But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ [Psalm 97:7]” (6) “Christ is here called the ‘firstborn,’ a favorite expression of Paul who referred to Christ as ‘the firstborn from the dead’ (Colossians 1:18); and as ‘the firstborn of all creation’ (Colossians 1:15). So this expression emphasizes the resurrection." (A. W. Pink) He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ [Psalm 97:7] (7b) “Jesus received worship which is reserved for God alone. (Matt 2:11; 8:2; 9:18: 14:33; 15:25; 28:9; 28:9; Mark 5:6; 15:19; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus rebuked him saying: Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ (Luke 4:8; Deut 6:13; 10:20)” (A. W. Pink) This sentiment of worship is found in Deuteronomy 32, verse 43 of the Septuagint version of the song of Moses--> "Rejoice, ye heavens, with Him, and let all the angels of God worship Him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with His people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in Him; for He will avenge the blood of His sons, and He will render vengeance, and recompense justice to His enemies, and will reward them that hate Him; and the Lord shall purge the land of His people." ”There can be no doubt that the superscription of this psalm [Psalm 97] in Luther's Bible, 'Of Christ and His Kingdom,' is correct, that it is Jehovah, the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, of whom the inspired singer speaks....v. 3. ‘A fire goeth before Him,’ as a manifestation of His almighty, consuming power, ‘and burneth up His enemies round about,’ literally, ’sets on fire His adversaries.’” (Kretzmann's Popular Commentary)The psalmist worships the Son with the following inspired Words: "His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you angels. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice. Because of Your judgments, O Lord. For You, Lord, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all angels." (Psalm 97:4-9) “And of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.’ [Psalm 104:4]” We see a great contrast “between the natures of the angels and the Son: they were ‘made’—created; He is uncreated. Not only were the angels created, but they were created by Christ Himself ‘Who maketh’ which looks back to the last clause of verse 2, ‘He (The Son) made the worlds:’ it is the making of the worlds that Psalm 104 speaks of. Moreover, they are here termed not merely ‘the angels,’ but ‘His angels!’ They are but ‘spirits,’ He is ‘God’ they are ‘His ministers,’ He is their Head ( Colossians 2:10). ‘And [He makes] His ministers [another title for Hs angels] a flame of fire’ (7). Here, as always in Scripture, ‘fire’ speaks of Divine judgment, and the sentence as a whole informs us that the angels are the executioners of God's wrath. A number of passages supply us with solemn illustrations of this fact. In Genesis 19:13 we read that the two angels said to Lot concerning Sodom, ‘We will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord: and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.’… Again, in Matthew 13:41-42 we read, ‘The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.’” (A. W. Pink) Afternoon Repost: Hebrews 1: 8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” [Psalm 45:6, 7] God “makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” He is the King. They are His subjects. They administer His justice. But the Father says of the Son: “Thou art more beautiful than the sons of men: grace has been shed forth on thy lips: therefore God has blessed thee forever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Mighty One, in thy comeliness, and in thy beauty; and bend thy bow, and prosper, and reign, because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall guide thee wonderfully. Thy weapons are sharpened, Mighty One, (the nations shall fall under thee) they are in the heart of the king's enemies. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy fellows." (Psalm 45:2–7; Septuagint Translation) These words “proved too big for Solomon; and we must say, as our Saviour did in another case, 'Behold, a greater than Solomon is here.' This the best of the Jewish interpreters acknowledge, particularly Kimchi, Aben-ezra, and Solomon Jarchi." (Coke's Commentary) “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…” (8a) Though the millennium will only last a thousand years, "our glorious King will encumber the throne of final judgment, and reign on forever over this world [the new earth]" (William Godbey)-- “a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” (8b)- "the sceptre is an ensign of royalty; and a sceptre of righteousness, or rightness, is expressive of the justice of government; the Syriac version renders it, 'a sceptre stretched out'; which is a sceptre of mercy, as the instance of Ahasuerus stretching out his sceptre to Esther shows; and such is the Gospel of Christ, which holds forth and declares the mercy, grace, and love of God to men through Christ; and which may be called a sceptre of righteousness, since it reveals and directs to the righteousness of Christ, and encourages to works of righteousness." (Gill’s Exposition) When there was a dispute over the priesthood, God told Moses to get a rods from leaders of each of the twelve tribes and to write their names on them... and bring them to the tabernacle of meeting. "And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you." (Numbers 17:5) And it happened that Aaron’s rod budded. (Numbers 17:8) “Priesthood is a divine institution. ‘No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.’” (Mackintosh) With the Father, as it is with priesthood, so it is with kingship. See all of the rods are before Him again and He testified. Even back in Genesis before Israel had kings, Judah would be the head, until Shiloh comes… “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” (Genesis 49:10) And again: ““I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult..” (Numbers 24:17) Of Babylon, who held Judah captive, this proverb was taken up: “The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.” (Isaiah 14:5) This is true even of the successive kingdoms who suppressed them. (Daniel 2:34) Yet, Ezekiel even prophesied far into the future of Judah: “She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, and was seen in her height amid the dense foliage. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has come out from a rod of her branches and devoured her fruit, so that she has no strong branch— a scepter for ruling.’…” (Ezekiel 19:11-14) “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (9b) The new kings of the kingdom of Judah were anointed by God's prophet. “Their coronation was denoted by the pouring of oil upon their heads: see 1 Sam 10:1; 16:13; 1 Kings 1:39… the kings were styled ‘anointed’ (2 Sam 19:21) and ‘the anointed of the Lord’ (Lam 4:20).” But because of Jesus’ love for righteousness and hatred of torahlessness, the Father Himself anointed Him with the oil of the Spirit above His brethren. "An illustration of the Savior’s hatred of iniquity are found in His action in His cleansing of the Temple. See Him, as the Vindicator of His Father’s house, driving before Him its profane traffickers and crying, ‘Make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise’ (John 2:16).” (A. W. Pink) Hebrews 1 10 And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.” [Psalm 102:25–27] "You, Yahweh, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands." (10) "These words, with those contained in the two following verses, are quoted from Psalms 102:25-27, where they are evidently spoken of the God of Israel, the living and true God. Some have thought they are here addressed to the Father, and not to the Son. But, as the former passages are directed to the Son, it is reasonable to suppose this is so likewise: especially as it would not have been to the apostle’s purpose to quote it here, if it had been addressed to the Father." (Benson Commentary) There are two factors at work in the demise of the heavens and this earth. “They will perish…. and they will grow old like a garment.” (11) First, just as our mortal bodies are wearing out and will ultimately decay in the grave, so is the Creation. And they will all grow old like a garment; "Even now agencies are at work in God’s material works tending towards the dissolution of certain of them. Water, frost, and fire are all eating away portions of the world.” (A. S. Patterson) Likewise: “The sun is radiating itself off, and must by-and-by cease to burn. 'It is simply,' says Sir William Thomson, 'an incandescent mass cooling.' Stars have already burnt out, or will. The moon no longer, as of yore, burns and glows. It is now an immense opaque cinder, only reflecting the sunlight that is thrown from afar upon its disc." (J. Morison, D. D.) BUT TO THESE WILL BE ADDED, at the last, some swift and sudden convulsion, telling that her end is nigh at hand… The green earth and the azure heavens are to pass away. Both shall be consumed, and hurried into wreck and ruin, by the devastating fire that shall usher in ‘the great day of the Lord.' But even at this stage of the passage there is a direct testimony to the surpassing power and majesty of Christ. 'Thou,' it is said of the Son--'Thou shall fold them up.' Christ, who, 'in the beginning,' was the Maker, will, in the end, be the Destroyer, of the world." (A. S. Patterson) But You will remain; and He is our hope of salvation from the grave. “'He remains.' This applies to God, and gives sweet comfort to the bereaved. Friends may die, fortune fly away;' (Petrine), but God endures-He remains- "Jesus Christ—the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) Like a cloak— "περιβολαιον, a mantle, upper garment” (Benson)— You will fold them up, and they will be changed. (12a) “Of the perishing of the earth and aerial heavens, Peter speaks, 2 Peter 3:10-13, where he also foretels that there shall be new heavens and a new earth, formed for the habitation of the righteous, after the old creation is destroyed. They will perish, but You remain- "διαμενεις, continuest in undecaying glory.” (Benson Commentary) “Or, if we closely follow the original, ‘Thou art He’— He, the Ancient of Ways, who speaks also by the mouth of Isaiah, ‘even to your old age, I am He yea, before the day was, I am He’” (T. Bogs.) “With infinite ease; and they shall be changed — Into new heavens and a new earth; or thou shalt remove them out of their place, and introduce a new scene of things with as much ease as a prince lays aside one robe and puts on another." (Benson Commentary) 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? [Psalm 110:1] 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? The Lord's enemies will one day be made His footstool- at His coming. "Christians," on the other hand, "are highly honored and greatly blessed; their attendants [the angels] are more exalted than those of any earthly kings, and they are themselves to be kings and priests unto God, and to reign with him for ever and ever. Romans 5:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:9-10; Revelation 22:5.” (Justin Edwards) The Creation psalm ends: ”The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You.” (Psalm 102:28)