“Listen up: this is better” -- A study on the Bible book of Hebrews
A 13-week series given in 2020
bob@jewsforjesus.org.au
Lesson One: Better Than Angels
(To watch this on YouTube as given 31 July 2020, click here: https://youtu.be/CBjhu-e38ns )
Introduction to the Series
Welcome to a new series, to a new book, to a new chapter in our relationship together. I’ll explain that in a couple minutes, but let me say that at the outset, I’m delighted to share this letter to Messianic Jews in the Bible. It really is the only book of the Bible which states clearly that it has Jewish believers in Jesus as the primary audience. So, for our purposes, starting now in August 2020, and beyond, we people who hear the word ‘messianic’ and apply it to ourselves, this is a key book to learn, to read, to mark, to inwardly digest, and to take on board. We will read one chapter at a time as is my custom, and I encourage you to read ahead and to have your Bible with you as we teach this each Friday morning Sydney time.
When I say we are entering a new chapter in the relationship, let me explain where we are going in this. I have four other members of our team who have been working for Jews for Jesus here in Sydney for a good long while. Each has a unique role and none of them has been known as the Bible teacher; that’s been part of my role. And this is where things start to change. I’m going to continue teaching this Friday morning lesson. During the next 7 days, for one hour at select times on Zoom, and when we are able, in person, each of the other four: Rebekah Bronn, James Howse, Craig Myers, and James White, will be conducting a class of practicality, a discussion of the themes and topics that we bring up on Friday morning.
We are not worried about titling this afterglow session. We are working hard to make these D-Groups into a place of safe conversation, of shared experience, of life together. Those of you on the Zoom call know that we often get into deep considerations and both theological and sociological topics after the lecture part of our time on Fridays. Each of these one-hour sessions will have a similarity to that but will be more than a Question and Answer session. Trust me—it will be worth your time. We will announce the times as we set them this week, and over time, these might move a bit. We want to accommodate each of our partners and students and friends in this ongoing ministry. And in the long run, some of you will probably be leading such a D-Group where you live and work, and this will only expand. But for now, we will have only four such groups in the week after each Friday session. Write me if you are confused or if you’d like to participate.
Now, back to lesson one from the Book of Hebrews, the book we call “The Better Book” and the series we title, “Listen up: this is better.” Today’s lesson we will call “Better than Angels”
Introduction to Lesson One
Comparison in shopping is a standard appeal by marketers in our world, and maybe since time immemorial. Coles advertises ‘down down’ as a steady theme of telling you and convincing you that their grocery products are better because they are cheaper both than what they were last time you checked and then their competitors. I know some people who won’t even walk into a shop unless there is a sale, or they are sure they can get a deal.
I grew up in the US and I often hear Americans visiting here who would opine by saying a phrase like this, “Oh, this (village/building/shopping mall/ game) reminds me of (another place/another building/a similar something). I don’t think this is a universal reality, but it’s certainly endemic to American cultures to compare with regularity.
We’re going to see comparisons often in this Bible book, and we’re going to be hearing one clearly shown to be better than the other. Not the best of at least three, but simply the dualistic contrast of two items. Hence, half my title to this series, “This is better.”
The other half of the title to this series is “Listen up.” It’s a call from someone who knows, to another who should know and make a quick decision to focus. You hear this kind of command in battle if you watch any of those war movies where the sergeant or captain calls his forces to attention and then gives major instructions before D-Day or the Battle of Bull Run or the attack at Gallipoli. “Listen up” is a more modern sound than the Hebrew ‘shema!’ but means the same to me. Let me explain.
If you know the Shema (Deut. 6.4ff) you will know it’s a call to listen, or as we usually translate, “Hear o Israel!” Throughout this letter to Messianic Jews, the call to listen up will be stated again and again. William Lane says, “The central theme of Hebrews is the importance of listening to the voice of God in Scripture and in the act of Christian preaching. The opening lines of the homily focus attention upon the God who speaks. The characterization of God as the one who intervened in Israel’s history through the spoken word serves to introduce the characterization of the Son as the one through whom God has spoken the ultimate word (1:1–2a). That theme is sustained with variations throughout the homily (2:1–4; 3:7b–4:13; 5:11; 10:23, 35–39; 11:11). It is recapitulated in a climactic warning, “Be careful that you do not disregard the one who is speaking” (12:25a). The redemptive accomplishment and transcendent dignity of the Son through whom God has spoken the final word demonstrates that it will be catastrophic to ignore the word of salvation delivered through the Son (2:1–4).”
We will oft return to this major theme along with the comparison of the dualities that the author gives us.
Who wrote this letter?
Speaking of authorship, it’s fascinating that no one knows who really wrote this book. It certainly has overtones of apostolic authority, but no recognizable indicators of it being from Paul or James or Peter. Early on the book got its title in the canon, because it didn’t have a title in the original manuscript.
Was Paul the author? History alludes to Pauline relationship but not to his authoring the book. (See Karen Jobes here: https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-wrote-the-book-of-hebrews) Some identifiers are there which sound similar to Paul, but the language is highly distinct from Paul’s language and there is no self-identification as is his custom. Also, chapter 2.3 shows the author as having learned from others whereas Paul regularly emphasized his receiving the information directly from God.
So, we conclude that whoever wrote this book, it was acknowledged from the early days to be apostolic in its teaching and authority. It could be from Apollos or Aquila and Priscilla, but no matter. Here’s how I handle much of Bible information which is beyond me. Some other fairly intelligent and wise people selected this and deselected other items and what we have in our hands as the Bible is trustworthy. Why? Because God knows how to safeguard both his purposes and his self-description. If I wrote a book and didn’t have the final say in its content, you would wonder about the information. I believe God has preserved his word for all time, yes, even using human penmanship and flawed human authors. (2 Chr. 10.15, Ps. 147.15, Lam. 2.17, Titus 1.3)
The purpose of this book
I see warnings being issued again and again in this book, perhaps more than most others in the Scripture. At least six are key and substantial. With that in mind, what is the purpose of the writing of this letter? As a Jew myself, and one who regularly hears from other messianic Jews, I’m convinced that one of our major issues with which we deal, both early on in our walk with the Lord and even to the end, is our connection to the Jewish religion and our people. I’ve been involved with the beginnings of the UMJC in the US (October 1980) and for over four decades with the organization Jews for Jesus. CMJ is the Anglican Jewish outreach which is over 200 years old, and I wasn’t with them in 1809 when it began, but I was on their US Board when I lived overseas. The LCJE is an overarching fellowship of brothers and sisters who care about the evangelism and development of Jewish people and I’ve been involved with that network since 1983, so I have a track record. My relationship with all those only strengthens my conviction that one of the main concerns Jewish people have both in coming to faith and in walking this out is ‘how related should I be to the historic Jewish community?” and corollary ideas of “What will my rabbi think?” or “Should I attend synagogue?” and such. It’s seriously an issue both of identity and practice, but primarily identity. We’ll come back to that over the next 13 weeks with frequency.
So, for me, when I consider the purpose of the writing of this book, it’s to highlight the betterness of Yeshua, so that my focus, so that our focus is on the person of the Messiah, his life, death and resurrection, Matthew Henry said, “the blessed lines of both Testaments meet in Him; and how they both agree and sweetly unite in Jesus Christ, is the chief object of the epistle to the Hebrews to discover.”
Let’s dig into the text:
Verse 1: poly, poly. In Swahili, poli poli means “slowly slowly” and was the phrase I heard throughout the 6-day march up to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro 8 years ago, as my wife and I climbed that October. But in Greek "poly" has to do with “many” and this letter to Messianic Jews begins with this word as prefix two times.
1) Polumeros (many times)
2) Polutropos (many ways)
From the plural, the prophets, the ancient times and ways, came one, the object of the Father’s concern and love, (verse 2) the Son, who now is the unique spokesman for the Father. This is the fastest zoom lens you have ever seen. Imagine a screen of colours and designs, almost chaotic and random, now zooming in on one colour, on one design, and that design becomes the Son of God, Yeshua. He’s the focus now of the introductory remarks, and as you can imagine, he’s the focus of the entire letter.
Who is Yeshua? (7 things)
And we will see 7 things right away. 7 things that characterize our Righteous One, Yeshua. First, he is the heir of all things. That sounds like Daniel chapter 7. There we read, “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (13-14)
Yeshua is the Son of Man to whom all dominion and glory is presented. He is the heir of all things. His kingdom will not pass away. Hallelujah!
Second, in verse 2, “through whom he made the world.” Check out Proverbs 8 and Colossians 1 and see the Royal Messiah, not as a created being, but rather as Creator, Sustainer and the glue which holds the world together. Creators can do that.
Third, in verse 3, “radiance of his glory” again hearkening to Colossians 1 and Daniel 7. It’s also a Zohar phrase (which the author of Zohar picked up later). Fourth, the “exact representation” of his nature. The Greek word is “character” meaning like a template or cut out, a stencil. You want to know what God is like, see Yeshua.
The story is told of a young child drawing with crayons feverishly. His father comes by and asks, “Barry, what are you drawing?” The young lad answers, “I’m drawing God.” The father replies with “Son, no one knows what God looks like.” Barry answers, “In a minute they will.”
But of course, the author of Hebrews says it’s Yeshua. Do you want to know what God would be like when you are worried about Covid-19? Look at Yeshua. Want to know if God cares about you in your hunger or disease? Look at Yeshua and how he dealt with people. This phrase “exact representation” contrasts the bitheistic idea of a contrast between the God of the OT vs the God of the NT.
Fifth, in verse 3, he “upholds all things by the word of his power.” That’s the Lord who sustains us. Do you know the sustain pedal on a piano? That’s the one that keeps the notes going, long after you have lifted your fingers off the keys. God upholds not only the geography of the world, but also us in person. And then not only us, but all things by his word. We will not be shaken.
Sixth, it says, “When he finished making purification.” This is a picture of the Tabernacle and then Temple, about the sacrifice of animals and the blood atonement they made. Purification mattered to the Jewish people then, and in a few weeks, when we observe Yom Kippur in September, we will again ponder purification from sin. Here the author says Yeshua purified us (of course by dying for us on the cross) then 7th, Yeshua sat down. He will make that point more precisely in a subsequent chapter and we will address it more fully then. But know the 7thchapter of Daniel is again in view with the throne of the Son of Man next to the Ancient of Days.
Verse 4. As a result of these 7 things, and certainly this enthronement of the Son of Man, the first formal comparison is announced. Yeshua is better than angels.
Yeshua is better than angels: 7 Older Testament citations
In verse 5, to which of the angels did God say, “you are my son.” (Here the author quotes Psalm 2, the first of 7 Older Testament citations in this chapter). The rhetorical question is clear. The son is greater than angels. Lane says, “fully verified only in the Son who entered into his glory by way of sacrifice; nothing similar can be or ever will be affirmed of the angels.”
Then the battery of quotes includes 2 Samuel 7.14 which obviously is about Solomon and David, but the Jewish people of the day considered both that verse as well as Psalm 2 to be messianic. It was about Sonship, which is a major theme in this book, and dare I say, in the whole Newer Testament.
Verse 6: An unusual quote is found. I say it’s unusual in that most of us couldn’t find this on Google as a direct quote from the Older Testament. That’s because the author is quoting the Septuagint. It’s a citation of Deuteronomy 32.43. And an exact quote from that translation of the OT from 200+ years before Yeshua. It’s said of the Firstborn (not first in terms of chronology, but rather First in terms of authority) of humanity, not of the angels.
Verse 7. Angels are ministers of flames of fire. They are ministers, servants, and not the Son.
Verse 8-9. This is Psalm 45.6-7 This is about the king’s marriage, but the Psalmist is writing prophetically about the Son of God. There’s the throne again, the forever throne, and the deity of the Son of God. God, thy God, has anointed God, the Son, the messiah (anointed). How wondrous is that!
Verse 10. Psalm 102.25-27. Again, the permanence of the Eternal One. This from Lane, “The attribute of permanence in the Creator corresponds to the durability of his throne and serves to reinforce the contrast between the mutability of the angels and the stable, abiding character of the Son.”
Verse 13. Psalm 110 is quoted and will be referenced again and again in this book. Even Yeshua quoted this (Matthew 22) Sit here until. Was that spoken to an angel? No, the author says. The royal son is co-equal to the Father. Thrones of permanence compared to angels which are impermanent. Do you see this?
Yeshua is better. He is longer-lasting. He is given a throne. He has a station and a title that is better than angels.
Look, every Shabbat in Jewish homes worldwide, at least since the 17thCentury, we chant to the angels, inviting them to attend to us. Shalom Aleichem is sung to angels who accompany the father back from synagogue. The story is Talmudic (BT Shabbat 119b) that two angels are with the returnee. If all at home is well prepared for Shabbat, the “good” angel declares, “So may it be for next Shabbat also!” and the “bad” angel must answer, “Amen!” If the home is not prepared for Shabbat, the roles of the angels are reversed, although the angelic remarks remain the same. So the story goes.
The point of today’s lesson is to remind us of two things: 1) to listen up, that God is speaking, even to us in 21st Century Covid-time, and 2) that Yeshua is better than angels since his station as Son of God is higher, his throne is established and permanent (angels do not have permanence), and angels have to keep working whereas Yeshua has finished his industrious work of ‘ministry.’ He finished all that on the cross and the escape from the empty tomb.
Is the direction of your life more Yeshua-focused as a result of this study? That’s the point.
If you aren’t yet a believer, please consider him today and yield your life, surrender the direction of your life to him. We’ll talk more about that each week. Write me directly if you’d like to discuss this further.
Thanks for joining us for lesson one of 13. We will be unpacking much more of this in the D-Groups over the weeks, to question and wonder together what else the author is saying, and we will share with each other in real ways our own struggles with this information and our journey together.
Shabbat shalom.
Actual text:
Heb. 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Heb. 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”?
And again, “I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME”? And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.” And of the angels, He says, “WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.”
8 But of the Son, He says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM 9 “YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.”
10 And, “YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING, LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; 11 THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT,12 AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END.”
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Bibliography
Ladd, George E., A Theology of the New Testament, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1974. (Pages 571 – 587)
Lane, William L, Word Biblical Commentary Series, Hebrews.
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