But I deserve it: A case for entitlement

 

Due to the coronavirus in many countries, the leadership is sending stimulus cheques to their citizenry. It's as if a bonus came from the sky, but in this photo, it's as if one of the people didn't receive her cheque. Wait, that's not right... "I deserve it!" she might be alleging. "Where's my cheque? What's up with that?"

Arguments over entitlements burden taxpayers and legislators alike in governments worldwide. Who is responsible to pay for them? Who is responsible to decide on the deserving ones? 

The issue of entitlement goes far beyond a single bounce in our bank balance. The complaints of this nature were ours from our youth. When a fellow student finds favour from the teacher, the others, less fortunate, decry that one as "teacher's pet." The derision is abundant; the social ostracism apparent.  Deservedness brings social distancing from an early age. 

The Harvard Business Review wrote about people quitting their jobs here. After a rundown of the timing of investigating career options and departures due to 'unhappiness' at the current job, the review finishes with retention considerations. I like the ending where the article highlights those who are given a sweetener to remain, after they've decided to move on, will usually leave anyway, and fairly soon. 

Here's another review of why people leave their jobs. The issues are related to relationships with the boss, with the direction of the company, with fellow employees, etc. 

When I think about what causes people to battle in the workplace, or on the bus in the morning, or at the lunch counter at the local cafe, it boils down to deservedness. "I was here first!" which translates to getting out of my place; that was mine. When the boss doesn't sing your praise at the company picnic, and you get offended, it's because you deserved the high marks AND the visible praise in front of others. 

The dictionary says of deservedness that it is "justly or rightly earned; merited:"

The problem is when there is disagreement with the definition, that is when the boss and the employee don't agree on the just earned or merited high marks. 

Now is the time in my state of New South Wales for end-of-year high school examinations. Students will be sitting trial HSC exams and readying for the real ones which begin at end of September. High School Certificate readying is a major theme of years 11 and 12 students and teachers alike. And at the end of the exam period, students will say they deserve a holiday at the warm-weather Gold Coast or someplace even more exotic. When their results return a few weeks later, some will argue, saying they deserve a higher mark. Others, when their results are shown, will now be entitled to a better placement due to their performance. 

Today, I call on you and I call on myself. Please, let us be those who look for unmerited favour. Sometimes you get a benefit and if you think you deserve it, it's simply 'about time!' But if you are doing your job, or studying your course, or helping your neighbour because it's the right thing to do, without hope for praise, you will succeed significantly. 

Of course, we want to be noticed for good things. Recognition is one of the basic human needs, according to many sociologists. But if you focus on that recognition, from other humans, rather than from God you might be an approval addict and find yourself on the short end of this throughout your life. 

Entitlement gets people in trouble. 

Entitlement has gotten me in trouble. 

Seek to benefit others today. Just for today. You aren't even necessarily entitled to tomorrow.

Hebrews Chapter 3: Yeshua, Better than Moses

 “Listen up: this is better” -- A study on the Bible book of Hebrews

A 13-week series given in 2020

By Bob Mendelsohn

Jews for Jesus, Sydney

Given 14 August 2020

bob@jewsforjesus.org.au

Lesson Three: Yeshua is better than Moses

 To watch this on video click here: https://youtu.be/JKCJ_Nq4R0U

Once again, I’d like to welcome each of you today as we study and learn together again from the letter to messianic Jews written before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.  Today we study chapter 3, and if you haven’t yet read it, please, those of you on YouTube, pause the playback, read the chapter, and then press play again to re-join us. Thanks.

Welcome back.

The author will use this section of the letter to highlight Yeshua, as we would expect, and in this case contrasting him with the greatest, Moshe Rabeinu. If you ask most Jewish people today who the greatest Jew is, after naming Jerry Seinfeld or Albert Einstein, with some mention of Harry Triguboff or King David, the name Moses would certainly rise to the top. Among religious Jews, Moses is certainly the man!

If this letter’s purpose continues to be a series of warnings about falling back into messiah-less Judaism, then a contrast needs to ensue. It’s almost as if the author is setting up a debate. Who will win: Yeshua or Moses?

Let’s unpack the chapter’s 18 verses line by line and see what it has to say to us as 21^st Century people. If you are new to this form of Bible reading, we welcome you especially. 

1.     Consider Yeshua, and believe

The notion of Yeshua as being better than the servant of God, Moses, is important to prove that following Yeshua together with other saints is the way forward. There is a battle between the communities, much like I hear between say, Parramatta Eels supporters and Manly Sea Eagles folks. It would be impossible to wear both the blue and gold and the maroon and white. Allegiances might be historic, but in the end, a choice has to be made. That’s in the mind of the author. 

That example is wider than an individual wearing the right team colours. It has to do with community. The author starts chapter 3 with a therefore. Remember, when you see a ‘therefore’ in the Bible, read a few verses before it and see what it’s there for. The author has been highlighting at the end of chapter two that Yeshua is our brother, that he was made like us, and was tempted in all things like we are. His relationship to the Jewish believers is thick as thieves and thus we are going to hear the 2^nd warning in today’s reading, about heeding his voice again. Not as individuals only, but as members of one another. 

Verse one, we are called ‘holy brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling.” Those are terms for saints, to remind us of our being and our being forgiven. Who we are is related to whose we are.

Remember the ancient Hebrews who were called to Mt Sinai to partake in relationship and communion with the Lord and in Exodus 19 and 20, they are invited, but decline the invitation, basically saying “Moses, you go up and hear…” The people “stood at a distance” (20.18). To partake of the heavenly calling, we have to approach, to draw near, to listen for ourselves and to be together with the people. That will come clearer through the reading of the letter.

The author says, ‘consider Jesus.’ That means, stop and ponder again who he is. What he has done. What he means to you. I like that. Do you ever do that? Quiet times, lonely times, by-the-seashore times? Turn off the tv and listen to silence and reflect on Yeshua. 

Verse 1 continues: Yeshua is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Apostle is a Greek word which means ‘one sent forth.’ Obviously on a mission. He was sent. The Father sent him (John 17.. HE is the rep of God to humanity, and he is the High Priest, meaning he’s the rep of humanity to God. The perfect mediator. We’ll see that again later in the book. Although ‘apostle’ is only used of Yeshua here in the Newer Testament, it’s clear his ‘being sent’ is appropriate. I guess like an emissary or ambassador. If Moses was the ambassador to Pharaoh, Yeshua is to the whole planet.  And when the author uses “high priest” it will bring to mind for us Jewish people the role of the special one on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur. Much more about that later. 

Yeshua is like Moses as verse 2 says, “He was faithful.” Faithful never did, nor does it yet, mean perfect. Yeshua is perfect and we will see that later as well, but faithfulness—both of these men were faithful. And don’t miss this, so should WE BE FAITHFUL. The author is not demeaning Moses; he’s saying follow him in the same way of being faithful to the Lord. That’s a good lesson for me. I think the contrast is with Aaron and Miriam, the siblings of Moses. They grumbled against their brother (Numbers 12.1-8) and God chided them, “Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant?” This after God said of him that Moses “was faithful in all my household.” (v. 7) Keep the faith seems to be what God is saying to me in this.

Back to Hebrews 3. The contrast here is between Moses and Yeshua. Moses was faithful, as a servant. Yeshua was faithful as a Son!  Moses in the house (v. 5); Yeshua over the house (.6). Which is better? We should say, ‘which is superior?’ And the rhetoric is clear. It’s Yeshua, hands down. 

But what does the author say about that house? It’s WE who are the house, if we hold fast our confession and stay ‘until the end.’ The hint of the warning from chapter two is that we don’t drift.  The Greek word “bebaios” translated ‘firm’ is just like the anchor imagery from last week, where we don’t drift. It will be used throughout this letter to remind the reader/hearer that duration matters more than a quick jump-in. It’s the fourth soil (Matt. 13) that produced 100-fold rather than the quick start-up that doesn’t finish that is in view THROUGHOUT this letter. Hold firm, to the end. 

2.     The 2^nd Therefore

In light of the supremacy of Yeshua not only over angels, but now clearly over the greatest Jew who ever lived, Moshe Rabeinu, therefore Psalm 95 is in view. Look, this was read daily in synagogue, and certainly among the less observant, at least weekly. L’chu n’ranena, come on, let’s go up, let’s sing and make a noise of praise, it’s a marching hymn up to the Tabernacle, later to the Temple. Why? Because God is the Creator (v. 5) and the Creator of Israel (v. 6-7). 

What makes the author think of this at this point in the letter? If Yeshua is the Son over the house, and in fact, the designer/ builder of the house, then he is the Creator. The author now thinks about God as Creator and the relationship he wants to have with his people. Psalm 95 adjures us to come and worship, and NOT TO BE LIKE a certain group of Jewish people back in Moses’ day. Who were those folks? Those who grumbled when they heard the spies’ reports. They doubted God. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to dump Moses and definitely didn’t want to go into the alleged “Promised” Land since it was overrun with problems and giants and nothing but tsuris. (This is recorded in Numbers chapter 14). They wanted to split the people of God and lead themselves away from trouble. Note the words that changed from the Hebrew to the Greek in the LXX. Meribah and Massah are gone from the Psalm. They are replaced by provoke (the rebellion) and trial (the testing). The troubles of the wilderness people in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20 (no water either time) are gone, and it’s all summarized in the belief in the majority report at the time of the spies. 

3.     The Second Warning

"Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one you an evil, unbelieving heart in falling away from the living God, but encourage one another day after day, as long as it is called 'Today,' lest anyone of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." (v. 12)

The context of the passage is the author’s explanation of Psalm 95 and the Wilderness Generation being lost before they ever got to the Promised Land. God says He was "angry" with this generation and swore that they would not enter His rest. What caused this? From Numbers chapter 14. It was the spies who brought back two different reports and it was the people who chose to follow the majority report. 10 surveyors came back with what the Bible calls an evil report. Hebrew “ra”. They said the land was too tough, the inhabitants too big, the territory beyond our capacity to conquer. Here’s the problem: their unbelief about the Land of Promise reflected their relationship with the Promising One and they were killed off before Joshua could take their children in. 

The author is saying that faith is what will overcome the lostness of the wandering we are currently experiencing. Yes, there are difficulties, but if we will "take heed" we will make it to the New Promises of God. The Greek word is blepete and means to "simply observe" almost as voluntary observation as Strong's records. The obviousness of the situation deserves our watchfulness. Yeshua warned us to watch with Him and the Older Testament uses the term "watchman" for a commendable post. The watchman (Tsafah) had to lean forward to notice what was going on. 

The same hardening of heart that leveled the Wilderness Generation could happen to the New Generation, and so to prevent that, the watchfulness of the saints is required.

What is the warning? Watch. Don’t let your heart be evil. Nor unbelieving. Don’t miss the linkage. The author makes clear that FAITH is God’s answer to life’s tsuris and without faith it’s impossible to please God. Hence the heart is considered to be ‘evil.’ The result of unbelief is separation from what God wants to give each of us, which is titled ‘rest.’ (Ps. 95.11, Heb 3.11) More on that next week. 

Rather than unbelief and an evil heart, the author’s replacement answer is five-fold:

1)     Hear his voice today

2)     Do not harden your heart (don’t knock the word. Welcome it)

3)     Encourage (parakaleo) one another (v. 13). Community strength and hope. 

4)     Hold fast assurance (hupostasis, a firm thing) to end. (Strengthen the hands that are weak and the legs that hang down)

5)     Believe (converse of v. 19). Personal and deliberate.

That’s chapter 3.

Dear friends on Zoom, or on YouTube, if you don’t yet know Messiah Yeshua, please I appeal to you today, surrender your life to him. Admit your need of him. Trust him who came from heaven to earth to show the way. And to set you free. That’s faith. That’s the opposite of unbelief, and do it today, the author says. Even now.

If you want to talk more about that, start with prayer. Talk to the Almighty. He loves to listen to your faintest whisper. And if you want to ask me a question, just use the email here on the screen. I’ll give it a go to try to answer you.

Until next week, when we will meet again to share about chapter 4 and the real Sabbath and more on faith. Until then,             

 Shabbat shalom.

 

 

Actual text:

Heb. 3:1   Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of ourconfession; ² He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. ³ For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honour than the house. ⁴ For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. ⁵ Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; ⁶ but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house — whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

 

Heb. 3:7    Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,⁸  DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS ¹WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,⁹  WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. ¹⁰   THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; ¹¹ AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’”

¹² Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart ¹that falls away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

¹⁵ while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”

¹⁶ For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

 

 

 

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.

 

Vine, W.E., An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Revell, Old Tappan, NJ, 1966.

 

Weirsbe, Warren. Be Confident. David C. Cook Publishing, Colorado Springs,1982.

 

-------------------

D-Groups for this week

1)     Tuesday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse

2)     Monday 10 am Sydney time, led by Rebekah Bronn

3)     Thursday 7 pm, Sydney time, led by James White

 

 

That would be my pleasure

 

Pleasure… God’s word to us

By Bob Mendelsohn

#JFJAustralia @JFJAustralia  Facebook/JFJAustralia

 

This thought was triggered when someone I didn’t know very well asked me to do something. Without thinking, but quickly obliging, I finished the fairly simple task. The person was over-the-top in thanksgiving, saying, “You are the best! Thanks so much!” they oozed. My reply was quick, “My pleasure.”  

 

Later that morning I pondered that phrase, “my pleasure.” Was it really pleasing to me to accomplish something for this man? What’s the root of that whole idea?

 

In my Bible reading this week, I read Psalm 16. This is one of the psalms that informed the apostle Peter in his Shavuot sermon (Acts chapter 2). There we read 

 

“For David says of Him, “I was always beholding the Lord in my presence. For he is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken, therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exalted. Moreover, my flesh also will abide in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your holy one to undergo decay. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.” 

 

Peter’s sermon continues with “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.  And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh suffer decay.” (Acts 2.25-31)

 

I love how Peter used Psalm 16 and the issue of decay to demonstrate the betterness of Yeshua compared to King David. And Peter called David a prophet. In that psalm, we read the words of verse 11:

“Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;

In Thy presence is fulness of joy;

In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”

 

There are two Hebrew words for ‘pleasure.’ The one used here is na’imot. We use the phrase “na’im m’od’when meeting someone for the first time. “Pleased to meet you.” It’s the same word used in Psalm 133, “Behold how good and how ‘pleasant’ it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.”  At God’s right hand are pleasant things-- things that bring him pleasure. 

 

Recently I hear myself praying with regularity something like these words. “God, let me cause you to smile at the end of my day. Let me bring you pleasure today.” It’s as if I want to be at God’s right hand, where his pleasures are. 

 

Psalm 149 has another Hebrew word often translated “pleasure” in English. 

“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” (v. 4)

 

The word here in Psalm 149 is ratsa and carries a deeper meaning. “To be pleased, to delight in, to enjoy, to be accepted.” (LXX: eudokia) And this word forms the root of the word used in Lev. 26:41 where the translators usually use the phrase “make amends” or “pay for their sins.” (LXX: eudokia)

 

Isaiah 53 is the go-to chapter for many messianic Jews in showing who Yeshua is, as the predicted Son of God and Saviour of the world. There we read of his suffering in painful detail. I don’t know of any detail harder to read than the one found in verse 10 there, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, putting him to death.” No father should ever have to watch his son be painfully treated. No loving father can be part of the put-to-death situation about which we read there in Isaiah’s prophecy. But here it is, in black and white. It pleased the Father to crush/ bruise the Son. Why?

 

Thus, I believe God is well pleased with us when we receive the grace of forgiveness. God shows his pleasure when we are forgiven of our sins and sit with him at his right hand. If you are a believer in Yeshua, you know you cannot make amends, nor pay for your own sins. You know that God in his mercy has rescued us from our own devices and our own self-centered nature. He has paid for our sins by sending his son to earth, to die, to rise from the dead, and lives to make intercession for us. 

 

One final lexicographical word, in Matthew 17, where we encounter the Father’s good pleasure at the Transfiguration, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased (Greek: eudokia). That’s the same word used in Leviticus 26 and Psalm 149. Our being forgiven highlights God’s pleasure.

 

In the book The Pleasures of God by John Piper, a full chapter (and many continued references throughout the book) is dedicated to the “Pleasure of God in His Son.” What made the Father pleased was the relationship the Father had with the Son from before eternity and certainly before Creation. Yeshua is seated at the right hand of the Father. We who are born again, forgiven of our sins, are brought near into that same enthronement. Hence other chapter titles include the “pleasure of God” in all he does, in election, in Creation, and so many other aspects of the Father’s satisfaction (another key Piper category).

 

In my recent prayers, wondering aloud if at the end of each day God would be pleased, I’ve come to understand that when I’m in the beloved, hiding in the person of his son, sitting with him in victory at the Father’s right hand, the Father is well pleased.  If I ask God today, and I invite you to join me, if he would do that for me (and for us, really), I think he just might say, “My pleasure.”

He who assists and warns (Hebrews chapter 2)

“Listen up: this is better” -- A study on the Bible book of Hebrews

A 13-week series given in 2020

Given 7 August 2020

bob@jewsforjesus.org.au

Lesson Two: He who assists and warns

 To watch this given live in Sydney: https://youtu.be/Loc1iY2Uuk4 

Welcome to each of you today as we study and learn together again from the letter to messianic Jews written sometime after the death and resurrection of Yeshua around AD 30 and before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. Even though the book is nearly 2,000 years old, it has a lot to say to us in 21^st Century Australia, and dare I say, across the globe.  Today we study chapter 2, and if you haven’t yet read it, please, those of you on YouTube, pause the playback, read the chapter, and then press play again to re-join us. Thanks.

Welcome back.

The chapter again features several quotes from the Older Testament as did chapter 1 and continues the theme of Yeshua being better than angels, and this time, takes that further, saying some clear theology about his person and actions. The combination both of exhortation along with this explanation is the point of the chapter today. If Yeshua is God’s Son, then we ought to listen to him and obey him. 

Let’s unpack the chapter’s 18 verses line by line and see what it has to say to us as 21^st Century people. If you are new to this form of Bible reading, we welcome you especially. 

Kal v’chomer

The notion of Yeshua as better than the angels is in the logical consideration of the author, and he opens with that. We have to listen to Yeshua so that we will get things right, in life, in our contact with others, with the historic Jewish religion, etc.  He uses a comparative, but it actually has a meaning of superlative. That’s typical of the time. Pay close attention, pay closer, pay the closest attention to what Yeshua taught, otherwise, we might drift, he says. Listening implies compliance, of course, just like the Shema explains. Hearing without doing makes no sense to the biblical authors. (James 2.12, Matt. 7.25ff)

What does the author want us to hear? The Gospel? Nope, he or she uses the phrase “what we have heard.” Remember one of the two overarching themes of Hebrews is “listen up.” Rather than the visible or the touchable like John would call us to, the author wants us to remember what we have heard. Faith comes by hearing and if we recall or even restate the previously spoken and heard words, our faith will grow. Without faith it’s impossible to please God, but the words God spoke so long ago, and now have reissued and reinforced through Yeshua, those are what we should hear. Listen (and do), otherwise you will drift. By the way, this is the only time we see this nautical term in the entire Newer Testament, although it’s fairly common in secular sources of the time.

This is the first warning (of 6) found in this letter. Listen up, or else you will drift. 

Lane references “Prov. 3:21 (LXX) παραρρεῖν signifies to lose sight of advice and wisdom. The writer warns his readers that they are in danger of losing sight of the reality of Christian salvation.” That’s a terrific link with the Older Testament. Drifting away from the primary source is drifting away from God. Not a good thing to do, and obviously anyone serious about walking with the Lord wouldn’t want to do so, so the author makes clear what’s wrong with skipping out on some compliance issues.

Verse 2, the word spoken through angels. Wait, when did angels give words? Is it in the wrestling with Jacob or the appearance at the oaks of Mamre with our father Abraham? Perhaps Gideon’s “hail, valiant warrior” is in view? No, I think it’s the giving of Torah itself which will come into the letter again and again. The Jewish tradition wins over against the clear record of Exodus 19 and 20. There we don’t see any angels in the Giving of Torah. But in Deuteronomy 33, we read, “The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.” (verse 2)

The tradition is that angels were there at Sinai. (Psalm 68.17) Certainly that was the understanding in the Maccabean period and by the time of Stephen’s final speech before his martyrdom. (Acts 7.38, .53). That’s where Paul gets it, too. (Gal. 3.19)

One of the most-used literary devices in this letter is what we call in Hebrew ‘kal v’chomer.’ It is known in Latin as an argument a fortiori, meaning “from the stronger case.” It’s a way of saying something like, “if this is true, then by inference, the larger consideration is true.” The old Jewish story was, "If one day with her mother-in-law was too much, kal v'chomer a weekend will be!" 

Verse three, the author says, “if the angelic word was inalterable, and carried penalties, how will we escape if we neglect what the Son has said?” Listen, if you got caught behind when you disregarded the Torah, what do you think is going to happen if you disregard Yeshua? There are harsher penalties for those who know more. A policeman may give you a warning if you are new to lockdown in Victoria, but if you’ve been caught before and they find a record of a warning in your profile at the police station, be sure you will be given stricter punishment. That’s what is in view here.

Verse four: God has demonstrated this in giving of Torah with signs and wonders, and now in this new era, where the Son of God has spoken, we are more responsible for more compliance and more penalties if we break with his plans. See?

And what is the substance and subject of the Son’s announcement for which we are responsible? Salvation. It’s his very name. It’s his ministry. It’s his longing for each of us. To be saved, and to live in that salvation with others who share that same faith.

Remember Yeshua told a story or two about a landowner who planted a vineyard and then left others in charge. (Matthew 21:33ff) When it was time for collection of the increase of the fruit, he sent servants, but the tenants killed them. Beating, killing ensued. Finally, the landowner sent his son, sure that the tenants would respect him. But you might know in the telling of the story, Yeshua highlights the pathos with the tenants killing the son. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?” He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.”  (.40-41) Kal v’chomer.

The World to Come

Verse five: The angels are not held in such responsibility. Only humankind, and the consummate human rep, Yeshua himself, can fulfill this passage, as we read in the first Older Testament citation today. From Psalm 8. God made us, people, a little lower than angels. The author’s argument (and it does sound legal throughout the letter) is that Yeshua is better than angels. OK, he clarified that in chapter 1. But some will say, if God made Yeshua lower than angels for a while in that he became man, then he has lost that privilege forever and thus angels are the new 2ic in heaven. But the author basically says, ‘No, the time of lowering did not diminish the world-to-come aspect of the exaltation.’ And he calls more OT witnesses to the stand to validate this claim, which will continue throughout the book. There is a world to come, olam haba, and that kingdom cannot be shaken, and in that reality of the future, the ‘not yet’ for which we long, the ‘city that is to come’, Yeshua is ever exalted and all things, including angels will be subject to him. COVID-19 or COVID-86 or those who do harm to others will be subject to him. Blasphemers will be subject to him. Anti-theists will be subject to him. Maybe not today, but in the world to come, that will happen.  “Concerning which we are speaking” (v. 5)

Seven steps down and up

Verse 6ff: Psalm 8 is highlighted. What is man or the son of man? We and he are less. But only for a while. In light of the real eternity, Yeshua’s downward steps were not a spiral, out-of-control. They were careful, methodical walking points designed to make him human, and a particular human at that. 

Let’s read Philippians chapter 2.5ff

⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Messiah Yeshua, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I’ll number those so you see the 7 steps down. They are followed by 7 steps up. 

⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but                1) emptied Himself, 2) taking the form of a bond-servant, and 3) being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ 4) Being found in appearance as a man, 5) He humbled Himself by becoming    6) obedient to the point of death, even 7) death on a cross.

⁹ For this reason also, 1) God highly exalted Him, and 2) bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus 3) EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are 4) in heaven and 5) on earth and 6) under the earth, ¹¹ and that 7) every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Those steps he took were well chosen. Emptied himself of all that is divine power. Lost control. Became not only a human, but a Jewish man. And a Jewish man under the bondage and subjection of First Century Rome. Humility. Then died, but beyond normal death. He died as a criminal on a Roman cross; executed. All of that was to earn him a place which is exalted. And to identify with us in our situations of life.

Back to Hebrews 2. Verse 6. I find it fascinating that the author doesn’t say “King David wrote.” Every good Jew would know this is a psalm of David. The superscription is read as part of any psalm that has one. Mizmor l’david. Clear as a clarion. Yet, the author says “one has testified somewhere.” 

Why? Because it’s in the Psalter. It’s God’s word. It’s not the human author which matters, it’s the divine author. And perhaps it’s a way of confirming his or her own authorship as irrelevant. Or at least subsidiary to the authorship of God.

Verse 8: Again, highlighting the now-and-not-yet nature of the Kingdom of God. All things are subject to the Son of Man, but not yet. Or as Paul said in Philippians, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Yeshua is Lord. But we don’t see that yet. 

Verse 9: The author zooms his camera’s lens further on Psalm 8, and although the natural reading of it doesn’t sound prophetic about a single person, the author makes it such. Yeshua is the one who was for a little while lower than angels, and then tasted death (which according to John Wesley is, “An expression denoting both the reality of his death, and the shortness of its continuance.”) and who thus is in view by King David. 

Verse 12: Again, the author grabs the Psalter and sings out from Psalm 22.22. The proclamation is in view (and dare I say, in earshot), and the word ‘brethren’ sticks out clearly. When Yeshua is exalted and has all things in control, he will still call us ‘brethren.’ The point being that in his lowering, in his kenosis, in his becoming human, he personally identified with us. Not only as a duty, but in a family sense and became and learned to be one of us. He felt our feelings. This point will come out more clearly in the high priest/Melchizedek section later on. We are Yeshua’s brothers and sisters. How awesome is that!

The 2^nd and 3^rd quotes are taken back-to-back from Isaiah chapter 8. Verses 17 and 18 there. I’m not sure why the author uses the conjunction ‘and’ to separate them, but it’s likely (according to many sources) that the poetry was part of an early believing hymn that was sung as early as the 2^nd century. 

Why did Yeshua become less than the angels for a time?

Verse 14: “Himself likewise also partook of the same,” as we have stated. And what is the point of all this Yeshua-vs.-the-angels imagery and the humiliation of the Messiah?  It’s found in verse 18. “since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

He calls us brethren. He calls us family. And he is not ashamed so to do.

Maybe you have heard the imagery of God being like us. Bear with me, please. If I wanted to communicate my love to say, a colony of ants, as they march from the creek through Lane Cove up the hill to their next locale, how would I communicate to them? Shall I buy advertisements and place them on the side of the path like billboards? Shall I invest in translation boxes and send messages in my voice through the little boxes to the little ants? The best way to communicate is to become an ant, if that’s possible, then to walk along in the journey from the creek with them. It’s in the becoming like them that I can best share in their life and communicate my message. That’s what the author is saying Yeshua did. He who was exalted humbled himself and is not ashamed to call us brothers. 

That through his death (v. 14) he might render powerless the devil who (previously) had the power of death. The devil works through fear of death (v. 15) subjecting people to slavery. We certainly are seeing some of that with mental responses to COVID-19 and the hundreds of thousands of deaths globally. Even here in Australia we are seeing a slight increase in the cases and in the deaths of our countrymen. And fear of death is growing. But Yeshua wants us to receive his aid (v. 18) and no longer be slaves to the fear of death. 

Dear friends on Zoom, or on YouTube, if you don’t yet know Messiah Yeshua, please I appeal to you today, surrender your life to him. Admit your need of him. Trust him who came from heaven to earth to show the way. And to set you free. 

If you want to talk more about that, start with prayer. Talk to the Almighty. He loves to listen to your faintest whisper. And if you want to ask me a question, just use the email here on the screen. I’ll give it a go to try to answer you.

Until next week, when we will meet again to share about chapter 3 and Sabbath rest and the contrast of Yeshua with Moshe Rabeinu, until then, Shabbat shalom.

 

 

 

 

Actual text:

Heb. 2:1   For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, ³ how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? ¹After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, ⁴ God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

 

Heb. 2:5   For He did not subject to angels ^1athe world to come, concerning which we are speaking. ⁶ But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? ⁷ “YOU HAVE MADE HIM ¹FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; ⁸ YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” 

      For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

⁹ But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

 

Heb. 2:10   For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. ¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

¹²     saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.”

¹³     And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” 

      And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.”

 

Heb. 2:14   Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶ For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

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.

 

 

 

D-Groups for this week

1)    Tuesday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse

2)    Monday 9 am Sydney time, led by Rebekah Bronn

 

Better than Angels: Hebrews Chapter 1

“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 7^th, 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 7^thchapter 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 17^thCentury, 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 21^st 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.