5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”? (Psalm 2:7)Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”? (2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13)6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint))
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.” (Psalm 104:4)8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.” (Psalm 45:6,7)10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:25-27)13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”? (Psalm 110:1)14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Hebrews 1:5 – 2:4
We have recently begun a study of the book of (epistle to the) Hebrews. Last week we looked at the first four verses, often called the exordium, which sets the stage for the rest of the book. In it, the author argues for the supremacy of Jesus as the revelation of God and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive work. The final verse of the introduction state, “1:4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.” And that brings us directly to our passage today.
We will pick up, then, at 1:5. And most obviously, we should read to the end of the chapter (v. 14), but we’re going to keep going to 2:4.
Obviously, our passage picks up on the final verse of the exordium, expanding on how Jesus is superior to angels. And what I want to do is quickly survey the flow of the author’s argument (again, inasmuch as he’s demonstrating or proving Jesus’ superiority). And the I want to briefly examine some of the details of the nature of the author’s comparisons.
Firstly, our passage today demonstrates the basic rhetorical method that the author is going to use throughout the book of Hebrews – and again, his goal is to demonstrate the superiority of Jesus, and the sufficiency of the work accomplished by and in Jesus.
The opening verses pick up immediately from verse 4:
4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Hebrews 1:4 – 6
Firstly, these verses pick up on the idea, also stated in the exordium (as well as elsewhere in the NT), that Jesus is the Son of God. Of course, I said “the idea,” but I could as easily have said (from our vantage point), “the fact” – it picks up on the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. However, I simply want to highlight the point that this wouldn’t have been obvious to the first century Christian readers. Or to put it another way, in Jewish thinking and teaching, the Messiah was very much a human figure. So learning that Jesus was the Son of God, and not just a human being (albeit, a special one) was something that would have been difficult for many to wrap their heads around.
However, for the writer to the Hebrews, and to the rest of the apostolic witness, that Jesus is the Son of God (and God, very God) is a foundational doctrine. And as the Son, Jesus has a unique relationship with God, such that God says “You are my Son…I will be his Father.” As such, the Son is not on par with the angels – rather, the angels worship the Son.
Continuing on, we read:
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
Hebrews 1:7-9
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
Here, the author recognizes what we touched on last week – that is, that angels hold an exalted place in the order of creation. Again, in some peoples’ minds, angels are at the pinnacle of the spiritual hierarchy (though I recognize that this is probably unfounded, theologically speaking). We need not go so far, but the author here does acknowledge that angels hold a special place, or perhaps a particular calling. However, in vv. 8-9, we read that, whatever we think about angels, the Son is even more exalted. Indeed, while the angels are special servants, the Son has authority. The Son has authority to administer justice, and has been “set [by God] above your companions, by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
In vv. 10-12, the author expands on the exaltedness of the Son, Jesus Christ. Not only does the Son have authority, but the Son is eternal.
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
Hebrews 1:10-12
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
We might note that the significance of this is that what authority the Son has is not because it is arbitrarily imputed by the Father, but that the Son was instrumental in establishing creation. That is, the Son has the same relationship with creation that the Father has – He is before and above creation. However, the author doesn’t stop there.
Again, highlighting how the Son is greater than angels, the author says:
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
Hebrews 1:13
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
The right hand seat, as we surely know, is a place of honour. But additionally, in these verses, God is granting victory over the enemies to the Son. That is, the Son claims victory, alongside the Father – and this surely has kingdom implications.
Now all of this points to the special relationship between the Son and the Father – between Jesus and God the Father. In many ways, we might say that the honour and privilege owed to God the Father are given to the Son. The implications of such a claim, in the background of a monotheistic religion (i.e. Judaism) cannot be over-stated.
In a final comparison – or a closing comparison? – the author reminds us that angels, unlike the authoritative Son, are servants.
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:14
Now as a bit of an aside, v. 14 here seems to indicate that angels are servants of human beings (though “sent” by God, and therefore ultimately answerable to Him). This idea is important as it connects (at least in my mind) to the idea in the upcoming verses that Jesus is the ultimate or ideal human being. That is, inasmuch as angels are sent to serve human beings, and Jesus is the pinnacle of humanity, how much more is Jesus greater than angels?
Now before we look at the final verses of our passage today, I want to briefly consider a particular aspect of the author’s argument, specifically how he uses scriptural (OT) references.
Of course, the use of scripture by the New Testament writers is exceedingly common. Obviously, what we know as the Old Testament is what the New Testament writers knew as scripture, full-stop. In the New Testament, the OT books most often quoted include Isaiah and Deuteronomy; Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are also among those quoted or alluded to most often. However, the Psalms are also one of the most often quoted books – and it is a favourite of the author of Hebrews.
In short, the various references and allusions are (probably) as follows:
- 5a “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”? (Psalm 2:7) - 5b “I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”? (2 Samuel 7:14) - 6 “Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Deut. 32:43 (DSS and LXX))
- 7 “He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.” (Psalm 104:4) - 8 “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.” (Psalm 45:6,7) - 10 “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:25-27) - 13 “Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”? (Psalm 110:1)
Now I’m not going to go in depth into how each passage is used in Hebrews. However, it seems to me that there are two broad streams that are worth noticing. Firstly, there are a selection of quotations/allusions which are either about David or David’s kingdom. These include:
- Ps. 2:7
- 2 Sam. 7:14
- Ps. 45: 6,7
- Ps. 110:1
As well, there are a selection of quotation/allusions that refer directly to God (or God the Father), which have been applied to the Son. That is, these are scripture passages that are about God (the Father) which the author of Hebrews ascribes to Jesus. These include:
- Deut. 32:43
- Ps. 102:25-27
The Davidic references are important inasmuch as many passages relating to David and his kingdom had been understood by those in New Testament times (and earlier) as having direct messianic implications. That is, the kingdom that the Messiah was supposed to inaugurate was understood to be a fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to David.
And the passages ascribing to Jesus (or “the Son”) those words which are originally referring to God the Father are important because (probably obviously) the author of Hebrews is making some pretty massive claims about the divinity of Jesus. In other words, here in Hebrews are some of the most direct and overt claims about the divinity of Jesus, and therefore the doctrine of the Trinity, that we see in the New Testament.
All of this comes into greater relief, or greater clarity, as we continue through the book of Hebrews where we will read about Jesus being the greater: The greater sacrifice, the greater High Priest, the greater King, the true and final fulfillment of God’s redemptive promises for all of creation.
And all of this is because of the greatness of Jesus, the supremacy of Jesus. Jesus is the end (that is, the telos, the completion, the goal) because Jesus is the beginning. Jesus is the fulfillment because Jesus is the foundation. And for us, Jesus is our everything because Jesus is the One thing.
Therefore, as the author tells us:
2:1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Hebrews 2:1-4
In short – and here I am extrapolating from what the author says, not merely explaining it – in short, the message that the angels had delivered is true and trustworthy – and we must pay attention. But it is confirmed and its power is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. That is, we must attend to the word, the message, not because it is delivered by angels, but because it is fulfilled in Jesus.
So as I have already tried to say, as we continue through the book of Hebrews, the epistle to the Hebrews, I want to invite you, to encourage you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. To know more the Jesus that is revealed to us in the word of God. To know more the Jesus that died and rose again that we might never die and so we might fully live. And to know Him more so that we might be more fully known.