Daily Scripture Reading Hebrews 1:1 - 2:8
There have been many surveys regarding how much time people spend reading the Bible. The findings are abysmal. Despite all our free time, our literacy level, and the ease with which we can access the Bible, few people spend a significant amount of time delving into the Word of God.
Today we will start reading through the book of Hebrews. In the first two chapters, the author made the case that we should pay closer attention to the Word of God which has been handed down to us.
Heb. 1:1 ¶ God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
During the Old Testament time period, God spoke through prophets. Prophets were humans who delivered messages to humanity on God’s behalf.
Heb. 1:2 in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds,
In the New Testament time period God became man and spoke directly to humans.
Heb. 1:3 who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Heb. 1:4 having become so 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”?
The first half of this verse is a quote from Psalm 2:7. The pronoun “You” refers to Jesus. The second half is a quote from 2Sam 7:14. The pronoun “Him” refers to David’s son Solomon. The point is God made great promises to His Son and to humans, but He never made great promises to angels.
Heb. 1:6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
“AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.”
God decreed that His Son should be worshipped.
Heb. 1:7 And of the angels He says,
“WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS,
AND HIS MINISTERS FLAMING FIRE.”
This is a quote from Psalm 104:4. Yahweh created the heavens and made angels a mere wind and fire.
Heb. 1:8 But of the Son He says,
“YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER,
AND THE SCEPTER OF UPRIGHTNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM.
Heb. 1:9 YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS;
THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU
WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.”
Verses 8-9 are a quote from Psalm 45:6-7. Yahweh, via the Psalmist, declared that the throne of Jesus would be forever. That is something Yahweh never said about angels.
Heb. 1:10 And,
“YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING FOUNDED THE EARTH,
AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;
Heb. 1:11 THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN;
AND THEY ALL WILL WEAR OUT LIKE A GARMENT,
Heb. 1:12 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.”
Verses 10-12 are a quote from Psalm 102:25-27. The Psalmist proclaimed God as the creator of the earth. That is not something that was ever said of angels.
Heb. 1:13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES
AS A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?
This is a quote from Psalm 110:1. God the Father told Jesus His Son to sit at His right hand. The Father did not tells angels to sit at His right hand.
The point of all these quotes is to prove the statement in Hebrews 1:4 that Jesus is much better than angels.
Heb. 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
The pronoun “they” refers to angels. This verse tells us the purpose of angels. They are ministers who render service for humans who are saved.
Heb. 2:1 ¶ For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away.
The words “For this reason” refers to the fact that the messages delivered in the New Testament time period were delivered by Jesus Himself. Apparently, the author of Hebrews recognized that the recipients of his letter were not paying attention to the messages delivered by Jesus and His apostles. He told them to pay closer attention.
We can say the same thing about modern Christianity. Today, we have unlimited access to the Bible. It is translated into our heart language. It is inexpensive to get a copy of the Bible. Most Christians are able to read. And yet, many Christians spend only 5-10 minutes a day, at best, reading the Bible. We must pay much closer attention to the message Yahweh delivered to us via Jesus and His apostles.
Look at the phrase “lest we drift away”. If we don’t pay attention to the scriptures, we will drift away.
Heb. 2:2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every trespass and disobedience received a just penalty,
Angels delivered messages from Yahweh to humans, and their messages were true and accurate. Disobeying a message from angels resulted in punishment.
Heb. 2:3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? That salvation, first spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard,
Think about the phrase “how will we escape”. If the messages of angels were true and accurate, how much more will a message from Jesus Himself be true and accurate.
The phrase “those who heard” refers to the apostles of Jesus.
If we don’t read and pay attention to the Scriptures, we run the risk of disobeying God and receiving a just penalty.
Heb. 2:4 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.
The pronoun “them” refers to Jesus and the apostles. The purpose of the miracles of Jesus was to prove that Jesus is God. The purpose of the miracles of the apostles was to prove that they spoke on behalf of Yahweh.
Heb. 2:5 ¶ For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.
The author returns to the theme of drawing a contrast between angels and other created beings. Angels were not given dominion over the world.
Heb. 2:6 But one has testified somewhere, saying,
“WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM?
OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM?
Heb. 2:7 YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR 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;
Heb. 2:8 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.
Verses 6-8 are a quote from Psalm 8:4-6. Humans are insignificant, and lower than angels, yet we rule over the earth. Yahweh temporarily made Christ lower than angels, but at some point in the future, all things will be in subjection to Christ.
Despite all our free time, our literacy level, and the ease with which we can access the Bible, few people spend a significant amount of time delving into the Word of God. Our failure to do so puts us at risk of drifting away, disobeying God, and receiving punishment for our failures. Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to the Bible.
How much time do you spend each week reading the Bible?
How many times have you read the Bible in its entirety?
How much time should you be spending each week reading the Bible?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”