Hebrews 2

[1] Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

·         Earnest heed is a nautical term that refers to tying a ship at the dock.  Let them slip refers to allowing a ship to drift out to sea.

·         Cling tight always to your doctrines or you will find yourself wandering, lost. It’s an active thing we must do.

·         The therefore is instructive as well, this is not inconsequential knowledge, this has teeth, we had better listen or we will wind up hurt.

·         If Christ really is superior, then it should make a difference how we view Him. If all that is said of Him is true, then we had better believe it.

[2] For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

·         This is the first half of the argument that includes verse 3.  If Christ is greater than the angels, and disobedience to the angels message produced punishment, then disobedience to this message produces severe and terrible punishment.

[3] How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

·         Obviously the writer of this letter was not one of the Apostles.  Confirmed to us by those who heard Him mean someone instructed by the apostles

·         For those who hear the gospel and fail to act, there is a wrath coming.

[4] God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

·         Jesus and the Apostles did signs, wonders, and a number of diverse miracles.  It certainly was a diverse number of miracles, water walking, communing with the dead, bread from nothing, healings, raising the dead, catching fish.

·         The miracles and events were done to bear witness, to prove the truth of the message.  They authenticated it.

[5] For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

·         This begins the next thought, after the warning we have the statement that this is serious the writer transitions from talking about the supremacy of Christ to the consequence of that position.

[5] For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
[6] But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

·         David says this in Psalm 8:4-6.  It’s not really conceivable that the writer would not know this, but we don’t really know why he chose to leave it out. McAurthur thinks because he wants to put all the emphasis on the Spirit, I think that’s about a good a guess as any.

·         In context it’s a general statement about the love God has for mankind, in specific it refers to Christ as the second Adam.

·         I tend to agree with the commentators who assert this section is now predominately talking about Jesus’ humanity, as Chapter 1 talks of His divinity. See v 14.

[7] Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

·         This more speaks directly to Christ, the heir of all things, who inherited a human position beneath the angels, because He took on our form.

·         He is our new type, the second Adam, we shall all have new bodies like Him in the resurrection. 1 Cor 15:28.

[8] Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

·         Mankind is to be reigning in the world to come, to inherit back the position we lost through sin.

·         Not all of the world is currently in subjection to us, although we have been deeded all things. In the next life however, the word will be put right.

·         Currently there is still sin in the world. To deny this is a terrible heresy.

[9] But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

·         Jesus is the proof positive of these truths. He rose, He lives, and He reigns.

·         That He may taste death for all men. All refers to all humans who have the same form and nature as Christ. He rescues us by tasting death, that is, by dying.

·         He dies as a man, for men. Therefore He can be a suitable substitute for anyone who has the same form as Christ.

[10] For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

·         Captain means leader.  Perfect means more of what we would think of as complete. The Greeks thought something was perfect if it functioned well.  Sometimes when I fix my gate or paint a spot I’ll stand back and say “perfect.” That is what is in view. Not that Jesus wasn’t perfect and then became flawless, but that He was not really the savior until He saved.

·         Many sons. He dies that all may have life, but then see that He is the captain of the elect. 

·         For whom are all things because He owns everything, and by whom are all things, because He upholds the world by His power.

[11] For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

·         He who is the ruler of all, and us who are wretched scum, and yet He is not ashamed to call us brothers. 

·         Jesus in His priestly prayer prays that ‘they may be one, just as we are one.’ It’s an astonishingly close unity to God.

·         He never calls us brothers until after His resurrection. John 20

·         The Hebrew writer then quotes three places in the OT where it’s foretold the Christ would call us brothers.

[12] Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

·         Ps 22:22. Jesus declared this Psalm fulfilled on the cross. This is quoted from the septiugent.

·         Jesus was so pleasing to God because He told of God’s character, and nature, and purpose to us. He showed it to us as well as spoke it

·         When we proclaim the work of Christ the church does what pleases God. 

[13] And again, I will put my trust in him.

·         Ps 18:2. In the context David celebrates his preservation and rule over his enemies, but this is more properly applied to Christ.

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And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

·         Isaiah 8:17

·         God has a people formed, a church, a group that He sent Christ to rescue. Christ took on human flesh to do just this. Therefore we see in these three quotes the ‘men’ ‘brothers’ ‘church’ are the recipients of the glory of Christ.

[14] Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

·         The Devil, Satan, the accuser, has ‘the power of death’ because he has the power of the law on his side. We broke God’s law, and that merits death. Therefore Satan is delighted to accuse us before God using His law, that we must die.

·         Why did Christ become man? To redeem us. God, being eternal and unaffected could not die, but a man could.

[15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

·         We are slaves to Satan, and our own sinful impulses. Rom 6. We needed a messiah, a deliverer, to take us from the bondage of sin and deliver us into the refuge of God.

·         This may also be taken to mean that men were in a terrible state until the day they die, knowing their coming judgment.

[16] For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

·         Seed of Abraham is a reference to Genesis where God promised Abraham that his seed

·         God took pity not on the angels, but on men. We are therefore superior to the angels.

·         He took on man’s nature, not the nature of angels.

[17] Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

·         It pleased God in other words, not only to make Him like a man, but to have the same feelings as a man. He wouldn’t get the sheltered treatment, He would see it all.

·         The High Priest was to take the sins of the people and bear them away, if he didn’t care about the people, he wouldn’t really bear the sins away.

[18] For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

·         If He never was tempted, He would not be sympathetic. But He was tempted His whole life to serve Himself, therefore He knows us. He knows us from without and He knows us from within.

·         He was a priest, offering up Sin, that He may have a people to rule over, that is, that He may be the King.