Hebrews 02
Warning Against Drifting Away
2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Since Jesus is superior to angels, the Jews need to be very careful to pay close attention to the new gospel message which they had just heard. They were now to be more accountable for their actions, since they had received new revelation by the grace of God.
The Jews were also warned not to drift away. The Greek word for “drift away” is παραρυῶμεν (pararuomen), an aorist active subjunctive verb, meaning to drift away from the dock like an untied boat. The meaning is that the Jews will be held more responsible for the reception of the message from Jesus than they would be if the message came from angels or men.
2:2 For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty, 2:3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,
This is a first class conditional sentence, meaning “since” the messages of angels were ignored, then punishment always followed. Angels delivered the Mosaic Law to Moses. Whenever the Mosaic Law was ignored, punishment always followed.
The Greek word for “neglect” is ἀμελήσαντες (amelasantes), an aorist active participle, meaning to view something as being insignificant. There were many Messianic Jews who possessed a salvation that they could not lose, but they were becoming indifferent (or apathetic) to it. God does not tolerate believers becoming apathetic in response to His divine grace. Many of them were thinking about going back into Judaism and placing themselves back under the Mosaic Law. If the Jewish believer becomes indifferent, then he will not escape divine judgment. Disobedience will not result in the loss of spiritual salvation, but it will mean the loss of physical life.
2:4 while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
God authenticated this doctrine of salvation by signs and miracle and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many modern charismatics claim that every believer in the Book of Acts was performing these signs and miracles. However, this is simply not the case. The signs and miracles were only being done by the apostles and their legates. The Jewish messianic believers had seen these signs and miracles by the apostles so they had no excuse to go back into the Levitical system of Judaism.
Exposition of Psalm 8: Jesus and the Destiny of Humanity
2:5 For he did not put the world to come, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels.
The Greek word for “world” is οἰκουμένην (oikoumenn), meaning the inhabited world. The “inhabited world to come” is the Messianic Kingdom, or the Millennial Kingdom. No angel was given authority in the Millennial Kingdom to come.
2:6 Instead someone testified somewhere: “What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him? 2:7 You made him lower than the angels for a little while. You crowned him with glory and honor. 2:8 You put all things under his control.” For when he put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control,
The author quoted Psalm 8:5-7. Although man was created lower than angels, God gave Adam authority over all the earth. Adam lost this dominion to Satan.
2:9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.
Satan and his demons will continue their dominion over the earth until God the Father eliminates them off the earth at the end of the Great Tribulation. Man will once again regain dominion over the earth when Christ returns at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. Believers will co-reign with Christ.
2:10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
God did not provide salvation to angels. The fallen angels received no second chance. The sons of glory are the men who were redeemed by Christ. Christ suffered so that men may receive salvation. Since Christ redeemed fallen man, then Christ is superior to angels.
2:11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
After Jesus died for the believers and gave them eternal life, He began a process of making these same believers holy. He makes the believers holy by the indoctrination of Bible doctrine. In Ephesians 5, He uses gifted-pastor teachers to teach believers Bible doctrine.
2:12 saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.”
The author quoted Psalm 22:22. This means that Psalm 22 was not about David, but David was looking into the future at the sufferings and resurrection of the Messiah. After the resurrection, Israel will praise the Messiah.
2:13 Again he says, “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, with the children God has given me.”
The author quoted Isaiah 8:17. Isaiah trusted that God would deliver Israel.
The author also quoted Isaiah 8:18. Isaiah had two sons. One of the sons represented unbelieving Israel. The other son represented believing Israel.
2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil),
God is spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and truth. Before the incarnation of Jesus, He was also spirit. At His incarnation, God the Son became flesh so that He could share this experience with mankind. He became a man so that He could defeat the one who had the power of death. One purpose of the incarnation was to take away the power of death from Satan.
Before the atonement of Christ, Satan had the power of death over believers and unbelievers. After the resurrection of Christ, Satan lost his power of death over believers. Satan can still place an unbeliever to death in the method that he chooses, but he has no power of death over the believer. There is one exception. If a church excommunicates a believer, then they are placed in the hands of Satan. Satan does have the authority to send them to their death.
2:15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.
For the unbeliever, death is punishment. For the believer, death is a ticket to heaven. One reason for the incarnation was to set free those who were enslaved by heaven and provide them access into heaven.
2:16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants.
Jesus did not provide salvation for fallen angels. He only provided salvation for humans.
2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Per Jewish Law, only a Jewish human being could become a high priest. Therefore, Jesus had to become a Jewish human being so that He could become a high priest and make atonement for the sins of the people.
2:18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
Jesus became a man so that He could be tempted and so that He could suffer. Whenever one is tempted, or whenever one suffers, he can cry out to Jesus. Jesus has been there, so He can help. One reason that Jesus was incarnated to become the God-man was so that He could experience temptation and suffering to enable Him to better assist His creation.