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. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 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; 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?
(1) Jesus is much higher than the angels so anything He has said needs to be heeded. <TOPIC: He
(2) If angels’ words came about to be fulfilled, how much more their Creator’s words. Angels spoke the word of the Lord in the OT and those that disobeyed the commands given were ‘rewarded’ for it; how much the more of those things spoken directly by the Lord Jesus Christ.
(3) How shall you escape this recompence for disobedience which angels have spoken of and then the Lord did while in His ministry then His witnesses further spoke and expounded it; i.e., How shall you escape eternal punishment in Hell?!. Oh how great salvation is! Why, oh why, do people neglect it?! T<The seeds of neglect always bring a harvest of regret.
The ‘we’ and ‘us’ here are referring to Paul’s fellow Jewish brothers and sisters who have heard the gospel but neglected or rejected it.
(4) Salvation was preached clearly and was certified by signs and wonders, and spiritual gifts being given. <TOPIC:
The word spoken through angels “became firm,” then, in its rightly inflexible and consistent enforcement. Much more will a carelessness that leads to drifting away from the gospel incur a punishment that consists in failure to gain salvation; for the gospel promises a salvation greater than anything promised Israel, such as rest from the labors of Egyptian slavery in the land of Canaan (4:1–13).
Earwitnesses (the original disciples) confirmed to the author and his audience what God had said through the Lord. And God joined his own testimony to that of the earwitnesses by enabling them to perform “both signs and wonders and various miracles” and by individually distributing to them the Holy Spirit for such enablement. (Robert Gundry)
The opening verses of Hebrews 2 contain the first of five major warnings interspersed throughout the book.
To whom is the warning directed? It cannot be to Christians. They can never be in danger of neglecting salvation— in the sense of not receiving it—since they already have it. They can neglect growth and discipleship, but they cannot neglect salvation. Nor can the warning be to those who have never heard the gospel, because they cannot neglect what they do not even know exists. The warning must therefore be directed to non-Christians, specifically Jews, who are intellectually convinced of the gospel but who fail to receive it for themselves.
History tells us that failure to shoot a rocket at the precise time of night caused the fall of Antwerp, and Holland’s deliverance was delayed for twenty years. Only three hours neglect cost Napoleon the battle of Waterloo. Neglect of Christ’s salvation will cost you eternal blessing, eternal joy, and will bring you damning judgment and eternal punishment. Do not drift past God’s grace. (John MacArthur)
There are thousands that our church talks to each year (door to door evangelism) that apparently let these things which they have heard from us, ‘slip’. They are neglecting so great a salvation!
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?
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: 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.
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. 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.
(5) In the world to come, we will be judging angels; the angels do not have an apparent judging role after the Tribulation (or is it after the Millennium?). God likes to distribute authority to others, and He even changes the structure of it, in the future.
(6) Quoting from Psalms 8. Oh how inferior man is compared to God. If we were God, would we love us? Why does the Almighty, omniscient God even think of us? We go on, for the most part, ignoring Him…or even blaspheming Him. Why does He put up with us? John 3:16.
These quoted verses from Psalm 8 refer to mankind, not to the Messiah, who is not mentioned in the Hebrews passage until verse 9.
Some take the son of man as a reference to Christ, but I think it is simply a parallel to man. “Son of man” is often used in the Old Testament to mean mankind. (John MacArthur)
(7,8) Amazingly, God put us (him, ‘man’) in high honor over all the works of His creation. We are created in God’s image; the animals are not. We are created to rule over the earth (land, vegetation, atmosphere, waters, etc) and the animals. Man is created to be just a little lower than the angels in authority and honor. I believe that we will be ‘above’ angels in rank once we put on immortality.
“Man is lower than angels only in that he is physical and they are spiritual. What does this mean? Just this: angels are heavenly creatures, while man is earth-bound. Obviously this is a limiting and major dif erence, and man is therefore now of a lower rank.
Because all mankind fell in Adam, because he lost his kingdom and his crown, we do not now see the earth subject to man. The earth originally was subject to man, and it supplied all his needs without his having to do anything. He had only to accept and enjoy the earth as it provided for him. Then, tempted by Satan, man sinned, and his tempter usurped the crown. There you see the change in the chain of command. Man fell to the bottom, and the earth, under the evil one, now rules man. If you pay much attention to ecology, you know that we do not rule this world; it rules us. With all our modern technology, we must constantly fight against the earth for our survival.
The animal kingdom was now subservient to man only out of fear, no longer out of affection. Much of the animal kingdom was no longer able to be tamed at all. The ground originally produced good things naturally and abundantly for man to have for the taking. Now it produces thorns, weeds, and other harmful things naturally and abundantly.
Jews could not comprehend the idea that God would become man. Even less could they understand how, having become man, He could die.” (John MacArthur)
(9) Jesus’ description matches exactly with man’s in vs 7. His purpose for becoming as man was for suffering death . He tasted death for every man – not just for the so-called ‘elect’. Taste – He was separated from the Father but not for an extended time; did not eat and swallow it all. The taste was not physical death so much, but spiritual death and separation. It was 3 days of ‘death’.
(10) Jesus Christ was made ‘perfect’ through His sufferings…perfect as in right where God wanted Him to be. Jesus Christ is known as the Captain of our salvation.
How could Jesus be greater than angels if angels never die? How could He be a Savior if He Himself were killed?
Christ was made for a little while lower than the angels so that He could become a man. He became a man so that He could die. He came to die because His death, and only His death, could accomplish man’s salvation.
If He was to remove the curse on man He had to take the place of man by becoming a man Himself. And though, for this purpose, He became lower than angels, He accomplished what no angel ever could have accomplished. (John MacArthur)
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, 12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 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; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 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. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
(11) “The object is to show that there was such a union between him and those for whom he died, as to make it necessary that he should partake of the same nature, or that he should be a suffering man.” (Barne’s Notes)
Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call you His brother. By becoming ‘human’, Jesus became our Brother.
(12) From Psalms 22:2. Jesus of course went to church and while there He would preach on the Father and also praise Him openly so that all could see and learn.
(14) Jesus Christ wanted to be in a very special and unique relationship with mankind; He didn’t do this with the angels, though. He had to be human to pay the cost for humans; flesh and blood is so important in the redemption process. All this was done to conquer the devil…to conquer the devil’s power…to conquer the devil’s goal of taking everyone to Hell with him.
“That by the merit of his own death, making atonement for sin, and procuring the almighty energy of the Holy Spirit, he might counterwork, or render useless and ineffectual, all the operations of him who had the power, to bring death into the world; so that death, which was intended by him who was a murderer from the beginning to be the final ruin of mankind, becomes the instrument of their exaltation and endless glory; and thus the death brought in by Satan is counterworked and rendered ineffectual by the death of Christ.” (Adam Clarke)
“Satan does not have “the power of death” absolutely, since, as we see in Job’s case, Satan could do nothing without God’s permission (Job 1-2).” (Warren Wiersbe)
(15) Oh the bondage to sin that we would still be in if Jesus Christ did not die for our sins! Do you fear death? Well, we shouldn’t.
(16) <TOPIC:Angel>s have a certain nature, and it is different from God’s and ours. Jesus Christ did not take on the nature of an angel. The seed of Abraham refers to the promise given Abraham of the coming Redeemer. All who have faith in Jesus Christ are of the children (seed) of Abraham.
(17) Jesus Christ had to be human in every way we are, yet without sin. He had to be like us to be a High priest and a reconciler, but He had to still be God to satisfy the Father. <TOPIC:
(18) He has been thru it all and can help us along thru our temptations. He can relate to what you are going through.