Enduring Word Bible Commentary Hebrews Chapter 2 (2023)

A. Therefore: Because of Jesus' superiority over the angels, we must pay attention to Jesus.

1. (1) The teaching of the first chapter is: listen and do not withdraw.

Therefore, we must pay more attention to the things we hear, lest we go astray.

one.That's why: The use offor this reasonin Hebrews lets us pay attention to an application point after the writer has developed a principle. the biblicalfactJesus' superiority over the angels has a transformative application - and now we must consider the application.

b.We must pay the utmost attention: We shouldTutgiven the supremacy of Jesus over angels. we must givewarmest attentionto the words of Jesus. It is easy to believe that this admonition is addressed to unbelievers, but this epistle was written for Christians.

EU.Give the most sincere attention: This one has not only the idea ofListencareful but also inmanufacturingwhat we hear - and wedevopay the greatest attention🇧🇷 This has an urgency and necessity.

c.So we don't get away: Unlesspay the greatest attention, we willmove away🇧🇷 The writer thought of the drifting of a boat, and such drifting naturally occurs without an anchor in something solid. If we are not steadfast in the truth of Jesus' supremacy, we are put in jeopardy with the chains of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

I. The ancient Greek term formove awaycomes from the idea of ​​"slipping" (Dodds). It was used for an arrow slipping out of the quiver, snow falling off a landscape, or food slipping down the windpipe and causing suffocation. It happens easily. you don't have toTuteverything formove away🇧🇷 Leaving the faith usually comes from a slow drift, not a sudden departure.

ii. The Philippine jailer asked Paul:What should I do to be saved?(Acts 16:30) – answered Paul. The question, "What should I do to get lost?' also has an answer:nothing🇧🇷 Addictionnothingenough to be swept along by the currents of the world, the flesh and the devilmove away.

iii. “The protection from drifting is to have Christ as the anchor and rudder of life. The anchor will hold us in truth while the rudder will guide us in truth.” (Griffith Thomas)

2. (2-4) The lesson emphasized: How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

For if the word spoken by angels stood, and every trespass and disobedience had a just reward, how should we escape neglecting so great a salvation, of which the Lord began speaking at the beginning, and which was confirmed to us by those who heard it?Extinguish, God also begets with signs and wonders, with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will?

one.The word spoken by angels: This describes the Mosaic law that wasreceived... by the direction of the angels(Acts 7:53). The idea is that the law was somehow given to Moses through the hands of angels.

I. The idea that angels played a role in bringing the law to Moses is found at Deuteronomy 33:2, Acts 7:53, and Galatians 3:19. Josephus also repeated this thought in his ancient history (antiques, 15.53).

b.has proved its worth: The Mosaic law wasPartiesand strict (every transgression and disobedience received a just reward🇧🇷 It demanded to be taken seriously.

c.how will we escape: If we are to take seriously the Word that came from angels, we must take the Word that came from angelsSon of godeven more serious. The Son turned out to be greater than the angels, so his message must be considered greater.

I. a bigger oneWortbrought by someone biggerpeoplehave biggerPromisewill bring a bigger oneconvictionif neglected.

d.When we neglect such a great redemption: The ancient Greek word translatednegligenceIt isexcruciating, also used at Matthew 22:5 for those who disregarded the invitation to the wedding supper (they ignored🇧🇷 It means having themopportunity, but ignore or disregard the opportunity.

I. That was a word forbelievers, not for those outside the faith. The danger described does not existdeclineSalvation (although the principle certainly applies there too), but the danger isto neglectSalvation.

ii. Remember that Hebrews was not written primarily as an evangelistic pamphlet, but as an encouragement and warning to discouraged Christians. It was written for those who have neglected a constant walk with Jesus.

e.such great salvation: If we look at somethingGreat, we will of course pay attention to that and notnegligencethis. If we don't consider something big, we leave it out of convenience, not obligation.

I. “The phrase 'so great a salvation' is an amazing reminder of what God has provided in Christ. The word "so" is similar to the example in the well-known passage "God so loved the world" (John 3:16) and expresses unfathomable depth. (Griffith Thomas)

ii. So if we miss something, we probably don't think it's great. However, our salvationIt isgreat because:

· We will be saved by a great Redeemer.

· We are rescued at great cost.

· We will be saved from a great punishment.

iii. One reason many neglect their salvation is that they never see it as salvation. That's just how you see itReceptionsomething not like beingrescuedOf something.

f.Spoken and confirmed by the Lord: This word was spoken by Jesus and confirmed by eyewitnesses (who heard him🇧🇷 that's how it wasConfirmedcomsignals,Wunder,Wunderegifts of the Holy Spiritgiven by God.

I. By sayingand it was confirmed to usfrom those who heard him, the writer shows that he was not a “first generation” Christian. He heard the message secondhand through the apostles and eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry.

ii. Hebrews 2:3 is one of the reasons some believe the apostle Paul did not write Hebrews. Elsewhere Paul clearly places himself on a par with the apostles and other eyewitnesses of Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-11).

g.God also testifies: God confirms his word withvarious miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit🇧🇷 But he does everythingaccording to His own will, not under man's command.

I. Jesus said miracles would follow those who believed (Mark 16:17). If there is no miraculous element, one can wonder if there is true belief in Jesus or if the Word of God is really being preached. The preacher must give God something to validate.

ii. On the other hand, the Spirit brings such miracles and giftsaccording toYouror🇧🇷 Miracles cannot be “done” and brought about by human effort or emotion. Much harm is done by those who do not thinkor enoughMiracles happen and they want to "start the pump" with the enthusiasm of the flesh.

iii. It is difficult to say which is worse - the denial of miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit or their counterfeiting. Every mistake is dangerous.

B. The glorious humanity of Jesus Christ.

1. (5-8a) We know that Jesus is a man because God made the world subject to men, not angels (quoting Psalm 8:4-6).

For He did not put the coming world of which we speak under the angels. But one testified at a certain point and said:

"What is man that you think of him,
Or the son of the man you care for?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
You crowned him with glory and honor
And lay it over the work of your hands.
You made everything subject to him.”

For since all were subject to him, he left nothingThat isdon't put under it.

one.He did not subject the world to come to the angels.: God never gave the angels the kind of dominion that man originally had over the earth (Genesis 1:26-30). Angels have no dominion over this world or the world to come.

I. "The divine purpose for the world is that man and not angels should rule in the future." (Griffith Thomas)

b.what is the human: The quote from Psalm 8:4-6 shows both the smallness of man in relation to the God of creation and the dominion that God gave to man, even though he wasslightly lower than the angels.

c.You made him a little lower than the angels: In the first chapter, the writer of the Hebrews brilliantly demonstrated in Scripture the deity of Jesus and His supremacy over all angels. Now he's demonstratingmankindJesus from Scripture and applies the implications of Jesus' humanity.

I. It is biblically wrong to regard Jesus as only God or only as man. It is wrong to think of him as half god and half man (or any other percentage classification). It is wrong to think of him as "man on the outside" and "god on the inside." The Bible teaches that Jesus iscompletelygod iscompletelyMan, that a human nature was added to His divine nature and both natures existed in one person, Jesus Christ.

ii. Significantly, the first false teaching about Jesus in the days of the early church did not deny that He was God, but it denied that He was really a man and said that He was aloneIt appearedhuman being. heresy was calledDocetism, from the ancient Greek word "to appear' and was taught by Cerinthus, who opposed the apostle John in the city of Ephesus and whose teaching is probably central to 1 John 4:2 and 1 John 5:6.

d.He left nothing behind that was not his responsibility.: The author emphasizes the point that God has madeAllThings (Noanythings) under submission to men. This shows that Jesus must be a man because God gave that dominion to man and Jesus exercises that authority.

2. (8b-9) A problem and its solution.

But we do not yet see all things subject to it. But we see Jesus, who was a little lower than the angels, suffering death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he might taste death for all.

one.But now we still don't see everything as subordinate to him: Apparently the promise of Psalm 8:4-6 has not been fulfilled. We do not see that all things are subject to man.

b.But we see Jesus: The promise is fulfilled in Jesus, who is Lord over all. Through Jesus, man can regain the dominion originally intended for Adam (Revelation 1:6, 5:10 and Matthew 25:21).

I. There are many things that we will first understandsee Jesus🇧🇷 The answers to life's most confusing questions are not found by asking "why?". The biggest answer isWer- Jesus Christ.

ii. Some wish they really couldsee Jesuswith the natural eye instead of the eye of faith. Yet “Vision is used very often in Scripture as a metaphor, illustration, symbol to explain what faith is. Faith is the eye of the soul. It is the act of looking to Jesus.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Think how many who saw Jesus with the natural eye opposed Him, mocked Him, rejected Him. It is better to see Jesus with the eyes of faith than with natural eyes.

· It doesn't say, "We can see Jesus," although it does.

· It does not say, “We have seen Jesus,” although that was true of some in his day.

· It does not say, "We shall see Jesus," although that is certainly true.

·It says,we see Jesus, now and again. He is the focus, the center, the main aspect of our spiritual life.

4. Therefore, look to Jesus with the eyes of faith - however imperfect your vision of faith may be, look to the One who is perfect.

· See Him as the One who loved sinners and died for them.

· See Him as your Savior.

· See Him as your Master.

· See him as your friend.

· See it as your forerunner.

· See Him as your healer.

· See him at home, at work, on the road - not onlyon herein times of worship.

c.Made a little lower than the angels: This promise of dominion could only be fulfilled through the humility, suffering and death of Jesus. The Son of God conquered the evil that Adam brought into the world—death (Romans 5:12).

I. God gave man dominion over the earth, but man lost his power (not his right or authority) to obtain that dominion through sin, and the principle of death stripped him of his dominion. But Jesus came, and through His humility and suffering He defeated the power of death and made possible the fulfillment of God's promise that man would rule the earth - fulfilled both by Jesus' own rulership and by the rulership of believers with Him (Revelation 20:4).

d.made a little lower than the angels,through the suffering of death: If God the Son of His Divinity did not add humanity and became in His humanityslightly lower than the angels, so He could never know thatsuffering of deathin our name.

e.Crowned with glory and honor to taste death for all by the grace of God: This tells us that thesuffering of deathfor Jesus was only a prelude to beingcrowned with glory and honor🇧🇷 It also tells us that his death was somehowfor all.

3. (10-13) We know that Jesus is human because he is calling usbrothers.

Because it suited him whoit iseverything and by whomit isall things, bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through afflictions. Both for the one who sanctifies and for those who are being sanctifiedit isall one, which is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying:

“I will declare your name to my brothers;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing your praises.”

And again:

"I will put my trust in him."

And again:

"Here I am and the children that God gave me".

one.Because it was appropriate: It was more than necessary – it wasappropriateto the sovereign God –for whom are all things and through whom are all thingsbe doneperfect through sufferingat the task ofbrought many sons to fame.

I. It is conceivable that God might have found a way to save us that did not require the suffering of the Son of God. butit was suitablethat Jesus saves us at the cost of his own torment.

ii. This is the ultimate illustration of the fact that true love involves true givingsacrifice🇧🇷 As David said:nor will I bring offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing(2 Samuel 24:24). God's love for us had to be manifested in sacrifice, and God could not make sacrifices unless He added humanity to His divinity and suffered for us.

b.The captain of your salvation: Jesus is thecaptain– the leader, the advance – of our salvation. This has wonderful implications:

· A captain makes all the arrangements for the march, and Jesus makes all the arrangements for our progress as Christians.

· A captain gives orders to the troops - "go" or "stay" or "do this". Jesus commands us as our captain.

· A centurion leads and sets an example for his men, and Jesus does that for us.

· A centurion encourages his men, and Jesus encourages us.

· A captain rewards his troops, and Jesus rewards his followers.

I. “Now that it is the will of the Lord to lead us to glory through the leader of our salvation, I want you to be worthy of your leader. Don't you think sometimes we pretend we don't have a captain? We imagine that by the power of our own right hand and by our own skill we must find our way to heaven; But it is not like that. If you leave before your captain gives you the marching orders, you must go back; and if you try to fight separately from your captain, you will regret the day. (spurgeons)

c.Perfect through suffering: Nothing was missing from the divinity of Jesus. However, until He became man and suffered, God neverwith experienceLeiden.

EU. „to make perfectsignifies no moral imperfection in Jesus, but only the consummation of that human experience of sorrow and pain that he must go through in order to become the leader of his people's salvation. (Vincent)

ii. “We know that if he were only God, he would still not have been prepared for a perfect Redeemer unless he didcara🇧🇷 Man has sinned; Man must suffer. In man the purposes of God were frustrated for a time; it must be in man that God must triumph over his great enemy. (spurgeons)

iii. The point is thatthat wasappropriateso that the Father does this, in the sense thatthisit pleased the Lord to strike him(Isaiah 53:10) for the sake of doing itbrought many sons to fame.

d.Both for the one who sanctifies and for those who are being sanctifiedit isall from one: That's why we aresanctifiedfrom the one who has been sanctified. We all belong to the same human family, that is, Jesusdon't be ashamed to call them(so we)brothers🇧🇷 He couldn't be our brother unless he was also a human like us.

EU.to be sanctified: “Now, dear friends, are you sanctified? I've heard some jokes about this word and mocked certain people as "saints." ' It is one of the most glorious titles a man can bear. (spurgeons)

ii. Isn't it remarkable that I'm not ashamed to join Jesus? But it is noteworthy that henot ashamed to callwebrothers.

e.He is not ashamed to call them brothers and says: The author cites three proofs that Jesus the Messiah calls his people his brethren, from Psalm 22:22, Isaiah 8:17, and Isaiah 8:18.

I. In each of these cases, the Messiah is ready to unite with His brethren, whether in a worshiping community, a community of trust in the Father, or by declaring a common family bond.

f.In the midst of the assembly I will praise You: This wonderful quote from Psalm 22:22 (from the ancient Septuagint) reminds us that Jesus sang among his brethren, singing worship to his Father.

I. “Did Jesus sing? Yes, literally. After dinner they sang a song. It must have been very moving to hear the voice of Christ trembling with emotion singing the psalms that made up the Great Hallel.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “Behold, in the midst of you, O church of God, in the days of his flesh was this glorious one whom angels adore, who is the brightness of the glory of his Father in heaven of heavens; but when he was here he should join in the worship of his people, proclaim the name of the Father to his brethren, and sing with them the praises of the Most High. Doesn't that get you a lot closer? It doesn't look like he's going to be coming over and joining you on the bench any moment; I feel like he's already on this platform alongside me; why shouldn't I?" (spurgeons)

g.Here I am and the children that God gave me: The sentence of this quote from Isaiah 8:18 shows how valuable Jesus' people are to him. “He likes to address that fact. They are valuable to him in themselves, but far more valuable than the Father's gift to him. Some things are treasured by you as a keepsake from someone you love; and we are also dear to Christ, because his Father gave us to him. (spurgeons)

4. (14-16) What Jesus did as our brother.

As the children shared in flesh and blood, so he also shared, in order to destroy by death him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and to deliver all who were their whole from fear of death Subjected to bondage for life. For although he does not help the angels, he does help the seed of Abraham.

one.He also took part in it himself: In order for Jesus to truly fulfill the role of “elder brother” for the family of the redeemed, He musttivacceptflesh and blood🇧🇷 He had to enter the prison to free the prisoners.

b.Through death He could destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.: Some take this to mean that Jesus destroyed Satan's "right" to rule over men, which was supposedly bestowed on him in the Garden of Eden by Adam's rebellion. The idea is that Jesus deprived Satan of the "right" to rule by allowing Satan to "illegally" take Jesus' life on the cross, and Satan's "illegal" action against Jesus forfeited his right to rule man. The bottom line in this thinking is that the devil has no claim on those who come to God through Jesus' work on the cross.

I. Since death rules only over those who were born or sinned (Romans 5:12), Satan had no "right" to take the life of Jesus, who never sinned or was born a sinner—and the devil did then committed.” unlawful “murder.” , according to his nature (John 8:44). Jesus allowed the devilhurt your heelso he couldhurt your head(Genesis 3:15).

ii. The problem with this approach is that we know the devil doesn't do ittake alonglife of Jesus. Jesus gave it of his own free will, and no one took it from him (John 10:17-18).

iii. However, it can be said that the devil is guilty "triesunlawful murder" of someone to whom he had no right because Jesus had no stain of sin. Satan certainlysoughtTo murder Jesus and tried, and Satan is guilty of it.

4. We know that the devil loves death and murder. "I think death is the devil's masterpiece. With the sole exception of Hell, death is surely the most satanic harm sin has ever done. Nothing pleased the devil's heart so much as to find that the threat would be fulfilled: 'The day you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Spurgeon)

v. Satan tried repeatedly to kill Jesus. He tried Herod's murderous intent when Jesus was a baby. He tried it in a synagogue where they tried to kill Jesus. He tried to starve Jesus to death and tried to drown him. None of these plans worked until Jesus appeared before Pilate and received the sentence of execution - what joy there was in the councils of hell! They were confident that they finally had Jesus where they wanted Him. However, the death of Jesus became a defeat for the devil.

c.Free those who have been in slavery all their lives for fear of death: The fear of death reigns over humanity like a tyrant. Some try to make peace with death by calling it a friend. But Christians are not afraid of death (although they may be afraid of itDie), not because death is their friend, but because it is a vanquished enemy who now serves God's purpose in the believer's life.

d.He helps Abraham's seed: The work of the Father in Jesus was not primarily for the angels (although according to Ephesians 3:10 it is for the angels in a secondary sense). The work was for the people of faith (the seed of Abraham).

EU.Abraham's Togetheris used here in the sense of those who are inwardly, not ethnically, children of Abraham (Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 3:7).

4. (17-18) Therefore: Jesus is our faithful High Priest.

Therefore He had to be made equal in all thingsYourBrethren, that in all things he may be a merciful and faithful High Priestbelongingto God to atone for the sins of men. For in what he himself suffered in temptation, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

one.Made like his brothers: If it weren't for Jesusthere mayus He could not be our high priest, representing us before the Father and making atonement (reconciliation) for our sins.

I. Neither the divinity nor the humanity of Jesus is negotiable. If we belittle either one, He cannot save us.

ii.reconciliation: "The real idea seems to be ... that God offers himself the sacrifice of Christ, so that he is at the same time the atoning one and the atoning one." (Griffith Thomas)

b.That he might be a merciful and faithful high priest: The high priest wore on his chest and shoulders a breastplate with stones engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel. The high priest was therefore in constant sympathy with God's people and carried them in his heart and on his shoulders.

I. Jesus did not wear the breastplate of the high priest. But the wound in his breast and the cross on his shoulder are still more eloquent testimonies of his heart for us and his work for us—Make atonement for human sins.

c.He himself suffered from temptation: Some wonder if it was Jesussametries. After all, since He was God (they argue) He couldn't sin - so His temptation couldn't bereal🇧🇷 The writer of Hebrews insists it wasn't just the temptation of Jesusreal, but it was so real that Hesufferedunderneath.

I. We can even say that the temptation was Jesusmostmore real and difficult than any we face. When the pressure of temptation builds, some find relief only by yielding to temptation—but Jesus never did🇧🇷 The pressure of temptation built and built on Him.

ii. Jesus knew the temptations of power and the temptations of pain. He knew the temptations of riches and the temptations of poverty. He knew the temptations of popularity and the temptations of rejection. He knew the temptations of the boy and the temptations of the man. He knew the temptation of his friends and the temptation of his enemies. He knew the temptation of his family and the temptation of strangers.

iii. “Many people are tempted but do not suffer when tempted. When ungodly people are tempted, they like the bait and swallow it eagerly. Temptation delights them; In fact, sometimes they try the devil to tempt them... But good men suffer when tempted, and the better they are, the more they suffer." (Spurgeon)

d.He can help those who are being tempted.: Because Jesus added humanity to His deity and experienced human suffering, He is able to help us through temptations. He knows what we're going through.

I. We have two advantages - the knowledge of theexampleby Jesus in the temptation, but also with hisactive assistancefrom the sky, which offers strength and a way of escape. With them we can gain victory and come out in the midst of temptationimprovebe tried. Jesus lost nothing by being tempted—he only gained in glory, sympathy, and ability to help his people. We neitherI havelose something when we are tempted.

ii. "This is the most potent preservative against despair, and the firmest ground of hope and comfort that repentant sinners and believers could ever want or have." (Poole) "If the rest of Scripture were silent on the subject, this verse could have a rich be a support to every tempted soul." (Clark)

iii. "Aside from that,don't complain about being temptedi.e. When his master is tempted, should the disciple be above his master, or the servant above his master? If Perfect needs to resist temptation, why not you? Therefore, accept it from the hand of the Lord, and think not that it is a disgrace or a dishonour. It has not dishonored or dishonored your Lord, and temptation will not dishonor or dishonor you. The Lord who sent him also sends him a way of escape, and it will be to his honor and advantage to escape by that way." (Spurgeon)

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