Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: HEBREWS #1 - 1:1-2:4)
HEBREWS SUMMARY: THE ABSOLUTE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST
A. 1:1-2:4 THE SOBER IMPORTANCE OF THE WORDS OF GOD'S SON
1. 1:1-4 GOD FULLY BACKS UP HIS SON'S WORD TO US
Po-lu-meROS [4181] kai po-luTROpos [4187] PAlai [3819] ho TheOS,
:God, having spoken of old to the fathers in the prophets
laLEsas tois paTRAsin en tois proPHEtais [4396],
by different portions and in different manners,
ep' eSCHAtou [2078] ton he-meRON TOUton eLAle-sen heMIN en huiO,
2has at theend of these :days spoken to us in a Son,
hon Ethe-ken [5087] kle-roNOmon [2818] PANton, di' hou kai ePOIe-sen [4160] tous aiOnas [165];
whom he appointed heir of all, through whom also he made the ages;
hos on aPAUgas-ma [541] tes DOxes [1391], kai cha-rakTER [5480] tes hu-poSTAse-os [5287] auTOU,
3who being the Glory's radiant brightness, and the very image of his :substance,
PHEron [5342] te ta PANta to 'REma-ti [4487] tes duNAme-os [1411] auTOU,
and upholding :all thingsby the word of his :power,
ka-tha-risMON [2512] ton ha-mar-tiON [266] poi-eSAme-nos,
when he had made purification of :sins,
eKAthi-sen [2523] en de-xiA tes me-ga-loSUnes [3172] en hu-pseLAIS [5308];
sat down on theright of the Majesty on high;
toSOUto KREITton [2909] geNOme-nos ton agGElon [32],
4having become by so much better than the angels,
HOso di-a-phroROte-ron [1313] par' auTOUS ke-kle-roNOme-ken [2816] Ono-ma [3686].
as he has inherited a more superior name than they.
2. 1:5-14 GOD CONTRASTS ANGELS' WORD WITH HIS SON
a. 1:5 GOD'S EVALUATION OF HIS SON
TIni gar EI-PEN po-te ton agGElon, HuiOS mou ei su, eGO SEme-ron geGENneKA se?
For to which of the angels did he ever say, You are my Son, I today have begotten you?
kai PAlin E-GO Eso-mai auTO eis paTEra, kai auTOS EStai moi eis huiON?
and again, I will be to him a Father, And he shall be to me a Son?
b. 1:6 GOD HAS ALL ANGELS WORSHIP HIS SON
HOtan de PAlin ei-saGAge ton proTOto-kon [4416] eis ten oi-kouMEnen [3625]
And when again he brings in the firstborn into the inhabited earth
LEgei, Kai pro-sku-neSAto-san [4314] auTO PANtes AGge-loi TheOU.
he says, And let all the angels of God worship him.
c. 1:7-8 GOD CONTRASTS ANGELS WITH HIS SON
kai pros men tous agGElous LEgei, Ho poiON tous agGElous auTOU PNEUma-ta [4151],
And of the angels he says, Who makes his :angels spirits,
kai tous lei-tourGOUS [3011] auTOU puROS [4442] PHLOga [5395]:
And his :ministers a flame of fire:
pros de ton huiON, Ho THROnos [2262] sou, ho TheOS, eis ton aiOna [165] tou aiOnos;
8but of the Son, Your :throne, O :God, is unto the age of the age;
kai he 'RABdos [4464] tes euTHUte-tos [2118] 'RABdos tes ba-siLEIas [932] auTOU.
And the scepter of uprightness is scepter of his kingdom.
d. 1:9 GOD'S REWARD FOR HIS SON
eGApe-sas [26]di-kai-oSUnen [1343], kai eMIse-sas [3404]a-noMIan [458];
You have loved righteousness, and hated lawlessness;
diA TOUto EchriSEN se ho TheOS, ho TheOS sou, Elai-on a-gal-liAse-os [20] paRA tous meTOchous sou.
Therefore :God, your :God, has anointed you With oil of gladness above your :fellows.
e. 1:10-12 GOD USED HIS SON TO CREATE THE EARTH
kai, Su, kat' arCHAS [746], KUri-e, ten gen e-the-meLIo-sas [2311],
And, You, Lord, in thebeginnings did found the earth,
kai ERga [2041] ton cheiRON [5495] sou eiSIN hoi ou-raNOI;
And the heavens are works of your :hands:
auTOI a-poLOUNtai [622]; (su de di-aMEneis [1265]:) kai PANtes hos hiMAti-on [2440] pa-lai-oTHEson-tai;
11 They shall perish; (but you continue:) And shall all grow old as a garment;
kai hoSEI pe-riBOlai-on [4018] eLIxeis [1667] auTOUS, hos hiMAti-on [2440], kai al-laGEson-tai [236]:
12 And as a mantle shall you roll them up, As if a garment, and they shall be changed:
su de ho auTOS ei, kai ta Ete [2094] sou ouk eKLEIpsou-sin [1587].
But you are the same, And your :years shall not fail.
f. 1:13 GOD EXALTS HIS SON ABOVE ANGELS
pros TIna de ton agGElon EIreKEN po-te, KAthou ek de-xiON mou,
But of which of the angels has he ever said, Sit on my right hand,
HEos an tho [5087] tous echTHROUS [2190] sou hu-poPOdi-on [5286] ton poDON [4228] sou?
Till I make your :enemies footstool of your :feet?
g. 1:14 GOD'S CREATIVE PURPOSE FOR ANGELS: FOR US
ouCHI PANtes eiSIN lei-tour-giKA [3010] PNEUma-ta [4151],
Are they not all ministering spirits,
eis di-a-koNIan [1248] a-po-stelLOme-na [649] diA tous MELlon-tas kle-ro-noMEIN [2818] so-teRIan?
sent forth unto service for them that shall inherit salvation?
3. 2:1-4 GOD UNDERLINES IMPORTANCE OF HIS SON'S WORDS
a. 2:1 THE “THEREFORE” POINTS US TO 1:1-14
Di-A TOUto dei pe-ris-soTEros [4056] proSEchein [4337] heMAS tois a-kousTHEIsin, ME po-te pa-ra-ruOmen.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the thingsheard, lest by chance we drift away.
b. 2:2-4 GOD'S WORD MORE SERIOUS THAN ANGELIC WORDS
ei gar ho di' agGElon la-leTHEIS LOgos
For if the word spoken through angels
eGEne-to BEbai-os [949] kai PAsa paRAba-sis [3847] kai pa-ra-koE [3876]
became firm and every transgression and disobedience
Ela-ben ENdi-kon [1738] mis-tha-po-doSIan [3405];
received a just recompense of reward;
pos heMEIS ek-pheuXOme-tha [1628], te-liKAUtes [5082] a-meLEsan-tes [272] so-teRIas [4991]?
3how shall WE escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?
HEtis arCHEN [746] laBOUsa [2983] laLEISthai [2980] diA tou KuRIou,
which having at first been spoken through the Lord,
huPO ton a-kouSANton [191] eis heMAS e-be-baiOthe [950];
was confirmed unto us by them that heard;
su-ne-pi-mar-tuROUNtos [4901] tou TheOU, seMEIois [4592] te kai TEra-sin [5059],
4:God bearing witness with them,both by signs and wonders,
kai poiKIlais [4164] duNAme-sin, kai PNEUma-tos HaGIou me-risMOIS [3311], kaTA ten auTOU THEle-sin.
and manifold powers, and distributions of the Holy Spirit, according to his :will.
NOTE: We cannot fail to receive God's thinking and position concerning His Word through His Son in the above passage. What an introduction to this letter to the Hebrews!
Jewish leaders by and large rejected Jesus' words during His 33 years on earth at His first coming. Today their eyes are still largely blinded to God's evaluation upon His only-begotten Son. Paul in Romans 9-11 shows us the extraordinary wisdom of God in this. The by and large rejection of Jesus as God's Messiah both then and now - has enabled Him to reach the non-Jewish nations - the Gentiles - with the Gospel. We are the favored recipients of this unusual wisdom of God on our behalf.
But just as soon as the Gentile number has been fulfilled, then God will lift the blindness of the past two millennia from Israel's eyes. She will then be born from above in a day!
However, there was and has been a remnant of them open to Jesus throughout the church age. There has been a small portion of Gentile believers who have seen and understood this. Men like Dr. Daniel Juster and Mike Bickle have been moving to make possible the functioning of the “One New Man”. In the Millennial Age following the return of God's Son as King of kings and Lord of lords, we will see this fulfilled tremendously. Then at the end of the Millennium, Jesus as Son of Man will turn all things over to God, that Hemight be all in all. Jesus is already Son of God as well as Son of Man, so He indeed will have His part in this exchange also!
Hebrews 1:1-2:4 must be kept in mind while reading the remainder of this letter, for it is God's key that unlocks all that is to follow. - J.A.W.