Frameworks: Hebrews 1 & 2

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FRAMEWORKS: Hebrews 1: The Wonder & Superiority of Jesus

    

v.1-3 God's Final Word: His Son

v.4-14 The Son Superior to Angels

 

 

v.1-3 God's Final Word: His Son

 

v.1,2 (God's communication: prophets in the past, His Son recently) In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

v.3 (the Son reveals the Father in himself, after his work of redemption now sits on high) The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

    

  

v.4-14 The Son Superior to Angels

 

v.4-6 His Name - Son

v.4 (don't put Jesus on the level of angels, his name is greater than theirs ) So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

v.5 (he is acclaimed as the Son of God) For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father” [Psa 2:7] ? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” [2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 17:13] ?

v.6 (and the angels are required to worship him) And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God's angels worship him.” [Deut. 32:43]

 

v.7-12 His Role - Ruler

v.7 (angels are servants of God) In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.” [Psa 104:4]

v.8 (the Son rules with the Father) But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

v.9 (he is higher than any other) You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” [Psa 45:6,7]

v.10 (he was alongside the Father in Creation [implied] – see Prov 8:27-31 / Jn 1:3) He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

v.11 (the world will wear out) They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.

v.12 (but the Son never will) You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” [ Psa 102:25-27]

 

v.13,14 His Place – at God's right hand

v.13 (the Son now reigns beside the Father) To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” [Psa 110:1] ?

v.14 (while angels are merely servants serving God and mankind) Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

 

   

[Comment: The Flow of Writing: As indicated above, the writer seeks to exalt Jesus in the eyes of Jewish believers in order to help them resist the pressures of being both Jews and Christians. He starts doing this by showing that Jesus is worth continually following because he is far more superior to angels. In the next chapter he will expound on this more fully.]

 

 

 

FRAMEWORKS: Hebrews 2: A Wonderful Gospel to be held onto

 

v.1-4 A Need to Pay Attention

v.5-8 Mankind's Eventual Possible Destiny

v.9-18 Jesus: Pioneer, Saviour & Helper in human form

 

 

v.1-4 A Need to Pay Attention

 

v.1 (a challenge not to drift from the faith) We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

v.2,3 (if the Law was binding, how much more the gospel?) For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

v.4 (God has confirmed it by supernatural power) God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

 

 

v.5-8 Mankind's Eventual Possible Destiny

 

v.5 (angels aren't the key players at the end…) It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

v.6 (… but mankind) But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?

v.7,8 (made to become eventual rulers) You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.” [Psa 8:4-6] In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.

 

 

v.9-18 Jesus: Pioneer, Saviour & Helper in human form

 

v.9 (but Jesus who came in human form is now exalted on high) But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

v.10 (he is now seen as perfect in what he achieved) In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.

v.11 (by making possible a holy family within mankind) Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

v.12 (in the same family as Christ) He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” [Psa 22:22]

v.13 (part of the family of God) And again, “I will put my trust in him.” [Isa 8:17] And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” [Isa 8:18]

v.14,15 (having shared in our humanity he delivered us from the fear of death) Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

v.16 (it's people of faith he saves, not angels) For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.

v.17 (he had to become human to carty our sins in his body on the Cross) For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

v.18 (having overcome all temptations he can help us in our temptations) Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

    

  

[Comment: The Flow of Writing: The writer continues to extol Jesus by extolling what he has achieved in us, bringing the Gospel with signs and wonders. He has, raised us up to achieve our potential, so that now he has been crowned with glory in heaven, he has enabled us to be children of God. He's achieved this, having done all he's done using a human body like ours and thus sharing our experiences. In the next chapter he parallels Jesus to Moses, the hero of Judaism, but places him far above Moses. We are to hold to these truths in order to resist unbelief and becoming hard-hearted, which would mean we lose our inheritance]

 

Design Criteria 1. Divided by main sub-headings which are also listed at the top. 2. Each verse is prefaced by a brief mini-paraphrase of what follows, 3. The comment in respect of the 'Flow of Writing' seeks to get the reader to become aware of the directions of the thoughts of the writer to the Hebrews. 4. Also in the pages on Hebrew, where there are constant references to the Old Testament scriptures, we have added those chapter & verse references to encourage the reader to follow these up. NB. It should be noted that our references to paraphrases are not those of the original text but are simply ways for the everyday reader to try to summarise or encapsulate what they find in the translated text, to make sense to them.