Chapter 1 Verses 5-14

HEBREWS CHAPTER ONE VS. 5-14 (KING JAMES STUDY TEXT, STUDY BOOK WILL REFERENCE A DIFFERENT VERSION READING TEXT)

PRELUDE: There are some studies in first century cultures and their attitudes towards angels. Suffice it to say that the cultural view of some towards angels was to honor them. Some studies have concluded actual angel worship, some of which has been debated and shown to be possibly erroneous.

Israel’s attitude/knowledge of angels throughout biblical history:
Gen 18:2  and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth

(the promise of a son to Abraham, and the judgement against Sodom)

David illustrates the hierarchal position of man/angels:
Psa 8:5  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,  (gods)

Dan 9:21  yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 

Dan 9:22  And he instructed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding.

Luk 1:18  And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 

Luk 1:19  And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. 

(The same Gabriel? Who visited Daniel some 600 years prior visited Zacharias for the promise of a son (John the baptist))

Apostle John’s reaction to an angel:
Rev 19:10  I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, "Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God.

Rev 22:8  My name is John, and I am the one who heard and saw these things. Then after I had heard and seen all this, I knelt down and began to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown it to me. 

Rev 22:9  But the angel said, Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you. I am the same as a follower or a prophet or anyone else who obeys what is written in this book. God is the one you should worship. 

Paul states in Colossians:

Col 2:18  Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels

In Hebrews:

Heb 13:2  Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it. 

Created by God: Col 1:6, Ps 148:2-5

So what do we know? Angels have direct access to God. They perform various duties for Him. They look like men. They are not to be worshipped.

Study Text:

Heb 1:5  For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be to him a Father, And he shall be to me a Son? 6)  And when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. (See “Other Notes” Below) 7)  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels winds, And his ministers a flame of fire: (Ps 104:4) 8) but of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Ps 45:6) 9) Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10)  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands: 11) They shall perish; but thou continuest: And they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12)  And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail. 13)  But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet? 14)  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? 

1:5-14   Main Point: Jesus is the son of God, to be revered and positioned above the angels…..(by inference – Equal to God)

4. List all the ways that Jesus is shown to be better than the angels

vs. 5: Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be to him a Father, And he shall be to me a Son?  This relationship is not shared by any angel	vs.10-12: 10) Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands: Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands: 11) They shall perish; but thou continues 12) they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.  The writer leaves no doubt of the diety of Jesus
vs. 6: And let all the angels of God worship him  -    Angels do not worship other angels	vs.13-14: Contrastive: 13) Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet? 14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service The contrast here illustrates Jesus at the right hand of God, while the function of angels (they) is to serve
vs. 7-9: (contrastive statements) 7: maketh his angels winds, And his ministers a flame of fire: 8: the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.  9: Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Is the writer equating Jesus with God?

5. Why does the author emphasize the superior nature of angels? What does this say about Jesus?
 Angels dwell with God and so, are associated with the spiritual realm. Angels go before the presence of God, and do not die….thus it is assumed they have a peaceful/associative covenant with God. This covenant allows them to dwell, work and be blessed by/with the most holy and authoritative eternal  being, Jehovah.  (Isn’t that what Christians seek?)
If angels in their hierarchy are thus blessed by God,  how much more should it be for the son? If these messengers are subjective to Jehovah, should they also be subjective to the son? Who deserves more honor, the son, or the servant of the son?

Transformation: What do we learn about God in this chapter? How does this change the way you see God and how does this change your life? How does this encourage us to stand in the faith?

Other Notes:

1:5 References – Ps2 A song by David and 2 Sam 7:14 God’s promises to David

1:6  The statement  “And let all the angels of God worship him. “ is not found in Hebrew  biblical scripture.
 The Septuagint says in Deut 32:   43 Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.
The reference to angels worshipping is an additional phrase not found in the Hebrew scripture.
The Context: “bringeth in the firstborn into the world” – tells me that it could also be the scene in Luke where we see angels praising God at the birth of Jesus.

Ps 97:7 references “worship  Him, all ye gods” – denoting Jehovah’s superior position is cross referenced  in application to verse 6.

1:7 Reference – Ps 104:4 – First part of a contrastive statement – God’s servants are made spirits and flaming fire. (Messengers and enforcers) 1:8-9 Reference- Ps 45:6-7 –  Second part of contrastive statement: A wedding song for the king, ascribed to messianic prophecy. In this interpretation, Jehovah makes statements to his son …throne forever…scepter of righteousness…therefore God, thy God

1:10-12 – Ref: Ps 102:25-27 – The unknown writer of this prayer sought salvation from God, recognizing that Jehovah will restore his people.  His eternal nature will be a blessing to His people.

1:13 – Ref: Ps 110 – A praise written by David to extol the advantages of having Jehovah as the one who directs your every move and motive. (A messianic poem)