God’s Superior Messenger (Part 1)

 

Lesson Two

God’s Superior Messenger

Hebrews 1:4-6

 

Theme: Christ is Superior to the Angels as God’s Spokesman and Revealer (1:4). 

Therefore, we must seriously listen to Him, carefully obey His counsel, and diligently nurture the great salvation we have in Him.

 

Reflection

Begin your study by sharing thoughts on this question.

1.      Think of a time when you were given an extremely important message.  Did you feel impressed to remember it all and pass it on exactly as you received it?  Would it matter if the messenger was a dear friend or perhaps a king? What if it came from an angel? Or from God?

Errol Flynn swashbuckled his way through a Hollywood version of The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938. In that film, the part of Little John was played by a fine actor named Alan Hale. Hale's Little John was a jolly version of Robin's husky sidekick, but unfortunately you can't picture him because Alan Hale is unfamiliar to most people today.

Wait a minute. Yes, you can picture Alan Hale's Little John because you know what his son looks like, and Alan Hale, Jr., is the spitting image of his father. Picture the Skipper from “Gilligan's Island.” Do you have him in your mind's eye? Dress the Skipper in Sherwood Forest garb and you have Alan Hale's Little John—same build, same smile, same face and hair. Like father; like son.

Do you want to know what God is like? No one has ever seen Him; in fact, no one can look at God and live. However, God sent His Son into the world to make a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In the time Jesus lived on earth He demonstrated exactly what His Father is like. Then when the apostles explained the life and ministry of Jesus in the New Testament writings, they further clarified what the Father is like. The letter to the Hebrews begins with this important idea about revelation. (From Max Anders)

 

Bible Reading

Read Hebrews 1:4–2:4.

*Jesus as the Son of God is the Father’s Superior Messenger (1:4-8).

*Jesus as the Sovereign God-King is the Father’s Superior Messenger (1:8-14)

*Therefore we had better listen carefully to Him and nurture our salvation (2:1-4).

In these majestically constructed opening statements, Hebrews introduces us to the surpassing greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son, it declares, is the par excellence vehicle for divine revelation. In asserting this, he explicitly contrasted Him with the angels.

God’s revelation in the Son has a definitive quality which previous revelation lacked. Moreover the sacrifice for sins which such a One makes must necessarily be greater than other kinds of sacrifices. Finally the Son’s greatness makes preoccupation with angelic dignities entirely unnecessary. –Walvoord, John F.  

The comprehensive revelation of God in the Son is definitive—final, authoritative, precise, and exhaustive! Christ’s message is not provisional, nor tentative, but perfect, complete, and ultimate.  Such a realization demands our undivided attention and our most diligent and concerted response.  This is the primary emphasis in this first section of Hebrews.

 

Discovery

2.      What does this passage teach about angels?

a.      Angel (Gk. angelos, ‘messenger’), a spiritual being, subordinate to God, who serves at God’s command and pleasure to deliver his messages, help his people, and punish his enemies. –Harper's Bible Dictionary

b.      Angel — a member of an order of heavenly beings who are superior to human beings in power and intelligence. By nature angels are spiritual beings (Heb. 1:14). Their nature is superior to human nature (Heb. 2:7), and they have superhuman power and knowledge (2 Sam. 14:17, 20; 2 Pet. 2:11). They are not, however, all-powerful and all-knowing (Ps. 103:20; 2 Thess. 1:7). –Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary

c.      Angels were most important in the Jewish religion, primarily because thousands of angels assisted in the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. This fact is stated in Deuteronomy 33:2 (where “saints” means “holy ones” or “angels”); Psalm 68:17; Acts 7:53; and Galatians 3:19.

                                                    i.     Since the theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ and His salvation to the Law of Moses, we must deal with the important subject of angels (Col. 1:16 Heb. 1:14; 12:22, 23; Neh. 9:6; Psa. 104:4; 2Pet. 2:11; Psa. 103:20; Rev. 20:2,10; Jude 9; 1 Thess. 4:16; 1Pet. 3:22).

                                                  ii.     Today we will study two of three long sections on angels. First, the superiority of Christ to the angels is affirmed by Scripture (Heb. 1:4–14).  Second, we are admonished to pay careful attention to the Word of God given through His Son (Heb. 2:1–4).   

 

3.      What is the relationship of Jesus to angels?

a.      Jesus is Inherently Superior to Angels (Heb. 1:4).

                                                    i.     The proof is Jesus’ inherent and acquired superiority to angels (1:4).

1.      The acquired superiority results from His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation as Lord and Christ. In incarnation He was made for a little while lower than the angels for the suffering of death (2:9). But God has exalted Him and enthroned Him in highest glory.

His inherent superiority has to do with His eternal relationship as Son of God. The more excellent name is the name of Son. –MacDonald, William

2.      The Son was “made so much better than the angels.” This infers that at one time He was “lower than the angels” (2:7, 9, 16). Certainly Christ is essentially and eternally better than the angels. But before His glorification he had to fulfill the humiliation of His human state. After He had passed through the experience of Philippians 2:6–8, He was exalted to the right hand of the divine Majesty as Messianic Sovereign (Heb.1:3).  Thus He became and was proved to be what in reality He always was, superior to the angels.

3.      The superiority here is not that of moral excellence, but of dignity and power. He became superior to the angels when He resumed His pre-incarnate dignity at His resurrection. 

                                                  ii.     Why is this important? The answer is seen in Heb. 2:2.

1.      The passage speaks of, “the word [message] spoken by angels,” and it was binding on Israel. The Word of God was deeply respected in part because of the supernatural mediation of angels. The Jewish people had a very high regard for the ministry of angels. After all, the law had been given through angels (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19), and angelic beings had appeared frequently throughout the history of God’s ancient people. Perhaps it was argued that in leaving Judaism for Christ, a person would be cutting himself off from this important feature of his national and religious heritage.

2.      The truth is that, in gaining Christ, he gained One who is superior to angels in a twofold sense—first as Son of God (1:4–14) and then as Son of Man (2:5–18). –MacDonald, William

3.      Therefore, Jesus is greater than the angels! The Messenger is God Himself—the eternal Son, exalted above the ancient messengers.

                                                 iii.     But, why is there a comparison between the Son and angels? 

1.      In the OT dispensation, mankind and God are separated by sin. The angels stand as mediators between God and man. Therefore you find a chain of two links, Moses, and the angel of the Lord.

2.      In the New Testament dispensation, God and Man become personally One through the birth of the Son. God no longer accommodates Himself to the capacities of man in angelic or humanlike appearances, but rather has revealed Himself in the Son of Man.

3.      This leaves only One Mediator between God and man in the New Testament.  Just as Christ has replaced angels as mediators, so His testament has replaced the Old.  Just as Christ is a Superior Messenger to angels, His message is also superior to theirs.

                                                 iv.     The Hebrew Christians, aware of the Bible’s teaching about angels and aware that angels had been intermediaries in the past, found it difficult to fully accept this fact, but in Jesus, God had established direct communication. There was the temptation in the early church to think of Jesus as a “high” angel. To counter this, Hebrews made it clear at the outset that Jesus is superior to all angels.

b.      Jesus Enjoys a Superior Relationship with God (1:4-5). Jesus stands beside God the Father as His Son, not below Him as a creature.

                                                    i.     He is The Son (vv. 4–5).

1.      Note “He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” The words “hath by inheritance obtained” are in the perfect tense in the Greek text, to show that a past completed action still has present abiding results. This means “Christ inherited the name “Son” in times past with the present result that the inheritance is in His permanent possession.”

2.      The “more excellent name” that Jesus possesses is “Son.” While the angels collectively may be termed “the sons of God” (Job 1:6), no angel would be given this title individually (Heb. 1:5). It belongs uniquely to our Lord Jesus Christ.

a.      The first quotation in verse 5 is from Psalm 2:7: “Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee.” Paul pinpointed the time of this “begetting”: the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:33).

b.      From eternity, Jesus Christ was God the Son. He humbled Himself and became Man (see Phil. 2:5–6). In His resurrection, however, He glorified that humanity received from the Father and received back the eternal glory He had veiled (John 17:1, 5). The Resurrection declares: “Jesus is God’s Son!” (Rom. 1:4)

3.      The second quotation (Heb. 1:5b) is from 2 Samuel 7:14. The immediate application in David’s experience was to his son, Solomon, whom God would love and discipline as a son (see Ps. 89:27). But the ultimate application is to Jesus Christ, the “greater than Solomon” (Matt. 12:42).

                                                  ii.     He is the Firstbegotten—Firstborn—highest and first in rank (v. 6).

1.      The term “firstborn” in the Bible does not always mean “born first” (Luke 2:7); God made Solomon the firstborn (Ps. 89:27) even though Solomon is listed tenth in the official genealogy (1 Chron. 3:1–5).

2.      The title signifies one first in rank and honor (Ps. 89:27; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18), for the firstborn receives the inheritance and the special blessing.

3.      Christ is the “Firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15) because He created all things and is sovereign over all; and He is the highest of all who came back from the dead (Col. 1:18).

4.      As the Firstbegotten he is the “One coming forth from God to found the new community of saints.” Christ is Head of a new race.

To be continued in the next post....