An important aspect of the book of Hebrews actually deals with an issue that many of us would like to avoid. People constantly say that it would be nice if God would speak to them directly, so that they could know clearly what He desired of them. 

The implication of this attitude is that God has somehow not communicated clearly and effectively to us and does not relate to us in a manner that would help us to understand Him and accordingly behave in the right manner. 

The book of Hebrews however challenges this position directly, for the writer is quite satisfied with how God communicates with us and he insists that God has already said to us all that He really needs to say. 

The communication method has been so great and stupendous, that Christians know what they should believe, know how to make other Christians believe and clearly tell Christians how to act like believers. 

This book tells us that Scripture is not about us searching around to find God, suffering and killing ourselves in the process.  Sinful man really does not want to know God anyway.  Rather, it tells us that because of God's heart, he has determined to seek us, for he wants us to know him. 

He has in many ways and using many methods spoken to us from the creation of the world. Finally, to strip us of any excuse about understanding the divine character, he has spoken through His Son, so that we can most clearly see the nature of God and His requirements. 

The writer of Hebrews does not begin by describing the message, telling us that God spoke some words.  This last message doesn't come in pieces, or in a variety of ways.  It comes in one way, one FINAL way. 

When we read this Book we are to understand the greatness of God's final word, look at the message and who embodies the message. We will see Israel's three covenant offices described, that of prophet, priest, and king. 

There is no greater messenger/message and it would be good for us all to immerse ourselves in studying who Jesus is.  This is the ultimate experience and it should be a part of the life of all Christians. 

This inspired letter was certainly authored by the Holy Spirit and for whatever the divine reason, was delivered through a still unidentified writer. Some have attributed the letter to Paul, some to Apollos, some to Peter and the list goes on but it remains an anonymous letter.  

The language is beautiful and flawless and is structured differently from every other book in the Scriptures.  One writer says it begins like an essay, changes into a sermon and then ends like a letter. 

It approaches the nature of Jesus from a Greek frame of mind, driving home its message that Jesus is the ultimate reality.

The date of the writing from the internal evidence places it somewhere between A.D. 60- AD 69; after Jesus’ ascension around A.D. 30 and before the destruction of Jerusalem AD 70.  

Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish Christians at a location somewhere outside of Palestine and compares and contrasts Jesus to all that was iconic, revered, venerated and celebrated in Judaism. It completely rejects Greek and pagan philosophies about God and is firmly and deeply rooted in Old Testament Scriptures.  

The arguments are a powerful defence of Scripture, aimed at both Jew and Gentile and is of immense benefit to us. 

In making the comparisons, the writer presents the surpassing excellence of the person and work of Jesus Christ, against a backdrop of the Old Covenant and its enduring symbols: angels, Moses, the Levitical Priesthood, sacrifices, inheritance and the Temple. 

The book has eighty two references to Scripture, with twenty nine quotations and fifty three allusions to the Old Testament and never once referring to the non-canonical books of the Apocrypha. 

It exhorts Christians to continue to strongly hold to their faith in Jesus, for he is pre-eminent ‘One’.  The writer tells us clearly who He is and what He has done because of who He is. 

The majority of the people whom he addresses directly had genuinely come to faith in Christ but had begun to cast a longing eye to Judaism. This behavior was on account of intense persecution, victimization and ostracism for their faith, within their own community.  

Some had begun to doubt the excellence and superiority of Christianity and naturally its central figure Jesus Christ and had begun to take a second look at Judaism.  

As one commentator notes: With its …imposing rites, community sentiment in its favour; the fact of its history and antiquity and its undisputed Divine origin… Judaism held an undeniable pull on those Jewish Christians.  In addition to their natural prejudices, the persecution sapped their commitment, discouraged them and presented a serious temptation to abandon Christianity. Seemingly some of the believers had relapsed into that difficult and precarious position of slipping deeper and deeper back into Judaism.

The writer exhorts his readers to return and commit themselves to Christ, in the light of who He was and what He represented for them. He issues some stirring warnings against apostasy and back-sliding to which all Christians must take heed.  

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation,

 (2:1-3).

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (6:4-6).

For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.  Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? (10:26-29). 

Some believe sections of the book directly warn unbelievers in the Jewish community. They would be either those who knew the truth and were rejecting it or those who had not yet understood the truth. So whether the writer was directing the epistle to an unbeliever or a believer, he was constantly announcing the superiority of Christ.

Thus Hebrews became a reminder to the Jewish Christians, of the glories of the Saviour. It was an encouragement for them to know that the New Covenant was better than the old, for this had been the message of the prophets.  

These believers should not think that they had to hold onto the Old Covenant, for God had promised that the time would come, that He would make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and the House of Judah. Rather, they should accept the offer of God, seize the opportunity and grow to maturity in Christ in the New Covenant. 

Arrested spiritual growth and sanctification (5:12-13) compounded the community’s problem and herein is another warning for all Christians. Failure to apply and act on the truth that has been revealed often means the with-holding of further truth from such individuals, (Rom.1: 18-32). 

This group unlike Jerusalem or Galilean Jews, had never met Jesus. They had received the gospel message and teachings directly from the apostles and prophets. So the recipients of Hebrews were second-generation Christians as a result of apostolic missionaries. Even so they were not new believers and had in fact brought glory to the name of God after they were saved. The writer inform us :

But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:  partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;  for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven, (10:32-34).  On top of the persecution they faced a certain dullness and a declining awareness of their Savior had set in.  

In today’s lesson the author makes some profound statements about the person of Christ and in order to show us the superiority of this Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, he proceeds to a comparison with angels. Let us be mindful that the pagan world regarded angels or spirit beings as powerful entities that should be courted and worshipped.

For Christians, lets us see Jesus as he is portrayed in our text and respond with faith and loyalty to our Great High Priest. 

The intent of Hebrews is not just to inform people of the exalted,

pre-eminent, glorious and unique position of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as vitally important as that maybe. The writer seeks to elicit the proper response of faith, trust, love and loyalty to Jesus in all his readers. 

It is important that believers understand that knowledge of Jesus and his work of redemption must manifest itself in a changed life of obedience to the commandments of God.

THE TEXT

Verse 1.   The book opens with the fact that God spoke. Note that the author regards God’s existence as a self evident fact. It makes no attempt to prove God’s existence. He would certainly accept the teaching that the: “The fool had said in his heart there is no God”. 

Wonderful as our senses might be, they can only operate in the natural realm. We were never going to know God beyond what is revealed in creation, that is, natural revelation. We could never know God past a few of his attributes if He did not speak to us. 

Understand that we are now reading about the Father speaking about the Son and telling us what we need to know about Him. We might ask ourselves the question, why would God speak to us?  If we consider that we speak because we want to be connected to others, for others to understand us and for others to be able to relate to us, we will begin to answer the question. God has made us in his image and in this we are like him. So we know that God “speaks” because he wants to relate to us and connect with His creation.   

This tells us something about God and his nature.  He cares for His creation and seems to have no intention of letting it drift away completely.  So he connects, relates and deals with us. 

The Divine origin of Judaism and the authenticity of the Old Testament revelation is affirmed (God…spoke), with the observation that the revelation was delivered in many portions (at sundry times) to the prophets and in many ways. The thirty-nine books in the Old Testament with their varied lengths, styles and subjects are examples of the many portions. Sometimes God spoke through prophets, priests, kings; directly to a man and told him to write, sometimes He communicated through a vision, sometimes in a parable and sometimes through a type or a symbol, event, prophecy or institution. These are the different ways in which God spoke in the Old Testament.  Some of the Old Testament is history, some is poetry, some is law and some is prophecy. God speaks through them all. 

He used many methods, different approaches, different kinds of revelations, different people with different personalities and approaches. So it is no surprise that they are exhortations, warnings, encouragements, pleadings, rough talk, beautiful poetry, stories, parables, histories, genealogies and an amazing variety of communication devices. 

The Old Testament revelation was fragmented and in bits coming first as a little ‘light’, then more light at irregular intervals, so it was progressive.

One should not get from this however, that somehow the people who lived after Adam knew more about God than Adam and Eve and that people like Enoch, Melchizedek, or Noah somehow were very ignorant about God compared to us.  We should understand that men did not always retain knowledge of God consistently and much of what had been revealed before had to be taught again.

God spoke to their ancestors (the fathers). The word prophet, as used in the Scriptures, means not only those who predict future events but those who communicate the Divine will (Rom.12:6; 1Cor.14:1) on any subject. It is used here in that wider sense, denoting all those by whom God had communicated to the Jews in former times.

Verse 2.   …last days is interpreted as the last period of the world by some, with no reference to its duration. It could also be referring to the last days of revelation or final revelation. The writer could also be making a Messianic reference. The phrase "the last days" was very familiar to the Jews and since he was writing to Jews, he might well be saying Jesus was the Messiah and spoke the final revelation of God. After all, the prophet Micah did give the promise that in the last days, the Messiah would establish His Kingdom (Micah 4:1-2).

The Jewish nation saw the last days as the time when Messiah, the Kingdom, and salvation would come and Israel would no longer be under bondage.  

They as well as the Samaritans also accepted that when Messiah came the level of knowledge available to all would be tremendously affected.  There would in fact be a new world in almost every respect.

In John 4:25 the woman at the well in Sychar said to Jesus, "I know that Messiah commeth, who is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things." She knew that Messiah would unfold the full and final revelation of God.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen…

2 Cor.1:20.  

Every promise resolves itself in Christ, thus He is the final revelation. So in contrast to the many ways and many parts in which God spoke previously, the revelation through His Son is full and complete; simply because God contains all truth and is the truth. No wonder one writer notes:

“If men cannot learn about God from the Son, no amount of prophetic voices or actions would convince them” 

…by His Son…a title given to Jesus to designate his peculiar relation to God and understood by the Jews to mean equality with God,

(John 5:18). (See also John 1:14, Luke 10:22; 2 Peter 1:17). 

There is a definite unity and continuity in the revelation from the prophets to the Son, all issuing from the same source and for the same purpose. 

The continuity in leadership and in prophetic revelation is certainly       stressed, but the emphasis continues to be, that though there were great human leaders in the past with connections to God like Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samuel, David, and great prophets like Elijah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, Jesus alone occupies the place of ultimate authority in the universe. 

There is a qualitative and distinct difference between that spoken by messengers and that spoken by the Son of God, by virtue of His office and who He is. The revelation of or given by the Son of God must of necessity be superior to that given by prophets and therefore worthy of the more diligent consideration of the Hebrews. 

Others might have spoken well, though in ways that men did not always wished to hear, but the Son has greater authority and being God can speak with more clarity and completeness that any human leader or prophet. 

Note that the apostles who are the spokesmen for Christ did not add new teachings or insights, and were very careful when they were elaborating on the subject matter on which they spoke, to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus. 

Jesus himself referred to their privileged position in blessing them in Matthew 13:16-17_

“Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” 

heir of all things… derives from the fact that he is firstly the Son of God and secondly is also the Creator of all things, hence his undoubted superior greatness.

It is the usual case that a son is naturally a heir. Still it is not to be understood as if he inherits anything as a man does, after the death of its possessor, usually his father. The meaning here is that, as the Son of God, He is possessor or Lord of all things, or that all things are His.

This is how the word is commonly used in the New Testament; It refers to a possessor of anything received as a porrtion, or of property of any kind. (See Romans 4:13,14. p. Acts 2:36; 10:36; John 17:10; 16:15.) The emphasis is on His station.

…Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession… (Psalm 2:6-8).

The psalmist indicated that God would have a Son who would become the heir of all that He possesses. That Son is Jesus Christ.

I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

 Psalm 89:27.

The word firstborn does not mean that Jesus Christ didn't exist at one time. The issue is that the firstborn has the right to the inheritance. In this case it's not a chronological term; it's a term of legal right. Christ is God's heir.

By whom… Jesus is the agent through whom God created the world. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3)

The object is to fix in the mind of the readers the worth and dignity of the One who is the creator of all things, not just the earth but the entire universe, (worlds). Jesus Christ is responsible for creating not only the physical earth, but also time, space, force, action and matter.

This creative power of Jesus is responsible for the things we see, the tiny things we cannot see and the distant things that we cannot even see.

It is important to note that by creating, Jesus began time itself and he is thus at the beginning and is at the end, in the future. So clearly we understand that our present situation is located in “time”, which has a beginning and an end. It is not permanent and we are not trapped in an endless cycle of existence.

What a comfort! He is there to beckon us to come into eternity with Him.

Verse 3.   Here the writer presents Jesus as God and introduces His office of High Priest, with Jesus having terminally purged our sins and sat down.  

He states that Jesus is the visible manifestation of God and is equally glorious in nature and perfections as Jehovah, for He is God Himself. The image is of the sun or a luminous body with and its rays or beams. The rays make the sun visible and is of the same substance.

Yet one is not before the other, and though distinct from each other, they cannot be divided or separated one from the other.   

The Father and the Son are similarly of the same nature and substance yet distinct from each other. Jesus Christ is the essence of God manifested to men. He is portrayed as the brightness of His glory, meaning He actually makes God visible to men figuratively and literally as a brightness emanating from a source.

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (1Tim.6:14-16). 

The word image expresses both the idea of “likeness”, as stamped on a coin or as seen in a mirror and “manifestation”, which means that the image has become perfect, so that it would be called a manifestation, showing what God is.  The term ‘express image’ in Greek usage indicates a die or a stamp, or the mark made by a seal. The sense is that Jesus Christ is the exact reproduction of God. When a die is stamped, it gives an exact imprint. Jesus Christ is the reproduction of God in human form. 

Jesus was not only the manifestation of God but also God in substance. The express image of his person… The word for ‘person’ in the phrase means ‘substance’ or ‘essence’. It refers to the essential nature of God or that which distinguishes him from all other beings. God is fully revealed in Jesus, yet Jesus is distinct in His own person. 

When someone asks the deep question if God exists, or asks if He exists what is He like, we can answer that yes, God exists because Jesus exists.  God is like Jesus.  If a person wants to understand something about His exalted state, one only has to look at the Mount of Transfiguration experience, or at what he looked like in the book of Revelation chapter 1.  Other descriptions are found in some of the prophetic books. 

So Jesus shows us God and what he is like as a man, so that we would have the correct beliefs about Him. 

Just consider brethren what we know about God as seen in Jesus.  His voice stilled the storm. He healed all diseases from the sick.  He quieted those that opposed him very simply.  He healed the mind of many.  He raised people from the dead.  He spoke and all kinds of marvellous things were just done.  So we really see what God is like, what his heart is like and what the feelings and emotions of love in his heart mean for man. 

Jesus even wept when he saw the stubbornness of man and saw the destruction toward which they were headed.  We learn by looking at Jesus that God is not willing that any should perish. Because of that heart of mercy and love, we can be confident that he will do everything necessary to save those that come to him.  The very coming of his Son, his life of patience and hard continuing work on behalf of man shows what God is like 

Any belief that strays from this scriptural description of Jesus is describing “another Jesus”.  Following that false Jesus is totally condemned by Scripture. 

…upholding…the continuous action of supporting or maintaining. The entire universe continues at his behest. The earth and the universe, all continue and remain at His command. His word and its effects speak to His awesome power and testify to His divinity as the Son of God, (Psalms 33:9; Matthew 28:18). 

Changes in the solar system or to the physical laws would spell catastrophic consequences for life on earth. Our lives and continued existence depend on the constancy of physical laws and they remain in effect through the power of His word. One writer notes in part:

Even if He simply stopped holding the law of gravity where it is we would all die. If the laws of science varied, we couldn't exist. The food you eat could turn to poison. You wouldn't be able to stay on the earth--you'd fall off, if you weren't drowned by the ocean first!

Consider what would happen if things changed. The sun has a surface temperature of twelve thousand degrees fahrenheit. If it were any closer to earth, we would burn; and if it were any further, we'd freeze. Our globe is tilted on an exact angle of 23 degrees, which enables us to have four seasons. If it weren't tilted, vapors from the ocean would move north and south, eventually piling up monstrous continents of ice. If the moon did not remain a specific distance from the earth, the ocean tide would completely inundate the land twice a day. If the ocean floor merely slipped a few feet deeper, the carbon dioxide and oxygen balance in the earth's atmosphere would be completely upset, and no vegetable or animal life could exist on earth. If our atmosphere suddenly thinned out, many of the meteors that now harmlessly burn up when they hit our atmosphere would constantly bombard us. 

…purged our sins sat down…The purification, the cleansing from sin is the ultimate purpose for which Jesus came. His action was in sharp contrast to that of the Levitical priests who offered sacrifices daily, year in and year out and who could never really ‘sit down’, signalling an end to the need for ‘cleansing’. Christ on the other hand ‘sat down’ having accomplished the purpose for which He had come,

(1 John 1:7; Hebrews 7:27; 9:12-14).

Never forget that the purification of our sins involved all kinds of agony and the shedding of blood.  No mere man, prophet or modern scientist could accomplish this feat.  This was not just a display of power on the part of Christ, but instead was a demonstration of sheer love, that He was willing to bear all things for his brethren.

So the final word demand is that the Son gives himself once and for all.  Creation rests upon His ball and redemption rests upon His sacrifice.  So now after having done all that, after saying “It is finished”, He rose triumphant and sat down in the place of supreme honor and power.

He effected the purification from sin by the ‘shedding’ of his own blood, instead of the blood which was shed in the temple-service. The blood of animals could never purify from sin but those sacrifices pointed to the ultimate sacrifice to be made by ‘The Lamb of God’, Jesus Christ.

Verse 4-5.    Now that Jesus is seated in the place of ultimate power, the book of Hebrews can easily contrast Jesus with every other being.  There can be no doubt about who is the greatest. 

The author presents a fresh look at the unparalleled greatness of Jesus and builds his argument around an extensive contrast of Jesus to angels, Jesus to Moses and Jesus to Aaron the High Priest. 

Here he begins with angels and following Jesus exaltation from verse three, his proposition is that Jesus has attained a higher rank (better) than any angel, being seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

One writer explains:

Jesus Christ has always existed, but He became better than the angels in His exaltation, inferring at one time that He had been lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9). Specifically, in Hebrews 1:4 the writer is referring to Christ as God's Son. Christ as a man became lower than angels. But as a result of His faithful obedience and the wonderful work He accomplished as a Son, He was exalted above the angels, which is where He had been before. But this time He was exalted as the Son. Christ did not become the Son of God until His incarnation. He was not the Son of God in eternity past; He was God as the second person of the Trinity. It was as the Son that He was exalted above angels, and that's why He became better than angels. For a while He was lower than the angels, faithfully accomplishing God's work; He became better than the angels as the exalted Son.  (See Acts 13:33; Romans 1:3-4).

Bar none! Jesus outranks any and all angels and all things are placed beneath his feet.

Christ superiority is shown in five areas: His title, His worship, His nature, His eternity, and His destiny.

It is helpful if we understand that the Jews of the time held angels in very high regard, maybe overly so and the writer had to present the true biblical view of angels, as well as overcome the inflated view held by many.  The Jews knew that the Old Testament was delivered to them from God by angels and that belief accounts for the exalted status of angels in the minds of the children of Israel (Col. 2:18).

What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.

Galatians 3:19

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. (Acts 7:51-53)

Angels were regarded as the mediators of the ‘old covenant’ and as such, the author makes a comparison to show that Jesus is a superior mediator of a better covenant. 

This is not just addressed to Jews, but also to Gentiles, for every one in the ancient world worshipped angels.  They were demigods in the long list of divinity in the Roman and Greek pantheon.  They were prominent and every one understood that they were superior to men and accordingly pagans worshiped angels. 

The comparison begins with Jesus’ title and its implications. The angels are messengers (ministering spirits vs.9), but Christ was the Son, a member of the family compared to a servant.  Angels, though in an exalted relationship to God, are simply servants.

Let us remember specifically that angels are messengers and that Jesus also came as a messenger.  His message however was far greater than the message of the angels.

As a Son, a position which is inherently much better than that of the angels, He carried out and brought God's final, great message; thereby showing us that He was a much better messenger than both the prophets and the angels.  After all, he was the One who was the atoning sacrifice for sins and after doing that returned to the right hand of God as the God Man. Jesus was simply superior, and by his actions had a right to a more excellent name than any messenger or angel.

Jesus had conquered death.  He had become human, shared in the nature of His brethren, been stretched to the point where drops of blood came from his forehead, but he had stood in the place of man as our substitute and won.

So Jesus obtained a more excellent name, or title, than angels. It is true that angels as a group and even Christians are in places in Scripture called the sons of God, but none has ever been so addressed: Thou art my Son…

The author is careful to quote the Old Testament to prove to his readers from familiar texts. (See Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14).

Son is clearly a more honourable and lofty name than has ever been addressed to any angel. Naturally the name Son carries great entitlements, privileges and honour. 

Verse 6-7.   In these verses the comparison is about worship and the essential nature of the Son and that of angels.  Angels are commanded to worship Jesus. Even though Jesus humbled Himself to a state lower than the angels for a time, they were still to worship Him. Here is clear proof of His superiority, for He must be superior to them to have their worship. 

We know of course it is a cardinal sin to worship anyone but God. So God commands worship for His Son, who Himself is God.

Some have erroneously interpreted the word ‘firstborn’ to mean that Jesus is a created being and not God. The word ‘firstborn’ is not a reference to time but refers to position. Similarly they are wrong in their interpretation of Colossians 1:15 which says Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the first- born of all creation." The word for first-begotten and first- born (prototokos) means ‘the chief one’.

The word derives from the idea of the eldest son who was usually the heir to everything and the chief of the father's estate. So the word came to mean the ‘chief one’ or the ‘head’; it is not a word of time but a word of authority. So the reference is to Jesus Christ’ right and authority to rule. (See Genesis 49:3).

…when He again brings…is a reference to Christ second coming, when he visibly arrives in His full glory with the ‘host of heaven’ with Him, in full worship mode.

In contrast to ordering worship for the Son, we are told angels are spirits and ministers in God’s employ (Psalm 104:4). Further He maketh…that is He ‘created’, so angels are created beings. In John 1:3 all creation is ascribed to Jesus, so He is actually the Creator of angels.

...spirits…the word here can be interpreted as a ‘blast of air’ or winds and gives the idea of powerful and rapid movement, at the same time they are invisible.

The term ‘flame of fire’ is associated with their work in carrying out God’s judgment. They are God’s executioners, as they mete out divine judgment in the earth.

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them who do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth( Matthew 13:41-42). 

Verse 8.   Another sharp contrast between Jesus and the angels regarding their essence is set out in this verse. This is a profound statement regarding the person of Christ. This is the ultimate and definitive statement regarding Jesus. God the Father says of Him,

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…

This statement emphatically and irrefutably places Jesus in the place of God and righteousness and rulership characterize Him.

A sceptre is a staff or wand usually made of wood, five or six feet long and commonly overlaid with gold, or ornamented with golden rings. Sometimes however, the sceptre was made of ivory, or wholly of gold. It was borne in the hands of kings as an emblem of authority and power. Jesus Christ is the eternal King with an eternal Kingdom and a sceptre of righteousness. He rules justly and righteously. 

Thus the nature of Christ and the nature of angels again stand in sharp contrast.

The Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:18 

Jesus said, "I and my Father are one.... The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." John 10:30-31,

Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the nations, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Verse 9.   This is a quote from Psalm 45:7 as the writer quotes the Jewish scriptures to show the un-surpassing and incomparable greatness of their Messiah.

Jesus was not just righteous in the things He did, He actually loved righteousness. His heart was righteous and just in all things and His actions followed.  He proved who He was and what he was like.

The author very importantly makes the point that He hated lawlessness, meaning he hated sin in every and all its forms and manifestations. One cannot exist without the other. We cannot truthfully love righteousness and at the same time like sin. Unfortunately the behavior of many Christians shows a definite liking and toleration of sin.

Historically only kings and priests were anointed by pouring oil on their heads.  Jesus holds the offices of king and priest eternally.

(See Leviticus 8:12; Numbers 3:3; 1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Samuel 2:7; Psalms 2:6; Acts 10:38).

The word ‘fellows’ is employed in the ongoing comparison with angels and refers to an association, in this case an association of messengers, angels also being God messengers. Christ however is the  greater messenger. 

Christ was anointed on His ascension to Heaven after His resurrection, for it was at that time that the Father exalted Him and gave Him a name above every name (Phil. 2:9).

CONCLUSION

The dazzling beauty and superiority of our Creator Jesus has been displayed.  So we note God's word to us and it is simply a simple one-word answer to everything we want or need: “Jesus”!  He is the final word. 

Remember that we must not only know something about Jesus, but we must seek to constantly learn more and more about Him.  After all, He is infinite and we should never stop learning about him. Not only must we learn about Christ but the truths learned must govern our walk day- by- day. 

The writer has conclusively demonstrated Jesus’ superiority to angels and in the process has shown Christ's undeniable deity and exalted position. He has shown His kingship, the excellence of His rule, the perfection of His incarnate character, His willing submission to the Father and his glorification and coronation. This is the true picture of our Lord and Saviour.

So we must ask ourselves these questions.  Do we really believe He is the Creator of all things, infinitely higher than any other being, the one who is in complete control of human events?  Or do we trust in someone else or in “other things” to provide the answers for life.

Do we find ourselves always turning to Jesus the great High Priest, to provide strength to resist temptations, to develop self-control, to be given wisdom, to be strengthened to face the mounting pressures of life?

We believe that throughout all the hardships and disappointments of life the loving hand of our Saviour is there with us, to ensure that we use every opportunity to show His nature and character to those around us?

Given what we have been told about Christ do we think it a great and high privilege to daily take up our cross, bear the reproach of the world from the immoral and lost people of the world and bring glory to his name?

Let the thought of ever turning our backs on Jesus never enter our minds but rather let us commit our lives to Him in faithful obedience. 

Whatever the attraction might be, Christians would do well to note that the book of Hebrews presents everything in Christ as being better: a better hope, a better testament, a better promise, a better sacrifice, a better substance, a better country and a better resurrection.  

 The writer could confidently say to his readers: But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.