Introduction
The
postscript of Hebrews says that it was written to the Hebrews, that is the
Jews, by Timothy from Italy so he obviously visited Paul. Even though the
letter doesn’t have the opening of Paul’s name tradition says it was spoken by
Paul and put to paper at Timothy’s hand, Paul’s amanuensis or secretary in this
case. Paul must have wanted to clear up some of the ignorance and confusion of
the Jews at Rome and will use many Old Testament references to teach them about
Christ. Here we see Paul’s interaction with them in Acts.
Acts
28:16 And when we came to Rome, the
centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was
suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
17 ¶
And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the
Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and
brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our
fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the
Romans. 18 Who, when they had examined
me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. 19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was
constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
20 For this cause therefore have I
called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of
Israel I am bound with this chain. 21
And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea
concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm
of thee. 22 But we desire to hear of
thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where
it is spoken against.
23 ¶
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his
lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them
concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from
morning till evening. 24 And some
believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. 25 And when they agreed not among themselves,
they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost
by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, 26
Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall
not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: 27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross,
and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they
should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their
heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation
of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. 29 And when he had said these words, the Jews
departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
30 ¶
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all
that came in unto him, 31 Preaching the
kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
So, I
think it is safe to assume that Paul is writing this letter to instruct the
Jews he had taught in Rome while imprisoned there. Paul prepared this
profoundly theological letter carefully and probably Timothy lent a hand. This
is a more polished treatise than his other letters and shows, scholars tell us,
careful deliberation and excellent grammar. It is a controversial book as not
everyone agrees that Paul wrote it but I do, and am convinced that he did. Let’s
begin.
Hebrews,
chapter 1
Hebrews 1:1 ¶
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of
his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high;
In the history of the Hebrew people, the
people of Israel, the Jews as we commonly call them, before Christ, God sent
prophets to instruct, to admonish, to correct, and to warn His people, Israel. There
was Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and others listed in the pages of the Old
Testament.
But now, God has sent His Son, His visible
image, by whom all creation was made as He is the Word, capital W, of God.
Genesis 1:1
¶ In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth. 2 And the
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.3 ¶ And God said, Let there be light: and there
was light.
Here are the three parts of God in
verses one, two, and three of Genesis. In verse one there is God the Father,
the soul of God, so to speak, the seat of will and self-identity.
Psalm 11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked
and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
In verse two we have the Spirit of
God, His particular vehicle for acting upon and through His creation, also
called the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Ghost as God Himself. The Holy Ghost
operating as the Holy Spirit is the very mind of God.
For contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be
synonymous with the mind of God or man please see the following;
Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what
is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the
will of God.
1Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh
the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may
hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in
one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel;
2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit
of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
In verse three of Genesis, chapter
one, we have God’s spoken Word, the beginning of all life, the origin of life,
the beginning of light, and the origin of light. Here, the universe is being
created, the UNI-VERSE, one spoken sentence. God is the author of it, the authority
of it, as my wife, Beth, pointed out to me.
John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. 2
The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him
was not any thing made that was made. 4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 ¶
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The Lord
Jesus Christ, as any reading of John will attest to, is the Word, capital W,
translated from a Greek word, Logos. Some
philosophies of the Greek world used the word, Logos, to describe the creative
force of the universe. John here makes it clear that the Logos is not an
impersonal force but a person, an entity, also linked to the use of the English
word and Greek logos as speech and a decree. A knowledgeable Greek or Roman,
who had heard Sophist preachers speak on this, would have understood what John
was saying, at least in part, even if they did not agree.
So, the Word was here in the beginning
of time. It was with God, coexisting. In fact, it was that very God, here in
the beginning with Him. How could this be you ask? The Bible, rather than
traditional theology which talks of three persons in one that sounds vaguely
polytheistic, makes this clear. These three parts acted in unison.
Genesis
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis
3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the
man is become as one of us, to know
good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree
of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Genesis
11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another’s speech.
A self-conscious, aware being is
composed of three parts; a spirit, which is our very mind with its reasoning,
emotions, and inclinations, a soul, which is the seat of its will and
self-identity, and a body, which is how it interacts and knows the physical
world around it. There are overlaps in all of these parts. I not only am but I
know that I am because I have a soul. I think and understand to my capacity
because I have a spirit. I exist in space-time and interact physically with my
surroundings because I have a body. God interacts with us in all three of these
locations.
Jesus is the physical image of God,
the body of God, if you will, so we have three parts of one God; soul, body,
and spirit.
Colossians 1:15 Who is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:…2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily.
Here in Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long
time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou
then, Shew us the Father?
Three
parts to one God with one will, not three individual persons with separate
wills.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Christ is the appearance of God;
the angel of the Lord, His presence.
Isaiah
63:9 In all their affliction he was
afflicted, and the angel of his presence
saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and
carried them all the days of old.
Galatians
4:14 And my temptation which was in my
flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Who led the Hebrews out of Egypt.
Judges
2:1 ¶ And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I
made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I
sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
We
are created in such a manner, having a body, a soul, and a spirit.
1Thessalonians
5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify
you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember also that Christ, in the flesh, had a
human spirit, being fully God and fully man. We discussed that in the comments
on the Gospels.
Hebrews 1:4 ¶
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they. 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 again, when he
bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels
of God worship him. 7 And of the angels
he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne,
O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the
sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast
loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid
the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and
they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12
And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but
thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 13 But to which of the angels said he at any
time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
The angels referenced here are the sons of
God mentioned elsewhere.
Job 1:6
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Contrast these verses;
Genesis 6:2
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and
they took them wives of all which they chose…4
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when
the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to
them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Jude 1:6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the
judgment of the great day.
And these;
Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou
sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are
the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest
are the seven churches.
Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars
of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the
woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was
born.
With this;
2Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin
be revealed, the son of perdition;
Whether the events of Revelation referred to
in chapter 12 are past or future consider this, are we replacements for those
sons of God, those angels that fell or were taken?
John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name:
Just something to consider as you study God’s
word.
Christ, as the physical appearance of God,
the angel of God, is higher in authority and majesty than any angel or son
(lowercase s) of God, our appearance, can be for He is God.
Verse 5 reinforces that Christ is the Son of
God, as in God in the flesh, of the same substance as God the Father, by
alluding to Psalm, chapter 2, a Psalm on the second advent of Christ.
Psalm 2:1 ¶
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and
the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,
saying, 3 Let us break their bands
asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in
derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto
them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of
Zion.
7
¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD
hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of
iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10
¶ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be
instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that
put their trust in him.
The phrase is repeated in Acts 13:33 and
again in Hebrews 5:5 so it is a well-used sentiment we need to understand.
The Apostle John refers to Christ on several
occasions as the only begotten Son. Alexander the Great had himself
declared the son of god (in his case Ammon, the Egyptian version of Zeus), and
the emperor Augustus signed his orders deus fide or the son of god due to the
dead Julius Caesar’s, his great-uncle and adopted father, elevation to the
status of a god by the Roman Senate. But the Holy Spirit emphasizes through the
writings of John that God only came to earth in the form of a man one time and
that was His appearance as Jesus of Nazareth, not an emperor or worldly
conqueror, but a humble carpenter’s stepson.
There is an allusion in this verse to a
statement made in the following verses both referring to God’s relationship
with King David, a type of Christ in certain particulars;
2Samuel 7:14a
I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
1Chronicles 17:13a I will be his father, and he shall be my son
In verse 6 we have a peculiar reference to firstbegotten.
This may be a reference to this verse written about David, a type of Christ
as prophet, priest, and king which I discuss in my comments on 1st
and 2nd Samuel;
Psalm 89:27
Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
With a connection to what Paul said here;
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature:
As the Word, uppercase W, from the Greek
Logos, Christ the Messiah, who is also God in the flesh, is the beginning of
all creation, of all life. As Christ the Messiah, He is the first and only time
that God was born into human existence and walked in human flesh that He
created on the earth.
In Revelation, chapter 7, we have the angels
worshipping God but Paul would not have had John’s writing most likely which is
believed to have been written later. There is no specific phrase in the Old
Testament that says And let all the angels of God worship him and modern
scholars insist that it is found in the Septuagint, supposedly the original
Greek Bible miraculously translated in a brief period of time, in Deuteronomy
32:43, which the KJV translators apparently had access to as they mention the
Septuagint twice in their Letter to the Reader which used to be in front of old
editions of the King James Bibles and used it for the Apocrypha which was
placed between the Testaments and eventually removed altogether. They didn’t
hold the Septuagint as being authoritative apparently because of the hastiness
of its preparation.
The facts is that the earliest evidence of a
Septuagint, the Hebrew Torah translated into common Greek, called Koine’ Greek,
are fragments from as early as the 2nd century BC. However, think
about it, the oldest complete manuscript we have is from the 4th
century, the Codex Vaticanus, which is referred to heavily in modern versions,
containing the Hebrew Bible and apocryphal books. Online sources note that the
word Septuagint comes from the Latin and is first called as such in the 16th
century. So apart from a few fragments of manuscripts from before Christ
translated into Greek from the Hebrew, Greek being the common language of the
Roman world and the Mediterranean world of the time, we don’t have a complete
manuscript until 300+ years after Christ and it isn’t even called “The
Septuagint” until the 16th century. Be careful in ascribing verses
to a Greek manuscript that may or may not have existed at the time of Paul and
which, if it did, may have back copied this verse into Deuteronomy, altering
the text to make it match this reference in Hebrews. I’m not convinced and am
not ready to say that this verse in Hebrews copies the Septuagint.
The point is that there are credible scholars
who insist that the main evidence of the existence of a Greek Septuagint before
Christ is a document called The Letter of Aristeas, which many believe
to be a hoax due partly to anachronisms in it. From my study the story of a
Pre-Christian Septuagint is a hoax and a few fragments of the Hebrew Bible
translated into Greek don’t mean that there was an entire Bible like that
before the 4th century.
I say that this passage in Hebrews, like some
other phrases and words in the New Testament that have no Old Testament
moorings, was understood to be valid and true in Paul’s time and came from a
source that was not given by inspiration, perhaps a letter by an Apostle
we don’t have in our Bible but that the Holy Spirit confirmed this statement
here. So where is And let all the angels of God worship him found in the
Bible. It is found here.
Verse 7 directly quotes Psalm 104;
Psalm 104:4
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Verse 8 refers back to a verse in Psalms, as
well;
Psalm 45:6 ¶
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a
right sceptre.
See how Paul here notes that this verse
references Christ as God? And note these Old Testament passages for comparison.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this.
Daniel 7:13 I saw in the
night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Again, in verse 9, Paul underscores the link
to Christ by referring back to Psalm 45.
Psalm 45:7
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Let me insert here my study on Psalm 45 as a
point of reference regarding its immediate context and its prophetic
application.
Psalm 45:1 ¶ «To the chief
Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.» My
heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made
touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 Thou art fairer than the children of men:
grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most
mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4
And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and
righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. 5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of
the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
While a direct reference to King David by this psalmist there is a
deeper level we can explore as well.
To indite in this context, as in inditing, is not to accuse
of a crime but to declare something, to even put it down in writing. Here the
Psalmist compares his tongue to a scribe’s pen.
Ezra 7:6 This Ezra went up
from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses…
Commentators have pointed out that this is also a psalm to the
Messiah to come. Fairer than men in the eyes of God, grace pouring from the
words He says, blessed by God for ever. This is a declaration made in the way
an Israelite would have understood and accepted. Notice in verse 3 the
expectation that the Messiah would be a conqueror, avenging Israel. This may be
a picture of Christ in His return to rule without a clear understanding of the
need for the Cross first.
Revelation 19:11 ¶ And I
saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his
head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself. 13 And he was clothed with a
vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of
iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God.
Remember that the Son of Man will come to suffer first, which the
Jews did not understand especially after the rabbi, Rashi, in the 11th
century claimed Isaiah 53 for the Jewish people as a whole rather than the
Messiah to come as literally intended understood by the Ethiopian eunuch in
Acts 8. Read Isaiah 53 and context.
Even Christ’s disciples still expected Him to restore Israel’s
lost greatness and wanted to know when that would be.
Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It
is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a
light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the
earth.
Acts 1:6 When they
therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at
this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Psalm 45:6 ¶ Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right
sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness,
and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil
of gladness above thy fellows. 8 All thy
garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 9
Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right
hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Psalm 93:2 Thy throne is
established of old: thou art from everlasting.
Psalm 145:13 Thy kingdom is
an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Here is a prayer and a praise of God for His blessing upon His
earthly king.
However, these two verses are alluded to by Paul in Hebrews as a
reference to Christ as well. See how Paul says that God directs this statement
to the Son of God, Christ.
Hebrews 1:8 But unto the
Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And then in comparison see;
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this.
Daniel 7:13 I saw in the
night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
In that case the queen mentioned is a reference to the church of
Christ.
2Corinthians 11:2 For I am
jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Revelation 19:9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
So you can see the at least two applications of this passage; one
applying to David and one to Christ.
Psalm 45:10 ¶ Hearken, O
daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people,
and thy father’s house; 11 So shall the
king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou
him. 12 And the daughter of Tyre shall
be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat
thy favour. 13 The king’s daughter is
all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment
of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto
thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing
shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace. 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all
generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
While speaking directly to the king’s daughter, this passage also
continues a prophetic reference to the church of Christ. The bride would leave
her family and unite herself with her husband’s family in ancient tradition.
Satan is the spiritual father of all unsaved people who live in rebellion to
God.
John 8:44 Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the
father of it.
The church leaves the house of its worldly father to enter into
the eternal union with Christ, having God the Father as its father now,
entering also the family of God.
Ephesians 3:14 ¶ For this
cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named,
I believe it helps the Christian to read this Psalm in light of
our understanding of the church, something the Israelites of that time would
not have had a clue about. Having said that specific interpretations of what
line by line means are very subjective and results in much speculation. I
recommend reading and praying for understanding. Remember many times a
conclusion is what you come to when you’ve stopped praying and thinking.
Now, back to Hebrews. Verses 10 to 12 leads us to this verse in
the Psalms;
Psalm 102:25 Of old hast
thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy
hands.
But these heavens and earth will be remade,
renewed, and changed.
Psalm 102:26
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old
like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But our Creator remains forever and ever.
Psalm 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall
have no end.
Verse 13 draws another Psalm into being
ultimately about Christ.
Psalm 110:1 ¶ «A Psalm of David.» The LORD said unto my
Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Verse 14 of Hebrews 1 closes out with an allusion,
where a verse is not quoted literally but referred to for its greater meaning,
to;
Psalm 104:4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a
flaming fire:
You didn’t think about angels ministering to
you in your hour of temptation, did you?
Mark 1:13
And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was
with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
So ends chapter one of this amazing document.
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