Letter to the Hebrews

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 30, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 38.

Letter to the Hebrews.

HEBREWS 1: 8-14.

(Lesson 2, October 12, 1889.) 1. OF whom does the first chapter of Hebrews speak? "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." Verse 2. 2. Who speaks to the Son of God in verse 8? 3. What does he call him?—Ib. 4. How came the Son to have this name? "Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Heb. 1:4. 5. Is it anything unusual for the Son to have the name of his Father? 6. What is said of his throne? "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom." Verse 8. 7. Is the Son of God now on a throne? "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Heb. 8:1. 8. Is that throne the throne of the Son? "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne." Rev. 3:21. 9. Will he always continue to sit upon that throne? "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power." 1 Cor. 15:24. 10. How long will he possess his own throne? Luke 1:32, 33; Ps. 89:29, 35-37. 11. What is meant by a scepter of righteousness?

"Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment." Isa. 32:1. 12. What is the meaning of the word "iniquity?" See note. 13. Who hath anointed the Son of God? "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Heb. 1:9. 14. What class of people were anointed by order of the Lord? Ans.—Priests, prophets, and kings. See Ex. 29:5–7; Lev. 16:32; 1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1; 16:1, 12, 13; 1 Kings 19:16. Christ in the Greek, and Messiah in the Hebrew, mean the Anointed. 15. What is meant by anointing him with the oil of gladness above his fellows? (Fellows means companions or associates; it does not imply equality. Isa. 61:1–3.) "The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall they rejoice?" "For thou hast made him most blessed forever; thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance." Ps. 21:1, 6. 16. Who laid the foundations of the earth? "And, thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands." Heb. 1:10. 17. In what manner shall the heavens and earth perish? "They shall perish, but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 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." Verses 11, 12. They shall be changed. Compare 2 Peter 3:5, 6; Rev. 21:1, 5. 18. What is said of the unchangeable nature of Christ? Heb. 1:12. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." Heb. 13:8. 19. To whom did the Lord say, Sit thou on my right hand? "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" Heb 1:13. "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Ps. 110:1. 20. By the words, "To which of the angels," etc., does the writer mean that the Lord ever said this to an angel? Ans.—No; it is a question implying a negation; as if he had said, Was there ever such an instance? 21. Until what time does he sit at the right hand of his Father? Heb. 1:13. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." Heb. 10:12, 13. 22. Who shall put the enemies of the Son under his feet? "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." 1 Cor. 15:28. 23. Does this imply that those enemies shall be converted? 24. What will the Son of God do with his enemies when they are given to him, or put under his feet? "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 heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Ps. 2:7–9. "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." Luke 19:27. 25. What office do the angels fill? "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Heb. 1:14. 26. To whom do they minister?—Ib.

NOTES.

THE scepter is an emblem of kingly power. A scepter of righteousness implies just what Isa. 32:1 says, "A king shall reign in righteousness." In Gal. 2:17 the apostle declares that Christ is not the minister of sin; that is, he does not serve the cause of sin; he does not advance sin. But he is the minister of righteousness, or right-doing. Compare 1 John 3:7. As the commandments of God are righteousness (Ps. 119:172), he who does righteousness keeps the law of God. See Deut. 6:25; Isa. 51:7. INIQUITY means, literally, lawlessness; workers of iniquity (see Matt. 7:23) means breakers of the law. However much we may call on the name of Christ, and profess faith in him, he will not accept us unless we also do the will of his Father; he will not accept law-breakers. While we cannot be justified, or please God, without faith (Rom. 5:1; Heb. 11:6), so faith without works is dead, being alone. James 2:17, 20. Compare Rev. 14:12. VERSES 10–12 are quoted from Psalms 102:25–27. By the reading of the psalm we could not determine that this was spoken to the Son rather than addressed to the Father. And this is the case with a number of quotations in the New Testament from the Old. We should never think of applying them to the Son of God, if Inspiration did not so apply them. And is this not an assurance to us that the Son of God occupies a much larger place in the Scriptures of the Old Testament than is generally supposed? Is it not reasonable to believe that many other texts in that book refer to him, in which he is not generally recognized? The great efforts that are being made, in these days, to do away with the Old Testament, or to weaken its authority, is a direct blow against the divinity and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are not read with that carefulness and feeling of dependence on the Spirit of God that is necessary to appreciate it as a revelation of God through his Son. "THE Lord said unto my Lord." Psalm 110:1. In this text two different Hebrew words are rendered Lord. Thus the original reads: Jehovah said unto Adonai. And so in other places, as Isa. 6:3, 4, 12, Jehovah is used; in verses 1, 8, 11, it is Adonai. But this distinction is not recognized in the Greek language. As Jehovah is a proper name, and not a title, it should never be translated or rendered Lord. If it were transferred as a proper name, the distinction would be recognized in every language. THE apostle Paul tells us, in Rom. 8:14, that if we are led by the Spirit of God we are the sons of God; and John (1 John 3:2) says that we are even now sons of God. The angels also are called sons of God (Job 38:7), and Luke (3:38) says that Adam was the son of God. But all these are sons in a far different sense than what Christ is. The angels are sons by creation, just as Adam was, who was created a little lower than they. But Christ is the "only begotten Son of God," having "by inheritance a more excellent name than they." We are "by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3), since we partake of the fallen nature of Adam; but we become sons by adoption, and the Spirit of God is the seal of that adoption. As adopted sons of God, we become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Rom. 8:14–17. We shall be allowed to share the glory and dominion of God's own Son. Well may the beloved disciple exclaim: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."