It must be evident to every thoughtful Christian that the Epistle to the Hebrews has a very special importance in the present day. The tide of Ritualism and Sacerdotalism is flowing deep and strong in Christendom; and, apparently, in an ever-increasing volume. These things are, in reality, a revival of the old principles and forms of the Jewish system mixed up with Christianity—a mixture which is destructive of the plain and simple truth as we have it in Scripture. The great aim of Satan is to cloud the glory of Christ by a practical denial of the value and efficacy of His sacrifice; and to rob souls of that solid and unchanging peace which flows from resting alone, in faith, on His completed work.
Now the Epistle before us meets all these attacks of the enemy, and that in a way truly divine. It begins in a manner quite peculiar, not being addressed to any assembly or individual; as, for example, the Epistle to the Ephesians, Colossians, Timothy or Titus. Nor is the name of the writer given (though doubtless it was the Apostle Paul), because Christ is presented as our Apostle, as well as High Priest: and it is God who is speaking to us.
Thus the very opening words declare that God is speaking. And this being so we are bound to pay all attention to what He says. He had spoken of old to the fathers in many measures and in many ways through the prophets: though, indeed, the voice of the prophets had been silent for nearly 100 years, since Malachi. After this long silence God speaks again; not now through a prophet or any intermediary, but directly in a Person, and that Person His own Son.
The inspired writer then gives a magnificent unfolding of the glory of Christ, the true Messiah, from the very scriptures of the Old Testament so well known to those whom he addressed. Now this is of the very greatest moment for us as well as for them; because everything, both for time and eternity; for the sinner, for the church, for Israel, hangs upon the truth of the Person of Christ. It is, too, an immense factor in the history of every individual Christian: for if we have a true and Spirit-taught apprehension of Who He is, our reverence to Him will be deepened and our appreciation of His ineffable love and grace, as well as of all the blessed results of His work, will be increased.
Here, then, the glory of His Person and the efficacy of His work both go together and depend the one on the other: and necessarily displace and supersede all that went before. His sacrifice takes the place of the Jewish sacrifices of old; His priesthood, after the order of Melchisedec, takes the place of the priesthood after the order of Aaron; the new covenant, founded on His blood, takes the place of the old covenant; and in fact, the whole ritual with its meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation, disappears: while Jesus Christ remains "the same yesterday, and today, and forever." It is the full light of Christ Himself and of Christianity in contrast to the old shadows of Judaism. Seeing that this is so, is it not sad that many around us are going back to the shadows, through unbelief, and leaving the light—in other words, turning to the law, to ordinances, and to rituals, instead of to Christ?
And, let us remark, that the use the Holy Spirit makes of the Old Testament in this first chapter is a fact of great importance for us. "Higher Criticism," so-called, professes to be able to cut up the writings of Moses, and so on, with the scissors, and casts discredit on the Bible: our Lord Himself and His inspired Apostles, on the other hand, fully accredited and endorsed the Old Testament, such as we have it, and owned it as the testimony of Jehovah Himself.
There are, then, three things brought before us here respecting the Son. (1) His Person, (2) His work, (3) His present position. As to His Person—He was ever the brightness of God's glory and the exact expression of His substance or Being. The One who created all things, and not only so, but upholds all things after their creation by the word of His (the Son's) power. These things could only be predicated of One who was absolutely and essentially God. As regards His work, He has made purification or cleansing of our sins. Now when we consider Who it was that did the work, it necessarily follows that the work done was worthy of Him who did it. But it needed, not simply an exercise of His will or His word as in creation; but something far deeper—it needed that He should die. Then, as to His present position—having finished His redemption work in such a way as to establish His own glory in doing it, He set Himself down, in His own right and title, at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
How evident, therefore, is the wisdom of God in commencing the Epistle with this unfolding of the glory of the Messiah, for everything depends upon it. And if the wavering faith of the Hebrew Christians needed to be sustained by a divinely-given setting forth of His all-sufficiency and competency for the work He undertook as well as for every office He sustains, we may be fully persuaded that we need it likewise. The position and glory of the Son is then contrasted with angels—they held a high place in the Jewish economy—but the Son is shown to be superior to angels. There are seven quotations in the first chapter; all of them, except one or two, taken from the Psalms. The first is from Psalm 21<<A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.>> Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. (Psalm 3:1), where the Son is seen as born in time; owned as Son of God. Now, our Lord Jesus was ever the eternal Son, who dwelt in the bosom of the Father in eternity; and, when come into this world, He is owned as Son born in time. These two facts cannot be dissociated the one from the other. The next quotation is from 2 Samuel 7:1414I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: (2 Samuel 7:14) (or 1 Chron. 17:1313I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: (1 Chronicles 17:13)). The passage has reference to Solomon, who was a type of Christ, and God takes the place of being to Him a Father and acknowledging Him as Son. We have then a quotation from Psalm 97:77Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. (Psalm 97:7) (or Deut. 32:4343Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. (Deuteronomy 32:43)), where He is said to be the object of the worship of angels. Then, in Psalm 104:44Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: (Psalm 104:4), God "makes" His angels spirits, but He never applies this word to the Son: it would be altogether unsuitable when we consider Who He is. And so the next quotation, from Psalm 454And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. (Psalm 45:4), shows that the Son is Himself "God." He was, as we know, eternally God, but this Psalm views Him in the days when He was here in this world; days in which it is said of Him "Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness"; and here He is owned by God as "God." But there is still further proof of His deity and equality with Jehovah; and that of a very remarkable character indeed. For the title "God" had sometimes been applied to magistrates and judges as representing God's authority; as our Lord Himself says in John 104And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (John 10:4), quoting Psalm 824Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82:4), "I have said, Ye are gods." But there was one name which never was applied to any mere creature: it was reserved for the Supreme and only true God. That title was Jehovah, and it is here applied to Christ. The quotation is from Psalm 1024My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. (Psalm 102:4), one of the most remarkable Psalms in the whole book. It is "A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord." Here Christ takes the place of utter abasement and humiliation—His days consumed like smoke, His heart smitten and withered like grass; it is the position of utter loneliness and reproach. He then contrasts His own position—as lifted up and cast down, His days like a shadow that declineth—with the permanence and enduring character of Jehovah, who "shall endure forever." The Psalm then brings in the future restoration and blessing of Zion; and "when the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory." But as for Him, His strength is weakened and His days shortened, He is cut off in the midst of His days. How, then, could He be there to bring about the future blessing of Zion? In order to understand the Psalm we must see that there is a change of speakers in the middle of verse 24. "I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days." These are the words of the humbled, rejected One on earth: then comes the divine answer of Jehovah above: "Thy years are throughout all generation. Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. 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 Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end." We quote here from the Psalm itself, but the quotation is introduced in Hebrews with the words, "And, Thou, Lord,..." Whatever might be the place of deep abasement and humiliation which He took on earth, He was none less than Jehovah Himself, the Creator of all, and the One who would remain when all created things had gone. Yea, when He Himself should fold them up as a vesture and they should be changed, then He, the Unchangeable, would abide the same.
To complete the Spirit's testimony here to the value and glory of the Person of the Messiah, it only needed the last quotation in our chapter. This is from Psalm 110:11<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1), "Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." This is His place of exaltation and glory, as the risen and glorified Man, according to the counsels of God. He is sitting there "until" His enemies are set as the footstool of His feet, and this Jehovah will surely accomplish in a future day. The time has not yet come for Him to sit on His own throne, but He has taken His seat on His Father's throne: there none are associated with Him. The day will come when He will sit down upon His own throne, when every enemy is put down, and His people shall sit with Him then.