The epistle to the Hebrews was written to a professing people already in relationship with God, for they were Jews. They had however received the truths of Christianity and through Christ’s death and resurrection had been separated from the mass of the Jewish nation, who had rejected Christ, had been put into a new place before God having a part in His heavenly family. They were brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Christ, who had appeared among the Jews as the Divine Prophet, whom Moses had prophesied of (Deut. 18:1515The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (Deuteronomy 18:15)), had been rejected by the nation. He was the true Son of David, the One who ought to have sat on the throne at Jerusalem; but the Jews had rejected Him as King, and crucified Him. The kingdom was therefore put off, the nation as such was rejected as God’s testimony on the earth, and the Lord Jesus had taken a new place at the right hand of God, as the heavenly High Priest (still doubtless to intercede for the nation which will be finally restored), but now for the maintaining of the many sons whom God was bringing to glory.
The true remnant of the Jews who had received the Messiah were put into a new place by His death and resurrection; they now were to break entirely with Judaism, a system which had been owned of God up to that time, but which now, having rejected Christ, was disowned; and to understand their connection with a heavenly Christ, the Centre of the new system of Christianity which had now taken the place of Judaism. Hence the glories of this Son of God are insisted on in the first Hebrews (ver.2-7). He is God (ver. 8), and Jehovah (ver. 10), superior to the angels who were the ministers of the law, and therefore the testimony was a superior one, and in every way to be heard (Eph. 2:leh). But the world to come is also to be put into His hands, as man, according to Psalm 8, and His manhood glories are introduced in answer to the question, “What is man?” (ver. 5-9). First, He was made a little lower than the angels; secondly, crowned with glory and honour; thirdly, all things put under His feet. In other words we see the glories of Jesus as Son of man are introduced, the Hebrew Christians are introduced as His associates; God is bringing many sons to glory (Eph.2:10) He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one (ver.11-13). In order that these might have part with Him, He had to take flesh and blood with them, to deliver them by His death from the power of Satan, and-to make propitiation for their sins (ver. 14-18). Thus, the children of Abraham were put into the new place. Called with a heavenly calling they were to consider the apostle and High priest of their profession, going forward as His companions to the heavenly rest as Israel in the wilderness in company with Moses and Aaron (Eph. 3). The rest was not entered into yet (chap 4); there remained a keeping of Sabbath for the people of God (verse 1-11). ‘They had for their maintenance whilst journeying through the wilderness, the Word of God and the Priesthood of Christ (ver. 12-16). His Priesthood founded on His Person as Son of God is then dwelt upon. He had taken a new place as High Priest, after the order of Melchisedec (Eph. 5); of whom He had many things to say; for he has to interrupt his discourse, seeing these Hebrews were dull of hearing. They ought to have been teachers, but needed to be taught again the first principles. In fact they were in danger of giving up Christianity and returning to Judaism. Hence the warning against apostasy in Eph. 6;4-6. This is all simple and plain when we bear in mind they are addressed as professing people (Eph. 3:1, 4:14, 10:23). He exhorts them to diligence, and to lean on the sure promises of God, after the example of Abraham,; trusting in the Priest who had gone inside the veil, and who would soon come out again to bless them, the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. He then shows the superiority of this order of priesthood to that of Aaron and Levi (chap, 7), which was now set aside; He was now interceding within the veil, and maintaining His people to the and, whilst they were journeying through the wilderness while here below. This closes the first part of the Epistle where the Christian is looked at as a pilgrim and stranger, passing through the world as through a wilderness on his way to the heavenly rest, Christ being his heavenly leader and High Priest on high; to maintain him whilst passing through the dangers here below, and finally coming back again to bless him.
In Hebrews 8 Christ is looked at as the Centre of this new system of Christianity, but rather in regard to worship. He is the Minister of the heavenly sanctuary, taking the place of Aaron, the minister of the earthly one; and Mediator of the new covenant, taking the place of Moses, the mediator of the old one. In Eph. 9:1-14, the heavenly sanctuary sets aside the earthly one, and the two testaments are again contrasted (ver. 15-22). We then get out to the altars and sacrifices (Eph. 9:24-28; 10:1-18). Christ’s one sacrifice sets aside the many sacrifices of Judaism, and the Hebrews are led back as it were, to the rent veil (Eph. 10:19-25). Now if they committed the willful sin of turning their back on Christ, and His sacrifice, and the Presence of the Holy Ghost, to Jewish alters and its many sacrifices, it was apostasy, and there was no mercy for such. Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. The characteristic of Christianity was living by faith on an unseen Christ, in hope of His speedy return, but if any draw back, God had no pleasure in him. The Old Testament saints are brought forward as an example to them of the life of faith, in Eph. 11, ending up with Christ who was both the Beginner and Finisher of faith. they are exhorted to look to Him for the race they are running, enduring the contradiction of sinners and the chastisements that were necessary as the proof of a Father’s love; to hold fast grace, knowing that they were not come to Mount Sinai where the law as given, but to Mount Zion, a symbol of grace, in fact the full millennial blessing (Eph. 12). The alter of Christianity having set aside the Jewish alters, and Christ having been slain outside Jerusalem, the center of Judaism, they are now exhorted to go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. They were to be separated by His blood entirely breaking off from the earthly system of Judaism, with its temple, priests, and sacrifices, to the heavenly Christ, the High Priest over the heavenly sanctuary, who by His blood shed once for all, had put away all their sins (Eph. 13: 10-15). Such is a brief outline of the truths of this Epistle. May its blessed truth be written on the hearts of God’s dear people; but let us go a little closer into detail.
It is to me a mark of God’s infinite favor to open up to us the glories of His Son’s Person. Divine affections are high and secret things ever lying in the bosom of the Father. Such a secret could only be unveiled to a John who himself had a place in the bosom of Jesus. Ah, dear reader, do you want a higher thing than this? Are you bustling about like Martha, full of the service of Jesus, and forgetting to sit at His feet and learn the mysteries about Himself? God’s beloved Son is the Object of His delight, the Man of His purpose, round whom He purposes to gather all things in heaven and in earth. His eternal place is settled. Our blessed privilege is to accept with delight whatever God has to tell us about the Son of His love, giving Him the first place in our hearts, and striving in our feeble way to be the carriers out in our little measure, of all God’s purposes for His Son’s glory.
Our apostle learnt deeply some of these divine secrets about the Person of God’s Son. He dwells on His glories in the first two Hebrews s, as the Divine Center of Christianity. His divine glories are brought out in the first Hebrews , in three special ways: First, as the Son of God (ver. 1-7); secondly, as God Himself (ver. 8); thirdly, as Jehovah (ver. 10); God had spoken to the Jewish fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He had spoken by His Son, whom He had appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds, Who can mistake here that this passage speaks of the divine glory of God’ Son? He stands alone as the appointed Heir of all things by His own right and title. He was also the Creator of the worlds. Whoever denies Him these glories is an antichrist, one to be known by the youngest child of God, by the unction of the Spirit, and to be avoided (See 1 John 2: 18-27). this is what He was in His own divine Person. But then His life was the shining forth as it were of God’s glory, as the sun’s rays shine forth from the sun’s body, and this was reflected as it were like a photograph image, in a perfect man, so that there was seen God manifest in the flesh, upholding at the same time all things by the Word of His power. But He came lower, when He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High, being made as Man so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they.
Now think for one moment, of this Wondrous person, God’s Heir, your Creator, the express image of God’s Being, become a Man, and dying for your sins! Words cannot express such a thing! But when I find that my God became a Man, and died for me, all I can do is to fall down and worship and adore, banishing all doubt, as to the value and efficacy of the sacrifice, believing in the full purging and cleansing of my sins, once for all. God in answer, made Him greater than the angels, even as man( comp. Eph. 2:99Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:9)), as He had by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they, for He was born Son of God in this world according to Psalm 2: Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee (see also Luke 1:3535And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)): as holy in His manhood, as in His Deity, yet truly born of the virgin by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Psalm 2 speaks of the Messiah, rejected by men, but set up as King in Zion, referring to the millennium; and His right and title to be declared by decree, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. This would be convincing to the mind of any godly Jew, of the superiority of Christ to the angels who were the ministers of the law.
But besides this He had a more excellent Name than they by virtue of God’s choice, and a new position taken up in resurrection life and glory as Solomon to whom the quotation literally refers. Solomon was not the eldest son, but he was the object of God’s choice, after David had committed murder, and adultery with Uriah’s wife, and so a witness of the sure mercies of David. After David’s death, God was to establish His kingdom, and would be to Solomon a Father, and he should be to Him a Son (2 Sam. 7:12-1512And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14I 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: 15But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. (2 Samuel 7:12‑15)). So then after the Jews had committed murder in regard to Christ, God raised up the object of His choice, declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:22(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (Romans 1:2)). But thirdly, in Psalm 97:77Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. (Psalm 97:7) (worship Him all ye gods (or angels) when He bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him. This Psalm refers to His second coming and reign, and then He is the object of the adoration of the angels. Thus, the Son of God is seen in four ways: First in His divine glory, the Creator and Upholder of all things; secondly, as born Son of God; thirdly in a new position, whom the Father placed there by reason of His own choice; and, fourthly, coming again to set up His kingdom, and in every way seen to be superior to the angels, who were God’s ministers for the giving of the law.
Thus, from the Jews’ own Scriptures, the glories of the Son are declared. The angels were spirits, God’s ministers, a flame of fire (Ps. 104:4), but the Son of God Himself, according to the Word, Thy throne O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom; but as if the godhead could be inseparable from His manhood, He goes on, Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God, even Thy God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions (Ps 45:6-7). This Psalm is another Psalm referring to Messiah coming to take the kingdom. He is God the King, who once obeyed as Man, and was in consequence anointed as Man with the oil of gladness above His companions, the angels, God and Man in one Person.
Psalm 102:2525Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. (Psalm 102:25) still further brings out His glory as Jehovah; Thou, Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands; 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. Reader, have you ever understood the glories of this wondrous Being, Who was the manifested Messiah of Judaism, and yet again will be, and who in the meantime has taken a new place as the divine Center of a heavenly people? He existed before the beginning, laid the foundations of the earth, built the heavens, and yet when the eternal state begins, when these works of His hands perish He remains. As a garment waxes old, so shall it be with the present creation; as a vesture folded up and put away and changed; so shall it be with this present scene. The heavens shall depart like a scroll, the earth shall be burned up, but Jehovah is the same; His years shall not fail. Reader, have you a part with this wondrous Being? If so, your life is as eternal as His, your habitation shall be with Him in the new heavens and new earth, and you shall sing His glories for ever. But again, His manhood is brought in as inseparable from His Deity, for unto which of the angels said He at any time, sit Thou on my right hand until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool? (Ps. 110) Here He is seen as the exalted Man. In a previous quotation He is seen as the obedient Man, loving righteousness, and still in another previous one the born Son of God. In Eph. 2:55Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:5), He is seen as Man set over the world to come. Come, my reader, and trace these fresh glories of thy Lord; bow thy head and worship. His manhood glories are thus traced from His birth up to the millennial state. The angels were ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation, but Christ was the Heir of all things -above all having as the Divine Son a more excellent Name than the angels, even as born in this world; He was obedient unto death, exalted above the angels in resurrection glory, and under whom the world to come will be brought into subjection.