Wherefore in every way such a Person was worthy to be heard. If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression of the law received its due recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us after His resurrection by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will?
Thus, the testimony of God’s Son had begun a new era in God’s ways and dealings with man. He had called out a nation in Abraham’s day to be His witness against idolatry; had given to this nation (as represented in Abraham) promises, displayed His government amongst them in the law, sent them prophets to call them back when they sinned, but now that the Son had come they were to listen to Him. He was the divine Prophet whom Moses had spoken of Whom they were to hear; God’s Apostle who had come with the good news of God’s grace to a ruined world. We must remember that these Hebrews were in danger of going back to the testimony of Moses and the prophets, and making light of the testimony of God’s Son, whereas the former all witnessed to the coming glories of the latter; and He was the One now therefore to be heard; the One with whom they were to be satisfied. The law had fully shown Israel’s guilt and his state of sin, the prophets had vainly called the nation back to repentance, but now the Son of God had come, with the testimony as to what God was for man, telling of His grace, His salvation, and woe betide any if they neglected so great salvation. It was a great salvation because connected with so great a Person.
Thus, we have here the Son, as the great Apostle coming into the world to reveal what God was. This was the introduction of a new testimony, namely, of God’s grace to man, which was continued after His resurrection by His apostles and prophets, by the power of the Spirit whilst He took a new place in ascension glory as the Heavenly High Priest to maintain the people called out, in their journey on to the heavenly Canaan. But we are anticipating what comes after.
The second Hebrews largely unfolds His manhood glories. Unto the angels He had not put into subjection the world to come, but one in a certain place testified saying, “What is man that Thou are mindful of Him, and the Son of Man that Thou visitest Him? Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels, Thou crownedest Him with glory and honor, and didst set Him over the works of Thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet” (Psa. 8). Thus, here we see that it is God’s purpose to put Christ above everything in the millennial world. He has not given it into the hands of angels, but into the hands of the Son of Man, according to Psalm 8. But is this Psalm wholly fulfilled yet? No; we see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for everything. This is the universal aspect of His death.
Here, then, we have God’s divine answer to what man is. Is it Adam that is spoken of? Adam was a man truly upright, but liable to fall. Is it any fallen child of Adam that is spoken of? We are men truly, but fallen beings. But is Adam, fallen or unfallen, God’s real type of a man, as He thinks of a man? Nay! We see Jesus! There is the answer: first, we see Him humbled; secondly exalted; thirdly, to have all things put under His feet. Adam was created upright, but liable to fall, and he lost everything. The children of Adam were born fallen, under the curse, but the last Adam was born holy, without a taint of sin, by the miraculous conception of the Holy Ghost, tasted death for everything, is now exalted, and finally will return again and take the earth out of the hands of the usurper, Satan, and reign supreme over all.
But now, directly as Jesus as Son of man is introduced, the Hebrew Christians are introduced to have a part with Him. In His divine glory as pictured in the first chapter, He stands alone, as God’s appointed Heir, Himself the Creator of the worlds; but directly His manhood glories have been fully brought out, and His death, we are introduced to have a part with Him in that glory. So what is God doing now to that end? He is bringing many sons to glory. Between the time of Christ’s exaltation and His return to take the millennial earth from His hands, God is calling out a heavenly family to share with Christ in all His glory. It became Him, for Whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings; for both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare Thy name unto my brethren, saying, I will declare Thy Name unto My brethren, in the midst of the Assembly will I sing praise to Thee (Ps. 22). And again I will put My trust in Him, and behold I and the children which God hath given Me (is. 8:18). Thus, here we have the blessed Lord associating Himself with others, or rather taking them into association with Himself to have a part with Him in all His glory. He is here seen as the Captain of their salvation, the heavenly Leader like Moses, to save them right through He must be made perfect through sufferings to this end Himself, and for God’s glory. The Sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one common stock, of one nature, of one family, he is not ashamed to call them brethren. Psalm 22:1-221<<To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.>> My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. 9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. 11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. 17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. 18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. 19But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. 20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. 21Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. (Psalm 22:1‑22) shows His blessed work of atonement in which He stood alone for His people bearing their sins; but in answer to His prayer (v. 21) He is raised from the dead, and appears in the midst of His poor trembling disciples, whom He owns as His brethren, proclaiming peace among them (John 20:1919Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19)), and declaring the Father’s Name. So in Isaiah 8:1414And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 8:14) we have Emmanuel’s rejection, having first associated Himself in His birth with the returning remnant (comp. 7:3-4), in ver. 16 the testimony sealed up amongst the disciples. Immanuel now is content to wait for His kingdom which is put off (ver 17), He said I will wait for, or trust in the Lord, who now hides Himself from Israel, and then He associates with Himself the children which God hath given Him, namely, the true remnant of Israel put into a new place by His death and resurrection. And this remnant was to be for signs and wonders to the house of Israel. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.
Thus, the Hebrew remnant were put into a new place by the death and resurrection of Christ. They were now owned as brethren as sanctified by the blood of Christ. The millennial Kingdom was put off in consequence of the King of the Jews having been rejected, and God was now leading out a heavenly people to be associated with Christ in His glory.
But in order to have these associates, Jesus must become a man. Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself took part of the same. (footnote: Mark here it is only with the children that the Lord here identifies Himself. To say that in birth He identified Himself with the whole race of Adam, is deadly error; for He must take a sinful nature to do this. He died for the whole world, that is clear; but the value of that sacrifice consisted in His being a perfect Man—God manifest in the flesh.) He had to be born amongst the Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s, and Mary’s, and Simeon’s, and Anna’s of the day, taking flesh and blood with them, in order to redeem them and deliver them by dying for them. But forasmuch as the great usurper Satan had come in, and as the great executioner of God’s justice, wielded death as a terror to the heirs, as well as held the earth under his power, Christ had to become a Man and die. (Man had lost everything, himself and the earth. Man must redeem it.) Therefore He took flesh and blood and died, that through death, He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage. Thus, by dying Christ as it were, took death out of the enemy’s hand, and rose the triumphant Victor over it. Those who accept Him find deliverance from a state of sin and death, death having become Christ’s, they find a way right over, just like Israel over the Red Sea, and thus death, which was the very stronghold of the enemy, as the executioner of God’s wrath against man for his sin, became his own destroyer in the hands of Christ, just as Pharaoh at the Red Sea found in it his own destruction.
Oh, how blessed this is! We are now co-heirs with Christ, having crossed as it were the sea of death, and we sing the song of salvation as associated with the risen Christ. He did not take up angels to be associates with Him, but the true seed of Abraham. But there was another double reason why He should become a man and die, being made thus like unto His brethren, in order that He might be a faithful and merciful high priest in things pertaining to God, as also to make propitiation for the sins of His people. He became a Man in order to pass through all the circumstances His people were passing through in order to help them. Thus, He was tempted, suffering alone as a holy Man could do without sin, in order to be able to succour them that are tempted. Thus, the blessed Lord became a Man and died for four reason. First, for God’s glory (ver. 10); second (ver 14-15) for the destruction of the enemy and deliverance of His people; thirdly, that He might be a faithful and merciful High Priest; and fourthly, to make atonement for the sins of the people. (v. 17). Thus, He has not only delivered us from our sins but delivered us from the power of the enemy, has associated us with Himself as sanctified ones and brethren, and has now ascended up on high, to be a merciful and faithful High Priest, to maintain us in our course here below, and to sympathize with us in all our temptation, trials, and difficulties.
Thus, these Hebrew Christians are shown their true place in association with this glorious Leader and High Priest of their profession, Whom they were to consider. He had proved a stumbling block to the mass of Israel, and God was in consequence now hiding His face from the nation. Christ was now waiting for the kingdom and was now calling out, to be associated with Himself in heavenly glory, these believers amongst the Jews, who were now made partakers of the heavenly calling.