Lesson 3: Hebrews 1:5-2:4
A Weightier Word than the Word through Angels
For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you”? [quoting Psalm 2:7]
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”? [2 Samuel 7:14]
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.” [quoting Deuteronomy 32:43 (LXX, cf. also Dead Sea Scrolls)]
Of the angels he says, [Psalm 104:4]
“He makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire.”
But of the Son he says, [quoting Psalm 45:6-7]
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
And, [quoting Psalm 102:25-27]
“In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like clothing;
like a cloak you will roll them up,
and like clothing they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will never end.”
But to which of the angels has he ever said, [quoting Psalm 110:1]
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.
This Son, who was appointed heir of all things, has inherited a more excellent name than any of the angels.
This conclusion, found in Hebrews 1:4, raises at least one question. Why does the preacher introduce angels into his sermon? There is a clear contrast between this son and the angels, and that contrast is grounded in the fact that the one appointed heir is a son but the angels are not sons (or at least not appointed as heirs as sons). The point is this son is heir, not the angels.
What was the problem with angels in the community he addresses? Some have suggested that some worshipped angels (and that is always a danger as we see, for example, in Revelation 22:8), but there is no indication that this is what was happening in the community. Some have suggested that some believed Jesus was only an angel, but there is no indication that anyone affirmed such a low Christology in the community. Rather, it seems to me, the text explicitly says why the preacher speaks of angels.
Hebrews 1:5 offers a reason why this son has a more excellent name. The word “for” (gar) provides a rationale. This son is superior to the angels because this son is a unique son, one begotten by the father. This son is the son in Hebrews 1:8. God, by a clear declaration, addresses this one as Son and his relationship to God as a father-son relationship. The rest of Hebrews 1:6-14 explores the status of this son in contrast to the angels. In other words, this son is more than any angel in terms of the inherited name and the very being or nature of this son. This son is divine and has a different ontology than angels.
But why is it important to ground the excellency of this son in his status as both divine and heir? How does this point further the logic of the sermon? How is this related to the first point of the sermon in Hebrews 1:1-4 that God has spoken?
The key is the preacher’s “therefore” (dia touto) in Hebrews 2:1-4. The argument runs something like this:
God has spoken through a son whose name is more excellent than angels.
Because God has recognized the royal inheritance of this son.
Therefore, pay attention to what you have heard.
Because this son’s word is weightier than the word delivered through angels.
The point about angels is their function as mediators of the word, particularly the Torah. According to Jewish tradition, reflected in Acts 7:53 and Galatians 3:19, angels ordained or mediated the deliverance of the law at Mount Sinai. Angels are messengers, and they minister to God’s people. They also deliver messages to the people on occasion.
What the angels mediated was true and serious. The Torah included penalties, even severe ones. Consequently, if the word through angels was weighty and demanded attention, how much more the word of the Son?
This word (message) was given by the Son during his ministry in the flesh upon the earth, and it was continued through his own messages who first heard him and who were equipped with the Holy Spirit. That message came to the preacher’s audience through the ministry of the word. Therefore, they must regard it as weightier than the Torah itself since it bears the authority of this son.
| Name (1:4) | Angels | Son |
| Inheritance (1:5-6) | Worship the Son | Firstborn into the World |
| Function (1:7-12) | Liturgical servants (leitourgous) | Divine King |
| Status (1:13-14) | Ministering servants (diakonian) | Sits at the Right Hand of God |
The first contrast is between the inheritance that belongs to the Son in contrast to the obeisance the angels render to the Son. The angels worship the Son because he is God’s firstborn Son in the world. Firstborn does not refer to chronology but to status—he is firstborn because he is the heir of all things. His relationship to God is one of Father-Son; it is a familial relationship. The Son inherits from the Father. Both Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 are dynastic texts, that is, they are God’s speech to royal sons. The Son has a royal inheritance, but this Son is not one among many sons but the firstborn, the one whom God intended to give all things from the beginning. The angels worship the Son.
The second contrast identifies angels as messengers and liturgical servants, quoting Psalm 104:4. The Son, however, sits on a throne as a divine representative. Indeed, he is called divine: “your throng, O God, is forever and ever . . .” (quoting Psalm 45:6-7). The Psalm speaks to the royal character of the Son. He carries the “scepter” of his kingdom, and he has been anointed as king because he “loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” The Son is not only an heir of the Father, but is an enthroned divine king. The preacher further affirms the divine nature of the Son by quoting Psalm 102:25-27. God says of the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth. . . you are the same and your years will never end.” Son was the agent of creation and shares the eternal nature of his Father. At the end of his sermon, the preacher will remind us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:7). The angels are messengers, but the Son is king.
The third contrast recognizes angels as God’s servants are sent to serve those who will inherit salvation while the Son sits at the right hand of God. These spirits participate in the divine leitourgous (service) as they minister (diakonian) to the many sons and daughters of God who will share in the inheritance of the Son. The dignity of the Son is royal heir shared with his brothers and sisters, and the status of the angels are spirits in service to the Son and his siblings.
God has spoken through the prophets, including through the Torah mediated by angels. And now God has also spoken through the Son. Given the dignity, status, and function of the Son, his word is weightier than that which came through angels. If what was mediated by angels carried severe penalties, then surely the word of the Son will carry much more severe penalties.
In effect, yes, listen to the Torah. Obey the Prophets. And also, due to the Son’s dignity, status, and function, listen to the Son. Do not neglect the great salvation received through the Son, which was promised by the Torah and the Prophets. The Son is the heir of all things, including what was part of the promises of the Torah and the Prophets.
This salvation was first declared by the Son himself while he ministered upon the earth in the flesh. It was passed on and attested by those who heard him, that is, eyewitnesses. And this eyewitness testimony was further attested by signs and wonders, various miracles, and “by gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The preaching of the word of the Son was confirmed by God’s active works among the people who heard that word.
I don’t think this simply refers to miracles. In fact, the word “gifts” does not appear in the Greek text. It simply says, “of the Holy Spirit.” I think this more than charismata or extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. Rather, the Holy Spirit has been distributed among the co-heirs of the Son. Heirs are partakers of or participants in the Spirit (Hebrews 6:4 just as we have been partakers of the heavenly calling in Hebrews 3:1 and partners with Christ in Hebrews 3:14). The Father spoke through the Son and also poured out the Spirit upon the Son’s siblings for the sake of the message the Son brings.