Hebrews Chapter 1: Jesus the More Excellent Way
Before we take a peek at Hebrews Chapter 1, keep in mind that Jewish Christians contemplated returning to Judaism. That meant slipping back to rituals such as sacrificing animals (as one example of religion).
Jesus dying an agonizing death but resurrecting gloriously meant Jews and Gentiles have open access to God’s throne room.
Transitioning into truth was hard to do. Since Hebrews was written sometime prior to AD 70, Jesus had already died for sin and sickness. Old religious activities should be a thing of the past.
I’m guessing, they weren’t.
Because Jesus was the final sacrifice, He gave believers new life. As noted in Hebrews Chapter 1, Jesus is superior to angels, Moses and priests. Even so, the author of Hebrews is compelled to wake up people to this truth. Obviously, they slid away from Jesus. This Hebrews 1 bible study sheds light on why.
Hebrews Chapter 1: Verses 1-7 Summarized by Betsy Wise
1:1: In the Old Testament, God speaks to His people by prophets.
1:2: Now God speaks through His Son. God promises everything to His Son as an inheritance who made everything in the universe.
1:3: Jesus reflects everything about His Father. He commands the universe to sustain it. Jesus enters into God’s rest once He cleanses us from sins by his sacrificial death. He sits down beside God, on the right-hand side.
1:4: Jesus is much, better than angels and His Name, Jesus, given to Him by His Father – is also more excellent.
1:5: God never said to angels, “You are My Son and I am your Father”, or “I am His Father and He is My Son”.
1:6: When God presented His Son to the world (at Jesus’ birth), God told the angels to worship Him.
1:7: God ordained angels to minister spiritually as flames of fire.
Thank you Lord!
God is not silent. God spoke before Jesus and after Jesus. The two are closely entwined—they are one. This mystery of separate God(s) rolled into one appears in Hebrews when Jesus sits down beside God, The Father. Even though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 1, He is one of three Gods comprising the Trinity.
God reveals His heart in verses 1-7. He is a God we should listen to. He doesn’t want to blare past us so we fear what He says. God wants us to take Him seriously. As Hebrews 1 in the MEV translation states, “in diverse ways God spoke long ago”.
The word “diverse ways” means God doesn’t settle on one way to reach our hearts. Those ways might include visions, dreams or angels sent to awaken us spiritually.
Hebrews Chapter 1: Verses 8-14 Summarized by Betsy Wise
1:8: However, His royal Son reigns in righteousness eternally.
1:9: Jesus hates what is wrong and loves what is right. God anointed Jesus with more joy than anyone else.
1:10: Using His own hands, Jesus laid out everything about the earth: the foundation and the heavens.
1:11: Everything else wears out, but God remains.
1:12: God will roll up the whole earth and everything in it like an old coat; however He doesn’t change or fade.
1:13: God never instructed an angel to sit at his right hand like He did His Son, Jesus. He told Jesus to sit in honor beside Him because God would humble Jesus’ enemies causing Jesus’ feet to rest upon them.
1:14: Angels are servants, nothing more. God sends them to care for those who receive salvation.
The Main essage of this Hebrews Chapter 1 Bible Study
The triune God doesn’t change. During creation, all three had people in mind. We can only speculate on the creation of the Milky Way or crafting the wings for hummingbirds and bumblebees.
The divine work of creation was for us. In fact, scientists marvel at the secrets left to discover in the universe. When believers look up and around, they see God everywhere.
These lovers of Jesus describe Him well:
Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us. Andrew Murray
Jesus is the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5) and the Lamb of God (Rev. 5:6) – He was lionhearted and lamblike, strong and meek, tough and tender, aggressive and responsive, bold and brokenhearted. He sets the pattern for manhood. John Piper
How was it that, even in the common tasks of an ordinary life, Jesus drew the praise of heaven? At the core of His being, He only did those things which pleased the Father. In everything, He stayed true, heartbeat to heartbeat, with the Father’s desires. Jesus lived for God alone; God was enough for Him. Thus, even in its simplicity and moment-to-moment faithfulness, Christ’s life was an unending fragrance, a perfect offering of incomparable love to God. Francis Frangipane
The Book of Hebrews Stresses the Importance of Jesus
Hebrews 1 clearly states that God brings the Jewish nation to repentance and deliverance from a religion of duty and obligation. They can now have a personal relationship with Jesus. Likewise, the magnificence of angels does not trump the importance of Jesus.
We too, with spiritual ears, can believe that Jesus speaks to our hearts, minds and spirits. We can depend on Him to stay near us in every situation regardless of what we see. All things will pass away but God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit remain. They are the constants in our lives. We are their listening audience.
The Book of Hebrews recognizes Old Testament prophets as God’s mouthpieces. Transitioning from the Old to the New Testament meant that Jesus became the mouthpiece. His message was superior to anything the prophets spoke. Even current-day true prophets point to a relationship with Jesus Christ as paramount to life.
With any study of the Book of Hebrews, listen to the message which is about the superiority of Jesus, The Messiah, and not who wrote it (some people get hung up on that). He is the source of light for believers. The Book of Hebrews encourages Christians to keep pressing on in faith because Jesus completed the work.
Jesus IS The Gospel message.