Comments for May 30

v.10 - This is a slightly different comment from ch.15:63, which suggests that they were unable to drive out the Jebusites. This one simply says they didn't, though in both cases they are presented as simple facts, no value judgement being made for us. It was in the same passage in Numbers that told them to divide the land that they are told that they are to drive out all of the inhabitants of the land (33:52-55). They had the warning, and so do we. Let us heed it.

v.7 Jordan v.8 river Kanah. Continuing our theme of marking out the borders of the inheritance of the tribes the mention of rivers provides us with very clear and unambiguous markers. If we know where these rivers are then we can know for certain where the boundary was.

It is clear that, for all their faults, the people accepted the inheritance that God had given them. If only people these days would recognise that it is God who gives and God who takes away, so much war would be avoided.

16:1 The 'waters of Jericho' is not the Jordan - is it the spring referred to (2 Kings 2:19-22)

:2 Notice 'Bethel' and 'Luz' are separate towns by the time of Joshua though in Abraham's time Luz was the old name and Bethel the name that Jacob gave to the town (Genesis 28:19) Maybe the old inhabitants that did not want to be associated with Jacob moved out and built another city?

V.9 We see that the cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children Manasseh. This is repeated for us again in tomorrow's reading.Josh 17:9

The Ephraimites did not drive out the Canaanites.  So the Ephraimite religion was inevitably
watered down.  What a way to start their new life!  Everyone, in every town and village, should have
worshipped the Lord God, and their religion should have been their life.

Israel's clearing out the inhabitants of the Land is synonymous with our clearing out the evil and idolatry (worldliness) from our lives.  If we fail to divest ourselves of worldly influences, it is because we lack the will and faith.  Such was the case of Israel with the Jebusites (15:63), and the Canaanites (v.10). 

16       We might simply read through the place names of the border of the inheritances. However we can trace the border on a map by locating the major cities. Secondly would we be so casual abut the location of these place if we really believed that we were promised that land?

16:10 The sad picture of the Canaanites dwelling amongst the men of Ephraim actually is a characteristic of the time of the Judges – Judg 1:29

16:4      Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob but we take it for granted that both Ephraim and Manasseh are treated as separate tribes. So Benjamin, in the case of inheritance, is treated as the firstborn.

V.2 Bethel is a Hebrew name meaning House of God whereas Luz is a Canaanite name meaning almond. In Jacob’s time, Luz was the name of the town while Bethel was the pillar and altar Jacob built in the town‘s vicinity (Gen 28:18,19). Later, Ephraim destroyed Luz and built the town Bethel in its place (Judg 1:22-25).

V.4 Manasseh was the firstborn son of Joseph, but Jacob blessed Ephraim ahead of Manasseh (Gen 48:14-20).  Indeed the nation of Israel is called by the epithet Ephraim.  However, in territorial allotment, Manasseh’s territory (east and west) was far greater than that of Ephraim.  It was approximately four times larger.

Ignoring one small verse of scripture brings generations of repercussions

The Canaanites at Gezer (v10) were still around even at the time of Solomon. And even then, when the kingdom of Israel was at its height, Solomon engaged Pharaoh to come and destroy Gezer for him (1Kin 9:16). This Pharaoh did as a dowry for his daughter, Solomon's wife.

There is something fundamentally wrong with what went on here, and yet these things are hidden in just a few verses. We have to read between the lines and gather information from here and there. The verse in 1Kin 9:16 is just an aside... or is it?

God had said fundamentally, black and white, that he wanted the Canaanites destroyed (Deut 7:1-3). In v10 we see that this wasn't done. He also said fundamentally, black and white, that Israel were not to go back to Egypt in any way: specifically Kings were not to go there for horses (Deut 17:15-17). So we know that what went on here was a big deal to God. Israel and Solomon were diverging in a major way from God's wishes. In fact, all these disobeyed laws coincide and come to a head at Gezer. Solomon's marriage, paid for by Pharaoh's invasion of Gezer, was a diplomatic union between Egypt and Israel in order that horses and chariots might be bought from Egypt and sold at a profit by Solomon (1Kin 10:28-29). This we know because Gezer became a storage city for these goods (1Kin 9:17-19).

The price that Israel paid for ignoring God's little commandments was annihilation, since this union with Egypt started off the idolatrous path Solomon took, which ultimately degenerated to national rejection of the true God. How often do we ignore a seemingly small part of God's will, thinking it doesn't matter? Israel didn't think a few Canaanites mattered.

16:4  It is only said of the children of Joseph that ‘they took their inheritance’ implying that all the other tribes were compromised in some way.

16:4    The children of  Joseph were Ephraim and Manasseh – we should not presume that there are three separate tribes mentioned her. There are just two. Also half the tribe of Manasseh had already taken possession of their inheritance on the East of Jordan.

CLAN BY CLAN

As the territory of Ephraim was described in detail, it was introduced like this: "This was the territory of Ephraim, clan by clan." (Josh 16:5) This may seem like an insignificant little phrase, and is something we would normally pass over, but it points out a principle that is very important to God. Family.

In the description that follows, the writer does not list the clans of Ephraim, but the boundaries of the land. When he says, "This is the territory of Ephraim clan by clan," he is making the point that they stayed together in family groups, and in their family groups they lived along side of one another to support and help each other.

We live in a community that encourages us to do everything as individuals. We are taught to become independent rather than becoming a much stronger interdependent. As families and as groups of believers, we need to re-learn to live as communities and families again. It is this clan by clan, side by side attitude, that will help see us through the last days before Christ returns.

Are we really able to keep the faith all by ourselves? Under the pressure that will come, not likely. So let us support each other side by side until Jesus returns.

16:3  Whilst we may not recognise many of the places named as the inheritance is spelt out Gezer should strike a chord in our minds. Gezer was a store house of Solomon 1Kin 9:15

16:10  Joshua had smitten the king of Gezer – Josh 10:33 and clearly defeated him. However it seems that Israel did not capitalise on this victory for the city of Gezer is still in the control of the Canaanites. 

16:10   In telling us that the Canaanites were not driven out we see a lesson for ourselves. We are baptised into Christ but we do not rid ourselves of all the unacceptable things in our lives. As a consequence, as Israel found, those things get in the way of our spiritual development.

16:10   The idea of serving under tribute became a feature of the compromised settlement in the land in the days of the Judges. For exampleJudg 1:28,30,33,35

16:1     The inheritance of Joseph is divided between both Ephraim – Josh 16:5-10 - and Manasseh – Josh 17:1-11

16:9     The mention that the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer is seen in Judg 1:19– another overlap between the book of Joshua and the book of Judges

16:10 This sad picture us even sadder when we realise that Gezer was a city of the priests – indeed a city of refuge - 1Chron 6:67

16:9-10 We often find the tribe of Ephraim stressing their superiority and status. However they did not even deal with the inhabitants in their inheritance. We not infrequently see this. We see individuals who have all the answers for other people but have issues in their own lives which they do not address.

16:10 Gezer was both a city for the priests and a city of refuge. As such, we might think, it would have been a city that would be fought for with great gusto. However compromise was easier than faithful obedience.

Consequently the home for the priests and the refuge available to slayer was compromised. Of course that would not be appreciated until the need arose to use the facilities.

In like manner our tardiness on some matters might have unexpected unpleasant consequences at some time in the future, The  lesson is clear. We should deal with issue when they arise rather than compromising our position because that is an easier option.

16:2  We come across the waters of Jericho again – 2Kin 2:19-22– in the days of Elisha.

16:18 The nation, whilst still in the wilderness were being instructed as to how they should ensure that righteous judgment was implemented in the land by appointing judges throughout the land. This is exactly what good king Jehoshaphat did – 2Chron 17:7-9

16:2 The place name “Archi” is only found here but one of David’s faithful servants was an “Archite” – same word – 2Sam 15:32. Possibly an indication as to where this friend came from.

v.11 - We are constantly reminded to give God the glory for what we do, and, to turn it round, to do all to the glory of God. Isa.17:7, 31:1, Jer.33:2,3, Mic.7:7.

v.10 It is possible today to see the effects of Hezekiah breaking down houses. Hezekiah built what is called ‘The Broad Wall’ to protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the onslaught of the Assyrian army. This work is now excavated and visible in the Old City of Jerusalem. Further evidence of the truth of the Bible.

v.12-14 - Continuing from above, we see that the consequence of not giving God the glory is that we are rejected - God has to give us up to death - by not recognising His hand in all aspects of our lives, we sacrifice our salvation. Let us be careful never to say 'I have done this'. Let us place our confidence instead in the hands of God and recognise that in all we do, it is Him that has given us the power to perform.

22:22 'The key of the house of David' continues the theme of the promise of Isaiah 9:6,7 which we also saw in 16:5. Maybe we should list all the occasions when Isaiah speaks of things being done because of David and the promises

9:7 Throne of David
16:5 Tabernacle of David
22:22 Key of the house of David
37:35 Defend for David's sake
38:5 The God of David thy father
55:3 The sure mercies of David

God worked in Isaiah's day because of what he said to David.

:13 'let us eat … we shall die' are words that Jesus puts into the mouth of the 'fool' in the parable of the bigger barns (Luke 12:19) - so we see from the way that Jesus uses the words that the attitude in Israel at the time of the Assyrian invasion was one of complacency.

22:5 The day of trouble that Isaiah is speaking of is when the Assyrians were surrounding Jerusalem. Hezekiah had fortified the city (22:10-11) before that siege and now the prophet is warning the people that they do not have the faith that Hezekiah had.

V.23 "Nail" YATHED 3489 A stout peg, which was used to display articles of value or glory Zech 10:4 Christ will display the glory of His Father's house  

Vs.15-25  Shebna was head of Hezekiah's household.  However, he had used his position for self-aggrandisement at the expense of his master.  Yahweh was not pleased with him, pronounced a (future) punishment upon him, and replaced him with Eliakim.  The change had taken place by the time Rabshakeh came to threaten Jerusalem (Isa 36:3). 

Likewise, Judas sought to enhance himself at the expense of his master and was replaced.  Peter comments on this from the Psalms (Acts 1:20).  We too have a responsibility to be true to the master otherwise our place will be taken away. 

V.11 The people had laid up arms, repaired the walls, and secured the water supply. But, they had left the LORD out of the picture. They had no respect for the Maker and Fashioner of the tunnel, that is. God, who gave that supply of water as the Creator of the earth.

Today’s chapter is about Israel. There was to be a terrible destruction, but in the end Eliakim (one of Hezekiah’s leaders in 2Kin 18:17,18), will restore again the glory to Judah.  Eliakim obviously represents Jesus Christ.

22:23 The idea of there being a ‘nail’ is picked up by Ezra after the return from Babylon – Ezra 9:8

V.6 We read in Ezra 4:9 that Elam was a province of Persia. During the time of Sennacherib, Elam was subject to Assyria (2Kin 18:10) and assisted Assyria in battles. They were well known for their skill with the bow (Isa 13:18, Jer 49:35). It has been suggested that only the Ethiopians had greater skill with the bow.

22:25 The ‘nail’ in its ultimate fulfilment was to be Jesus – however in the short term the ‘nail’ lacked the strength to continually obey God’s word and so was removed.

22:15-16 it might have been thought that when the Assyrians were moving down the land of Israel building a sepulchre in the land might have been taken as an indication of Shebna’s faith – believing that despite the Assyrian invasion he would die in the land of Israel rather than be taken captive. However the response of the prophet indicates that Shebna’s motives were not at all honourable.

Vs.1-14 These verses are a prophecy against Jerusalem.

V.1 Jerusalem was in that valley as the city was surrounded by mountains (Psa 125:2; Jer 21:13). Houses had flat roofs in the Ancient Near East. They made great observation posts, in this case to look to see if the enemy had yet advanced on the city.

V.6 Elam, in the region of the Tigris, later became a province of the Persian Empire.  At this time it was under the control of Assyria.  The Elamites were famous for their expertise with the bow (Jer 49:35).  

Kir is an area occupied by present-day southern Russia and Georgia. Tilgath-pileser carried the Syrians there after he had defeated Damascus (Amos 1:5). They uncovered the shield – made ready for war as part of the infantry.

Vs.20-25 Eliakim was a type of Christ.  Yahweh replaced Shebna (defunct Judaism) with a righteous ruler (Jesus). Compare v.22 with Isa 9:6.

I agree with others here noting Eliakim was a type of Christ and the 'nail's' ultimate fulfilment was to have been Jesus. There may be a connection to Isa 22:22-23 in Rev 3:7.  Isa 22:5-6 - might this have any application to the last days?

Isa 22:13;1Cor 15:30-32.

22:13 Paul, by inspiration, likens those who deny the resurrection to those in Israel that Isaiah speaks of – see 1Cor 15:32

22:2   ‘stirs’ is shouting. Clearly the prophet is speaking of a city in chaos because of a threat from without.

Isa 22:12-13

“And in that day did the Lord GOD (Adonai Yahweh) of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: (saying) Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.”- E.W. Bullinger in Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. See also Ecc 8:15; 1Cor 15:32.

Having a good time and not caring about anything is what philosophers call “hedonistic nihilism.” The Epicureans whom Paul encountered on Mars Hill in Athens (Acts 17:18) adopted this philosophy of maximizing pleasure, and did not believe in fearing any of the gods. By the fifth century A.D. they died out, but were rediscovered in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as the Epicurean philosophy appeared consistent with modern secular science and today they would be known as Secular Humanists.

Like the Israelites who had gone spiritually bankrupt and belly up, we face the same dangers. We live in an entertainment-saturated society, and while most claim to believe in God, they act as if He has no claim on their lives, or have any obligations to serve Him! Even today’s churches are more about having a fun time and less study time and effort to the cause of Christ. Indeed, the entertainment and computer industries with all their I-gadgets focus on having a good time draining our time, and paint alluring pictures of all kinds of immoral behaviour without ever mentioning the consequences of such actions. When did we ever hear of a movie that encouraged us to be pure in thought and in conduct? They deceive the viewers into accepting this philosophy of “eat, drink and be merry: for tomorrow you die” - this phrase being used in ancient Rome by a Roman general parading through the streets of Rome during his victory celebration known as a “triumph.” This kind of mindset is truly based on the assumption we came from nothing, we will return to nothing, and so nothing matters, and unless we repent, or rethink this kind of mindset, we will surely perish (Luke 13:3)!

Those professing the name of Christ and covenanted with God and Christ must learn God’s way and follow Christ (John 10:27). If we are going to follow Christ, then we need to be aware of how God views the world, and we need to live by His world view, not ours. To believe in God means we are bound by His teachings, and for those who believe, or act otherwise, the apostle Paul has this stern warning as read in 1Cor 6:9-11.

22:9     Hezekiah is the one who had seen the “breaches” in the walls of the city of David. At the South of the walled area the city walls were not sufficient to ensure that the Assyrians would be kept out of the city. Here we have a comment on one aspect of Hezekiah’s preparations against the Assyrians.

22:11   In all his preparations to defend the city it seems that Hezekiah is being reproved by God through the prophet. One might have thought that making prudent preparations in the way that Hezekiah did was a sensible thing to do. However Hezekiah, it seems, lost his focus on God’s care at this time. After all walls and gates are not required if God is one’s deliverer.

A lifeline designed by God

There is an amazing reference in Isa 22:11:

"Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago."

Hezekiah's conduit, or tunnel, is a passage you can walk through today, going from the outer wall of the city at the Gihon Spring, to the inside of the city at the Pool of Siloam. It is half a kilometre long! This passage seems to be telling us that God had already prepared the geology of Jerusalem "long ago" for this feat to be accomplished. Why should this be the case? Well, Jerusalem is built on rock, which is not the easiest material to tunnel through! The theory is that God provided a natural fault line, or line of softer material, which the excavators followed. This is born out when you see a map of the 500m tunnel, which snakes its way underground, as if the diggers were just following the natural path wherever it led.

As for why Hezekiah made this tunnel, 2Kin 20:20 tells us it was to bring water into the city. It was this water that allowed them to survive the Assyrian siege.

22:12  We read in  2Kin 19:1 that on reading the letter from the king of Assyria that Hezekiah clothed himself with sackcloth. Maybe  the comment here that God called for the wearing of sackcloth indicates that Hezekiah had been told by God to put on the sackcloth. 

22:25    The use of the phrase ‘sure place’ echoes 1Kin 11:38 where Solomon speaks of the things that God had promised to him through David’s words.

1. Isa 22:1 - "valley of vision<2384>" (the valleys of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat surround Jerusalem to the south and east; plus in Isaiah's time the Tyropoeon Valley divided the city).

2. Isa 22:1-3 - "peace" celebrations where the godless people of Jerusalem rejoiced and indulged having wrongly thought the Assyrian invasion was bought off (2Kin 18:13-16) which echoes the last days when they will cry peace and safety (1Thess 5:3).

3. Isa 22:12-14 - Isaiah's condemnation of the prematurely optimistic celebrations.

4. Isa 22:9-14 (esp vs 13); 1Cor 15:32.

5. Isa 22:8-11 - Hezekiah's frantic preparations for the defense of Jerusalem to cope with the Assyrian threat.

6. Isa 22:8 -"the 'armour<5402>' of the 'house<1004>' of the forest" - built by Solomon within Jerusalem (1Kin 7:1-3).

7. Isa 22:9 - the City of David.

8. Isa 22:9,11 - Hezekiah's tunnel, sealing the upper pool water off and bringing it to the lower pool at Siloam (2Kin 18:17;2Chron 32:2-4).

9. Isa 22:4-7 - a prophetic vision of the coming siege of Jerusalem by Assyria.

10. Isa 22:4 - Isaiah and Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).

11. Isa 22:5 - Assyrians surrounding and besieging Jerusalem.

12. Isa 22:6 - "Elam<5867>" can mean "distant, hidden, eternity" an area of SW Iran (a providence east of Babylon); Elam had  been overrun by Sargon and it appears they were being recruited into the Assyrian forces as archery specialists, etc.
13. Isa 22:6 - "Kir<7024>" can mean "fortress or wall, etc."; Kir was a city to the Medes that was subject to Assyria (2Kin 16:9;2Kin 17:6) in Hezekiah's time; Kir is said to have been in the region of Southern Russia and Georgia; a population switch involving Kir and Syria (Amos 1:5;2Kin 16:1-9;Amos 9:7).

14. Isa 22:15-19 - Shebna (was he self righteous, proud, one who put himself first, an echo of Pharisaic vipers who distorted God's Word and  were opposed to Christ?) was to die in a foreign land (yet there would be rewards to strangers/foreigners and Eunuchs Isa 56:3-7).

15. Isa 22:20-25 - "Eliakim<471>" means "God raises, God sets up" and echoes Christ including the crucifixion with the  nail fastening to the cross (Zech 12:10); V.21 perhaps this means Christ will take over from the corrupt former rule which appears to be symbolized by Shebna; V.22 Christ will rule from the house of David (2Sam 7:12-16); V.23 it was customary to put keys on one's shoulder which in this case case represents keys to the millennial kingdom (Psa 9:6-7;Rev 3:7).

22:15 That Shebna built a sepulchre is not in doubt, an inscription from the very tomb has been found and is actually in the British Museum.

22:24   The way in which Isaiah speaks of the glory being hung  on the one of the house of David is re-presented – Zech 6:13 – to speak of the deliverer that God was going to provide called the “branch” in Zech 6:12

22:8    The mention of the armour of the house of the forest is an historical reference to what Solomon did -1Kin 10:17 / 2Chron 9:16

22:13  Shebna - :15-16 – lacked faith and so expected to die in Jerusalem so he was the one who said “let us eat and drink …”

22:9-12 Hezekiah did make preparations against the upcoming invasion of the Assyrians. |Clearly there was nothing wrong with that. He did gird himself with sackcloth 2Kin 19:1 – and yet God reproves him. You didn’t look to me, He says. But clearly Hezekiah did. So what was the problem. It would appear that the problem was the order in which Hezekiah did them. Whilst it seems he made preparation first then spoke to God he should have spoken to God first and then made preparation.

This is a lesson for us. Calling on God should not be the last thing we do. It should be the first before we make any plans ourselves to mitigate the problem we face.  

22:11  the way Isaiah spoke to Hezekiah here reflects on what he did – 2Chron 32:3 – where, it seems, he did not seek counsel from God.

22:15-17  One might have hoped that Shebna the scribe would have had the faith of Hezekiah. But no. He was assuming that the Assyrians would overwhelm Jerusalem and it was likely that he would die there. So he made himself a beautiful sepulchre!  Thankfully Hezekiah did not trust his scribe. Rather he trusted Yahweh.

Do we ever undermine the faith of others by our words and actions?

PLANNED BY THE LORD

Jerusalem is high up in the mountains of Israel. One of the good things about it was that it had its own spring just outside the city walls. But that was also a bad thing. If Jerusalem ever got closed up because of a siege, the water from the spring would sustain their enemies instead of the people of the city.

That was where one of Hezekiah's great successes lay. He diverted the spring by creating a tunnel and having the water flow into the city. Then he covered up the spring outside the city so that his enemies would not know where to find it. This was not some random great idea from the mind of Hezekiah. God planned the city. God planted the spring. And God probably inspired Hezekiah with the idea for the tunnel.

But the people didn't even think to give God the credit. He said, "You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago." (Isa 22:11).

Are there convenient or coincidental circumstances in our lives? Maybe (and quite likely) they are there because they have been planned and planted by God. Let's appreciate them and give thanks to God for them.

1 v.11,12 - Ch.12:27 emphasises this. One day those things which are not firm and sure will perish, but the believers will remain, and not wax old - i.e. live for ever. Rev.20:11.

Chapter 1 - This chapter emphasises the supremacy of Jesus after his resurrection. He is 'the express image' of God [1:3]. He is 'better than' angels [1:4]. This 'betterness' is emphasised first because the Apostle is writing to an audience who are tending to revert to the Law of Moses. The whole of the letter to the Hebrews is designed to counter this tendency.

Chapter 2 - This chapter focuses on the humanity of Jesus 'lower than the angels' [2:6-7] in order to explain the sacrifice of Jesus. Again this becomes a theme in Hebrews which shows that Jesus sacrifice is 'better than' all the animal sacrifices.

ch 1 - That Jesus is presented as a priest after the order of Melchisedec is so obvious in Hebrews. 1:3 'Majesty on high' - quoting Genesis 14:18 provides our first quotation in Hebrews linking the risen Christ with Melchisedec.

ch 2

The multiple quotations from Isaiah 8 show how the rebelliousness of Ahaz is typical of the rebelliousness of Israel in the first century - they ran the risk of missing the 'sign' and thus rejecting the salvation available through the risen Jesus.

1:8-9 The quotation from Psalm 45:6-8 here, in a chapter which speaks of the resurrected Jesus, shows us that Psalm 45 is a Psalm about the resurrection.

ch 2 - The multiple use of Psalm 8 in this chapter - see the list of quotations on the Bible Study papers Site - gives us an insight into the way in which the Holy Spirit expounds Scripture.

Heb 1:4. The fact that the Law was administered through the angels is mentioned four times in the New Testament. (Acts 7:38, Acts 7:53, Gal 3:19, Heb 2:2.) In showing Christ’s superiority over the angels, it shows that the new way is better than the old way. Here it states that Christ was made better than the angels, but in  Heb 2:7 it says that Christ was made a little lower than the angels, this was necessary because of sin, and that he had to suffer death. Christ was made a little lower than the angels, but when He overcame sin He was better than the angels.

 1:5 In linking Psa 2:7 'thou art ... thee' and 2Sam 7:14 'I will be ... a son' we are given New Testament authority to see Psalm 2 as speaking of Solomon as the promise to David also speaks of Solomon.

2:9 That Jesus was lower than the angels 'for the suffering of death' provides the simple reason for the humanity of Jesus. Any exposition of the nature of Jesus which minimises his humanity - 'like unto his brethren' (Heb 2:17) mars the Bible explanation of the sacrificial work of Jesus.

1:2 Understanding the humanity of Christ is necessary to make meaning of the atonement.  Those who proclaim that this verse proves the pre-existence of Christ (in a triune Godhead) miss the mark. 

The phrase which they cling to is: by whom also he made the worlds. Worlds conveys ages and not physical entities (the NIV unfortunately translates worlds as universe).  Therefore, Jesus was present (via promise initially) through all ages, beginning with Gen 3:15  He was made heir of all things by appointment from His Father (1:2). Therefore, He could not have been physically present from the beginning.

Trinitarians overlook subsequent verses which clearly state that Jesus was a man (2:7,9,17). These negate their understanding of His nature and sacrifice which makes their worship of non-effect.  

1:3  Majesty on High is how the God that Melchisedec worshipped – Gen 14:18. Most fitting as Jesus ‘sat down’ as a priest ‘after the order of Melchisedec’ Heb 5:6.

2:1 ‘Therefore’ marks the fact that given that Jesus is the risen Messiah listening to him is the only logical reaction to those fact. Very pertinent when writing to Jews who wanted to revert to observing the law of Moses.

It is not clear who wrote Hebrews.  Many suggestions have been made, including Paul.  However, the style of writing, in part, is not Paul's which raises a caution that he might not be the writer.  The Old Testament quotations were taken from the Septuagint.  This suggests that the target audience resided outside the land of Israel.  Some have surmised that the epistle was addressed to those in Rome: those being Jews rather than Gentiles (hence the title of the letter).  The date of writing is probably the mid-60's AD.   

Heb 2:1 "...so that we do not drift away..  Drifting is very subtle, & if there is no anchor, the boat will drift far away, perhaps even on to rocks - what is our anchor? Heb 6:19  Are we securely attached to the anchor? - we can't wait until the advent of a storm to check. We may feel that life is going well & we feel secure, and then suddenly a storm hits us, & the waves & wind are threatening us. Drifting also implies aimlessness - we need to make sure we have a focus & actively work in Gods service. Is He the one at the wheel of our lives, directing us in the way we should go?

1When comparing Hebrews 1 and Hebrews 2 we see that Hebrews 1 stresses the exalted status of the risen Jesus whilst chapter 2 focuses on the reason why Jesus had to be ‘lower than the angels’. Many that would teach 1that Jesus existed in heaven before his birth use Hebrews 1 to support their view. Once the change in his status after the resurrection is understood this chapter is clearly seen to contradict such a view as it talks about the risen Christ.

1:1-4 The writer to the Hebrews shows his high regard for the Scriptures by stating without reservation that God is the author of his revelation. God spoke in the past, and has now spoken in His Son. Because it is God who has spoken, no one ought to question the authority of His written Word. God has spoken last of all in His Son.

God Who spoke to the prophets, has now, in these last days, spoken to us through Jesus. This Jesus Christ is God’s only Son. He is the express image of His person (Heb 1:3). That last phrase means that Christ is the imprint or mark left by God. The impression left by the die or tool. Christ shows us the Father.

1:2      These ‘last days’ are the end of the Mosaic order of things. It is, therefore, a hint to the fact that the words of Jesus in the Olivet Prophecy – Matt 24, Luke 21– are about to be fulfilled.

1:2 Trinitarians look at this verse and claim that Jesus (one of the units of a triune God) made the worlds (taken to be all things in the universe over all periods of time). The word worlds is translated from the Greek aion which means age. The preposition by (in the phrase by whom) comes from the Greek word dia which can also mean for. And so, we can read this verse with the sound understanding that God (the one and only Deut 6:4) created all things with His son, Jesus, in mind. Jesus could not pre-exist His own birth - that would be a contradiction.

1:10 The quotation from Psa 102:25‘Thou Lord ... hast laid the foundations of the earth’ is not a reference to God creating the earth, nor is it speaking or Jesus being present at the creation of the world. Rather the beginning’ is the beginning of the new creation – the church – which Jesus commenced with his resurrection from the dead.

The Greek preposition 'dia' can only mean 'for' when followed by a noun or pronoun in the Accusative Case. In verse 2 it is followed by the pronoun in the Genitive Case. So it cannot mean 'for whom'.

aionas in the NT usually means 'eternity', not the 'worlds' of the AV.

Therefore I would suggest the translation should be ' Through whom he also made eternity'. He did indeed provide Mankind with the hope of eternity.

Heb 2:14 First Principles>The Devil
1. This verse tells us two things about the devil.
    1. Jesus destroyed the devil through his death. Heb 9:26 gives "devil" as equivalent to "sin".
    2. The devil has the power of death. Rom 5:12 and Rom 6:23 tell us that "devil" is equivalent to "sin". A further comparison is given in this table:
 

    also see 1John 3:8.
2. The devil is not a supernatural person - go to John 6:70
3. The source of the temptation - go to James 1:14
4. Uses of Diabolos in Scripture - see below
5. Uses of Satan in Scripture - The Hebrew word is adversary - no evil significance.
    1. Translated in Scripture -go to 1Sam 29:4
    2. Used in Scripture - go to 1Chron 21:1
6. The devil, satan and ourselves. The greatest adversary we have to face is ourselves Rom 6:12, James 4:7. We must resist sin.
First Principles> For other First Principle topics go to Acts 8:12.

1:1 God clearly shows how He communicates with humankind (Amos 3:7).  Therefore, nobody can claim to know about, even less have a relationship with, God unless they read His Word (the Bible) and understand His message.  

v1 Divers manners

In the Old Testament we can broadly say that the LORD spoke through angels in Genesis, then through His servant Moses, then through Joshua, then through the priesthood and finally through His prophets. The structure of Hebrews seems to be built on this. The aim of the writer is to show how the gospel message is better because God has spoken to us in a son. It is God’s ultimate revelation, the message of “so great a salvation”.

2:14  Probably the most powerful Scripture that shows that the ‘devil’ is the fleshly desire in our hearts rather than a supernatural being is this verse. All that Jesus ‘destroyed’ was the desire to sin.

In 1:4 we read that Jesus inherited the family name of God. But he was not born with it, as is shown in 1:3-4 with the words "become, obtained, inheritance". All these are a process. The promise of the same relationship being available to us, is made in 1:14 "inherit salvation". Chapter 2 emphasises this by confirming that sonship with Jesus is available (2:10-11) again presented as a process: "are being sanctified".

So the lesson here is that, just as Jesus was born capable of sin and had to be made perfect through a process, so do we. And it is this process we have to be careful not to reject when the going gets tough (see 2:3, 12:15-16). Remember Jesus is there to help (2:16-18).

2:14     He also himself likewise echoes the sentiments expressed by Paul in Rom 6:11. The threefold emphasis should counter any thought that Jesus in any way did not share our nature fully.

1:3      ‘sat down on the right hand ...’ quotes Psa 110:1 A Psalm which has already been used – Acts 2:34- in the preaching of the apostles to speak of the supremacy of Jesus. As Hebrews is written to the church in Jerusalem it may well be that some who received the letter actually heard Peter expound the Psalm this way.

DRIFTERS

It is not just people leaving, walking out, losing their faith, having arguments or personality clashes that is the big problem with departing from the Way, it is drifting. We can see and deal with arguments (not always very well), we can help when people question their faith, we can be there to help solve problems if people suddenly walk out disgruntled, but when people drift, we tend not to notice until too late.

It will start with personal things - Bible reading and prayer. Then they will start missing the occasional meeting with other believers - usually with good excuses to back them up; then more meetings, and other contact with believers; and before we know it, they, or we, have drifted right away from life in Christ. And because it has happened so gradually, we probably hardly noticed.

The writer to the Hebrews gives us the antidote to this: "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away." (Heb 2:1) It can easily happen to any one of us. So let us pay more careful attention to God's word. If we have stopped reading it, let's start again and reverse the process. We need to pay attention to what we read and listen to God as he speaks to us through it. Persevere at it. Let's avoid the drift and stay faithful to our God.

1:1    ‘diverse manners’ generalises on the way in which God spoke in the past. The prophet – Hos 12:10 - delineates those ways. God had ‘spoken’ given ‘visions’ and ‘used similitudes’ We might consider examples of each of these ways.

 Heb 2:13.

 It looks on first glance like there's a kind of "mixing of metaphors" with believers being called "brethren" of Jesus' (Heb 2:11,12) and "children" of his (v. 13). Are both of these concepts true as related to Jesus and his true believers? Explain.

Due to the bigness of Jesus in God's plan of salvation, it should not be thought of as that unusual that there is a mixing of metaphors with him. Even in ch. 3:1 he's called the apostle (literally: one sent) and high priest whom we confess. And he is said to be greater than Moses, as a builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.

But getting back to the original question, the point about Jesus having a number of brethren shows among other things that he had the exact same nature as the brethren he came to save (Heb 2:14). And therefore as a merciful and faithful high priest was and is in a specially favorable condition to help those who are being tempted, since he himself was tempted as they were (Heb 2:18).

The idea of his also being a spiritual "father" to that same group of believers is actually found quite often in both Old and New Testaments. In the famous prophecy of Isa. 53:10 after any number of prophetic statements about his sufferings and death, we're told "though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand." This offspring will include the many he will justify, having borne their iniquities (v. 11).

Also in Psa. 22:31 after writing detail after detail of his seed's sufferings and sacrifice, David sees his future seed's spiritual children. "A posterity shall serve him. It will be recounted of the LORD to the next generation."

And these ideas about Jesus all also tie in to the new creation language seen so often in the New Testament where Jesus is referred to as a Creator of a new creation in him - patterned after God's own creation as described in Gen. 1 & 2. Here are a few examples of this language -

Eph. 2:8-10. "For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith - and his not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Eph. 4:22-24. "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and toput on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Col. 1:15,16. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him."

2 Cor. 5:17. "Therefore,if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

By the way, the first 18 verses of John's gospel (John 1:1-18) may best be understood as John's discourse on Christ being the creator of this spiritual creation in him. But that will have to be for another time, since I've gone on long enough as it is.

2:4     “according to His own will” forces the point that God had a plan and was working it out, despite the way in which the Jews resisted Jesus during his ministry and the preaching of the apostles after his resurrection. It echoes the sentiment of Peter – Acts 2:23 - where Peter asserts that Jesus’ death was “of God”

2:17   Two quotations in this verse link the work of Jesus with the work of the priest on the day of atonement.  Jesus was of the same nature as the people he came to save. In like manner the priests in  Israel had to be of their own nation – Num 18:2 and on the day of atonement “made reconciliation for the sins of the people”  Lev 16:24. A very powerful argument to present to the priests who believed in Jerusalem – Acts 6:7

1:13       The rhetorical question about whether Psalm 110:1 spoke of angels is the beginning of a number of times Psa 110 is used in Hebrews to emphasise the superiority of the risen Jesus over the Law of Moses.

2:10    In describing Jesus as “captain” – we are being directed to think of Isa 55:4 where the context is an invitation to the priceless offer of salvation associated with the promises to David.

Heb 2:7

“Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands.”

Many Bible translators have mistranslated Psa 8:5, which is here quoted by the writer of Hebrews. They translate angels, Hebrew, elohim (plural), as God, Godhead, Divine, less than God, less than Divine, You, Yourself, etc. and in so doing not only is it a lie, but contradicts the Bible! It feeds into the Trinity and the pre-existence of Christ made lower for a while in taking on human flesh for the purpose of suffering - the immortal becoming mortal (cf. v. 9)!

https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Psalm%208%3A5/

In Adam Clarke’s commentary, ANALYSIS OF THE EIGHT PSALM, he writes: “In giving thy Son to take upon himself human nature, and to die…” In making him, fallen and wretched as he is, lord of thy creatures…” Please read my notes on 1John 5:7, June 18^th entry.

Angels, as used in this verse, was so understood by the writer, believed to be the apostle Paul. He used the Greek word “aggelos” # <32> to translate elohim, and so written in the Septuagint.

In this day and Age, perhaps unlike any other, we need to be very discerning because these translators, while purporting to defend the Bible out of one side of their mouth attack it out of the other. By translating Psa 8:5 one way and Heb 2:7 (a direct reference to Psa 8:5) differently, err and create contradictions in the Bible which simply do not exist! It puts them on very dangerous ground and all those who hear them, no matter how much they claim to be defenders of the Bible. This principle refers to other passages misinterpreted due to lack of understanding and lack of discerning the Holy Spirit inspired Word. May it not be that any of us be destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos 4:6). We need to be reading, reading, and studying the Word every day. How tragic to find brethren/sisters through the years no more knowledgeable in the Word than they were when they were first baptized!

Heb 1:1

“GOD who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things…” (1611 KJV)

Yahweh worked providentially through the centuries to preserve His word. The prophets spoke by command of Yahweh (Exo 20:22; Jer 27:7; Eze 2:7), the apostles spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2Tim 3:16), and Paul mentions he also spoke by permission (1Cor 7:6, cf. v. 25). Paul’s judgments, or opinions were based on his having the Spirit of God, and are the commandments of and word of the Lord, (cf. John 14:26; John 16:12,13; 1Cor 7:40; 1Cor 14:37; 1Thess 4:15). Paul, by the Spirit, revoked Ezra 10:3, and directly commanded a believer not to separate from an unbeliever if the unbeliever is pleased to stay in the marriage.

There is no question to the totality of the Bible’s Divine inspiration, and where this is recognized, there will be no question as to the infallibility of what was said and recorded be they the prophets or apostles.

Heb 1:13,14

“But to which of the angels said he at any time… Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

People have always been fascinated with angels. The word conjures up images of winged, harp-playing, halo-endowed beings romping around on clouds. Numerous legends, myths, clichés, and amalgamations were invented around angels. These and other misconceptions of angels only blur the purpose for which Yahweh created angels.

People swung from the gross mysticism of the Dark Ages to the Age of Enlightenment during the 17 and 18^th C. Their rationalism failed in answering the meaning of life, failed to fill the emptiness of man’s heart, and the futility of his pursuits have given rise again to an interest in the mystical. Rather than turning to the Word of Yahweh, they seek answers by swinging pendulums, the Ouija board, conjure up spirits, dismiss Yahweh’s angels, and relegate spiritual life to a little more than that which occurs upon a yoga mat!

Angels is the Greek word, angelos, and means “messengers” – one who execute the purpose and will of Yahweh. The context in this verse indicates they are not human messengers, but heavenly beings.

What is their purpose and who are the heirs of salvation? The following few verses supply the answer:

Gen 19; 22:11,12; 32; Exo 3:2; Judg 6; 13; Matt 1:20-25; 28:2-7; Luke 1:26-38; Rev 5 -  22.

Heb 2:6,7

“What is man that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels…”

Angels are spiritual beings created (bara) by God to serve and worship Him (Psa 148:1-5). Created is # <1254>, bara, “to create (creator).” (cf. Psa 103:20,21; Matt 4:10,11; Heb 1:14). Only Yahweh can create something out of nothing! As created beings, they had a beginning (cf. John 1:3; Col 1:16). Only Yahweh is Omnipotent – all-powerful; Omnipresent – all-present; Omniscient – all-knowing. The angels had a beginning and were in existence in the creation of the earth and universe - “in the beginning” (Gen 1:1; Job 38:4,7). The Genesis creation deals solely with the physical creation of the world, not the spiritual. The angels were not created during Creation of the physical or corporal universe.

Mankind and Christ are physical beings, created lower than the angels. Man was created and formed from the dust of the ground. In the Genesis record, Yahweh created (bara) and used the dust of the earth to form (yatsar) Adam, then used Adam’s rib to fashion (banah) Eve. There is a big difference between creating, forming and fashioning, as described in Gen 2. (Please read my notes on Gen 3, Jan 2). Humans, along with all the beasts, were created and formed/shaped (Gen 2 cf. Isa 45:9; Rom 9:20-23, but for the angels in heaven, we have the record that they were created (Psa 148:1-5; cf. Col 1:16). In the account read in Psa 148 in which the angels are included in all of creation, the word formed is left out. Scripture includes both created and formed elsewhere, where angels are not mentioned!

When did the angels have their beginning? We are not told. If they were once human, they would have had sin in the flesh. If so, then how did they obtain their immortality? The Bible says the only human that did not commit sin is Christ (cf. Ecc 7:20; 1Pet 2:21,22). What was their atonement to immortality? Did these once human angels live in another creation world? Who did they descend from? A finite human being cannot exist out of space and time, yet the angels existed before the creation of space and time! Was there space and time before Creation? Any answers to any of these questions would be merely speculations and illogical, adding to what has not been revealed and negating what has.

As to the argument that Yahweh created angels as robots with no free will is actually what the churches deny and invented the devil and his fallen angels. They made a bad choice, but where the churches go amiss is that while our free will is directly linked to our choices, as with Adam and Eve, our choices are also limited to what is in keeping with our physical nature. We cannot fly across a bridge, but we can walk or run across it. The angels are spiritual beings and not limited to free will, which is limited by the natural, and even so, it does not carry with it the idea that we can do anything we please.

The Bible reveals death entered after Adam and Eve sinned, and death, the last enemy, will be destroyed by Christ, the firstfruits (1Cor 15:23-27). Christ tasted death for everyone of faith (cf. Heb 2:9), but obviously not for the angels, they are immortal beings and being immortal, cannot sin or die.

1:3      When the record says “word of his Power” we are reminded of Ecc 8:4 which speaks of words having power because they are voiced by a king.

2:9    having spoken of the exalted status of the risen Jesus we taken back to reflect that there was a time when angels had a higher status – “lower than the angels”. The journey that Jesus took is the journey we will take to immortality. Jesus has shown us the way – total obedience to his Father’s words.

The whole of the letter

The letter to the Hebrews is the only letter in the whole of the New Testament which addresses the priesthood of Jesus. The letter, it seems, was sent to the believers in Jerusalem where many priest were obedient to the gospel – Acts 6:7. So of all the Christian groups in the first century they would have been in the greatest need for the priesthood of Jesus to be explained. Clearly all other believers accepted that the risen Jesus was the high priest now. But these Jewish priests needed it proving beyond doubt from the Old Testament scriptures.

2:13 How does the quotation, “I will put my trust in Him”, one of three cited, prove that “he is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb. 2:11)? Paul wrote: “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9). Christ too “had the sentence of death” and so he too had to trust that God would raise him from the dead. The need for this trust was evidence that he was mortal and hence like his brethren.

The whole of the letter

The letter to the Hebrews is the only letter in the whole of the New Testament which addresses the priesthood of Jesus. The letter, it seems, was sent to the believers in Jerusalem where many priest were obedient to the gospel – AActs 6:7. So of all the Christian groups in the first century they would have been in the greatest need for the priesthood of Jesus to be explained. Clearly all other believers accepted that the risen Jesus was the high priest now. But these Jewish priests needed it proving beyond doubt from the Old Testament scriptures.

Heb 1:1,2

GOD… spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son…”