Hebrews 1 – New International Version
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”[a]?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”[b]?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[c]
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”[d]
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”[e]
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”[f]
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”[g]?
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
- Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
- Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
- Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
- Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
- Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1
- First Impression?
Answer: I liked how this teaches us a method to study and learn from the bible. Others liked the topic of differentiating between God, Jesus, man, and angels.
- Rhetorical Question – Why?
Answer: It is just a literary tool the author choses to use. If you studied the scriptures from birth, this should all be easily understood, right?
- What is special about the Father Son relationship? How is it different from a Mother Daughter, Father Daughter, Mother Son? Why is everything male centric?
Answer: The short answer is these verses were targeted to a culture that existed in that day and had well known biases that were easily used to teach. Our culture is different, so we have to study a little more to get it. Note the lesson is not about the difference between the culture of today and the culture in which the book was written.
- Let them worship Him. Why is this even a statement?
Answer: Only worship of God is allowed. This command is elevating Christ to the level of God. It signifies the inherent difference between Him and everyone else, even while He was man.
- Are Angels and Servants the same? What is the idea behind being spirits and/or flames of fire?
Answer: I believe this verse is saying the angles are servants and differentiating them from the fleshly limits of man, and at the same time differentiating them from God. They might be visibly dazzling with flames, but it is not the inherent radiance that Moses saw of God Himself.
- Who are the companions and what is the oil of joy?
Answer: I believe the companions are man as opposed to angels and while Christ is over all, the specific piece here is the difference between the angles and men and Jesus. Oil of joy is beyond me right now, but I would guess it is a reference to how people would oil their faces when fasting to appear as though they were not suffering and here is eliminating sorrow.
- The earth and the heavens will be changed like a garment. How does this help you view them?
Answer: Everything we see in not eternal, and this mindset allows us to focus on the eternal, not on the perishable.
- What is the deal with the righthand and what happens afterwards?
Answer: Again we are speaking into the culture of the times where the king or lord was not out doing everything, but had a trusted servant acting with all his authority who sat at his right hand during “court”. Christ was/is acting as God’s servant. He will eventually be fully God and sit in the actual throne after His second coming.
- Again with the rhetorical? How does this ministering work?
Answer: The main point of discussion was that the angels are again not to be worshiped and are indeed here to serve God by serving us.
One of the big topics of the day was how it was beneficial to study in order to prepare us to interact with others who do not understand or who have a different understanding. Without this basis we can go down the wrong path or not prevent others from doing so. Scripture is important and the study of it is also.