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Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 2:1-2) Pt. 7

Grip Docility

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Continued from Hebrews It! (Legal Study, Chapter 1:8-Chapter 1 completion) Pt. 6

Here we are! It only took 13 short OPs to prep and cover Chapter 1, the foundation of Hebrews! Just kidding, the OP's were long and contain quite a bit! We made it through Chapter 1! Now, we are entering chapter 2.

2:1 We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.

13 OPs in and there is no doubt that chapter one is about 1 thing and one thing, only. JESUS! The entire opening salvo of Hebrews is a very specific discussion about JESUS. Now, at Chapter 2, there is no mistake, The opening words tell us not to drift away. Drift away from what? JESUS!
2:2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,
Acts 7:53 You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”
Galatians 3:19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary
We now have 2 verses that verify that the Law, though Given by God to Moses, was actually UNDER the DIRECTION of Angels and Put in place THROUGH angels. Don't forget this, because it's super important to remember in light of the fact that some "Angels" aren't what we would call, good angels.
We are going to unearth a matter. What is this Torah that is being discussed? How much of Torah is this discussing?
Let's evaluate Torah it's very self.
Deuteronomy 4:1 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
Okay, so this is Moses making an opening statement that is extremely important. After much wandering and struggling, throwing the first Stone Tablets down, because the Israelites are worshiping Ba' al in idol form and all sorts of very important adventures... Moses is transmitting "THE COMMANDS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD". This is where us, the reader prepares to understand what TORAH (THE LAW) encompasses. Not only does Moses prepare us, the reader to know what THE COMMANDS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD will be, but HE specifies not to ADD or SUBTRACT from what he is about to identify as TORAH.
In our minds, the reader, we will now think of a bookshelf and start laying scrolls on the bookshelf of what this Law IS.
Deuteronomy 4:11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
Moses has now ensured that the 10 commandments are discussed and added quite a bit of oddity to his speech. It was most assuredly God that Moses spoke to from BLACK CLOUDS AND DEEP DARKNESS, Out of FIRE... fire... fire... Hebrews 1:7 And about the angels; He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame,
Well, this is odd! Was God surrounded by Angels the entire time that He was leading Israel out of Egypt, always, to this very point? Why are their biblical BLACK CLOUDS AND DEEP DARKNESS evoked at this point of the Giving of the LAW? Why is the very giving of the Law connected to DARKNESS? This is really bizarre! Now, to speculate that FIRERY angels were part of all of this would normally be ridiculous... but Hebrews 1:7 went out of it's way to prime our minds for this passage! Here it is! So, in the OT, did God have any indication of being present with Angels? Well, God showed up with 2 angels when he visited Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah. But... an entire ARMY of Angels surrounding Him?​
"The name "Lord of hosts" appears in the Old Testament of the Bible 261 times, first in 1 Samuel 1:3. The name is a translation of the Hebrew word sabaoth, which means "armies" and refers to the angelic armies of heaven. "Lord of hosts" is another way of saying "God of the armies of heaven".​
Well, then... so... um... we didn't just see GOD in the OT, but we get to see Him where He is surrounded by a cloud or pillar of fire. Not just that, but it IS God surrounded by ANGELS in the Books of Moses at these Cloud and Pillar of fire moments. This is kind of a WOW point... and it's very interesting, because this reframes the ENTIRE STONE COVENANT!​
We better proof this with one of the most amazing New Testament passages about the Old Testament and the Children of Israel.​
1 Corinthians 10:1 Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.​
This verse is one of the BIG reveals that Jesus is indeed... GOD. This verse matches the distinct wording that Hebrews begins with. "Hebrews 1:1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers..." These fathers were "Under the Cloud", "Baptized" into Moses IN THE CLOUD and in the sea", "Ate the Bread from Heaven (Mana... what is it)", and "Drank from a spiritual rock" <- All stop! Let's check that rock statement against our other Translations;
(HCSB) Drank from a spiritual rock
(MSG) They drank from the Rock
(CJB) for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock
(NLT) For they drank from the spiritual rock
We are going to go with the CJB and the NLT for a ROCK SOLID combo.
"The Spirit-Sent Rock"
And... THAT ROCK WAS JESUS CHRIST!
So, now it comes to it... God,, the very Shekinah Glory within the tabernacle MOST HOLY of Holies was surrounded by Angels! During the day, these angels surrounded the very Glory of God as a Bright Cloud. At night, these angels were a Pillar of Fire!
Now we know why the Author of Hebrews dropped this verse in chapter 1
Hebrews 1:7 And about the angels; He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame,
Isn't Scripture AMAZING! We didn't go to a single Commentary and here we are... seeing something PROFOUND!
We were initially reading what the very word Torah means. Deuteronomy 4 is Moses now fully revealing what God desires the giving of the 10 commandments to mean, along with all other Laws. Did Moses leave the 10 (Decalogue) out of the book shelf?
Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
Here is the exact word COVENANT! This is the official revelation of what is contained within the Old Covenant! This is it! This is Moses dispensing the OLD COVENANT or First Covenant.​

3 It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.
Wow! So the Covenant of Stone is enacted at this very point within scripture. It is now specifically to Israel and not Abraham! Here's a little bit of biblical information that tends to stump people. Abraham was a Semite. (Descendant of Shem). Abraham was NOT a HEBREW. Jacob was Isaac's Son. Jacob was not a HEBREW until the very day that He wrestled with GOD. Jacob was a Semite, but not a HEBREW, until his Name was changed to ISRAEL. The HEBREW nation was born the very day that Jacob became Israel.​
Jacob is the prophetic revelation of the OLD Covenant.​
Israel had 12 sons! This seems like a prophetic number! Can you think of anyone that walked the streets of the LAND OF JACOB and had a number of 12? Isn't Scripture Amazing?!?!​

4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
So, when we see the Shakina Glory speaking from within the FIRE from this passage, the FIRE isn't the Shakina Glory? Nope. God is purposefully speaking through angels! Maybe He's trying to tell us something?​

6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Oh man, this is HEAVY! this is usually the exact words that PRECEED the STONE 10! Do they go on the First (OLD) Covenant Shelf?​
Let's Count them!​

I (7 “You shall have no other gods before me.)

II (8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.)

III. (11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.)

IV. (12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.)

I wonder if this one will come up later? I might be mildly important to NOT forget the Context of Chapter 1 and the INITIAL WARNING contained within Chapter 2:1 of Hebrews.​

V. (16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.)

VI. (17 “You shall not murder.)

VII. (18 “You shall not commit adultery.)

VIII. (19 “You shall not steal.)

IX. (20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.)

X. (21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”)


22 These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

23 When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. 24 And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. 26 For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? 27 Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”
Has it dawned on anyone what Fire represents in scripture? It consumes. It is a sign of Judgment. God is Giving a LAW made of Stone and Fire separates us from HIM, over and over and over in all of these passages of MOSES.​
And... another thing... Why does the FIRE only come at NIGHT? Darkness really seems to be a push in all of this! It was to SEE at night, some would say. Imagine trying to sleep with that fire outside your tent! What I'm saying is... we have gone well past four times in this single chapter. Remember how we discussed earlier that God is 10 alarm telling us to pay attention to a point? This is one of those times.​
28 The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, “I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
God just dropped a hint at something. He binds the idea of EARS to Hearts. "Incline thine Ears" to Me. Incline thine HEARTS" to Me. God is seriously trying to reveal a thing! He's WARNING the Israelites on the parabolic level. He's speaking in a way that PRIDE can't hear. This sure seems all too familiar!​

30 “Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”

32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

Yes. No doubt about it. The Decalogue is indeed part of this INSEPARABLE Stone Covenant!​
How do we close this Law discussion out? Well all 613 Mitzvah get discussed all the way up to Chapter 31 of Deuteronomy as equal part of the Torah (LAW). I mean, Moses commanded folks to not ADD to IT or Take away from it... but there it is.​
Deuteronomy 31:24 When Moses had finished writing down on a scroll every single word of this law, 25 he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, 26 “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the Lord now, while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after I am dead!
And, just like that, the Law was Dispensed from God, through Angels, to MOSES, then to Israel... and the Law is declared "A Witness against you"... and Moses declares that Rebellion will ensue.
And, so... This concludes Pt. 7 of this OP. Pt. 8 to come soon!
 
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Grip Docility

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Warning against Neglect​

2 We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. 4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will.

Jesus and Humanity​

5 For He has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. 6 But one has somewhere testified:

What is man that You remember him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
7 You made him lower than the angels
for a short time;
You crowned him with glory and honor
8 and subjected everything under his feet.
For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. 9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death.

10 For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for Him and through Him—should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying:

I will proclaim Your name to My brothers;
I will sing hymns to You in the congregation.
13 Again, I will trust in Him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave Me.

14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil— 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. 17 Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.
 
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2 Therefore, we must pay much more careful heed to the things we have heard, so that we will not drift away. 2 For if the word God spoke through angels became binding, so that every violation and act of disobedience received its just deserts in full measure, 3 then how will we escape if we ignore such a great deliverance? This deliverance, which was first declared by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him; 4 while God also bore witness to it with various signs, wonders and miracles, and with gifts of the Ruach HaKodesh which he distributed as he chose.

5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the ‘olam haba — which is what we are talking about. 6 And there is a place where someone has given this solemn testimony:

“What is mere man, that you concern yourself with him?
or the son of man, that you watch over him with such care?

7 You made him a little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,

8 you put everything in subjection under his feet.”
In subjecting everything to him, he left nothing unsubjected to him. However, at present, we don’t see everything subjected to him — at least, not yet. 9 But we do see Yeshua — who indeed was made for a little while lower than the angels — now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he might taste death for all humanity. 10 For in bringing many sons to glory, it was only fitting that God, the Creator and Preserver of everything, should bring the Initiator of their deliverance to the goal through sufferings. 11 For both Yeshua, who sets people apart for God, and the ones being set apart have a common origin — this is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers 12 when he says,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13 Also,

“I will put my trust in him, . . .”
and then it goes on,

“Here I am, along with the children God has given me.”
14 Therefore, since the children share a common physical nature as human beings, he became like them and shared that same human nature; so that by his death he might render ineffective the one who had power over death (that is, the Adversary) 15 and thus set free those who had been in bondage all their lives because of their fear of death.

16 Indeed, it is obvious that he does not take hold of angels to help them; on the contrary,

“He takes hold of the seed of Avraham.”
17 This is why he had to become like his brothers in every respect — so that he might become a merciful and faithful cohen gadol in the service of God, making a kapparah for the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself suffered death when he was put to the test, he is able to help those who are being tested now.
 
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2 1-4 It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off. If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away with anything, do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this magnificent salvation? First of all, it was delivered in person by the Master, then accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him. All the while God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs and miracles, as he saw fit.

The Salvation Pioneer​

5-9 God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here. It says in Scripture,

What is man and woman that you bother with them;
why take a second look their way?
You made them not quite as high as angels,
bright with Eden’s dawn light;
Then you put them in charge
of your entire handcrafted world.
When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.

10-13 It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know
about you;
I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.
Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says,

Even I live by placing my trust in God.
And yet again,

I’m here with the children God gave me.
14-15 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.

16-18 It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed.
 
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A Warning against Drifting Away​

2 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

Jesus, the Man​

5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,
or a son of man that you should care for him?
7 Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
8 You gave them authority over all things.”
Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.”
13 He also said,

“I will put my trust in him,”
that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
 
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