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God the Father has declared that all must give honour to the name of Jesus. That includes everyperson, every angel, and every spirit. It does not matter whether they are in heaven, on the earth,or even in hell. Everyone must declare that Jesus is God. And when they do that, it gives honourto God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).How to understand the Old Testament(Hebrews 1:5)With this verse, the author of Hebrews begins his great work. His task is to show us Jesus in theOld Testament. The Old Testament means the 39 Bible books that already existed before Jesus’life on this earth. The New Testament means the 27 Bible books that the first Christians wrote.For some Old Testament passages, the author of Hebrews shows us meanings that we do notexpect. Christians believe that both the Old and New Testaments are God’s word (2 Peter 3:1516). So, God’s Holy Spirit showed the authors of the New Testament what they should write. Andwhen the author of Hebrews explains these Old Testament passages, he is not writing from hisown imagination. Instead, the Holy Spirit is explaining the real meaning of Old Testamentpassages that originally came from him (the Holy Spirit). God, who wrote the Bible, is able toexplain it.So we use the Book of Hebrews when we want to understand the Old Testament. We use theBible to explain the Bible. We do not use our own imagination. And we do not consider otherpeople’s ideas to be better than they really are. When we use the Bible properly, God himself isour teacher (Psalm 119:99-100; Psalm 119:33-34).For these reasons, it will not surprise us if these first two passages seem not to be about Jesus. Infact, the author of Hebrews does not says that they are about Jesus. Instead, he asks us to thinkabout a problem. These two passages are certainly not about angels (God’s servants). And weshould think about the person whom the passages describe.We will find those passages in Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14. And they seem to be about kings ofIsrael, from David’s family. God had promised that he would have a special relationship with thosekings. He would be like a father to them. He would defend their nation. He would defeat theirenemies.But there is more in these passages, because they describe something greater than the rule ofDavid’s family. In fact, 40 years after David’s death, his family only ruled a small part of Israel. 400years later, his family’s rule ended completely. But Psalm 2:8 says that God’s Son would rule thewhole world. And 2 Samuel 7:16 says that his rule would never end. So these passages werenot just about David’s family. They are about Jesus, God’s Son, and his future rule.That happens when we allow God to teach us his own word. We understand it better than we couldever imagine.The angels worship God’s Son(Hebrews 1:6)This is a difficult verse. We do not understand its meaning completely, and some things are notclear. But let us understand what we can.Our first problem is to find these words in the Old Testament (the first 39 books in the Bible).Probably, they come from Deuteronomy 32:43. But if you look at that verse in your Bible, you maynot find these words. They are not present in most old copies of Deuteronomy in its originallanguage (called Hebrew). But they do appear, with other extra words, in an ancient translationcalled the Septuagint. The Septuagint is in a language called Greek.The Septuagint is not always a very good translation. Many people used to think that it includedthese words by mistake. But we now know that this is not correct. That is because people havediscovered a much more ancient Hebrew copy of Deuteronomy. It was in a cave near the DeadSea in Israel. And it includes these words.9

The words come from a song that Moses wrote just before his death (Deuteronomy chapter 32).He described how God chose the nation called Israel. But its people refused to obey him. God saidthat he should act against them, to destroy their nation completely. But that would bring no honourto him. So, instead, God would be very kind to his people. When their enemies were too strong forthem, God would save them. And that is when these words appear: ‘Let all God’s angels (hisspecial servants) worship (give honour to) him.’The author of Hebrews says that, by these words, God tells the angels to give honour to his Son.That may surprise us, because Moses seems to say nothing about God’s Son. But in fact, we cansee that Moses is describing the work of God’s Son. God sent his Son into the world to savepeople (John 3:17). And that did not just mean people from Israel. It includes people from all thenations, as Paul says in Romans 15:10. That is another surprise, because that verse in Romansrefers again to Deuteronomy 32:43! And, of course, Deuteronomy 32:43 is the same verse thatHebrews 1:6 refers to.So it is clear that Deuteronomy 32:43 really is about God’s Son. Hebrews 1:6 calls him ‘thefirstborn’, which means the first and most important son in a family. Jesus is the first and mostimportant Son in God’s family, as Hebrews 2:11 explains.The greatness of angels(Hebrews 1:7)We might imagine Hebrews 1:7 to mean that angels (God’s special servants) are not important.They are only like wind or flame. However, our imagination is not a good way to understand theBible. A much better way is to read and to study what the Bible really says.We will find that the author of Hebrews is referring to Psalm 104:4. The subject of Psalm 104 is thegreatness of God. And in Psalm 104:1-10, there is a word-picture that describes a storm. It is asif God is riding on the wind (Psalm 104:3). His voice is like the noise of the storm (Psalm 104:7).He reaches across the skies (Psalm 104:2).And in the middle of that passage is the verse that the author uses. God makes his angels aspowerful as the wind on which he rides. He makes them like fire. Perhaps that means lightning,which flashes between heaven (the sky) and the earth.People in Israel knew about terrible storms. The Bible mentions storms that cause boats to sink(Mark 4:37). And there are storms that destroy whole houses (Matthew 7:27). The Bible speaksabout winds that break rocks apart (1 Kings 19:11).But the wind that carries God must be greater and more terrible than any of these (Job chapter37). Isaiah saw angels that appeared as flames in front of God’s throne (royal seat) – Isaiah 6:1-7.(The ‘seraphim’ means the angels ‘of fire’.) Isaiah was so afraid that he felt completely hopeless.So, God’s angels are great and powerful. They are greater and more powerful than anything thatwe can imagine.But they are not as great as God’s Son. They are only like the winds that carry his royal carriage.Or, they are like the burning lamps in front of his throne.The rule of God’s Son(Hebrews 1:8-9)Here, the author of Hebrews chooses Psalm 45:6-7. That Psalm is about a royal wedding. TheBible often uses marriage as a word-picture for the relationship between God (or Christ) and hispeople. Whole books of the Bible are about this subject – see the Book of Ruth and the Song ofSolomon. And Jesus often spoke about it, for example Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 25:1-13; Mark2:19. So it should not surprise us to know that Psalm 45 contains God the Father’s words to hisroyal Son.10

And there is something else in those words that makes this even clearer. In Hebrews 1:9, we seethe word ‘anointed’, which means ‘put oil on’. Everyone knows that word in the Greek language,although most people do not realise its real meaning. It is the word from which ‘Christ’ comes.This action (to put oil on someone) was a special ceremony to separate that person for God’swork. The Jews (God’s people) carried out this ceremony whenever they appointed a king or achief priest.Jesus’ title, Christ, shows that God separated him to be both king and priest. We read about himas a king in Hebrews chapter 1. But most of the rest of Hebrews is about his work as priest.Now it is clear to us why Psalm 45 calls the king, ‘God’. It is because the king in that Psalm isGod’s Son, in other words, Christ. Christ is God, even as God the Father and the Holy Spirit areGod. They are not separate gods, because there is one God.The passage from Psalm 45 mentions two objects that show authority to rule. They are thesceptre and the throne. Since the ancient world, kings had sat on thrones and they have heldsceptres.The sceptre is a stick that a king carries. It shows that he has power over people. He showskindness to the people that please him (Esther 5:2). And he punishes people who oppose his rule(Psalm 2:9).A cruel king uses his power in an evil manner. But the Christ, the king whom God has appointed,does not do that. His judgements and his laws are always right and good. He loves what is right.He hates what is wicked.The throne is the king’s royal seat. There is a description of a great throne in 1 Kings 10:18-20.The greatness of the throne helped people to know the greatness of the king and hisgovernment. Ancient kings liked to imagine that they would always rule (Daniel 2:4). But of course,only God’s rule really lasts always (Daniel 2:20-21).God declares the greatness of his Son(Hebrews 1:10-12)This passage is Psalm 102:25-27. It is another passage that may surprise us. But in Hebrews 1:1012, the Holy Spirit shows its real meaning.Psalm 102 is the prayer of a man whose troubles are great. He describes his desperate state. Itseems that he must die soon. But in this situation, the man gives honour to God. The man’s lifeis short, but God rules always. The man knows that God will help his people. And they will recordhow he acted to rescue them.After these confident statements, the man in Psalm 102 returns to his own situation. He says thatGod has made his life short. But he asks God to allow him to live. And then the words appear thatwe find in Hebrews 1:10-12. And this is a surprise for us. When we read only Psalm 102, thesewords seem to be the man’s words to God. But in the Book of Hebrews, the author associatesthese words with God’s words to his Son.That gives a whole new meaning to Psalm 102. The man with the troubles clearly meansJesus. And the words in Psalm 102:25-27 are God’s reply to his Son. Christ was there in thebeginning, when he created heaven and earth (John 1:1). And Christ will be there at the end oftime, when heaven and earth disappear (2 Peter 3:10). God will change everything, and Christ willalways rule in the New Jerusalem on the new earth (Revelation 22:3).God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mark 1:10-11; Matthew 28:19). This does not mean that thereare three gods. The Bible declares clearly that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; John10:30). Hebrews chapter 1 declares strongly that Christ is God. That is why Hebrews 1:10 callshim ‘Lord’. That is the word that people used to translate God’s most holy name into the languagecalled Greek. That name of God is YHWH in the language called Hebrew. It means ‘He is alwaysGod.’ It has the same meaning as Hebrews 13:8, which says: ‘Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday,today and always.’11

There are other Bible passages that are very much like Psalm 102. Two of the most importantones are Psalm 22 and Isaiah chapter 53.Christ at God’s right side(Hebrews 1:13)This verse is from Psalm 110:1. Psalm 110 is one of the most important Bible passages aboutChrist in the Old Testament. The Old Testament contains the 39 Bible books from before Jesus’birth.Jesus himself spoke about Psalm 110. In Mark 12:35-37, he used it to prove that the Christ wasnot merely someone from David’s family. And Peter used it again in Acts 2:34-36 to show thatJesus was the Christ.Again, here in Hebrews 1:13, the author uses it to show that Christ is God’s Son. He is notmerely an angel (a special servant of God).At a meal, the host invited his most important guest to sit next to him, on the right side. And thatis the place that God the Father gave to Jesus. The Father wants everyone and everything toknow that he approves of his Son. Christ obeyed the Father completely and he completed his work(Hebrews 10:12-13). And now he waits for God to defeat his enemies completely (1 Corinthians15:25-26).And when that happens, God will change everything completely. Evil force will not still control thisworld. Instead, Christ will rule (1 Corinthians 15:51-57).We shall study much more about Psalm 110 in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapters 5 and 7are about other verses in that Psalm.The work of angels(Hebrews 1:14)The author’s purpose is to tell us about the greatness of God’s Son. But as he has done that, hehas often mentioned the angels (God’s special servants). And here he adds a short but interestingverse to tell us about the angels and their work.The angels are spirits. They are not people; and they have never lived in this world. They do comehere, however, as Jacob saw (Genesis 28:12). They come here when God sends them. And theycarry out his work on this earth.The word ‘angel’ means ‘a servant who carries a message’. The angels bring messages fromGod. And they serve the people who are God’s people. These people are the people whom Godwill save.God saves these people by means of Jesus’ death. At that moment, evil forces do not controlthem. Instead, God rules their lives. But they are still in this world. And they still suffer the troublesthat are in this world. In the future, it is God’s plan to free them from all their troubles (Romans8:22-23). That will happen when Christ returns.The author was writing at a time when Christians had suffered greatly (Hebrews 10:32-34).They had many cruel enemies. So the author wrote many words to give them comfort. Jesussuffered like them, and he would help them (Hebrews 2:18). He sympathises with them (Hebrews4:15). He prays for them (Hebrews 7:25). And he sends his angels to help them (Hebrews 1:14).God will show his kindness (Hebrews 4:16). He will not disappoint (Hebrews 10:35-36). In the end,Christ will return (Hebrews 9:28). Therefore, even during terrible troubles, Christians can beconfident (Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 10:35; Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 12:1-3). Their hope is sure andcertain (Hebrews 6:19), because of what Jesus has done.12

Hebrews chapter 2We must give attention to Christ(Hebrews 2:1-3)When we read the Book of Hebrews, it is hard to know where to pause. Each verse leads to thenext verse. Each passage leads to the next passage. But certainly, the end of chapter 1 is not agood place to pause. In many Bibles, Hebrews 2:1 begins with the word ‘therefore’. In the originallanguage, ‘therefore’ translates words that mean ‘because of this’. So we must use the things thatwe learned in chapter 1 to understand the start of chapter 2.Hebrews 1:14 is about angels, God’s servants whom he sends from heaven. They come to helpthe people whom he will save. In Hebrews 2:2, the author declares how important their messagewas. Anyone who did not obey that message suffered the proper punishment.A good example is what happened to Lot and his family (Genesis chapter 19). Lot was a goodman who lived in a very wicked city, Sodom. Because Sodom had become so evil, God decidedto destroy the whole city. But before he destroyed it, he sent two angels to save Lot, his wife, andhis daughters.The angels told Lot to leave Sodom at once. When he hesitated, the angels took him, his wife, andhis daughters by the hand. The angels led them out of the city. Then the angels told them that theymust run away. They must not stop, and they must not even look back.So the angels saved Lot and his daughters when fire from heaven destroyed Sodom. But theycould not save Lot’s wife, because she did not obey. She looked back at the city. Probably, shedid that because she wanted to return there. And because she did that, she died with theinhabitants of Sodom. The Bible records that she became a column of salt (Genesis 19:26).Perhaps it means that salt from the explosion at Sodom covered her. There is much salt in thatregion, by the Dead Sea.Clearly, the messages that angels brought were important. But now God’s Son himself hasspoken to us. Servants may bring an important message. But when their master and king speaks,that is much more important!So we certainly must not neglect the work that God’s Son did to save us. There is no otherway to avoid the punishment for our evil deeds. We could never save ourselves.Jesus himself warned about this. People who refused to accept his words would suffer an evenworse fate than Sodom (Matthew 10:15). And he explained the reason in Matthew 11:23. God haddone great and wonderful things by his Son. If the people in Sodom had seen such things, theywould have decided to obey God.The work of God’s Son is so wonderful that he can even save people as wicked as Sodom’sinhabitants!The wonderful things that God does(Hebrews 2:4)People have told us how God’s Son came to save us. But of course, we cannot believe everythingthat people say. However, they are not the only witnesses. God himself has given us evidence.He has done extraordinary things. He has done many astonishing things that only he, God, coulddo. Jesus himself said that God the Father would do this (John 8:18; John 10:38).It is clear that the author of Hebrews does not just mean events during Jesus’ life. The authordescribes how God gave his Holy Spirit to Christians. God divided his Spirit among them (Acts2:3-4). Each Christian received the Holy Spirit. And then these wonderful events continued intheir own lives. So, the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is also evidence.13

Hebrews 2:4 is very similar to Mark 16:20. People today are not sure whether that verse wasoriginally part of Mark’s book. But Hebrews 2:4 says the same thing. In fact, it emphasises it evenmore.Mark 16:20 mentions only ‘signs’. That is, special events that show people about Jesus. ButHebrews 2:4 mentions ‘wonders’ (wonderful events), ‘miracles’ (powerful events) and the work ofthe Holy Spirit. All these words describe things that people cannot do. They are God’s work. Andtheir purpose is to tell people about God’s Son, and the fact that he will save them.God does these things because he wants people to know about his Son. And he wants them toknow about his Son because he wants to save them. In other words, he wants to rescue themfrom the evil forces that control their lives. But that is only possible because of Jesus’ death on thecross.There is no other way to have a right relationship with God. Jesus, God’s Son, is the only way(John 14:6). We must not neglect this message. We should give it our complete attention. Wemust invite Jesus into our lives. It is dangerous to delay or to hesitate. God himself hasshown us how important Jesus is.The wine-press(Hebrews 2:5-8)In Hebrews chapter 1, the author has shown us that Jesus is God. Here in chapter 2, the authorexplains that Jesus became a man. He has always been God, but he became a man. This wasnecessary in order to save men, women and children from the power of the devil (Hebrews 2:14).In order to prove this, the writer uses Psalm 8:4-6.Psalm 8 has an unusual word in its ancient title. That word is GITTITH. Many Bibles do nottranslate that word. People are not sure whether they have the correct meaning. But we do knowone meaning of the word. It means a wine-press.One of the last tasks in Israel’s agricultural year was to make juice from the fruit called grapes.People put the grapes into a large container called a wine-press. And then they marched on thegrapes with their bare feet, so that the juice flowed!It was hard work; but at the same time, it was also a very happy occasion. And somethingextraordinary happened to poor people as they carried out this work. It was as if they becamekings and queens for a day.Poor

Hebrews: Bible Study and Commentary Jesus, our chief priest A Bible Study in EasyEnglish (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Hebrews Keith Simons EasyEnglish is a system of simple English designed by Wycliffe Associates (UK). Hebrews chapter 1 The Ol