3: God Has Spoken to Us by His Son (Heb 1:1-2:4)
The Basics
Setting
Without a formal epistolary
opening, Hebrews begins with a powerful introduction that goes to the heart of
its message. It immediately directs our attention to the Son of God, highlights
His supremacy, and warns us to heed His divine word. As we continue our studies
through the chapters that follow, we will see that the epistle will continue to
develop this core message.
Key Verse
“How shall we escape if we neglect
so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and
was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with
signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit,
according to His own will?” (2:3-4).
Did You Know…?
1. Express
image (1:3): “Originally [the Greek word] denoted an instrument for engraving
and then a mark stamped on that instrument. Hence it came to be used generally
of a mark stamped on a thing, the impress of a die.” 3/14
2. Superior
to the angels (1:4): The Jews revered angels because they were divine
messengers and mediators of God’s law (cf. Acts ;
Gal ).
3. Name
(1:4): To Jews a name stood for the full character of a person in all he was
and did…. 4/1859
Observation
Outline
(1:1-3)
(1:4-14)
(2:1-4)
Key Words/Phrases
Segment Analysis
1:1-3
1. Verses
1 to 4 consist of a long sentence. What are the main subject and main verb of
this sentence?
2. Based
on verse 1 and 2, make a detailed comparison between God’s revelations through
the prophets and His revelation through the Son.
3. Record
descriptions about the Son that demonstrate His supremacy.
4. The
Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. What do the phrases “sat
down” and “right hand” tell us about our Savior?
5. How
has God spoken to you today by His Son?
1:4-14
6. In
what ways is the Son “so much better than” the angels, according to the
following verses of this passage?
6a. 1:4-5
6b. 1:6
6c. 1:7-9
6d. -12
6e.
2:1-4
7. What
can we know from this paragraph about the purpose of the extensive comparison
between the Lord Jesus and the angels found in the previous paragraph?
8a. What are “the things we have heard”?
8b. How
do we “give the more earnest heed” to the things we have heard?
9a. What does it mean to “drift away”?
9b. What is the consequence of drifting away?
10a. How does the author describe our
salvation?
10b. What does this description mean to you
personally and to your daily life?
11a. How does a person “neglect” salvation?
11b. Why do we not have any excuse for
neglecting the great salvation?
12. In what ways have you seen or experienced God’s own witness
of His salvation?
