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Jìily 1931
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STUDIES m EPISTLE /„ iL HEBREWS . . . By JOHN C. PAGE, Los Angeles, Calif.
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contains. Jehovah is the only lawful object of worship; and unless the anointed Son and King shares in the name and nature of Jehovah, we may not—dare not-—worship Him.” This puts Him in a class by Himself, beyond all com parison with the sons of men or with angels. The apostle John introduces Him as the Eternal Word who was made flesh and dwelt among us, and, he declares, “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” Five times in his writings, this apostle refers to Christ as the only begotten Son. In John 1 :18, He is seen as coming from the heart of the Eternal in order to make Him known to a lost world. In the familiar words of John 3:16, the only begotten Son is the highest expression of the eternal love and the sufficient provision for the salva tion of the perishing. In verse 18 of the same chapter, we see that the name of the only begotten Son possesses the power to deliver from condemnation all those who put their faith in Him. Then, in 1 John 4 :9, we read that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Putting these five scriptures together, it is easily perceived that the things affirmed of the only begotten Son could never be referred to angels or men, be cause the difference between Him and them is the dif ference between Creator and creature. The second quotation, “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son” ( 1 :5), takes us back to 2 Sam uel 7, where the covenant of Jehovah with David is re corded. The quotation and application of these words show clearly that David’s greater Son, who is also David’s Lord, is in view. This confirms the covenant in its ob vious meaning. There is no need to “spiritualize” it or to endeavor to apply it to the church or to Christians. Neither need any one be afraid of the possibility of its literal fulfillment. This covenant is the basis upon which the Hebrew prophets foretell and forthtell the coming kingdom of heaven on earth, with Messiah as its King. Isaiah 9 :7 is an outstanding example in brief form, while chapters 11 and 12 of this prophecy portray the kingdom more fully. This kingdom vision is the burden of the prophetic message so far as the predictive element is concerned. See, for example, Jeremiah 23:5, Daniel 2:44 and 7:14. New Testament confirmation is found in Luke 1 :32 and 33, Matthew 19:28, Acts 2 :29 to 32 and 3 :19 to 24. We should cultivate acquaintance with kingdom truth, as well as with church truth. Both the church and the kingdom have a place in God’s redemptive plan. Psalm 97, from which the third quotation is taken, be gins with the words, “The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice.” This points at once to the Messianic reign. The (Continued on page 312)
^ introductory verses (1: 1-3), already considered, form one sentence in which the glory of the Son of God is central and supreme. The re- maining verses of chapter 1 continue and develop the same theme in a series of quotations in which the superi- ority of the Son in contrast with angels is vividly por trayed. With one exception, these quotations are all taken from the book of Psalms. This emphasizes the importance of that book in the canon of Scripture and reminds us of its predictive and Messianic character. In order to read the book of Psalms intelligently, one must know the three fold office of the Messiah as Prophet, Priest, and King. The statement of verse 4, that the Son is “so much bet- ter than the angels and hath inherited a more excellent name than they,” is supported and proved by all that fol lows. In verses 6 to 12, the names and attributes of deity are ascribed to the Son. He is addressed as God and as Lord. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Eternal and the Unchangeable One. He is the object of angelic worship. He occupies the place of power at the right hand of the Father. He inherits a scepter, a throne, and a kingdom. Verily, He is the One whose name is Wonderful. Such a one could not come up out of our race, but He could come down into it. This He did, as is plainly indicated in chapter 2, verse 14. These facts and truths form the very heart of our Bible revelation of re- demption. What our Lord is gives virtue and value to what He does. “Whom say ye that I am?” is the trans cendent question. No better answer can be found to the question than that furnished by the opening chapter of this epistle. In the light of its contents, one wonders how the pastor of an outstanding church in New York could preach on the theme, “The Peril of Worshiping Jesus.” The only possible peril in worshiping deity is that of form alism, when the lips speak one thing and the heart speaks another. In the sermon referred to, the preacher said: “It is. an amazing thing that the historic church has so unanimously worshiped Jesus and has so seldom stopped to ask what Jesus Himself would think of it.” What He thinks of it may be easily ascertained by turning to John 9:35 to 38 and 20:28. While angels and men refused to accept worship (Rev. 20:8, 9; Acts 10:25, 26), Jesus Christ our Lord readily accepted it, being the Son of God and God the Son. Commenting on the quotations found in this chapter concerning angelic worship of the Son, Dr. Rotherham says: “Yes, but unto whom were they thus to bow down? The whole psalm answers-f-unequivocally, repeatedly, sub limely. Six times over, in this short psalm of twelve verses, is the Being before whom the angels are summoned to bow down named ‘Jehovah,’ and with this agree the sublime descriptions of divine majesty which the psalm
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“How shall we Escape, if we Neglect so great -Salvation?”
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