Hebrews 2:1-4 – Exhortation #1: Pay Careful Attention – Obey the Son’s Message

Session 3 – August 5, 2020 – Men’s Morning Hebrews Haverim

Our Men’s Haverim group is reading through and discussing the book of Hebrews during the months of August and September. For more information, see this blog post.

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Hebrews 2:1-4 New International Version

Summary:

• Having established that Jesus is superior to the prophets and the angels, the author tells his audience that they must pay more careful attention!
• He points out that the message of angels brought punishment for disobedience, so the Son’s message of salvation should be considered even greater.
• The message of salvation was announced first by Jesus then by those who heard him but God also confirmed it by signs, wonders and miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Other Thoughts:

• Pay attention! If we don’t we can drift away from what God has so clearly taught us.
• God bore witness to the message through signs, wonders and miracles and the working of the Holy Spirit as given to some who He had chosen. We see these throughout Jesus’ ministry and the book of Acts, and in their time they may have had a few who witnessed Jesus directly but certainly had some among them to verify the signs and miracles of the apostles and others in the First Century. Some commentaries have the letter’s date after Paul dies but before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., so some of the apostles may have been alive, but most of the audience would have heard the gospel from the second generation of Christians.
• The NKJV and ESV versions use the word “neglect” instead of “ignore” in v. 3. When something is neglected it tends to get worse: maintenance items lose function and break, relationships grow distant and fail, things once agreed upon become points of contention. With Jesus’ message, neglecting it can happen gradually by not obeying God’s Word, then can end up with us being among those who disobey and are punished. We need to pay attention and not neglect Jesus’ message!
• The reference to “those who heard him” seems to support that the Hebrew letter audience were second generation Christians as mentioned above. With our next generation, our children, the so-called “Kingdom Kids”, we need to actively and intentionally make sure they hear God’s message and see His work in the signs and wonders done in our lives.
• The Hebrew letter’s original readers needed the reminder to pay attention since they had become weary of persecution. For us, as we grow older and mature in Christ, we may become weary of challenges and disappointments, becoming dull and not digging in to better understand and obey the Word of Truth. Faith must be an active process in our lives and we need to always grow in our love and knowledge of God’s Word.
• Are you paying careful attention by really studying out and obeying the Scriptures in your life?