Hebrews 2 tells us to listen to Jesus. Listen to Jesus because the penalties for ignoring Him are too severe. If we ignore Jesus, we will miss out on His salvation (2:1–4). Listen to Jesus because He has begun a new stage in God’s plan by tasting death for everyone, thus shattering the effects of death on those who listen to Him (2:5–9). Listen to Jesus because He is able to help us in temptation. His victorious experience in overcoming temptation allows us to receive help from Him as we face temptation (2:10–18).
The writer now paused in their explanation to address the readers with the first in a series of five urgent warnings. (The others are in chaps. 3–4; 5:11–6:20; 10:19–39; 12.) This one is the briefest and most restrained of all of them, but is nonetheless solemn. These admonitions become stronger as we progress through the book, from drifting from God’s Word to defying God’s Word (Heb. 12:14–29). Also, God does not sit idly by and permit His children to rebel against Him. He will continue to speak and, when necessary, He disciplines His own.
1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every violation and act of disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Ignoring Jesus has horrible consequences, including drifting away
- We have such a great salvation. Let us thank God for that salvation and His amazing plan
- It is easy to drift with the current, but it is difficult to return against the stream. Our salvation is a “great salvation,” purchased at a great price. It brings with it great promises and blessings, and it leads to a great inheritance in glory. How can we neglect it?
- Too many of us take the Bible for granted and neglect it. When we neglect the Bible and prayer, we can easily drift and get out of step with God. Our dependence on God starts to go away.
CLOSER LOOK:
Verse 1: This verse introduces us to the plight of the readers. They had heard the gospel. They appeared ready to desert Jesus for some trifling replacement. The writer of Hebrews wanted to do everything they could to prevent this. The truth the author had just enunciated has important implications. The “For this reason” or “therefore” shows that this admonition arose directly from the preceding material and reminded the people of the importance of the message about Jesus. The readers needed to listen because the truths of the gospel were too important to push aside. Issues of spiritual life and death were at stake. Whatever they did, the readers must hold fast to Jesus. Since the Son is so supremely great and is destined for final triumph over His enemies, the readers would do well to “pay much closer attention” to these realities. The danger is that, if they would not, they might “drift away” (pararyōmen, a word that occurs only here in the NT). The writer’s audience was marked by immaturity and spiritual sluggishness (cf. 5:11–12), and if this trait were not eliminated there was danger of their slipping away from what they had heard.[1] The author may have had the Septuagint rendering of Proverbs 3:21 in mind, where the Greek translators used the word for “drift away” that is found here: “My son, do not slip away, but keep my counsel and intent.”
Verses 2–4: This verse moves from a truth of less importance to one of greater importance (v. 3). The fact of less importance is that violators of the Law received divine judgment for their disobedience. The message spoken by angels was the Old Testament Law. Inasmuch as under the Old Covenant, which was instituted through angelic ministration (Gal. 3:19), there were severe penalties for infractions of its demands, the readers could not suppose there would be no penalties for infractions against the New Covenant. The author’s word is that the Old Testament Law, despite its less impressive origin through angels, was still binding. God punished every violation of the Law. Violation of a single commandment brought a prescribed penalty. Those who deliberately disregarded God’s Law faced death (Num. 15:30).
On the contrary, with tantalizing vagueness, the author asked, “How will we escape (cf. Heb. 12:25) if we neglect so great a salvation?” If the readers lost sight of the ultimate victory and deliverance that was promised to them in connection with the Son’s own final victory, they could expect retribution. Verse 3 is the first of many warnings throughout Hebrews (3:7–19; 4:11–16; 5:11–6:12; 10:19–39). In each passage the author showed their concern for the readers. Spiritual pressure was about to make them stumble. They might renounce the gospel. They would not escape divine judgment if they rejected such a great salvation. Here is the more important issue. God’s Son Himself brought the gospel into view. Anyone neglecting to respond to its serious appeals could expect to receive God’s severest displeasure. What the nature of retribution might be, the writer did not spell out, but it would be unwarranted to think they were talking about hell. The “we” which pervades the passage shows that the author included themselves among those who needed to pay close attention to these truths.
The Lord Himself had originally spoken the gospel to the first generation of believers. These are “those who heard” Him. The writer of Hebrews received their understanding from that generation. Unlike Paul, the author had not received a direct revelation of the gospel from the Lord (see Gal. 1:12). Words like these lead many scholars to feel that Paul could not have written Hebrews.
The “salvation” is the same as that just mentioned in 1:14 and alludes to the readers’ potential share in the Son’s triumphant dominion, in which He has “companions” (cf. 1:9). The Lord Jesus Himself, while on earth, spoke much of His future kingdom and the participation of His faithful followers in that reign (cf., e.g., Luke 12:31–32; 22:29–30). But this salvation experience, which “was at the first spoken through the Lord” had also received confirmation through the various miracles and manifestations of the Spirit which His original audience, “those who heard” Him, were empowered to exhibit. In speaking like this, the writer of Hebrews regarded these “miracles” as the powers of the coming Age (cf. Heb. 6:5) and, in harmony with the early Christians in the Book of Acts, saw them as expressions of the sovereignty of the One who had gone to sit at God’s right hand (cf. “signs,” “wonders,” and/or “miracles” in Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12; also cf. 2 Cor. 12:12).[2] That the author was indeed thinking throughout of “the world to come” is made clear in Hebrews 2:5.
The proclamation of the gospel was powerful of itself. Along with that proclamation God also sent signs, wonders, and various miracles to verify the Christian message. The early church saw many of these signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8). Signs which Jesus demonstrated in John’s Gospel led the disciples to believe in Him (John 2:11). The signs pointed to the glory of Christ.
The awareness of the existence of the miracles must have been widespread. If that were not true, some critic could say, “I’ve never heard of these signs and wonders.” A consideration of them would deepen the readers’ faith that the gospel came as an authoritative message from God.
God not only sent miracles and signs with the gospel, but He also gave the Holy Spirit to believers. Peter’s Pentecost sermon pointed to the activity of the Spirit as a chief indicator of God’s work (Acts 2:14–18). The work of the Spirit showed that God’s new plan had dawned. The miracles and the presence of the Spirit demonstrated the superiority of the Christian gospel. Drifting away from that truth would be a foolhardy stunt.
[1] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 783.
[2] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 783.