Hebrews 2:2 Commentary and Bible Study

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is actually speaking about the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. The context makes that clear as the verses go on. As far as that is concerned, the Ten Commandments were inscribed by God in tablets of stone, not by angels. The word was spoken by Moses as God directed him, not by angels, so where do the angels come into this? Back in the book of Exodus, angels are not mentioned, but by inspiration in the New Testament, God tells us that angels were involved and so there's a contrast drawn. According to Psalm 68:17, Sinai was crowded with thousands of angels at the time of the giving of the law. Acts 7:53 confirms that the law was given through angels, and Galatians 3:19 tells us the law was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Moses was the recipient of the law and Scripture teaches that it was given through him, but in Acts 7:53 there was what the King James Version translates as a ‘disposition of angels’ involved in the giving of the word. ‘Disposition of angels’ translates a Greek term which roughly means ‘an arrangement of angels’, and it would seem that the ten thousands of his saints who were present with God at the giving of the law on Sinai (Deuteronomy 33:2) refers to the angels. What did they do? Well they arranged the setting and the glory: maybe the thunderings and the lightnings. It was may have been the angels that created the tremendous atmosphere of fear and awe which dissuaded the people from following up the mountain after Moses.The comparison made is between the law given through angels, and the gospel given personally by the Son of God. Even the law, which was given through lesser agency, proved steadfast in the sense that no one could break it with impunity, and it defined just punishments for every transgression of its precepts, and these were enforced by Moses and treated with the utmost seriousness. But the gospel also has sanctions, even more severe, for those who reject its message of grace and mercy. As the Son of God is so much greater than any angel, so the message that he has brought into the world is so much superior to the law. To reject his message is proportionally more serious, both because of who delivered it and because of the nature of the message. If the law of the Ten Commandments, and all the other laws that were given with it, which were given through the instrumentality of invisible angels; if that law was absolutely authoritative and led to the judgement of sinners – under the penal system of the law of Moses, and of course at the end of life's journey – how much worse is it for us if we go into judgement, not only with this great mountain of sins, but with the rejection of Christ's mercy as well? The Greek word translated ‘transgression’ signifies doing the opposite. ‘Received a just recompense of reward.’ That word, even though it was delivered by lower agencies – not the Son, but angels and men – still was absolutely binding. It couldn't be pushed out of the way. Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, and there were many. The worshippers of the golden calf were destroyed. Moses and Aaron even – holy men and godly men used of God – because of their sin were not allowed to enter the promised land. Then there was the rebellion of Corah which led to many losing their lives, and there were people like Achan and his sin, who lost his life. So the reasoning of the writer of the letter of the Hebrews is, if even the portion of God's word and his law that was delivered by lesser beings, namely angels and men, were still absolutely binding and you would be punished if you neglected it by God, how much more binding – If you can say that – is it when the gospel, the word of salvation and gospel light, is given by the eternal Son of God? So much higher than all those in the past.