Hebrews 2:16

For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham.

It is hard to understand why the translators gave this rendition, since the margin gives the Greek text thus, "For verily not of angels doth he take hold, but he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham."

The meaning of this verse is that Christ took upon himself the flesh of the seed of Abraham; and the expression "he took hold of" is very illuminating, for it shows that Christ had an existence before he decided to partake of flesh and blood, and that it was by his own volition that he did so. Exell so understood this, as indicated by

He TOOK; he did not inherit or receive a body. It is not the language that describes the ordinary birth of a common man. How strange it would sound if we were to speak of our children as if they had a thought or volition respecting their nature, and as if they were pleased to take on them such and such a body, when they were born. It describes voluntary action. It was an act contemplated beforehand. It implies not only pre-existence, but power, dignity, and condescension.[24]

MYSTERY OF FORGIVENESS

Also, here is a problem. Why did Christ elect to enter the arena of human life as a man and to suffer and die for human redemption, whereas it is revealed that he made no such decision or movement on behalf of fallen angels who also had sinned? People have offered learned explanations why such should have been so, alleging that angels sinned with their eyes open, whereas man was deceived, and that angels found the source of temptations within themselves and not from an external source, as in the case of man; but the view here is that it is a part of the mystery "hidden before times eternal!" and that it does not lie within the periphery of complete finite understanding. The forgiveness which God provided for man is absolutely unique, there being no precedent of any such thing in heaven or upon earth. Where, in all the universe, is there such a thing as the forgiveness of sins, apart from Christ our Lord? No forgiveness was provided for the angels when they sinned; none of the laws of God's natural creation ever forgave either man or beast; no one ever fell off a cliff and received a reprieve from the law of gravity; no dog ever forgave the quarry; no poisonous serpent ever forgave the victim; no hawk ever forgave the prey; and even in the Law of Moses, there was never any such thing as actual forgiveness, since sins were remembered again every year (Hebrews 10:3). How utterly unaccountable, therefore, is the heavenly grace exhibited on behalf of sinful man, a grace conveyed at such awful cost!

The fact of God's willingness to undertake the redemption of man, despite all precedent to the contrary, and without any hesitation at the extravagant price of it, added to the other plain implications of God's word in this chapter, bespeak the most overwhelming encouragement for humankind. The argument set forth in these verses presents Christ as superior to angels even during his incarnation as a man, a superiority that was not contravened even by Christ's being made "for a little while" lower than the angels that he might taste of death, thus making it plain that man himself (as God created him) is superior to angels. No imagination then, however fertile, can conceive the fullness of the privilege of being a human being, created in the image of God, immortal except for the fall, destined for dominion over all things, and enjoying such a kinship with the Creator as would make such a thing as the incarnation possible; and furthermore, after having thrown it all away through sin and transgression, receiving the further privilege of forgiveness through Christ and reinstatement as an heir of everlasting glory! Any soul that despises all that God has done for man is surely worthy of the death that God has ordained for them that "know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 1:8). At last, the lost themselves will have no word of defense or complaint but shall concur in speechless acceptance of their judgment; for they shall be like him of whom Jesus said, "He was speechless" (Matthew 22:12)!

The meaning of "taketh hold of" in this verse is two-fold according to Milligan, "The Greek word means: (1) to take hold of anything as one's own, and (2) to take hold of any person with a view to helping him."[25] Due to the emphasis on "partook of" in Hebrews 2:14, and "made like unto his brethren" in Hebrews 2:17, the first meaning seems preferable here; but, of course, since the purpose of Christ's partaking of flesh and blood was to help man, the second meaning is certainly not excluded.

THE CHOICE OF ABRAHAM

That Christ entered earthly life as a descendant of Abraham was due primarily to the promise of human redemption made to Abraham by God, to the effect that it would be in Abraham's seed that all the families of man should be blessed (Genesis 12:3). For Christ to have entered human life through any other human family would have vitiated that prophecy. Further, the choice of Abraham's posterity as the vehicle of God's entry into our earth life and the selection of Abraham to receive the promise did not derive from any caprice or partiality on God's part but were founded in the most convincing logic; and God saw fit to explain it as follows:

For I know the he (Abraham) will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him (Genesis 18:19).

Thus God discerned in Abraham the necessary qualities required for the long process through which redemption would be achieved. Any thought of partiality on the part of God disappears in the consideration that it was God's purpose to bless through Abraham's seed all the families of the earth, Jewish and Gentile alike, all of whom are invited to be Abraham's spiritual children (Galatians 3:9,16,29). All people should thank God that such a man as Abraham was found, whose broad shoulders could carry such a dreadful weight of responsibility. In the long centuries afterward, Abraham (in his posterity) surely did what God knew he would do, that is, "command his children after him," an ability which the Gentiles, on the other hand, conspicuously failed to demonstrate. A mention of the seed of Abraham in this verse is dramatic reference to the fact that the Jews themselves needed the help of that promised "seed" which was Christ, in order to achieve forgiveness. This was a truth which the wavering Jewish Christians who received Hebrews might be tempted to overlook.

[24] Joseph S. Exell, op. cit., p. 162.

[25] R. Milligan, op. cit., p. 101.