Hebrews 2:1,2 - We must pay the most careful attention

2:1

One of the threads running through Hebrews is that we must pay “most careful attention” to what we have heard. The danger is that if we do not do this then we might drift away. The writer will shortly expand on why we must pay more careful attention, but the gospel should not be treated lightly. It is far more than “God loves you”. God does indeed love us, but we need to understand the nature and depth of that love. We need to understand the consequences for our lives here and now, and for our lives after death. Having only a casual understanding of the gospel will lead to a drifting away. We can see the reality of this in many denominations, and in the lives of individuals where there was no real appreciation of the nature of the gospel.

2:2

The tradition was that the Law was given to Moses via angels. Was there any truth in this tradition? The writer does not concern himself with this matter, but is ready to accept it, for he is now dealing with something far greater. However, there are several instances in the Old Testament where an angel of the Lord appears, and it is as if God Himself was there. So they may have assumed that since Moses could not actually see God Himself face to face, it must have been mediated via an angel. Whatever the case, the point here is that this Law, assumed to have been mediated by angels, was deadly serious, was binding, and violations of the Law received their just punishment. So the Law had to be taken seriously.