Who is the "him" spoken of in Hebrews 2:13?
The reason why I ask this question is this: to me it seems, from the context, that "him" must refer to man. From a human standpoint at least, it seems exceedingly strange that God, Christ could put His trust in man,-and still that is just what it seems to me He did when He risked everything to save him.
I have asked several concerning this word, and nearly all, including our very best Bible students, or teachers, have thought that "him" has reference to the Father, in whom Christ put His trust when He took upon himself to save man. Now I do not doubt for a moment that Christ always trusted in the Father, but I fail to see the logic of Paul's presenting that fact in such a connection, for he is not giving some Scripture evidences that Christ is not ashamed to call man His brother.
I would be very thankful for an answer to this question. If it is man, it is plain enough to me, and a most wonderful thought; while if it be God, I would be glad to have a word of explanation as to how that can be harmonized with the context.
Let us first ascertain from the text and the context exactly what the writer says, and then we can take a little time to consider the reason why he says it, and the lesson that it contains for us.
The passage, as you well know, sets forth Christ's oneness with man. The first chapter of Hebrews presents Christ as greater than the angels,--the effulgence of God, and having by birthright inheritance the name of God,--while the second chapter presents Him in man's place, "in all things ... made like unto His brethren." (Hebrews 2:17)
Man, crowned in the beginning with glory and honor, a king, has lost his crown of glory, and well-nigh, obliterated the Divine likeness from his soul. Still, however far he has wandered, the prodigal is the Father's son, having the same Source of life as Christ, the only-begotten Son. It is this that is stated, and supported by citations from Christ's words, in the following verses: "Both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of One: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare your name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto You. And again, I will put my trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God has given me." (Hebrews 2:11-13)
Here are three distinct sayings of Christ. The first one is from Psalm 22:22. The last is from Isaiah 8:18. The second one we must find if we can. Note first the exact words. "I will put my trust in [-whom?] in Him," (Hebrews 2:13) not in them. If the brethren were referred to, we should expect it to read, "I will put my trust in them;" but it is not so. He says, "I will put my trust in Him," (Hebrews 2:13) evidently in the One of whom are "Both He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified." (Hebrews 2:11)
Let us now see if we can find any place where these words here quoted are used. Negatively, we may read "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, because they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because He knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man." (John 2:23-25)
Or, as in the Revision, "Jesus did not trust himself unto them." (John 2:24,RV)
This seems quite conclusive. We may add to it the frequent warnings against putting trust in man. For instance: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. ... It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:3,8) "We are the circumcision [the true children of faith], which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3)
And so far is this carried, that it applies even to Christ's flesh; for the same apostle says: "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more." (2 Corinthians 5:16)
Christ did not even trust in himself as man, for He said: "I can of my own self do nothing;" (John 5:30) and, "Verily, verily I say, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what He sees the Father do." (John 5:19)
These statements are sufficient on the one side; let us now look at the other side. Jesus did trust absolutely in God. Even His enemies admitted this. When He hung on the cross, they said: "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him." (Matthew 27:43)
It is significant that these words are an exact fulfillment of Psalm 22:7-8. That psalm is the expression of Christ's sufferings, and it is from it that we have the first of the sayings quoted in Hebrews 2:11-13. In it we find several plain statements to the effect that Christ put His trust in God. Thus: "You are He that took me out of the womb; You did make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts." (Psalm 22:9)
Read also: "For the King trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High He shall not be moved." (Psalm 21:7)
The 69th Psalm, which is manifestly the utterance of Christ, is a psalm of trust. Read also Isaiah 50:7-9, the words of Him who "gave my back to the smiters, and my cheek to those that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. The Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be moved." (Isaiah 50:6-7)
Here is a plain statement concerning Christ, "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed himself to Him that judges righteously." (1 Peter 2:23)
And lastly, as showing how absolutely He was in all things like unto His brethren, we read in Hebrews 5 that "in the days of His flesh" He prayed for deliverance "with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him," (Hebrews 5:7) just as the weakest one of us is constrained to do.
Now I know that you have been almost impatient while we have been reading these texts, because your real difficulty has not been touched. The fact that Christ trusted in God for everything here on earth, even for deliverance from the power of temptation, you know as well as I; your question is, What reason is there for mentioning that fact in the 2nd chapter of Hebrews, to show that He is not ashamed to call man His brother?
Why, that is just what most strikingly shows His relationship to us,--His oneness with humanity. If He had nothing in common with us, He might be ashamed to call us brethren; but "compassed with infirmity," (Hebrews 5:2) compelled to trust God for deliverance just as we must,--His nature our nature,-He is our Brother; He is one with us in all things.
• We can go to Him with our confidences more freely than to any earthly friend, because we know that by painful experience He can sympathize with us better than anybody on earth.
• He will not despise us on account of our weakness, because He himself knows by experience how utterly helpless is humanity.
• Nothing of myself that I can reveal to Him will surprise Him, or cause Him to turn away in scorn; for He has struggled with all the besetments of our common human nature.
But He sinned not; and as surely as He is our Brother, His victory is our victory. Nothing can bring Him more lovingly and tenderly and helpfully near to us than these words of His, "I will put my trust in Him." (Hebrews 2:13)
In this He identifies himself absolutely with us, and that is our assurance of perfect victory. "As He is, so are we in this world," (1 John 4:17) because as we are, so is He.--Present Truth, September 5, 1901.