God has Spoken!

God has spoken His definitive word in His Son. All previous words given by the prophets were preparatory, promissory, and partial.

The Letter to the Hebrews encourages believers not to abandon Jesus when difficult times come. It does so by emphasizing the superiority of what God has done in His “Son” over the old Levitical system. The Word “spoken” in Jesus is superior to the earlier revelations provided “to the fathers in the prophets.”

Thus, Hebrews opens with a bold declaration. God has spoken definitively and with clarity in His Son, Jesus Christ. He accomplished the “purification of sins” that no one and nothing else ever could; therefore, he now ministers for us in the very presence of God as our “great high priest.” Jesus is the “Author and Finisher of our faith,” and this same Jesus will complete what he began (“Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, is the same, and unto the ages”).

[Photo by Ben White on Unsplash]

The Letter substantiates this proposition by comparing the Levitical system and its incomplete provisions and repeated animal sacrifices to the “better” priesthood and “once and for all” sacrifice of the Son.

The Letter does not denigrate God’s past revelations, but it shows by comparison how much the “Word spoken in a Son” surpasses the “words” made “in the prophets to the fathers.”

• “In many parts and in many ways of old, God spoke to the fathers in the prophets; upon the last of these days, He spoke to us in a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the ages, who, being an eradiated brightness of his glory and an exact impress of his being, also, bearing up all things by the utterance of his power, having achieved purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High, By so much becoming better than the angels, by as much as, going beyond them, He inherited a more distinguished name” - (Hebrews 1:1-4).

God spoke partially to the “fathers in the prophets,” but now, He is speaking fully and with finality “upon these last days in a Son.” The passage describes the accomplishments of the “Son” through several statements, each prefaced with the relative pronoun “who,” and it alludes to what will become the main proof text of Hebrews, Psalm 110:1-4.

If discouraged believers return to the synagogue, it would become necessary for them to conform to the rituals described in the Book of Leviticus. However, doing so would dishonor the “Son” through whom God has spoken and his “once and for all” sacrifice. Hence, the severe warnings against apostasy in the Letter - (Hebrews 2:1-3, 2:15, 6:1-12, 10:25-39).

The opening clause begins with two Greek adverbs, polumerōs and polutropōs, meaning “many parts and many ways.” They stress different aspects of the older revelations given “by the prophets.” Those prophetic “words” were parts of a larger but incomplete whole - “In many parts.”  Each partial word was revealed in a different “way,” including prophecies, visions, and dreams. God spoke before, but He only disclosed “glimpses and shadows” of the coming “good things.”

Three contrasts are presented in the passage. First, God spoke “of old,” but now, He speaks “upon these last days.” Second, He spoke to “the fathers, but now, “to us,” the Assembly of Jesus Christ. Third, He spoke “in the prophets,” but now, He is speaking in a man who is “a son.”

The earlier revelations were promissory but incomplete. They did not reveal all that God would do for His children. Therefore, fuller disclosure was required. As the Letter argues, the priestly services and sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood were incapable of achieving the “purification of sins” and the “cleansing of the conscience.”

SON AND HEIR

The term “these Last Days” provides the time element of this “Word.” It began with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Afterward, he “sat down” in God’s presence where he now intercedes for his people as their “High Priest forever at the right hand of the Majesty in High Places” - (Acts 2:17, Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 1:10).

In the Greek sentence, there is no definite article or “the” before the term “son.” The omission stresses the class or status of the one who is called “son,” not his identity. The “Word” that God now speaks is through one who is a son and heir – His Son. Dishonoring this “son” is the same as dishonoring God, a most egregious sin.

Sons are in the closest relationship with their fathers. That familial closeness emphasizes Christ’s elevated status. As the “Son,” he is superior even to Moses, the greatest of the “prophets.” Therefore, the “Word” of the Son is superior to all others by its nature and contents.

God appointed Jesus as the “heir of all things.” This alludes to the Second Psalm. Yahweh promised to give His Son the “nations as an inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the Earth.” The Letter shortens but also expands the original promise so that now Jesus inherits “all things” - (Psalm 2:7-8).

The Son reflects the brightness of God’s glory and is the “exact impress” of His being. He expresses the glory and nature of God. Only in him can the essence and splendor of God be revealed and understood.

Thus, the “Word” of the Son is superior to all past revelations. This is especially so in two ways. First, it is the last word in a long series of prophetic utterances. Second, the “Son” is the means of this communication and the consummation and fulfillment of those past “words.”

What preceded this final Word was never intended to be God’s final answer for His children. With the advent of Jesus, the God of Israel has “spoken” decisively and with absolute finality, and nothing will ever be the same again. Attempting to turn the clock back to the old system of sacrifices and priestly services would prove futile and foolish in the extreme.

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SEE ALSO:

• Fulfilled in Jesus - (The promises of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled in the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth)

• The Promise of the Father - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced)

• Light and Life - (Jesus is the only true Light of the World, and his light shines all the brighter amidst the darkness that tyrannizes the present age. All competing claims are false)

• Dieu a parlé! - (Dieu a prononcé Sa parole définitive en Son Fils. Toutes les paroles précédentes données par les prophètes étaient préparatoires et partielles)