Hebrew 1:1-3: Spoken unto Us by His Son
2022-06-18
What you notice the first time reading this epistle, there is no introduction. There is no author mentioned, but it has been mostly attributed to Paul. Read more about the issue of authorship here.
The book is very heavy on theology and Old Testament quotations. It is apologetic in nature to Jewish people who were suffering for their faith. These Jews are presumably Christian, but there are hints that Paul suspects some of them. This book uses the Old Testament to convince people of a Jewish background to believe or to continue in the faith.
The book of Hebrews shows Christ’s sovereignty over creation, and His superiority to angels, Moses, the Sabbath rest, the high priest, the old covenant, and the sacrificial system. It also shows what true faith is and its practical applications.
Hebrews 1:1
Before Christ came, God spoke throughout history via prophets to the fathers. Prophets do not necessarily imply future prediction or direct revelation from God in other places, but here it does. The prophets are those who wrote down the Old Testament. God “had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures” (Romans 1:2). “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).
Consider also phrases such as this: “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:22-23). We also know this is the prophet Isaiah. However, no name is given. Isaiah is called a prophet; he was delivering direct revelation from God and foretelling a specific event in the future.
The point is that previously, God spoke in various ways by different prophets. They came up at different times. They used different illustrations. They communicated in different ways. Recall, for example, Jeremiah buried a girdle in a hole by the river, and after a time, it was destroyed and useless (Jeremiah 13:1-11). He would destroy the pride of Judah like the girdle was marred. There are many different ways they communicated. Isaiah walked around naked for a few years, and Ezekiel cooked food over cow dung! Sometimes they did odd things, but God told them to do various things to communicate to the people.
The Word of the Lord was also revealed at “sundry times.” There were times when the Lord was not heard from much. “And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision” (1 Samuel 3:1). During the days of Eli, there was not much heard from the Lord until Samuel came. There was also general silence from God after the post-exilic prophets until Jesus came, about 400 years.
The fathers spoken of here would be the ancestors that preceded the New Testament era. The prophets kept pointing them to the future Savior Jesus Christ that would come and save them. All the typology, all the direct and specific prophecies, all the covenants and promises, and the condemnation that comes from the law all points to Jesus Christ and our need for Him.
Consider Luke 24:25-27. This was Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The disciples did not recognize Jesus. Jesus still took opportunity to teach them everything from the Old Testament concerning Himself. All the prophets spoke concerning Christ. Notice this covers Moses (the Law) and all the prophets. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me” (John 5:46).
Hebrews 1:2
The Last Days
The last days refers to the time of Christ’s first coming through to His second coming. All this period, including the time we live in, are the last times. We looked at this when discussing 1 Timothy 4:1 (here) and 2 Timothy 3:1 (here). The last days started at the “fulness of times”:
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him (Ephesians 1:9-10)
A few examples that constituted this “fulness of times” include the Jews being tired of foreign rule. They had been under foreign rulers since Babylon, except for a period when the Maccabees had thrown off pagan rule. They wanted deliverance.
The Old Testament had been translated into Greek so that the Bible had a much wider audience, and synagogues were scattered across the world because of the Diaspora. These congregations introduced people to the God of the Bible.
Lastly, the Roman infrastructure improved travel. People could easily travel. This would set up the disciples to travel across the world easier to give the Gospel. All these things were a “perfect storm” organized by God.
In our own times, we see something like those days. The Internet has made communications instantaneous. The Bible has been translated into thousands of languages. Churches are everywhere. Travel is easy by road, sea, or air. We have similar opportunities to the people of those days.
Spoken unto Us by His Son
How does God speak to us today? The answer here is “by his Son.” There is less emphasis on prophets and additional special revelation. The person of Jesus Christ communicates to us. He obviously is prophesied about in the Old Testament and plainly revealed in the New. He is the way of salvation, as well as righteous and holy living. In Him is our pardon of sin and our power for living. There is no more various times and ways God speaks; He is always speaking through His Son, and He is being preached everywhere. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Acts 5:42)
Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. (Acts 17:3)
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23)
Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord (2 Corinthians 2:12)
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5)
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8)
We preach Christ because Christ is everything. All human history is contingent upon making Christ known.
Heir of All Things
Christ being heir of all things means that He is Lord of all. Everything is His. “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)” (Acts 10:36). “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalms 2:8-9).
Since He is heir of everything, we are heirs with Him: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17).
God Made the Worlds by the Son
This should be seen as a segue to the next verse, Hebrews 1:2. God made the worlds by the Son. Consider Colossians 1:15-19. If you want to see the Father, all you need to do is see the Son. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). Jesus is the “firstborn of every creature.” “Firstborn” is another allusion to Him being heir and has preeminence over everything in this world. In Colossians 1:16, we see how comprehensive God’s creation by the Son is. This includes all things everywhere, including the spirit world. The Lord Jesus sustains everything. One word from the Lord and the world will implode.
Again, we see that Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. This shows His preeminence over the new creation just as much as He was the first time, in the old creation. Jesus has the fullness of Deity. He is not a demigod or a lesser God. He is completely God.
Hebrews 1:3
We have discussed Christ’s Deity in the previous verse with the help of Colossians 1:15-19.
Consider Exodus 33:18-23. We see that the LORD had to cover Moses while His full glory passed by. Nobody can handle all of that and survive. Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory. To see the glory of God is to see Jesus.
Concerning being the express image of His person, consider John 14:6-10. To know Christ is to know the Father. To see Christ is to see the Father. Often sons look and act like their fathers; the Son looks and acts like the Father, and is just as much Deity.
Jesus upholds all things. We saw this in Colossians 1:17.
Jesus purged our sins, and He did this on His own. Consider Romans 3:23-25. Only by the blood of Christ do we have forgiveness of sins. There was a sin debt that needed to be paid. It is that chasm between us and God that does not get swept under the rug. The death of Jesus was for our life.
Jesus also is enthroned at the right hand of the Father. Psalm 110:1 will be discussed later, so we will examine it at that time. “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).
To be at the right hand of the Father is to be exalted to a place of prominence. “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).
Consider this story of Jacob blessing Ephraim and Manasseh in Genesis 48:17-20. The firstborn usually was the heir. When Jacob placed his right hand on the second-born Ephraim, Joseph tried to correct him. But what did Jacob say? “I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations” (Genesis 48:19) and “he set Ephraim before Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20). Jesus is greater than all, and He is before everyone.