Hebrews 1:1-4
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
It is amazing to think that the preacher starts off his letter by no other word than “God”. Not only does he start off by announcing who this whole letter will be centered around, but that this God spoke. The God who is above all, who is omnipotent, without need or counsel, spoke. For by the very Word of God all things came into being. It is by the Word of God that His law was given. God spoke to the fathers in the prophets so that His will would be known. Therefore the first thing we must notice about this passage of Scripture and about the God whom it pertains to is that He is a God of communication. It is His desire to make Himself known. It is His desire to be personal with His people. He is the God who spoke.
Then the preacher seeks to contrast the way God has spoken to the “fathers” and to “us”. God spoke to the fathers, that is those of old, but not only the patriarchs, of those of the Old Covenant. With them He spoke in many portions and in many ways. What is it that the preacher wishes for us to see? I am drawn to the word “many”. In the Old Covenant He spoke in many times, with the Patriarchs, with Moses, with the Prophets, and many others. He spoke to them in many ways: by visions, by dreams, with Moses, the Lord spoke to him like a man. The way that God communicated was in many portions and in many ways, so that older revelation was expansive, but incomplete.
But “in these last days” He “has spoken to us in His Son”. Now before I entertain the speaking of the Son, what does the preacher mean by “last days”? If the preacher meant that he was in the last days then we would now have been in the last days for nearly 2,000 years. But that is exactly what the preacher means. As the preacher will show us by this letter, it is when the Son, whom was appointed heir of all things, sat down, that we entered into the last days. Just as when the decisive battle is won in a war, though there may be fighting and skirmishes afterward, by the blow of the great battle the victor has already been named and all fighting thereafter is seen as in the last days. So we therefore remain in the last days waiting until the great day when all things that have been subjected to Him are seen as subjected to Him.
The preacher proclaims, “He…has spoken to us in His Son”. Where the fathers had to deal with many portions and many ways, we have one speech at one time. Christ is therefore the climax of Scripture, both the fulfillment and end for which it was given. By the Scriptures we are shown the worth of the Son and by the Son the Scriptures are given their value. Jesus is therefore the Word of God. With the first phase of speech coming through the prophets, Christ is the second and last. Christ is the “radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” Christ, as God, shows the fullness of God. To see the Son is to see the Father. Therefore, there remains no speech to be given by God to make Himself known.
The Son is the “appointed heir of all things.” Even though was through the Son that the world was made, God appointed Him as heir. First, this gives rise to the deity of Christ. It was through Him that God made the world. The Son was present with God in the beginning to make the world, and it is by the “word of His power” that all things are upheld. Yet, the world, not referring to the earth only, but all created things, both in the heavens and earth, belong to God for Him to do with as He wishes. So by His appointment, God declares the Son to be the heir.
When the Son had fulfilled the purpose of God, “purification of sins” and what the preacher will show to be the fulfillment and end of the sacrificial system, He “sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high”. Thus the Son has inherited creation and has had all things put in “subjection under His feet.” Though we do not see it as so, Christ now reigns at the and by this He has become much better than the angels, though made lower for a time, speaking of His incarnation, because He has “inherited a more excellent name than they”—“Son”.
God has communicated and expansive and foundational revelation through the Old Testament, but God has spoken climatically in His Son as God’s prophet. Therefore it should be our greatest desire to know the God who communicates. Though the fulfillment of God’s revelation came in His Son, the Son will never be known fully in this life apart from what was given in the prophets in the days long ago. The preacher thrust this forward with quotation after quotation from the Old Testament to greaten our understanding and give rise to a passion for the Son who is much better than the angels and as we will see: Moses, the promise land, the priestly system, the Law and Old Covenant; having made purification of sins as our high priest. Therefore we ought to fix our eyes on Jesus and draw near to “the author and perfecter our faith, who for the joy set before Him endure the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” as our king.
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