In a majestically constructed opening paragraph, the writer introduced their readers at once to the surpassing greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The writer declared the Son is the par excellence vehicle for divine revelation. In asserting this, the author implicitly contrasted Jesus with the prophets of old and explicitly contrasted Him with the angels.
Hebrews addresses readers who reverenced the Old Testament prophets and angels. When we think about Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos, we must admit that the prophets were an impressive group. We aren’t surprised that some believers admired them, perhaps a bit too much. The author emphasized that Jesus was better than the prophets (vv. 1–3). God had spoken through the prophets at many times and in various ways. When God spoke through Jesus, He revealed the Son as Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. Isaiah could not be compared with Jesus. God had spoken bits and pieces of truth through Isaiah, but God revealed all His truth when He spoke through Jesus.
Some readers of Hebrews were also “carried away by all kinds of strange teachings” (Heb. 13:9). They may have become angel worshipers (Col. 2:18). Someone had to remind them how important Jesus was. That is when God used this author to provide some of the most amazing words about Jesus. Hebrews also emphasizes that Jesus is better than the angels (vv. 4–14). The very name Son made Jesus superior to angels (vv. 4–5).
Just so you are aware, in these four verses there are several words that are debated about regarding their meaning or why a particular Greek word was used. Each of those topics and issues are too intensive for this devotional but are interesting research projects.
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 He also 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 so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- God has spoken through the Son more fully and authoritatively than through the prophets or the angels.
- The Son is more glorious than the prophets because God has spoken fully through Him (vv. 1-3)
- The Son brought us God’s grace because His death removed the stain of sin
CLOSER LOOK:
Verses 1–2a: The central assertion of the Prologue is made here. Though God has “in many portions and in many ways” revealed Himself in the past, Old Testament prophetic revelation has now received its end-times climax through God’s Son. However highly the readers regarded that former revelation, the writer implied they must now listen most closely to the Son.
The writer tells us three things. First, God spoke. He has revealed Himself. Second, God spoke to the forefathers. Our Old Testament contains these words to our spiritual forefathers. Third, God did this speaking through the prophets. The words of Hosea, Ezekiel, Malachi, and the rest of the prophets were God’s words to wandering human beings.
God spoke at many times or portions. He spoke in fragments. He revealed a little here and a little there. God also spoke in various (or many) ways. He spoke through visions, angels, events, and people
Verses 2b–4: In a series of subordinate constructions which are part of a single sentence in the Greek, the author set forth the Son’s greatness.[1] Some scholars say the unified structure of the writer’s sentence is hidden by some translations which breaks it down into several sentences.[2] The overwhelming superiority of the Son is described with seven majestic phrases. The first two show the relationship of the Son to creation. To begin with (v. 2b), the Son is the designated Heir of all things and will ultimately have control over all creation (Heb 2:8). This is obviously as it should be since He is also their Maker—the One “through whom also He made the world (tous aiōnas, literally, “the ages,” also rendered “the universe” in 11:3). God worked through his Son to make the universe of time and space (Col. 1:16). The Son was God’s intermediate agent in creation. The reference to the Son’s heirship anticipates the thought of His future reign, of which the writer will say much.
But the One who is both Creator and Heir is also a perfect reflection of the God who has spoken in Him. The next two phrases show the Son’s relationship to the Father. Don’t gloss over verse 3 too quickly. This is important information in developing a proper view of Christ. Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s nature. As the radiance of God’s glory, the Son reflects God’s spotless purity; He shined into human hearts (John 1:9). As the exact representation of God’s being, the Son has the divine substance of the Father. This was a bold proclamation of Jesus’ deity. Jesus is God.
Moreover His word is so powerful that all He has made is upheld or sustained by that Word. The fifth phrase shows something the Son is now doing in the world. God’s creative word formed the world of time and space (Heb. 11:3). The sustaining word of the Son maintains it. As the sustainer of the world, the Son carries God’s plan to its conclusion. With Jesus in charge we know that the world will not fall into utter chaos. God’s plans will triumph. The word “uphold” (pherō; Heb. 1:3) does not mean “holding up,” as though the universe is a burden on the back of Jesus. The word itself in this context means to cause to continue to exist or continue in a state or condition, sustain.[3] Another meaning of the word is to bear along in the sense of a guide, rule. It has been expanded further to mean something like “holding and carrying from one place to another.” Some scholars see that both means are intended here where the Son is sustaining the universes in a dynamic way, and He is “carrying along” or guiding it towards its intended goal, rather than merely passively supporting creation as if it were a burden. He is the God of Creation and the God of providence who guides this universe to its divinely ordained destiny.
The sixth and seventh phrases focus on the redemptive work of Christ. The Son brought us God’s grace because his death removed the stain of sin. And it is this Person, Jesus, who has provided “purification of sins” and has “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (cf. 8:1; 10:12; 12:2). Jesus has provided purification for sins as an act of supreme grace without any merit on our part. After dealing with our sins, Jesus ascended the throne. In his resurrection and ascension he assumed a place of honor at God’s right hand. Today we proclaim Him as Lord. The Son is a Prophet through whom God spoke his final word to human beings. The Son is a Priest who has removed the blot of sin from our ledger. He is a King exalted by God to a supreme place of honor.
In doing so it is obvious, as Hebrews tells us, He has attained an eminence far beyond anything the angels can claim. The readers of Hebrews may have called Jesus Christ by the name, “angel.” This title pictured Him as a spiritual being carrying out a few errands for God. Hebrews calls Jesus Christ a Son and recognizes this as a superior title. A Son has a close, personal relationship with the Father. Jesus was much more than a supernatural creature who darted around on mercy missions for God.
As might easily be expected in the Prologue, the writer struck notes which will be crucial to the unfolding of their argument in the body of the epistle.[4] The author implied that God’s revelation in the Son has a definitive quality which previous revelation did not fully reveal. Moreover the sacrifice for sins which such a One makes must necessarily be greater than other kinds of sacrifices. Finally the Son’s greatness makes preoccupation with angelic dignities entirely unnecessary. Though the Prologue contains no warning, which will be shown later, it carries with it an implicit admonition: This is God’s supremely great Son; hear Him! (cf. 12:25–27)
What God announced through the prophets was important. What He spoke through His Son was climactic, definitive, and superlative. We are living in the last days, maybe not in a chronological sense but in a theological sense. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension showed that we have entered new territory in God’s plans. In these final days, God has spoken through his Son. God wants us to hear Him. We had better listen. Anyone neglecting what Jesus says faces the spiritual danger of missing the life altering warning signs.
[1] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 781.
[2] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 781.
[3] As we will see, Hebrews is full of syntactical and semantic questions that have a lot of debate surrounding them. The meaning of pherōn in this context is debated. There are five possibilities: (1) “to bear up, to sustain”; (2) “to bear along” in the sense of “guide, rule,” while the other three are generally ruled out as not possible.
[4] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 781.