Verse Study Devotion – Hebrews 1:1

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,” Hebrews 1:1

First of all, I want to discuss who the author was. Many believe it was the Apostle Paul, however, I want you to notice how Paul begins his writings we know are his.

Romans – Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

! Corinthians – Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 Corinthians – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:

Galatians – Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),

Ephesians – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Philippians – Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

Colossians – Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

! Thessalonians – Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2 Thessalonians – Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Timothy – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,

2 Timothy – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,

Titus – Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

Philemon – Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,

Note how Paul starts all the books he wrote with his first name. In the Book of Hebrews, the author’s name is never mentioned. This leads me to believe that Paul did not write the Book of Hebrews. I may be wrong, but ultimately this is not all that important. What is important is what God is telling us through whoever He chose to write this book via the moving of the Holy Spirit.

Going now to verses 1 and 2 we see that God is a personal God, not one who created everything and went away, but who desires to interact with us.

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 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.” Hebrews 1:1-2.

In the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through the prophets. They were people God used to communicate His message to the world. In essence they acted as a mouthpiece for God, receiving and then proclaiming what God has told or shown them. And they shared these things according to God’s commandments to them. However, when ‘The Christ’ came into the world, God spoke to us through Him, His son. Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning ‘anointed or chosen one’. This Greek word is equivalent to the Hebrew word Mashiach, or ‘Messiah.’ And the name ‘Jesus’ is the Lord’s human name given to Mary by the angel Gabriel.

” And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” Luke 1:31.

His name was Jesus, but His title was Christ, for Jesus was sent by God to be a King and Deliverer. Christ is His title, the Messiah, also referred to as ‘The Anointed One.’

I love the way Theologian Charles Spurgeon described these two ideas.

“Saving the best for last is always God’s rule. You have kept the good wine until now. Prophets are a very blessed means of communication, but how much more sure, how much more condescending is it for God to speak to us by His Son!”

He uses a verse from the Book of John to help make his point regarding the prophets and the Christ.

“When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.’” John 2:10.

He spoke with those in Old Testament times through prophets, but in New Testament times, during our time through to the end, He speaks to us through His Son, The Christ. He literally saved the best for last.

And this one who is God’s Son made the worlds and everything that is. We see this more clearly stated by John in his gospel record.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. .. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14.

Moving on to verse three.

“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,” Hebrews 1:3.

Hebrews 1:2-3 are incredible verses that show us the nature and work of Jesus Christ, putting together His divinity, His role in creation (as seen in Hebrews 1:2), and His work in redeeming mankind from the results of their sin. We then read in 1 John the following regarding salvation.

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:6-7.

Jesus manages everything by His word, showing He not only created but upholds the universe. He provided a means to purify us from our sins, showing His work of redemption through cleansing us. He then sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in on high, that being God the Father. This shows Jesus’ exaltation and authority, as we see in Ephesians 1:19-21.

“And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:19-21.

This verse reassures us of Jesus’ divine nature and ongoing role, offering comfort and hope in uncertain times.

Then in the next four verses we see the immense difference between all the angels and the Christ.

“Having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”? And again, “I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME”? And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.” And of the angels He says, “WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.” Hebrews 1:4-7.

Looking at these verses, we see the phrase, ‘much better than the angels”. This refers to being exalted much above the angels. The word “better” here does not refer to moral character, but to exaltation of rank. In the Greek, the word is ‘kreitton’, which has the idea of stronger, more useful and noble. And because of this, He has a more excellent name. Instead of simply being an angel or servant, Jesus was declared the Son of God. No angel was given this position.

God the Father also spoke to God the Son and declared Him as begotten. The word begotten speaks of the equality of substance and essential nature between the Father and Son, because the Son came forth from the Father. It means that the Father and the Son share the same being. This verse also suggests that God sometimes delivers His message, via His angels, using them through the natural world. While angels have a flexible nature, sometimes appearing as flames or wind,

“He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.” Psalm 104:4.

To go forward to Hebrews 1:8-14, click the following link.