Hebrews 1:1-4 - 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)
Cynthia Westfall – “The first four verses in Hebrews contain profound theological truths about the identity of Jesus, but they all are making one major point: In these last or final days, God speaks to his people through Jesus.”
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Date: Hebrews was most likely written between 68–70 CE, at the time of Titus’ persecution of the Jews and Christians leading up to the complete destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Purpose:
v. 1 – God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
David DeSilva – “He (the author of Hebrews) presents the historic oracles of God as small and scattered pieces of a great jigsaw puzzle, which all come together when seen in light of the final revelation in the Son.”
v. 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.
“Heir of all things” - In the Hebrew culture, a son was the heir to all that their father possessed. It was his inheritance by right. The writer here quotes from Psalm 2:7 in chapter 1 and the very next verse says…
*What the writer of Hebrews wants these early believers to understand about Jesus is that as the Son of God, his inheritance is in fact the nations of the earth. And this is something that God has been working towards all throughout redemptive history but now it has been accomplished through the Son.
v. 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
“radiance” – Speaks of intense brightness, reflection, emanating from, revelation of source
“exact representation” of the nature of God, the writer is saying that many before Christ either represented a partial understanding of the character of God, or mis-represented the character of God, but Jesus has now come and revealed exactly what God the Father is like.
William Barclay - “Jesus was not a part of the truth; He was the whole truth. He was not a fragmentary revelation of God; He was the full revelation of God. In Him God displayed not some facet of His truth; God displayed Himself fully revealed to man.”
“Making purification for sins” – Which not only speaks of the literal cleansing of sins, but speaks of the work of the High Priest in making atonement for the sins of the people; this being the cleansing, forgiving, and the defeat of sin.
“Sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” – This speaks to the completion of what God sent the Son to do and speaks of the Kingly royalty bestowed upon the Son.
v. 4 – having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.