THE BETTER BOOK
Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJV
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The Book of Hebrews was written for Jewish believers who were being persecuted and under pressure to leave Christianity and return to Judaism. But even though the letter was written to Jewish believers, there is a wealth of knowledge that pertains to all those who are in Christ, regardless of their background. The profound truths found in these first four verses are wonderful and set the tone for a book that has a great amount of spiritual depth. But don't allow the depth to intimidate you. As you read, look for the verses that speak to you and expect to see even more. Way too many believers talk themselves out of seeing spiritual truth because they don't believe they can understand it.
Right from the start, we see something better. God spoke to the Jewish people in the past by the prophets such as Elijah and Isaiah. But now God has spoken to us by His Son. The Son, Jesus, is better than the prophets. It was the Son that has been appointed by God to be the heir of all things. Now I can admit I am not sure what being heir of all things means, but I can discern that there is nothing or no one higher. And it was by Jesus, the Word made flesh, that God made the worlds. Wrap your head around that! Our heads may tilt, but our heart sings at that truth. We serve the One through whom the worlds were made.
And the truth keeps on growing as we see that Jesus is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. When Jesus declared to Phillip in John 14:9 that "he who has seen Me has seen the Father," He was not speaking in hyperbole. Jesus only spoke what He heard from His Father. He was always and completely in line with the Father's will. If we want to see what the Father is like, all we must do is look to Jesus.
Jesus upheld all things by the word of God's power. We'll be chewing on that truth for a long time to come. But there is one thing we can all grasp, appreciate, and understand. Jesus by Himself purged our sins. He did not cover our sins as the animal sacrifices did in the Old Testament. He completely took them away. And Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. I love the regal wording of sitting at the right hand of Majesty. More than any earthly king or ruler, Jesus is greater and above them all.
And the writer now starts with Jesus being better than the angels. Jesus is not just better, but so much better. Jesus, because of what He accomplished, inherited a name that is more excellent. Some in Judaism had become caught up with angels but Jesus is better. No angel was ever called God's Son. No angel could pay the price for our sins. And it will be at the name, the authority, of Jesus, not angels, that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
As you read through the Book of Hebrews, look for Jesus—who He is and what He has done. In heaven and on earth, we'll never find anyone better!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I pray that as I read Hebrews, You will reveal more of Yourself to me. There is no one I know, no man or woman, who is or ever was better than You.