God Has Spoken
Posted on February 6, 2010 by Kris
Filed Under Hebrews, What I'm Studying... | 1 Comment |
In Hebrews 1:1-2 the author of Hebrews (whom I believe to be the apostle Paul) begins his epistle by emphasizing the fact that God has spoken. While some may see these verses as only establishing some history of God sending His word to mankind, in reality the author is achieving much more. Why might he start here, rather than in the way that so many of the other epistles begin (with an introduction or salutation)?
First consider that the author is writing to a group of Christians that had been converted from Judaism. They were considering returning to that faith, as it would relieve some (if not all) of the persecution that they were facing. So, the author starts by speaking of God revealing His mind to His people. In times past, He did that through the prophets. These Jewish Christians would have had the utmost respect for the prophets, and would have acknowledged their authority. The writer then tells them that the in these “last days” God has spoken to us through His Son. If they respected the prophets and saw them as authoritative, how much more so should they view the Son of God? They should be even more willing to be obedient to the Son!
This is the beginning of what will be a long sequence of arguments by the author to establish the predominance of the Son over anything that had come before Him. Christ is so much greater than what God had used in times past. He is greater than the prophets. He is greater than the angels. He is greater than Moses. He is greater than Melchizedek. He is greater than Abraham. He is greater than the Old Covenant. He is greater than the Levitical priesthood. By establishing the superiority of Christ, the author should be establishing the need to heed the word that is spoken through Him!
The method that God proclaimed His word was through the prophets, and through His Son. In both of these cases, it is evident that the delivery of that word was of the utmost importance. Many of the prophets suffered at the hands of the very people that God was trying to deliver His word to. Men were persecuted and killed because of their work in delivering the word of God. The importance of the delivery of God’s message is especially evident in the sending of His Son. Jesus conveys the manner that the prophets were received, as well as the way that He would ultimately be received in a parable in Matthew 21:33-45.
If God has gone to so much trouble to proclaim His will, surely He expects something from mankind. Why would He spend so much time and effort revealing His mind, at the expense of the lives of the men who were used, if He had no expectation of obedience? When one understands that “God spoke,” he must also understand that he has some obligation to be obedient to God. So, the mere fact that God has spoken has placed upon all of mankind the responsibility to be obedient to the word that was revealed. How can we reject this obligation, knowing what it took for God to get the message to us in the first place?
Knowing all of this, it is amazing to hear people talk about the word of God. There are many who have an attitude that God’s word is nothing more than a book of suggestions that we can take or leave. We can pick through them, being obedient to the ones that we like, and ignore the ones that we don’t like. Others think that they are free to choose to improve upon God’s word. Surely we can come up with better ways of doing things than what God has revealed! After all, we probably know people a bit better than God does, and so our way of doing things is probably better than His! Essentially, what it comes down to is this: People think they are smarter than God. Of course, no one ever actually says that out loud, but in reality it is exactly what they say with their actions. How else do we explain it when we look into God’s word, and treat it as if it is wrong? We must believe it to be wrong if we think there is a better way!
Finally, consider that if God has spoken, there are consequences. A part of what God has spoken is that He will judge all the world. There is a reward for those who are righteous, and punishment for those who are not righteous. The very word that He reveals to us defines what it means to be righteous. We cannot be righteous and ignore what God has revealed. We cannot claim to be a child of His and then not do what He has commanded us to do. Once we dismiss what has been revealed, we separate ourselves from God. We can be a “good person,” but that is not the criteria for being in a relationship with God.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
(Matthew 7:21-27)
Only those who are willing to do the will of the Father will be pleasing to Him. There will be many who will claim to have been faithful on the day of judgment, but claiming faithfulness, and living faithfulness are two completely different ideas! May we choose to heed the word that God has spoken so that we do not have to hear our Judge turn us away with the words, “I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness!”
Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). We need to make sure that we love, not just in word, but also in deed (1 John 3:18). We must show our love for Christ by keeping the word which was delivered through Him. God has, in these last days, spoken to us through His Son. Now, what are you going to do about it?
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Doug sent your link to me. I would like for you to add my email address to any lists that you use to get messages out as well as your blog, website articles, etc.
Thanks,
Vicki
ps. enjoyed being with all you guys last night.