Hebrews 1:1–4
Every human age has developed its own ways of hearing from God. Ancient people offered sacrifices, consulted priests, listened to prophets, and developed religious practices to understand how God worked and what God wanted from humanity.
The people of Israel were part of this long human journey. Their Scriptures tell the story of a people who wrestled with God, trying to understand the divine through their experiences of suffering, liberation, war, exile, and restoration.
This is where the book of Hebrews begins. Although we don't know who wrote it, Hebrews reads much like an ancient sermon, written to encourage a community struggling to remain faithful in a difficult world.
And the opening words announce that something important has changed.
God Has Spoken in Many Ways
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (Hebrews 1:1).
The author begins with a rhythmic Greek phrase: polymerōs kai polytropōs palai, emphasizing the many different times and ways God had spoken.
This is a wonderful description of the Old Testament.
The Hebrew Scriptures are something like a mosaic, made up of poetry, laws, wisdom literature, historical narratives, prophetic warnings, and songs of lament. Together, they tell the story of people trying to discern God's presence in their history.
They understood their experiences as opportunities to learn something about God. Victory in battle might mean God was pleased with them. Defeat or exile might mean God was correcting them. Prosperity could be interpreted as a blessing, while suffering raised difficult questions about God's faithfulness. And as they looked back over their history, they believed they could see God teaching them, correcting them, and drawing them toward a better future.
But the picture wasn't always clear. The Scriptures preserve disagreements about kings, worship, justice, and even the character of God. Some stories describe extraordinary compassion and generosity. Others describe violence, conquest, and cruelty. These were people wrestling with God across generations, and their understanding was developing as they went.
But Now God Has Spoken Through Jesus
Hebrews starts with this announcement:
“But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2).
The author contrasts the many ways God spoke in the past with the revelation of God through Jesus. And what follows is one of the most extraordinary descriptions of Jesus in the New Testament:
“The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3).
The author is claiming that, if we want to know what God is like, we need to look at Jesus. This changes how Christians approach everything that came before him, Jesus becomes the clearest picture of God's character, the person through whom we learn to understand the rest of the story.
When an ancient text describes God acting violently, but Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, Christians must wrestle with that tension. When religious traditions defend hierarchies, but Jesus elevates those who have been pushed aside, his example challenges those traditions.
In all of this, Jesus changes the way we understand what we thought we already knew.
What Was Is Ending
THe announcement is part of a pattern that runs throughout Scripture.
The prophets repeatedly insisted that God was doing something new. Isaiah announced that former things were passing away and new things were coming. Paul described a new creation in Christ. Revelation ends with God declaring, “I am making everything new!”
The message is not that everything people believed before was worthless. It is that God's people must remain willing to grow beyond what they have previously understood.
Hebrews announces that the old ways of hearing from God have reached a turning point. Jesus is not simply another voice added to the conversation. He is the revelation through whom the entire conversation must now be reconsidered, and that creates a challenge for every generation of Christians.
We inherit beliefs, traditions, interpretations, and practices from people who came before us. Some are beautiful and life-giving. Others may reflect the fears, prejudices, and limitations of their time. It is the continuing mission of the church to listen as God leads humanity toward something new.
House Church Discussion Questions
Growing up, what were you taught about how people hear from God? How has your understanding changed over the years?
The Old Testament preserves generations of people wrestling with their understanding of God. What do you think we gain by recognizing that people of faith have always had questions and disagreements?
Hebrews describes Jesus as the exact representation of God's being. Is there something about Jesus that has challenged or changed an earlier understanding you had of God?
Have you ever had to reconsider a religious belief or tradition because it seemed inconsistent with the life and teachings of Jesus? What was that experience like?
If God is continually drawing humanity toward something new, how can we remain open to change without simply abandoning everything we've learned from those who came before us?