Hebrews 1:1

God Has Spoken to the Fathers

The writer was so full of his subject that he did not take the time to extend the usual greetings or identify himself. Rather, he launched into a sentence four verses long. In that sentence, he completely previews the letter's subject matter. His purpose is to demonstrate the absolute superiority of Christ and His church.

The key part of verses one and two is a simple statement, "God has spoken." God spoke in several ways in the Old Testament. He spoke out of a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6); in dreams (Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:19-23); and in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12), to name but a few. The writer says God spoke to the Jewish forefathers through His spokesmen, the prophets. They were simply proclaimers of divine truth both spoken and written. Several passages make it clear they spoke with divine authority (Exodus 4:12; Jeremiah 1:7-9; Matthew 22:31-32; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

God revealed His will a portion at a time, or at various times. He also revealed it in many ways. Close examination of the Old Testament will reveal that God truly unveiled His scheme for man's redemption one part at a time. Perhaps this was done to give man time to understand the things being revealed.