This Week's Focus Passage

This Week’s Focus Passage: Hebrews 1:1 ‘God having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophe

This Week’s Focus Passage: Hebrews 1:1

‘God having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets.’

    

God having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things   

 

    The author of this book of Hebrews, or, the preacher of this message to the Hebrews, notwithstanding who he was, has cited, or made use of numerous passages, that support his initial statement cited above. He has made generous use of the second to dramatically provide examples of the very feature that he has asserted in the first verse. Namely, that “God, having of old time spoken…of His Son whom He appointed heir of all things.” Or, to put it another way, the Messiah was revealed through the prophets unto the fathers of the Older Testament. Many professing Christians, and yes, actual Christians, claim to be unable to find Christ in the Older Testament. Perhaps they are so involved with the prophecies of the ‘end times,’ that present epistle, that which was written, or spoken (preached) to the Hebrews noted, and to ourselves, demonstrates that Christ was revealed by many of the Old Testament prophets; the ‘sweet Psalmist of Israel,’ being one of them, along with the many others, including Moses, the author of the books given the name of Samuel, along with other psalmists, a psalm of the sons of Korah, or, a psalm for the sons of Korah, and other psalms. 

    We are not told, specifically, that each of these writers were, indeed, prophets, but we are told, by Peter, that David was a prophet, and we are taught that Moses was, himself, a prophet. In Acts 2:29-31, Peter preached that notable sermon.

Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch [father] David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne; he foreseeing this spake of the resurredtion of the Christ.

We are told, equally as well, that Moses was a prophet, as is discovered unto the reader of Deuteronomy, at the close of that auspicious book, last in the Pentateuch. In 34:10-12, closing, as we have said, that final book of Moses, with these words:

And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.

This prophet, Moses, had written earlier in this book, about the True Prophet yet to come, when he said, in 18:15, Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. Speaking of the remarkableness of this book of Hebrews, Herbert Lockyer, has affirmed his view, that, “Without doubt, the Epistle is one of the most remarkable books of the New Testament, in that, more than any other Epistle, it is laden with Old Testament references to all associated with the ancient Levitical order of worship and service.”

    But our allegation is to the point that the Old Testament speaks of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One. Do we have, then, in the epistle to the Hebrews, references, citations, that speak of the Savior? Indeed, did the author of this book, this epistle, demonstrate that even as God hath spoken unto us in the Son, spoke also of the Son unto the fathers in the prophets; this Son whom he appointed heir of all things? Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee; are the blessed words of the second Psalm; that very psalm that calls upon sinners, in its concluding charge, to Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way; for his wrath will soon be kindled. The author of Hebrews has no reservations in ascribing the fulfill-ment of this warning, to our Lord Jesus Christ. He has continued to be speaking of Him of whom he had just referenced, as having ‘made purification of sins, and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’ A much later commentator aligns himself with this understanding, when he pronounced in his commentary upon the second psalm, saying, ‘We shall not greatly err in our summary of this sublime psalm if we call it THE PSALM OF MESSIAH THE PRINCE; for it sets forth as in a wondrous vision….the determinate purpose of God to exalt His own Son.’ And while there is not an ‘official’ superscription for Psalm 2, that would permit us to ascribe the wonderful expressions to David, the son of Jesse; God the Holy Spirit has given us an answer to the question of authorship, when He put these words in the mouth of Peter, as found in Acts, chapter four, as the apostle, in citing the words of the second psalm, has said, who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say, unequivocally declaring David as the penman of Psalm Two. This David has already, in Peter’s first sermon, on the day of Pentecost, been declared to be a prophet; so there we have this attestation, of our focus passage, affirmed for us.

God having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets [that is, David, this second psalm, and other psalms] has spoken of the Son, the Messiah, in the O.T.       

    Yet, as Jehovah has declared that judgments should only be made at the mouths of two, or three, witnesses, so we submit an additional passage to corroborate our first testimony. In the same groupings of Hebrews one, we see yet another psalm being set before the reader’s eye. This quote is from the 45th psalm, verse six, where the psalmist has written these words, precisely cited by the writer of Hebrews, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; and the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Charles Spurgeon has made no attempt whatever to hold back on any of his thoughts concerning the One of whom this psalm speaks. He wrote in almost belligerent terms, that is, almost daring any to protest, when he said, ‘To whom can this be spoken but our Lord? The psalmist cannot restrain his adoration [neither can CHS]. His enlightened eye sees in the royal Husband to the church, God, God to be adored, God reigning, God reigning everlastingly. Blessed sight! Blind are the eyes that cannot see God in Christ Jesus;’ yea, Christ Jesus in the Older Testament. Where is Jesus to be found in the Older Testament? Everywhere; He is everywhere! Hallelujah; praise Jehovah! Praise our Bridegroom, now and evermore.

 

David Farmer, elder

Fellowship Bible Church

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