Dive Time

“In these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son.” Hebrews 1:1



My earliest memory of Hebrews is lost in a daydream.


Staying focused for five consecutive nights during summer revival was hard enough, but paying attention at the weekday morning services was nigh to impossible. One year I never even made it past the first verse.


The preacher’s voice boomed the scripture through the thick southern air, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets…” Surely those words held deep significance for King James and his counterparts, but to my nine year old mind God was scuba diving on a sunny day. And off I went.


Several years later I read the same passage in a more contemporary version and thought, “So that’s what God and that guy were trying to say!” “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”(Hebrews 1:1-2). God wasn’t diving; He was divulging—who He is and what He is up to. In the past, i.e. BC, God sent His word to His people through His prophets. He did this for thousands of years in numerous ways. Moses held stone tablets. David composed songs. Isaiah gave his kids strange names. Jeremiah smashed jars and wrote on scrolls. Ezekiel lay on his left side for over a year then turned on his right for forty extra days. Daniel interpreted dreams. Hosea married a prostitute. And Malachi delivered oracles. Many centuries. Many messages. Many methods. But now…


“But in these last days, [i.e. AD,] he has spoken to us by his Son.” No more word pictures or implied examples are needed. God has shown up and spoken up in Jesus. What Jesus said and what Jesus did give us a complete revelation of our Heavenly Father. The book of Hebrews helps us understand why Jesus came as He did, why He did what He did, and what we are to do because of what He did. Many practices and policies of the Old Testament which cause us to wonder “Why?” or “What?” make sense and have more meaning due to their explanation in Hebrews. If I had to describe Hebrews in one word, I would say “Helpful.”


We don’t know who wrote these helpful words. Some think Paul is the author. Others pick Apollos. Who wrote the book doesn’t matter; what is written is what’s important. And who reads it and believes it. For the next few weeks, that would be us. Hebrews is long, but hopefully we won’t get lost. And somewhere along the way, I’m certain that God will use His helpful words in Hebrews to help us grasp His love and grace more than we ever have before.


So grab your mask and fins, and let’s dive deep.
Maybe God’s into scuba after all, and the Son is certainly shining!