Fathers & Prophets

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed the heir of all things and through whom He also made the worlds. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

God spoke through the fathers and the prophets — but who are they, and what do they have to do with us?

A Famous Beginning, A Simple Question

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Those thirty words open one of the greatest speeches in American history, delivered by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. When Lincoln spoke of "our fathers," he meant the founding fathers who, eighty-seven years before, had assembled to sign the Declaration of Independence.

But when the unnamed author of Hebrews writes, "God who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets," a simple question arises: who are the fathers, and who are the prophets?

The Context of Hebrews

As we prepare to study through Hebrews 1 to 13 over the next several months, it's important to step back and consider who this letter was written to and why. Most commentators and teachers believe the author was writing to a specific group of Christians who came from a Hebrew, Jewish heritage. The general consensus is that the letter was written to establish in their hearts and minds the supremacy of Jesus in all areas of life, especially faith and practice. In short: Jesus is better than everything.

Even though most of us don't come from a Jewish heritage, this purpose remains vital. We are constantly bombarded with the temptation to trust in things other than Jesus. People put their trust in their bank account, their good looks, their health, their job — all kinds of things. We're even encouraged to trust in such things, but they are not steadfast in times of crisis. If your hope is bottled up in them, you will have a rough time. But Jesus is better. That is one of the core messages of Hebrews.

These Jewish Christians were being pulled by culture and tradition back toward the things they once trusted in. The author says: no, set your hope and trust in Jesus alone.

Two Truths That Underlie Everything

Last week we focused on the first ten words — "God who at various times and in various ways spoke" — and drew out two truths firmly established in Scripture, not just here but in Genesis. First, God is and was, and He created all things. Second, the Creator God speaks to His creation by revelation.

If you have a hard time with those truths, you will have a hard time with the rest of the Bible. You really must approach Scripture with these as presuppositions.

We saw that there are three forms of revelation. General revelation, where God speaks through creation — "the heavens declare the glory of God" — and through the moral law and conscience. Special revelation, where God speaks in a language that can be understood, to and through individuals we call prophets. And personal revelation, where God Himself steps into creation and reveals who He is in the person of Jesus Christ — the most perfect form of revelation.

Who Are the Prophets and the Fathers?

The prophets are those who received that special revelation. God spoke to them in various ways — through a dream, a vision, a still small voice, the midst of a burning bush, or through circumstances. These are individuals like Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Haggai, Hosea, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, and Micah. To the Jewish Christians receiving this letter, these were the names that came to mind.

And when they heard "the fathers," they thought of the patriarchs of Israel — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If these names are new to you, that's okay. (And when we talk about Abraham, we're not talking about Abraham Lincoln, which can be confusing since I quoted him at the start — different Abraham.)

But even if you know these names, you may wonder: what does this have to do with me? I'm not Jewish. These aren't my fathers. To answer that, we turn to Hebrews 11.

The Hall of Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God... By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain... By faith Enoch was taken away... But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah... By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going... By faith Sarah... By faith Isaac... By faith Jacob... By faith Joseph... By faith Moses... By faith they passed through the Red Sea... By faith the walls of Jericho fell down... By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish... And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets... All these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. (Hebrews 11)

Did you catch the common word? What links these individuals together, greater than blood? Faith. And it is the same faith that links us to them, though we may not be descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The First Point: The Fathers Are the First Followers of God by Faith

The fathers are the first followers of God by faith. They're not merely the patriarchs of the Jewish people — they are the fathers of all who believe. That brings us to point number two: the fathers are the fathers of all who believe.

If you have put your trust in Jesus for salvation, then Abraham is your father. If you grew up in church, you might have sung, "Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham; I am one of them, and so are you." But how can this be?

Romans 4: Justified by Faith

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Romans 4:1-3)

Paul is saying that Abraham — the father of the Jewish people and of all who believe — received salvation and righteousness not by works but by faith. This is the core declaration of the New Testament, and the core tenet of the Protestant Reformation, whose 500th anniversary we celebrate this year: justification by faith alone.

Abraham was saved as Genesis 15:6 says — he believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness. And he received the blessedness King David wrote of in Psalm 32: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." The word blessed means happy. Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven.

Circumcised or Uncircumcised?

Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also?... How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. (Romans 4:9-10)

When God established the Old Covenant with Abraham, its sign was circumcision. The children of Israel felt they had a special relationship with God because of that covenant and its sign — a relationship they believed no one else could share. So Paul asks: does the happiness of forgiveness come only to those who have Abraham as their father through circumcision?

His answer is crucial for us who are not Abraham's blood relatives. Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised, "that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also."

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed... who is the father of us all. (Romans 4:16)

That word therefore gathers up everything Paul said about circumcision to make one simple point: even though you were never under the Old Covenant of law and works, you can still receive God's grace and forgiveness by putting your faith in Jesus, just as Abraham did. And so he becomes the father of all who believe.

The Third Point: The Fathers Followed Faithfully

Faith and trust in God stir us to follow Him in obedience. Point number three: the fathers followed faithfully, anticipating God's promised blessing. That is exactly what Hebrews 11, the "Hall of Faith," describes. Their trust in God was actively seen in their lives.

Abraham did this when God came to him in Genesis 12 and said, "Leave your father, your household, and your country, and come follow Me to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Abraham left the familiarity, comfort, and security of home and followed God by faith, looking forward to that promise. So did Isaac, Jacob, Jacob's twelve sons, and all their descendants.

They Never Received the Promise — In This Life

All these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. (Hebrews 11:39)

Here is the amazing thing: in this life, these fathers never received the blessed promise they sought. Some were put to death for their faith and obedience. Some were stoned. Some were sawn in half. Some were tortured. Many wandered their entire lives, never putting down roots, living as pilgrims and sojourners — yet still following God faithfully, looking forward to a promise they never saw fulfilled in this life.

The Fourth Point: The Fathers Are Those Through Whom the Promise Came

Point number four: the fathers are those through whom the blessed promise of God came. And what is that blessed promise? Jesus.

This is why it matters. Jesus is the one through whom God now speaks. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." These fathers are the ones through whom the blessed promise came, and Jesus is that promise. He is the one through whom God's salvation and forgiveness of sins comes. He is better than angels, better than patriarchs, prophets, priests, kings, and politicians — better than all things. And He came through these fathers, for us.

Have You Put Your Trust in Jesus?

So it brings us to a simple question: have you put your trust and faith in Jesus, as Abraham put his trust in God thousands of years ago? Have you become a child of God by faith?

God... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels. (Hebrews 1:2-4)

He by Himself purged our sin. That was the promise God spoke to Abraham — "leave everything and follow Me, and I will make you a blessing to all nations." The blessing is Jesus, and the blessing that comes from Jesus is salvation and the forgiveness of sin. Have you received that?

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for the grace that You give through Your Son. We are not at all worthy of the wonder of that grace, and yet grace has nothing to do with us being worthy of it — it is a picture of Your love and Your wonder. We thank You that by grace through faith You have made us accepted in the Beloved, adopted us into Your family, and given us an eternal inheritance that nothing can shake. I pray that this inheritance would cause us to shine with joy as we carry this treasure in earthen vessels to those who do not yet know the goodness of Your grace, so that we would be those through whom the good news of Your salvation flows to others.

And Lord, I pray for any here who have not put their trust in You for salvation, who have not received the blessedness of forgiveness of sins that You came into this world to give. By Your Spirit, draw them to put their trust in You. If that's you today — if you've never put your faith in Jesus and you'd like to receive His forgiving grace, to know your sin has been completely taken away — pray with me where you are: Dear Jesus, I recognize that I have failed; I have not lived up to Your perfect standard; I have sinned. I thank You that You came to this world and died on the cross to forgive me of my sins. Lord, help me to follow You by faith. I repent of my sin. I ask You to forgive me. Help me to follow You all the days of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.