Advent Day 7 :: The New Prophet
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1–2)
Our passage for today helps us draw a difference between the ways that God spoke to His people under the old covenant and how He speaks to us today. In times past, God spoke by way of the prophets. The Major Prophets that we are probably most familiar with are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel whose writings cover a significant time span and present a wide array of messages that were given to the nation of Israel.
In “these last days” God speaks to us by His Son. The prophets did not have final say, rather, they pointed forward to the means by which our Creator would give us His final Word - through His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus replaces the prophets not because He is entirely different from the prophets; He replaces them because He is the Prophet. He is the fulfillment of all that the prophets anticipated (John 6:14). Not only does He speak to us the words of God, He is the Word of God born into human form (John 1:1–14). We saw this on Sunday in Pastor Bob’s message. He not only teaches us the wise way in which to live, but He is the physical representation of the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Christ supersedes prophets of old because He is uniquely the subject and object of prophecy. The subject of prophecy is the prophet himself, the one who speaks the words that God has given him. In contrast to Jesus Christ, none of the Old Testament prophets were the objects of the prophecies given.We see in Deuteronomy 18:15–22 that God would send another prophet in the likeness of Moses.There is only one other prophet that is like Moses in the sense of being a prophet and a mediator, namely, Jesus Christ. He is the mediator of a new and better covenant that actually accomplishes the atonement necessary to secure the eternal inheritance of God’s people (Hebrews 9:15).
We saw yesterday that Christ was the final and the ultimate scapegoat. He was the one who would fulfill the atonement as the perfect lamb, shedding His blood for His people to be covered under and receive the mercy of God.
Through the Advent of Christ we have received the teachings of the apostles and the teachings of Christ Himself and through the Holy Spirit we gain knowledge and understanding, wisdom and discernment through the Scriptures which is good for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Spend time this advent season by spending some time daily with Christ - the Word made flesh - and find a way to be able to share what you have learned with someone else. It can be as simple as sharing an encouraging verse or spending time over coffee with someone doing a Bible study.
How has the Word of God changed your life?
Further Reading: John 1
