God, who at sundry times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Hebrews 1:1-2
Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us that God has spoken at "sundry times and in divers manners" to his people. It continues to say that in "these last days" he has spoken to us by his Son.
If we look closely at the Bible, we will see that some time passed before God gave his law to the Israelites through Moses. Before that time he gave instruction to his people in another manner. He revealed his will to the heads of families directly. These heads of families were called "patriarchs", and so this time is commonly called the patriarchial age or dispensation. The time following the patriarchial age was characterized by the law that was first given to the Israelites through Moses. This is the Old Testament Law. Because this law was first given to the Jews through Moses, this dispensation is referred to as the Mosaic or Jewish dispensation.
In the New Testament, the Mosaic Law is most often referred to simply as "the law". As the people being spoken to were either Jewish or were likely familiar with the Jewish people around them, this was all that was needed for understanding.
This, then brings us back to the passage in Hebrews 1. The divers manners spoken of we have mentioned. First the patriarchs, and second the Mosaic law. God did speak in different ways during both of these eras (visions, dreams, etc.), and this is no doubt also meant by this passage.
Having addressed the first and second dispensation, we look then at the statement that he has in these "last days" spoken to us by His Son. This refers to the last age of the world. As the first was characterized by the patriachs by whom God gave his commandments and the second by Moses who first recieved the law and the Jewish people to whom it was written, so the last age is characterized by Christ. The final revelation of God was given as his Son was born, lived and died. This revelation was first preached by the Lord (Jesus), and was confirmed by them that heard him (Apostles and disciples) (Hebrews 2:3). It is for this reason that we refer to the age that we now live in as the Christian age.
May God bless you in your study of his Word.
Copyright January 20, 1996 Mance J. Davis Jr.
