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The Son is contrasted with Moses (Heb. 3: 1-6).
"Consider Him . . . . . Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful
in all his house . . . . . Moses verily was faithful . . . . . as a servant . . . . . But Christ as a Son over
His OWN HOUSE."
The Son is contrasted with Aaron (Heb. 4: 14; 5: 4, 5; 7: 1, 3, 28).
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God . . . . . And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was
Aaron. So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made a High Priest; but He that said unto Him,
Thou art My Son, to day have I begotten Thee."
"Melchisedec . . . . . made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually . . . . . For the
law maketh men high priests which have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since the
law, maketh the Son, Who is consecrated for evermore."
This superiority of the Son is further seen by the way in which the apostle uses the
comparative "better". As a result of His Mediatorial work, which made Him for a little
lower than the angels, He is now "so much better than the angels". He is the "Surety of a
better covenant (testament)" which is established on "better promises". The Sacrifice
offered by the Son of God is "better" than all that were offered under the law, and His
blood speaks "better" things than that of Abel. These wondrous words as they are found
in Heb. 1:, range themselves under different dispensational categories, which it may help
us to observe.
A | Heb. 1: 2. The Son. Better than the prophets.
B | 1: 2. Heir of all things--The Lord of time.
Ages appointed ---
C | 1: 3. Brightness of glory--Before the world began.
Image of Person ---
B | 1: 3. Upholding all things--The Lord of Creation.
Purged our sins ---
and Redemption.
A | 1: 4, 5. The Son. Better than the angels.
But we have no need to go further than verse 3 of chapter 1 to be faced with some of
the most stupendous qualities ever ascribed to any one since time began. Continuing
from the fact that God has spoken "in Son" and so commencing an entirely new and
wondrous phase of Divine dealing, we learn that not only was this Son appointed Heir of
all things, and the One by Whom the ages were appointed, we go on to learn more of His
personal attributes.
"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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (verse 3).
The matter awaiting our immediate study is in the first half of verse 3, the glory that
was His before the world began, in contrast with that glory which was given to Him as a
consequence of His Mediatorial work making Him "better than the angels". There is an
evident distinction to be noted between the words "Who being" of verse 3 and "being
made" of verse 4. "Being" is part of the verb eimi "to be", "being made" is part of the