The “word of God” means Scripture. It is to be distinguished from “the Word of God,” who is Jesus, though they are interconnected since the Spirit of Christ inspired Scripture. So why did God wait until the first century A.D. to make possible and unveil the gospel, whereas it was a mystery before? And why is it the Israelites got the word of God going back to the time of Moses, and the rest of the world did not? I think we need to ponder the first verse of Hebrews: “In the past God spoke to your forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV).
When this verse states “your forefathers,” it is specifically referring to the Israelites, and they were the only ones in the Mosaic Covenant. No other ethnic groups were under that covenant. Yet that covenant is what I like to call a “leading covenant,” leading to the New Covenant which is for Jewish people and every other ethnic group. And the further back in time we go, we human beings all share the same “forefathers.” We all are in the same family tree called the human race, created and sustained by God.
Going back in history, God does not become more of a mystery. The Bible reveals God was with people in Person in the Garden of Eden. We are all related to Adam and Eve. And even though the ultimate tragedy took place with Adam and Eve, God continued reaching out to people. People throughout the pre-Christ ages were not abandoned by God and left hopeless. Because of the separation and because of the straying of people, God specifically worked, even from the time of the “Fall,” to bring redemption to anyone through the atonement of Jesus that was to come. God patiently revealed a redemption plan. God reached out to Abel and Cain, giving them opportunity to make a sacrifice to Him to be in communion with Him. Tragically even among the first two children in history there was a murder. Yet God continued from that time to demand the need for sacrifice so people could be in communion with Him.
Going back to “forefathers,” even more recently down the family tree we are all related to Noah and his wife. God preserved humans by saving Noah and his family. And what was the first thing Noah did after he was able to go back onto land after the flood. He offered God a burnt sacrifice! Then God made a covenant with the entire human race through Noah. But even after the flood, many people kept straying further from God, including by creating their own “gods.” Did God give up? No, God made a covenant with Abraham, and even in making that covenant God stated how He would make Abraham the “father” of many “nations.” Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, yet God was using him to reach out to the entire human race.
Then God made a covenant with the Israelites through Moses as the primary preparation for the Messiah. That “Mosaic Covenant” was only between God and Israelites. Yet the work of God with the Israelites from the time of Moses to Jesus was His witness to the world. In fact tragedy always resulted when the Israelites were disobedient to God, because they were not being the light for God to the world which God called them to be. Yet individuals still had a living God who was revealing Himself, as is revealed in the word of God, from the laments of Job to the praises of a joyful psalmist. God cared about people, even in the darkest hours of humanity.
Now people through the pre-Messiah ages could not have the personal relationship with God in this world which is available now. And to be honest, I do not know why God waited so long to reveal Christ. And to be honest, I do not know why God has allowed so much suffering throughout history. Yet at the time of Christ’s atonement, He gave all people who had lived in the history of the world the opportunity to be saved, as is told in 1 Peter 3:18-20. And right now you can have Christ in you. The Messiah mystery has been revealed. There is forgiveness for the person who believes in Jesus, and a person who believes in Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit, being spiritually united with God. Right now Jesus offers eternal life to anyone! It is for Jewish people and everyone else, as is stated in Romans 1:16.
My circumstances have been crummy recently! For one month, every week has brought a struggle with some bad thoughts in the midst of being unemployed for a long time, and in the midst of not getting a job I interviewed for one month ago, a job I would have loved. I have been a student of the Bible for many years, and writing about God often flows from me. Yet it is hard to live. I cannot always detect Christ in me. Thanks to God, we have the word of God, Scripture, which reveals God who loves us and wants to be with us. Thanks to God, we have the word of God which reveals to us the truth that we can live with hope in Christ, even when God seems to have abandoned us. Christ the hope of glory is a reality who can be known in the hearts of those who open their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Hunter Irvine
