In the Bible certain numbers have significant meanings. For instance the number “six” is referred to as “man’s number” in Revelation 13:18, indicating that this number will in some way refer to mankind. Clearly such a number corresponds to God creating man on the sixth day in Genesis 1:26-31.
Being that man has been assigned the number six, it stands to reason that the God of the Bible has assigned Himself His own number, the number “seven”. In most contexts throughout the Bible we can be assured that The Lord of all Eternity is active and present whenever we see this number. Again in referring back to Genesis, we see God asserting His Divine Sovereignty by “resting” or enthroning Himself above His newly created space-time creation on the “seventh” day in Genesis 2:1-3.
In the book of Hebrews, we see the writer using the number “seven” to highlight the superiority of Jesus Christ over the following “seven” things:
1. Jesus is greater than the angels – Chapters 1-2
2. Jesus is greater than Moses – Chapter 3
3. Jesus is greater than the Sabbath – Chapter 4
4. Jesus is greater than the Old Testament Priesthood – Ch 4:14 to Ch 8
5. Jesus is greater than the Old Testament Tabernacle – Ch 9:1-10
6. Jesus is greater than the Old Testament Sacrificial system – Ch 9:11-10:18
7. Jesus is the goal of our faith – Ch 10:19-13:25.
Understanding how Jesus is superior to the following “seven” subjects will greatly aid in our understanding of the Bible in General and the Book of Hebrews in particular. All seven subjects would have been considered great in the minds of the Jewish audience reading the book. For Christians living in the 21st century, what does such a “seven-fold” list show the reader about the superiority of Jesus Christ?
1. He being greater than the mightiest creations reveals that He is the Creator
2. He being greater than Moses means He is the Supreme Judge
3. He being greater than the Sabbath means he alone is my Salvation’s rest
4. He being greater than the priesthood means He is the only High priest
5. He being greater than the Tabernacle means He is the only way to God
6. He being greater than sacrifices means the cross satisfies God’s wrath on sin
7. He as the goal of our faith means He is the one who I am to worship
In this approach the writer is showing that Jesus Christ is truly in a class by Himself. The Latin phrase that expresses this truth is sui generis, a term that older theologians would use to classify the God of Eternity over against everything else.
In showing that Jesus is greater than the greatest of creation, the author is making the case that Jesus is no mere creation, but that in touching His deity He occupies the sui generis, the unique class with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, being that all three share the same Eternal and undivided life.
The writer’s use of the number “seven” further reveals that Christ’s superiority is not merely comparing Him and showing Him better, but rather that nothing can ever compare to the all surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment