Hebrews – Chapter Three I

by Ed Urzi

Much like a good attorney who methodically builds his or her case in a court of law, the author of Hebrews has been building a case for Christ throughout the opening chapters of this epistle. For instance, our author has already established that Jesus is greater than the prophetic messengers of the Old Testament…

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

The following chapter affirmed Jesus’ superiority over angelic beings as well…

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4 HCSB).

Here now in Hebrews chapter three, our author will continue to press his argument with respect to the single greatest figure in Jewish history: Moses…

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house” (Hebrews 3:1-2).

We can turn to a brief excerpt from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah to explain why Moses is such a revered figure among the Jewish people. In speaking of God’s relationship with the nation of Israel, that portion of Scripture tells us…

“You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions, and good statutes and commands. You revealed your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through your servant Moses” (Nehemiah 9:13-14 CSB).

Yet even though Moses is recognized as Israel’s great lawgiver, he did more than simply proclaim these Old Testament laws. You see, Moses was also someone who held a deeply personal relationship with God as reflected in the words of Exodus 33:11: “…the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…”

In light of this, our author encourages us to consider, or carefully study Jesus in comparison. We’ll follow along with our author as he builds his case for Jesus’ supremacy over this great Old Testament figure throughout the remainder of this chapter. But first, we’ll review some other aspects of Hebrews 3:1-2 that merit our attention over the next few studies.