Category: <span>Commentary</span>

In the Chronicler’s mind, Solomon’s purpose and legacy were to be found in the construction of the temple. As early as 1 Chronicles 22 the author recorded David’s charge to young Solomon: “Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He said about you” (1 Chron 22:11). The enthronement of Solomon is so intricately bound up with plans for constructing the temple that one can hardly speak of the former without mentioning the latter. Nonetheless, the Chronicler wished for his audience to understand that all Israel contributed to the construction of Solomon’s temple. Likewise, all of the Chronicler’s contemporaries would need to show the same diligence if they were to recapture the glory Israel enjoyed during the days of David and Solomon.

Prior to the record of Solomon’s enthronement, the Chronicler recorded in full the ceremony that officially inaugurated temple construction. First, David charged Solomon to begin constructing the temple (1 Chron 28:1-10). David’s speech, given in the presence of the leadership of Israel, recalled God’s word through the prophet Nathan when Nathan told David that God would build a legacy for him (1 Chron 17:10-14). Next, David gave Solomon the building plans (1 Chron 28:11-19). While David did not administrate the construction of the temple, according to the chronicler, he was the chief architect. David then presented Solomon with Levitical support for temple service (1 Chron 28:20-21). The Chronicler couched the detailed account of the Levites between 1 Chronicles 23 and 28 because these encouraged Solomon in the work.

While these scenes would have motivated the returned exiles to revere the second temple, the Chronicler wished for his audience to take personal ownership of their religion, too. Perhaps that is why he recorded even the leader’s contributions for building the temple. Further, more than once David had told Solomon of his personal contributions for construction. In 1 Chron 22:14, David announced his contribution of tons of gold and silver and stone. Then, 1 Chron 29:3 says, “Because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve provided for the holy house.”

David was a leader and wanted Israel to follow his example. Having stated his personal contributions for the temple he asked, “Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the LORD today?” (1 Chron 29:5). For David, consecration was to be expressed in contribution—and the leaders replied in kind (1 Chron 29:6-9; Psalm 133). Yet David recognized that the ability for any to give rested in the generosity of the Lord and he confessed, “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand” (1 Chron 29:14). The Chronicler’s account of David’s contributions and confession of God’s providence was not accidental. As the Chronicler’s contemporaries learned of God’s sovereign pleasure in the fellowship of His people at the temple, they would be motivated to value their temple and the Lord.

The concluding chapters of 1 Chronicles are a beautiful portrait of God’s jealousy for His people. While this is a theme of the storyline of Scripture, the locus of God’s presence has changed with the coming of Christ. Jesus claimed to represent the temple in His own body (John 2:13-25) and the apostles referred to the corporate body of the church as the new temple (cf. 1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; 1 Pet 2:1-10). The Chronicler set forth his account in order to give the returned exiles a theological vision for maintaining the second temple. In the New Testament, the followers of Christ are commanded to build people, not buildings. The church at Ephesus lived in the shadow of the temple of Artemis (Acts 19:21-41) and Paul exhorted them, “Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part” (Eph 4:15-16).

After describing Solomon’s rise to power, the Chronicler went on to give an extensive view of the spiritual ministers of the temple. In 1 Chronicles 22, the author described David’s proclamation that the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite would be the location of the temple and in 1 Chronicles 28 noted David’s commission to Solomon to build. Between these chapters, the Chronicler described the work of the Levites. The author was not just interested in the temple itself, but its function, its life. The detailed lists of Levites and temple servants were crafted to motivate the spiritual servants of the chronicler’s day; he was saying, “Be faithful like your ancestors.” The lists in these chapters also display the level of David’s devotion to the cultic life of Israel.

Each chapter in 1 Chronicles 23-27 focuses on a specific classification of those who maintained Israel’s cult. According to the Chronicler, the work of Levites in the temple resulted from David’s military success (1 Chronicles 23). “The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people,” he said, “and He has come to stay in Jerusalem forever” (1 Chron 23:25).” During the latter part of David’s reign, Israel indeed enjoyed rest from their enemies and the cultic life of Israel prospered—just as God had promised (Deut 4:1-8; Josh 21:43-45). The Chronicler’s record of priestly divisions (1 Chronicles 24) would serve as a schematic for the priests serving in the temple. David arranged for the Levitical musicians to provide spiritual guidance through their instruments and songs, and they began their work at the temple dedication ceremony in 2 Chron 5:11-13 and 2 Chron 7:6. The Levitical gatekeepers (1 Chronicles 26) were to monitor activity and promoted orderliness among the throngs coming to worship. The Chronicler’s list of David’s secular officials (1 Chronicles 27) underscores the notion that the security of Jerusalem and the freedom of worship were closely associated.

The flow of 1 Chronicles 23-27 provides the opportunity to consider the dynamic character of the storyline of Scripture and its climax in Christ. The Chronicler was using pen, ink, and history to motivate his audience to faithfulness in the temple of their day. Since God had done so much during Israel’s Golden Age, could not the returned exiles look to Him for the same? In the New Testament, the author of Hebrews was likewise using pen, ink, and history to provide his audience with a theological vision, but one based upon God’s work in Christ. He wrote,

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy of holies by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. For here we do not have an enduring city; instead, we seek the one to come. Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is the fruit of our lips that confess His name (Heb 13:10-15).

The Chronicler noted that two themes dominated David’s life, his desire to build the temple and his great military success. In 1 Chronicles 19-22, the author catalogued David’s conquests, including David’s arrogant military census. Yet, ever concerned for the temple, the Chronicler connected David’s sin at the census with his preparations for temple construction.

David was victorious against the Ammonites and Arameans, Israel’s opponents on the far side of the Jordan River and the northern area of Palestine (1 Chron 19:1-20:3). This battle began with David’s kindness to Hanun, the new king of Ammon. After Hanun’s father, a friend of David, died, David tried to console Hanun. But the new Ammonite king severely misunderstood David’s act of kindness (1 Chron 19:1-19). Hanun embarrassed David’s emissaries and sent them home. David organized Israel for battle and then went out against the Ammonites, who had enlisted the northern country of Aram for support against the Israelite forces. When David and his troops prevailed over the Arameans, “they made peace with David and became his subjects. After this, the Arameans were never willing to help the Ammonites again” (1 Chron 19:19, reflecting the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 140). When the battle ensued against the Ammonites, Joab led the forces against them and captured their capital city of Rabbah (1 Chron 20:1-3). David took the crown of the Ammonite king; it weighed 75 pounds (1 Chron 20:2). The plunder of the city, which now belonged to David, would be used to build the temple. In addition, David again defeated the Philistines (1 Chron 20:4-8; Ps 108:9).

But David became a victim of his own achievements. He commanded Joab, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number” (1 Chron 21:2). The census recorded in 1 Chronicles 21 may be David’s greatest failure. Joab objected to David’s request to know the breadth of his dominion so when Joab was counting the Israelites, he “did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him,” (1 Chron 21:6). The Chronicler noted, “This command was also evil in God’s sight” (1 Chron 21:7). David’s conscience soon got the best of him and he said, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away Your servant’s guilt” (1 Chron 21:8). The Lord did take away David’s guilt, but first the king had to endure the consequences; he watched the plague reduce the census total by 70,000 (1 Chron 21:9-17).

On the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, David offered a sacrifice for his sin. As a result, “the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath” (1 Chron 21:27). The account of David’s census is the final chapter of 2 Samuel, but the Chronicler connected the sacrifice of David on the threshing floor of Ornan with the construction of the temple. Since David’s sacrifice appeased God’s wrath, David proposed that all future sacrifice should take place there as well. David exclaimed, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel’” (1 Chron 21:29-22:1; Ps 20:2-3).

David’s proclamation that the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite would be the place of the Lord’s temple anticipates the atoning work of Jesus in the storyline of Scripture. David’s sacrifice to atone for his sin in Jerusalem established a framework that would be repeated in Solomon’s temple. But the blood of bulls and goats offered there did not take away sin—as evidenced by the disobedience and idolatry that the Chronicler catalogued in 2 Chronicles. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb 10:11-12). In Jesus’ death and resurrection, His followers have access to the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22).

When the king of Tyre sent supplies and servants to build a palace for David, David also “prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it” (1 Chron 15:1). David was convicted when he saw that his palace eclipsed the place that housed the ark of the Lord’s covenant. David thus desired to build a temple for the Lord. David’s desires were noble, and the Lord affirmed His covenant with the king, but the Lord had a different plan. David’s success would not culminate in construction of the temple, but combat. David’s exploits against the Philistines and the surrounding nations provided resources that Solomon would use to build the temple.

Though the Chronicler did not record the construction of the temple until 2 Chronicles 3-5, the temple was his central focus throughout 1 Chronicles 17-29. The Chronicler described the temple as the central structure of Israelite life. His emphasis on the temple was for rhetorical purposes. The returned exiles, the Chronicler’s audience, should order their lives around the newly constructed temple (Ezra 3:10-13; Hag 2:1-9). It had been the place of God’s special dwelling in the days of Israel’s glory anticipated by David and realized in the early years of Solomon.

In 1 Chronicles 17, the author recounted God’s covenant with David. The Davidic covenant was God’s commitment to the king, as opposed to what David hoped to do for God. The Lord did not bless the king’s desire to build an edifice in the Lord’s honor, rather the Lord affirmed His commitment to build a dynasty for David. Nonetheless, in 1 Chronicles 18, the author noted that David would be involved in building the temple. The exploits of David’s military conquests were a means of funding the construction of the temple. David’s military success not only provided the material means for temple construction but also international alliances that fortified Solomon’s place on the throne.

David’s military success established an expectation that Israel’s Messiah would be victorious in battle. The Deliverer from David’s line would have to be a warrior. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus was superior over the Devil, the ultimate opponent of the people of God (Col 2:15; 1 Cor 15:26-27, 55-56; Heb 2:14-16). John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 4-5 provides a panorama of Scripture’s storyline. John himself was distraught that no one was able to approach God’s throne and take the scroll of God’s judgment. John heard one of the elders say to him, “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has been victorious so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals” (Rev 5:5).

The Chronicler wished for his readers to understand that, although they had been exiled, their God had not changed. To help fortify this theological vision for his audience, the Chronicler gave an extensive account of God’s holiness and His desire to be with His people, both of which were symbolized in the ark of the covenant. The Chronicler wrote that despite the initial setback in transporting the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, the Lord was obviously with the king. David could take courage in bringing the ark from the house of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem.

The first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem ended in physical and spiritual disaster (1 Chronicles 13). The Chronicler, ever attempting to give the returned exiles a theological vision of Israel’s greatness under the faithful King David, strongly emphasized the king’s noble heart in transferring the ark to Jerusalem. David was an administrator who worked in conjunction with “the whole assembly of Israel” to accomplish the task (1 Chron 13:2). Yet, when Uzzah braced the tottering ark, he was struck dead. The scene ended tragically for the king as well, as the Chronicler recorded, “David was angry because of the LORD’s outburst against Uzzah…David feared God that day, and said, ‘How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?’ So David did not move the ark of God home to the city of David” (1 Chron 13:11, 12-13).

But all was not lost. In 1 Chronicles 14, the author noted that the Lord was yet with David. David was recognized as Israel’s ruler; the king of Tyre even sent materials and masons to build a palace for David in Jerusalem (1 Chron 14:1-2). David’s family enjoyed the Lord’s bounty and multiplication (1 Chron 14:3-7, albeit without reference to the Bathsheba incident). David was successful against the Philistines (1 Chron 14:8-17). The chapter ends with a stellar commendation of Israel’s commander-in-chief: “So David did exactly as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. Then David’s fame spread throughout the lands, and the LORD caused all the nations to be terrified of him” (1 Chron 14:16-17).

In light of the Lord’s obvious blessing, David resumed the mission to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15-16). David instructed those with him that only the Levites should carry the ark and they should do so on poles in accordance with the law (Exod 25:10-22; 26:33; 35:12; 37:1-5; Num 7:9; Deut 10:8; 31:25). After exhorting Zadok and Abiathar in their duties as priests (1 Chron 15:11-15), they set out to retrieve the ark from the house of Obed-Edom, who had enjoyed its blessing for three months (1 Chron 13:14). The remainder of these chapters records the music and praise of the Levites whom David appointed to lead Israel’s celebration toward Jerusalem (1 Chron 15:16-26) and the burnt offerings and psalm of thanksgiving that were offered by the king (1 Chron 16:1-36). The final scene reminded the Chronicler’s audience that David was a wise administrator, appointing the appropriate Levites to minister before the ark in Jerusalem (1 Chron 16:37-43).

David’s psalm of praise in 1 Chronicles 16 displays themes of the storyline of Scripture. As the company of Levites brought the ark into Jerusalem, David extolled the Lord for His loving-kindness in the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The essence of the covenant was that God would give the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham, a promise originally stated in Genesis 15. While the Chronicler displayed an enthusiastic pen, he knew of God’s covenant mercy only in part. In the storyline of Scripture, the fullness of God’s loving-kindness is known in Jesus Christ, in the new covenant. Paul summarized this when he wrote to Titus, “When the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, He saved us, not by works of righteousness we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6).

For nine chapters, the Chronicler catalogued the family tree of the faithful with great care. His concern was to legitimize the returning exiles within the framework of redemptive history. The remainder of 1 Chronicles is devoted to the life of the great King David and the initial phase of the Golden Age of Israel. The Chronicler’s purpose was to give the returned-exiles a theological vision of all that they could become, in the steps of their ancestors.

In 1 Chronicles 10, the author provided a succinct record of Saul’s defeat at the hand of the Philistines. The author of 1 Samuel described the same period in twenty-three chapters (1 Samuel 9-31). The Chronicler was not concerned with an extensive account of Saul’s days and decline, a simple summary would suffice. He wrote, “Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD because he did not keep the LORD’s word. He even consulted a medium for guidance, but he did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse” (1 Chron 10:13-14). The Chronicler so briefly recorded Saul’s downfall in order to provide a foil for the contrasting greatness and faithfulness of Israel’s next leader, the great King David.

After succinctly explaining David’s rise to power, including the fortification of Jerusalem (1 Chron 11:1-9), the Chronicler got right to the point. David was successful because “the LORD of Hosts was with him” (1 Chron 11:9) and because of the military forces under David’s command. David’s men were so devoted to him that they risked their lives simply to get the drink of water he so desired “from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!” (1 Chron 11:17). Chronologically, this event happened near the end of David’s life (2 Sam 23:13-17), but the Chronicler was not concerned with the historical progression of David’s reign. He arranged the material of Israel’s history to remind his audience, as effectively as possible, of Israel’s glorious past under David. The valor David’s men demonstrated in getting a drink of water for the king demonstrated just that.

The catalogue of David’s warriors in 1 Chron 11:26-47, whose exploits were left unexplained, served to show the breadth of David’s military strength. David’s greatness was also seen in the diversity of groups that gathered to anoint David (1 Chron 12:1-40). When David rose to power, the Chronicler reported to his audience that “Saul’s relatives from Benjamin” (1 Chron 12:2), “some Gadites” (1 Chron 12:8), “other Benjaminites” (1 Chron 12:16), and “some Manassites” (1 Chron 12:19) all recognized God’s selection of David to be king. As if that was not enough, the Chronicler noted, “In addition, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant provisions of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine and oil, oxen, and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel” (1 Chron 12:38-40).

The Chronicler recorded that when David was anointed king following Saul’s death, with one voice Israel exalted David above Saul, saying, “Even when Saul was king, you led us out to battle and brought us back. The LORD your God also said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over My people Israel’” (1 Chron 11:2). David’s military shepherding of Israel anticipates Jesus’ military victory later in the storyline of Scripture. In Matt 2:6, the author recorded the chief priests and scribes’ answer to Herod’s concerns about the birthplace of Messiah. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea…because this is what was spoken by the prophet, ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel’” (Matt 2:6, quoting Mic 5:2). Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfillment of David’s greatness, the true shepherd of Israel. Even though Herod and the Jewish leadership of the day failed to recognize Jesus’ greatness at His coming, Jesus was the Good Shepherd who would lay down His life for His flock (John 10:11-19). And in doing so, He defeated “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31), the Devil.

In the Chronicler’s genealogical records, he underscored the prominence of the Levites amongst the exiles who had returned to the Promised Land. In 1 Chronicles 6, one of the most extensive genealogical lists of the Old Testament, the Chronicler recorded several significant details about the Levites. Although not always meeting God’s standards (for example, Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10), the Levites did much to maintain Israel’s national identity both at the tabernacle and temple, and as they were scattered to their allotments amongst the tribes.

The Chronicler noted that Aaron and Moses were Levites (1 Chron 6:3). These two figured prominently in the history of Israel. Mention of their names would have reminded those now back in Judea that their God was the God of the exodus. The Levitical history included great leaders and great musicians (1 Chron 6:31-46). The Chronicler credited David with initially administrating the work of these who “ministered with song in front of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem, and they performed their task according to the regulations given to them” (1 Chron 6:32). The Chronicler’s words here motivated the Israelites to sing again; though their songs had been mocked during the exile, their God was yet alive.

At the core of Levitical life was the task of making atonement for the sins of the people, which was initially the work of Aaron and his sons (1 Chron 6:48-53). The Chronicler was thus reminding his audience of the prominence of sacrifices from a pure heart. The Chronicler recalled that the Levites had no inheritance in the land and were thus given property amongst the tribes (1 Chron 6:54-81). Accordingly, no Israelite was without access to God. Having concluded a historical panorama of the Levites, the Chronicler wrote of more recent days (1 Chron 9:14-34). After a brief list of post-exilic Levites (Nehemiah 11), he set out the duties ascribed to the cultic tribe. The Chronicler connected his audience with the faithful Levites of the past. He wrote that the Korahites guarded the tabernacle just as the ancestors of the Korahites guarded the entrance of the camp of Israel. “In earlier times,” the Chronicler wrote, “Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader and the LORD was with him. Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting” (1 Chron 9:20-21; Num 25:7-13).

One of the author’s concerns in the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles was to legitimize the returned exiles as part of members of the historical people of God. By solidifying his contemporaries within the family tree of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he implicitly demonstrated that they were heirs of the promises the Lord had made to the patriarchs. Because of King Cyrus’s decree, participation in the covenant of land and lineage was yet possible for all who would live faithfully under the law of Moses. Centuries after the Chronicler wrote, Jews employed the same rubric to argue that being in the line of Abraham would result in eternal salvation. Jesus and Paul countered that the true descendants of Abraham were those who believe in Jesus and have been born again by the Spirit.

(1) When Jews opposed Jesus, claiming that Abraham was their father, Jesus replied that if they were truly Abraham’s descendants, they would rejoice in Him (John 8:56). When Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), they took up stones to throw at Jesus. In Jesus alone is salvation.

(2) Some of Paul’s Jewish opponents employed the Chronicler’s reasoning in an attempt to convince the young Christians of the region that their faith in Christ did not legitimize them as the people of God if it were not accompanied by a lifestyle consistent with the law. Paul wrote the Epistle of Galatians to counter their claims. For Paul, faith in Christ—brought about by the Spirit (Gal 3:1-5)—was itself the only means for one’s legitimacy as a descendant of Abraham. He wrote, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:27-29).

The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles provide a historian’s perspective on events from the reign of King Saul to King Cyrus’s decree allowing a remnant to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. The material often parallels other Old Testament books. But the Chronicler, writing sometime after the exiles had returned to Judah, felt free to interpret events of concern to him. He added information not found in the other historical writings of Israel, omitted some accounts of the books of Samuel and Kings, and sometimes recounted the same events recorded in those books but from a different perspective. The books of Chronicles could thus be viewed as a theological commentary on the history of Israel and especially Judah.

The Chronicler emphasized the royal line of David and the temple of Solomon so as to give his readers a vision for how they could return to the glory days of Israel when, as a people truly united under God, they flourished and were free. The Chronicler’s extensive genealogical records serve to bind all of history together under the umbrella of the nation of Israel, legitimizing the place of the returned exiles within the family tree of Abraham.

In order to stimulate a theological vision in his audience, the Chronicler appealed to history. Was not Israel’s God the Creator of the natural world and humankind? The writer thus began with the first man Adam (1 Chron 1:1), and from him traced the history of God’s image-bearers to the time of King Saul (1 Chron 10:1), the first king of Israel. The Chronicler hoped to persuade the released exiles that they should ardently walk in covenant faithfulness with the Lord and submit to the law of Moses because within the vast history of humankind they were the distinct people of God.

The books of Chronicles underscore the notion that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a storyline. Stories have development, progress, and drama—and the genealogies of 1 Chronicles foreshadow the genealogical records of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). Matthew and Luke were trying to persuade no less. They were concerned that all peoples, not just Israel, would know of God’s work in history. In their theological vision, history had not reached its apex during the reign of David or in the return of the exiles, but in the coming of Jesus. Jesus is not only a man, but Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt 1:23b), the eternal “son of God” (Luke 3:38), born in time among humanity. John and Paul persuaded their audiences of the same, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), and, “When the completion of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law” (Gal 4:4-5). Hebrews summarizes the argument that the theological vision of history finds its culmination only in Christ:

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb 1:1-3).