“In many parts and in many ways…”

While many of our Bibles read something to the extent of “in many times and ways…” the word that the Greek text uses is polumerw:V (polumeros), which refers not to chronological divisions but to material divisions.  Thus, as the author of Hebrews begins speaking of God’s revelation, he is speaking of the many divisions and kinds of literature within the Canon.  Indeed, the author of all scripture is God himself, but he wrote by inspiring the prophets (and later the apostles) so that you can see their stylistic fingerprint upon the literature. 

One of the things about God’s word that should cause is to stand in amazement is the incredible unity within and between the books.  This is in itself a testimony to God’s existence and inspiration of its writers.  There are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.  This was done through 9 authors in the New Testament and at least 29 authors in the Old Testament.  Its writing was begun somewhere around 1450 BC (when the Israelites were on Mount Sinai) and completed around 95 AD (when John penned the book of Revelation)—across 1500 years, which includes a break of 400 years between the last prophet (Malachi) and the close of Chronicles and the coming of a new prophet (John the Baptist) on the scene.  Were this simply a book of compiled religious writings, not only would it not have survived in tact to this day, but it would be filled with inconsistencies and problems—the Bible is not.

In addition, the very fact that God spoke through a variety of people through history is not only a testimony that God exists, it tells us quite a bit about his character.  First, God communicates.  God is not the “unmoved mover” of the ancient Greeks who is transcendent above all else and cannot be communicated with from the mortal world.  God transcends the gap between himself and a sinful world to make his will known to man.  Secondly, God is a God that is active in the affairs of humans.  He cares about the purity of his chosen people and he cares about the right and proper worship of his name.  He cares about the affairs of men and he proved it by speaking to men for more than 1000 years, slowly revealing and explaining his redemptive plan until it met its perfection and completion in the sending of his Son to die a sacrificial death on the cross.

Thirdly, God is a God who had a plan for mankind.  Humans fell into sin with Adam and Eve and sin is deserving of death and destruction.  The simple fact that God pronounced a promise of a coming redeemer (Genesis 3:15) is a reminder that throughout the history of mankind, God had his plan of redemption in place.  That plan had its ultimate fulfillment in the cross, which stands at the very center of all human history.  All that took place before the cross was a process of preparing for the work of Jesus; all that has taken place afterward and all that will yet take place is a result of that work that Jesus completed.  The fact that God did not bring judgment to the human race at the fall and that he would reveal himself to a people throughout history, means that he has a plan for mankind, namely the redemption of the race through the eternal salvation of the elect and the judgment of those who do not cling to Christ in faith.

Fourthly, it tells us that we have a God who desires for his people to know him personally and intimately.  We know about the character and nature of God because he has revealed it to us so that we might know him.  Fifthly, the variety of types of literature contained within the Scriptures (historical narrative, law, prophetic works, poetry, wisdom literature, Gospel, apocalyptic, etc…) tells us that God is a creative God.  And just as God is creative, we who have been made in God’s image express our creativity in what we do and in how we write. 

The fact that God’s word (as well as his world) is orderly tells us that God is an orderly God.  Chaos and misadventure are not part of God’s character and they have only become a part of mankind’s character as a result of sin.  There is also a unity within God’s word that points clearly at his Son, Jesus Christ.  All of the scriptures are about Jesus and God wants us to know this.  He is the redeemer and the author of our faith.  He is the great Lord and Master of the believer and it is through Christ that all things were created (though we are getting ahead of ourselves).  The very fact that the scriptures point unanimously to Christ is a reminder to us that our lives also ought to point to Christ without any compromise.  The way we live should not contradict what we say, just as the way God acts toward his people does not contradict what the scriptures say about the nature of God.

Beloved, while we could go on and on, what I want more than anything for you to see is the incredible unity of scripture as well as its intricate complexity.  It is simple enough for a child to understand the basics when it is read, yet it is complex enough for even the most well-educated scholar to never exhaust, and it is deep enough that any, no matter how wise or how long they have walked in the faith, will find it satisfying and rich throughout a lifetime of study.  This is the nature of the word that God has given us in various parts and in various ways, and this nature reflects the God who is behind these words.  Dig deeply, dear friends, though at times you may feel overwhelmed and discouraged, press on, you will never be dismayed by the depth of what you find.