In Genesis 49:26, Jacob called his son Joseph a “prince,” a nazir in Hebrew, meaning someone set apart by God for a very special purpose, which God in his love and blessings enables the person to fulfill.
In Joseph’s case, God placed the entire nation of Egypt in Joseph’s hands so he could save his family from famine to fulfill God’s very special purpose through Joseph of setting up and building Israel into a nation.
And the same in Jesus’ case too: in John 3:35 God “placed everything in Jesus’ hands,” so that through Jesus he could fulfill his very special purpose of rescuing the entire world from its “famine” to set up and build his new creation.
Jump ahead next to Hebrews 2:6-8 – where the author, quoting Psalm 8:4-6, asks the question, “What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honour, and set him over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”
So we’re all nazirs and princes in God’s plan, then, who, just like Joseph and Jesus, have been set apart for God’s very special purpose of setting up his new creation on this planet. Except that “at present we do not see everything subject to us” (8), because God’s purpose in setting up the nation of Israel through Joseph had to be fulfilled first.
Because from the nation of Israel would come Jesus who, in God’s great plan of “bringing many sons to glory” would be “the author of their salvation” who would be “perfected through suffering” (10), including “tasting death for everyone” (9). And because Jesus fulfilled that purpose, he was “crowned with glory and honour” (9), so that through his death and now his position as king of our world, he can get to work on the new creation.
So what we’ve got so far is Joseph being a nazir and prince in God’s plan to set up Israel as a nation, from which would come the nazir and prince Jesus to set up the new creation. But then we find in Hebrews 3:1,that in setting up the new creation Jesus also has his nazirs and princes, people in this world right now “who share in that heavenly calling” with him, whom he calls “brothers” and “family” (2:11). It’s a family business, which isn’t surprising when the new creation also happens to be “The building of God’s home” as well….(next blog)
