"In many old and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son." (Heb. 1:1-2a RSV)
The Greek word here translated various means literally "in many ways." Actually reading somewhat redundantly, "In many ways and in many ways, God spoke of old..."
We must not misread this all-important verse. There is not an "old covenant God" and a "new covenant God"—one bad, one good...one intent on vengeance, the other full of love...one of darkness, the other of light.
God is one. But the revelation of God is complicated and multi-layered. It is a revelation of "many ways and many ways."
Therefore, it is not that the divine Fatherhood was not present in the Old Testament, but rather that it was obscured and often overshadowed by other manifestations.
Jesus then, brought the good news by saying, "Out of those many ways—some shadowy, some indistinct, some confusing, some given inconsistent portrayals by man's own sinful inability to see him correctly—I am here to show you the portrayal of God that rises above all the others, the highest portrayal of the divine nature, which is Fatherhood."
The divine Fatherhood was there all along. But men could not see it.
From the preface to the upcoming Eyewitness Old Testament, vol 1 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y5J4DZQ) by Michael Phillips
