An amazing journey through Hebrews

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

Quite an opening statement, don't you think? Tucked away near the end of the Old Testament, the book of Hebrews has always been one of my favorites. There is so much rich theology within, all of which points to The Lord Jesus Christ. The author continues by writing about who Jesus is and exactly what He accomplished:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Oh, but it gets even better.....

The antidote for being led away from Truth is found in Hebrews chapter Two:
"Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (that is, the message of salvation). It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." There were many witnesses and these witnesses were exceptional at taking detailed notes. The Bible is trustworthy and archeologically reliable.

"Therefore he (Jesus) had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Jesus is the only person who can truly relate to the societal dung we deal with every day.

On this Halloween eve, we have this great message to share: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

So then, who is called and how.....

Continuing my observational stroll through Hebrews, I find a metaphor of architecture being discussed in chapter three. "Fix your eyes on Jesus....for He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold onto our courage and the hope we have." God will bless honor given to Him as creator of all things.

In these last days, (following the first century) society seems increasingly fragile. So what is one practical way of "holding on"? "But encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Encouragement comes easily for some where others may not have the natural inclination practice it. But I can promise you that planting this seed will bear much fruit in addition to a few more friendships along the way.

So what's all this talk about rest?....

I have had long discussions with many Adventist friends regarding chapter four of Hebrews. They argue that the seventh day sabbath, one of the Ten Commandments, is presently still in effect. After much prayer and study, I have concluded in my own heart that Scripture is very clear on this matter.

Chapter four talks about the promise of entering into God's rest: "Although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: And God rested on the seventh day from all his works." Notice that even thought the Israelites were keeping the law, including the sabbath, they did not enter into His rest because of disobedience. "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on....For we (today) who have believed enter His rest. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his."

I've really skipped over a lot for the sake of brevity, but when read in context, this truth comes alive. There is a simple reason for this written in the same chapter: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Unfortunately this is something you have to experience yourself to believe. For myself, this phenominum has been abundantly present in my life since 1991, after accepting Christ as my Savior. The Word changed circumstances and lives after its accepted and trusted. Some things immediately, others over the course of years.

So who can truly sympathize with our weaknesses?....

Hebrews chapter six presents an interesting analogy. It suggests that those people who are exposed to Truth, entertain it for a season but then willingly turn away, have suffered from a deception inevitably far worse than death:

"For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."

The "solid food" of God's Word will give anyone who asks, discernment and training in order to distinguish good from evil. It's easy to get lost in the dark unless you have the right kind of Light for your path.

Laws and rules have little power to effect change until first the heart is changed and the mind, transformed.

I hope you don't mind but I am committed to continuing my cursory journey through Hebrews in the hope that it will provoke further conversation. Chapter seven is highly technical in nature as it discusses the earthly Levitical priesthood as it compares to the One who became a priest forever:

"Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well."

Good question. The answer follows promptly:

"The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant."

So why is this so important?

"For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever."

Once for all. Inclusive and final.

It is has always been important for me to know why Jesus is the High Priest of a better covenant. Hebrews chapter eight explains:

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.....But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (The reason why will follow in the next few chapters)

For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.

Interested in knowing what that earthly tent looked like?....

Since writing usually helps occupy my mind, I shall endeavor to continue through Hebrews. Chapter nine paints a picture of the Hebrew earthy sanctuary.

"For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant."

The fictional Indiana Jones had an encounter with the ark which gave us a picture of what it may have looked like. Take note of the curtain between the holy and most holy place. This is the very curtain torn in two at the moment when Christ died on the cross.

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matthew 27:50) I would love to know how the high priests at that time reacted to all of this.

This was arguably the most pivotal event in human history for "Jesus had entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant."

And there remains yet another promise:

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

So why the need for a new covenant?

My journey through the book of Hebrews has been a positive distraction and strategically successful in offsetting the barrage of random, somewhat meaningless posts (not yours) dispersed throughout the boundless Facebook stream.

Before arriving at the notorious hall of fame included in chapter eleven which will reveal many more stunning truths, there are a few verses in chapter ten which somewhat summarize the previous nine.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water....Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

For this reason, believers in Jesus Christ have every reason to - put simply - love as you have been loved first. Here is one trustworthy bellwether of what love looks like:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Remember, if you're a professed Christian, you're being watched. Need I say more?

So then, what exactly does faith look like?....

Hebrews chapter eleven opens with a definition of faith which does not disappoint:

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."

This assurances come from testimonies the patriarchs gave us, not to mention creation itself. As I began reading it, I was reminded of those who choose to consider the first few chapters of Genesis as little more than primordial fiction. They would argue that as the events of Scripture unfold over the centuries, eventually fiction becomes reality and genealogies increasingly authentic. So let's examine the evidence. Note that we begin with Abel, son of Adam:

"By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain."

And then Noah, whose story is epically remarkable:
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household."

Concerning Jesus Christ, it remains fascinating to me that Matthew traces His genealogy from Jesus to Abraham but Luke traces His genealogy from Jesus to Adam. Therefore, Christ is a direct descendent of the royal priesthood. This would be impossible without a historical genealogy. Clearly Genesis is a crucial thread in the story God is telling us. So what other assurances does faith bring?

"And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking."

And that folks, is a mouthful.

So how do we refrain from growing weary?....

The end of Hebrews give us a couple of great "therefores" whose purpose is to help us not to grow weary:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

This much I can tell you:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, therefore do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.

And grace be with all of you.

James