Hebrews 11:23-40

In verses 33 through 38 our author leaves nameless those many Israelites who gained victories (10 notations), trusting in the power of God and the faith of the leaders whom they served. He also lists trials that they endured (8 notations) and adds two verses (vv. 37b-38) of people who chose to isolate themselves from society – some fleeing for their lives and others choosing an hermitic lifestyle as their means of being obedient to the Lord. He is covering some 1500 years of Jewish history as he recalls what they endured from the various nations who conquered them. All of these notations – the victories, the persecutions, the isolations – are the result of faith on the part of these Israelites.

I mention below that the author probably knew of similar victories and persecutions in the early Christian church, but did not bother to mention those. And today we also serve in faith a God who is active in the world. We watch and pray for (and occasionally participate in) the growth of the Church. We also pray regularly for the “persecuted Church”, largely in lesser developed countries of the world, but we also see attacks on the Church and its institutions in our advanced societies. We see the same faith-based realities in those 1,500 years before Jesus, in the first couple of centuries after His death and resurrection, and in our world some 2,000 years later. But we all know how it will ultimately end – with Jesus powerful over all! Come, Lord Jesus!!

See also:

• December 7 (2020) / Hebrews 11:23-29
• December 8 (2020) / Hebrews 11:30-40

Hebrews 11:1-22

Today’s first verse: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (v. 1) Faith is an assurance and a conviction – an assurance (a promise) from someone else (God) and a conviction within ourselves that the promise will come true. Essentially we believe that the One who made the promise is worthy of our trust. Faith is also “hoped for, …[but]… not seen”. Reality is absent in our sphere of faith. There may be evidences of different things that strengthen that faith, but the faith itself is “blind”. I believe that the sun will rise tomorrow, but that’s not faith. That is the reality of my observing every prior day of my life that the sun had come up and that the sun very likely will come up again tomorrow.

Jesus’ death was a reality event, but our belief in His resurrection is based on faith. There were bystanders at the cross, people who witnessed that historical event. But there was no one at the tomb when Jesus rose from the dead. We have evidence of His resurrection – historical records in the Gospels, peoples’ lives changed, etc. – but our belief in His bodily resurrection is a faith item for us. And our (corporate) faith in that one event is and has been enough to change the world. Embrace that thought when you wonder about your own “faith”.

See also:

• December 5 (2020) / Hebrews 11:1-12
• December 6 (2020) / Hebrews 11:13-22

Hebrews 10:19-39

After reading today’s verses Carol said “This is a great chapter.” Then I got ready to post and saw my first line from last year’s post, “Some really great material today…”. Echo!

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 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… (vv. 19-22b) I realize that the author is writing to 1^st century Jewish Christians and connecting Jesus’ sacrificial death to the temple and the veil and the “Holy of Holies”, but I also need to bring those verses to us today. We also are entering “holy places” – everywhere in the world around us that God the Holy Spirit inhabits! And in everywhere we go and in everything that we do, it is through Jesus’ flesh and blood that we are who we are. The world needs to see Jesus in us, in all that we do, our …true heart… [, our] …full assurance of faith.

Some day we will enter that holy place to where Jesus ascended and where He sits at His Father’s right hand. Ponder that for a bit. We will be able to enter boldly with our …true heart… [our] …full assurance of faith. I can picture Jesus smiling as He steps forward to hug us!

See also:

• December 2 (2020) / Hebrews 10:19-25
• December 3 (2020) / Hebrews 10:26-31
• December 4 (2020) / Hebrews 10:32-39

Hebrews 10:1-18

The author of Hebrews writes these two sentences just four verses apart: …we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all… (v. 10) and For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (v. 14) There are three commonalities in these two verses: (1) we have been sanctified and those who are being sanctified; (2) once for all and for all time; and (3) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ and by a single offering. We have been sanctified (set apart) for all time through Jesus’ death. With those commonalities, there is one item that stands alone in verse 14: He has perfected… Why is verse 14 different from verse 10 with the addition of that simple sentence? How are we perfected? (I don’t feel “perfect” just yet.) Does “for all time” suggest a later time, presumably after Jesus returns? I don’t have an answer, only the question(s). Wondering…

See also:

• November 30 (2020) / Hebrews 10:1-10
• December 1 (2020) / Hebrews 10:11-18

Hebrews 9:1-18

…He 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. (v. 12) This sentence is essentially the summary of what the author has been saying for the past few chapters, ever since he began speaking of Jesus as the High Priest of the New Covenant: Once, with His own blood, eternal redemption…!! It’s amazing to me when I consider both the parallels and the contrasts between the old sacrificial system and Jesus’ death, how the author connects that old system (some 1,500 years old back then) with the new. What joy it must have been for the Hebrew people back then when they finally saw Jesus as their promised Messiah after having waited so long. And now these same people, their descendants are still waiting, another 2,000 years since their Messiah appeared. I’m not them; I have a hard time relating to the constant disappointment they must feel. I feel sad for them.

See also:

• November 26 (2020) / Hebrews 9:1-10
• November 27 (2020) / Hebrews 9:11-14
• November 28 (2020) / Hebrews 9:15-22
• November 29 (2020) / Hebrews 9:23-28

Hebrews 8:1-13

One of our shortest readings of the year today. “Gifts and sacrifices…” (v. 3) I spoke yesterday of the importance (for us) of Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. Now thinking again of the “gifts and sacrifices” mentioned in today’s reading, I now see Jesus’ death as His continuing intercession for us as His gift.

I was considering some comparisons between the “old ways” and the “New Way”:

Moses & the High Priests	Jesus
Tabernacle/tent	Heaven
Old Covenant	New Covenant
Animal sacrifices	Jesus’ human death
Gifts and Sacrifices	Crucifixion and Ascension
Annual atonement	Once, for all time
Succession of High Priests	Jesus, forever
Tribe of Levi	Tribe of Judah

I’m sure there are more comparisons we could make, but these stand out. We are so blessed to be living “this side of the Cross”.

See also:

• November 24 (2020) / Hebrews 8:1-6
• November 25 (2020) / Hebrews 8:7-13

Hebrews 7:1-28

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. (v. 25) Quite often we hear that we are saved/redeemed through Jesus’ death and resurrection, but His ascension to the Father often goes unspoken. Yet without His ascension we are without an intercessor (Jesus at the right hand of the Father) and without the Holy Spirit (our paraclete/comforter/advocate), since the Holy Spirit could not come to Earth until Jesus had ascended. I do not understand the theology behind that statement, that the Holy Spirit could not come to Earth until Jesus had ascended; I can only point to Jesus’ own words: Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:39) Bottom line – Jesus’ ascension gave us an intercessor in Heaven and an advocate here on Earth, both super important for our lives here on Earth! We have the Holy Spirit to help us in all that we do and Jesus to intercede for us when we fail. GLORY!!

See also:

• November 21 (2020) / Hebrews 7:1-10
• November 22 (2020) / Hebrews 7:11-22
• November 23 (2020) / Hebrews 7:23-28

Hebrews 6:1-20

And we desire each one of you … [be] … imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (vv. 11-12) I wonder what group of people the author is asking his readers to imitate – current “saints” or past Old Testament prophets and leaders. In the previous verse the author has asked his readers to continue …serving the saints… (v. 10), implying that he is asking his readers to imitate those Christian leaders in their midst – possibly the Apostolic leadership in Jerusalem? But he also could be speaking of Abraham and his descendants who inherited the promises God made long ago. (See vv. 13-15.) I continue to beat the bush for Paul’s authorship of Hebrews. There are two items in the verses quoted above that support this hypothesis. First, Paul has written on a number of occasions that his readers should be imitators of him (I Corinthians 4:16, 11:1; Philippians 3:17; II Thessalonians 3:7, 9), so speaking to his readers of imitating their Christian leaders would be consistently Pauline. Second, in verse 15 the author writes that Abraham …obtained the promise, past tense. However, in verse 12 above he is asking his readers to imitate those …who…inherit the promises, present tense.

Ignore my arguments for Paul’s writing of Hebrews if you like – Carol argued strongly (even almost convincingly!) against his authorship yesterday on our way home from church! But don’t ignore the author’s call for us to be imitators of those who exhibit …faith and patience… in their Christian walk. Find someone who exhibits those virtues and …be imitators!

See also:

• November 18 (2020) / Hebrews 6:1-8
• November 19 (2020) / Hebrews 6:9-12
• November 20 (2020) / Hebrews 6:13-20

Hebrews 5:1-14

…you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food… (vv. 11b-12) These two verses argued both for and against Paul’s authorship of Hebrews. First, the most obvious item supporting Paul’s authorship: milk vs. solid food… Paul makes this same comparison back in I Corinthians 3:2. Then again, the author could have known of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and was using the same comparison. So maybe not Paul…

As for a point against Paul’s authorship, the author seems to be quite familiar with his audience of Jewish Christians when he writes “…you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers…”. Clearly I think the author has particular people in mind, some immature Jewish Christians. But Paul’s ministry was primarily to Gentile converts, not to Jewish believers. So first I thought this to be an argument against Paul’s authorship. Then I reasoned further from my earlier comments a few days ago about the possibility of Paul writing this letter sometime during the two years that he was in prison in Caesarea. During that time he probably had many visitors from Jerusalem, especially Jewish converts who would come to learn from him. So it could be that he wrote Hebrews specifically to teach these converts. He writes to them, “…you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God…”. Herein Paul is providing his motivation for this entire letter.

See also:

• November 16 (2020) / Hebrews 5:1-7
• November 17 (2020) / Hebrews 5:8-14