Hebrews 10:19-25

Some really great material today…

The author of Hebrews has argued for Jesus’ high priesthood, so now he tells us that we …have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus (v. 19) and that we …have a great priest over the house of God. (v. 21) He then provides us with three “let us” passages: …let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith… (v. 22a); Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering… (v. 23a); and …let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (v. 24). My Study Bible added two more items as subsets of the third one that I have listed above: …not neglecting to meet together… (v. 25a) and …encouraging one another… (v. 25b). I daresay we could solve a lot of our personal problems if we were to actively pursue all five of those behaviors on a regular basis.

In addition, my Study Bible highlighted four conditions in verse 22 for drawing near to God: 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. (v. 22b) While the five items noted in the paragraph above are mostly our human behaviors, these four conditions in this paragraph are more internal – lived out, but not verbally or physically expressed. As above, if we have these internal conditions within ourselves, we could also solve a lot of our personal problems.

Today’s reading is an awesome lesson for life!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 10:11-18

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. (vv. 12-13) I have probably noticed it in times past, but saw it again this time: He sat down at the right hand of God. We only sit down to eat or to rest or to engage in conversation with our friends. Here Jesus is sitting as a rest from His labors and is rewarded by sitting on His Father’s right hand, a place of honor in any culture. We have a phrase in our vernacular – “my right-hand man”. That’s my top foreman, that one person that I can always count on. That’s Jesus alongside His Father. If the Father has any questions, Jesus has the answers. And if Jesus has any requests of the Father, it’s done. What a thought!!

A second item from the verses quoted above – when will Jesus’ enemies be made a footstool for his feet? Through His cross and resurrection Jesus defeated Satan, but there’s no doubt that Satan is still alive and well and active in our world today. So as I read those words above, it seems to me that there will come a day when all of Satan’s power will be obliterated and he will be placed under Jesus’ complete authority. Until then we have the Holy Spirit to fight our battles. Jesus has already told us, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NASB). He’s done it all. Rest in Him.

Hebrews 10:1-10

I’m going to re-write (with some edits) the first four verses, in 1-3-4-2 order: … the Law…, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, can never make perfect those who draw near. But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? So as we look at the re-positioned second verse (bold above), this “no consciousness of sins” intrigues me. Yes, I understand that the blood of bulls and goat serves as a reminder of sin and does not remove “any consciousness of sins”, but does it follow that the blood of Jesus should remove from us “any consciousness of sins”? Unfortunately, I too often and too easily are reminded of my current and past sins. What does it take to have “any consciousness of sins” removed?

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 9:23-28

Another oft-quoted verse: And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment… (v. 28) The quote typically begins with “…it is…” or some variant thereto.

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. (v. 23) The verse that I have copied here is from the ESV translation. Two other translations that I read this morning (NASB, NKJV) are missing the word “rites”, having only the pronoun “these” twice in that verse. As I’ve said before, pronouns are often confusing for me – the “these” alone in other translations refers back to verse 22, the shedding and sprinkling of blood in the Jewish purification rites.

In that same verse, the “copies of the heavenly things” refers to the lampstand, the incense, the ark, etc. that were utensils associated with these Jewish purification rites (refer back to Heb 9:2,4 for a full listing of these items). The author makes a second reference to these items two verses later: …holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things… (v. 24a) Since the author has referred to these items as copies of the heavenly things and copies of the true things it must mean that each of these items has a parallel in the heavens. It is left to our imagination what heaven must be like and how these earthly instruments have heavenly connections. It’s a nice thought to dream on.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 9:15-22

A timeless, oft-quoted verse: …without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (v. 22b)

Something new hit me when I read this morning’s passage in my NASB translation: …a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant… (v. 15b) Jesus is the “death that has taken place”. In doing so, the verse says that He REDEEMED violations that occurred under the first covenant. Does that mean that under the old covenant, sins/violations were not redeemed, never fully forgiven, but only “covered”? Like our parents might have said when meting out justice, “It’s OK for now, I’ll deal with you later.” So those daily sacrifices only “covered” their sins? And even that once-a-year entry by the high priest into the Holy of Holies, the same…? A covering, but not full forgiveness? I commented a few days ago about the contrast between the death of an animal covering sins (animal for man) and Jesus’ death fully redeeming sins (man for man). Wondering…

For where there is a covenant, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. (vv. 16-17, NASB) The word “covenant” is translated “will” in the ESV and “testament” in the NKJV. Thinking of this “will” translation and applying it for today, basically beneficiaries have nothing under the will until the death of the one who made the will. And the same was true back then. Unless the father gave something during his lifetime (e.g., the parable of “The Prodigal Son”), the children did not inherit anything until the father died. Only with the death is the will in force. Verse 18 goes on to say, Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. In these three verses (16-18) the writer is drawing a parallel between our physical death and our spiritual death (sin). Only with Jesus’ death could we find full forgiveness of our sins.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 9:11-14

It’s only a few verses today, but they’re powerful! The “not” words jumped off the page at me, all appearing in one sentence: [Christ] … entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves… (vv. 11-12a, NASB) We think so much of who Jesus is and what He has done that it’s nice to consider who He is NOT and what He has NOT done. There’s not much more to say about that, just a small reflection.

In addition, today’s reading does not include a third “not”: Jesus entered that more perfect tabernacle not with daily sacrifices and not with an annual ritual, but ONCE, for all time, …an eternal redemption…!! (v. 12b) DONE!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 9:1-10

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!!

By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing, which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper… (vv. 8-9) I have to keep reminding myself that the author is writing to Jews who are alive before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. With that in mind, the way that I read these two verses is that the phrase, as long as the first section is still standing could be referring to any individual who is still holding on to Jewish customs of the daily sacrifices being offered at the Temple. For those people, that “first section (of the Temple) is still standing” and they have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Those gifts and sacrifices being offered therein fall far short of that for which Jesus has sacrificed. It’s so easy to feel sorry for those very serious Jews today who continue to watch and wait for their Messiah. Will God honor their longing?? Sad…

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 8:7-13

Jeremiah’s prophecy (vv. 8-12) was made sometime around 600 BC. Now Jesus comes along some six centuries later, fulfilling a number of Old Testament messianic prophecies. Although Jeremiah’s prophecy was not fully messianic, it was probably something that Jewish leaders were following in conjunction with the coming of their Messiah. So with all the other confusions that Jesus brought to the Jewish leaders, they can now add this “new covenant” idea, wondering when and how that would occur. I feel sorry for them! With all that, the author of Hebrews clarifies it completely in today’s reading. The “old covenant” is discarded; the “new covenant” is here (v. 13)!!

I’ve always been confused by Jeremiah’s prophecy. I can understand verse 10b, I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts…, if I see these words as the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But verse 11 confuses me: And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. When will we all know Him? Now? End times? Confusing…

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 8:1-6

The second “priest” in the following verse is Jesus: For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. (v. 3) It struck me that the writer was distinguishing between gifts and sacrifices – clear distinctions exist in Leviticus. Jesus’ sacrifice (on the cross) was clear to me, so I was asking myself what might have been Jesus’ gift(s) to us. And after thinking about it, I would suggest that His very life on earth was His gift to us. His ministry, His teachings, His example… Through His life He has taught us everything we really need to know. That’s His gift!!

However, I also think the writer is making “gifts and sacrifices” a moot point, in that he goes on to say, But as it is, He 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. (v. 6) Having accomplished “gifts and sacrifices”, Jesus’ has a new ministry – mediating a new covenant (tomorrow’s reading) – a major portion of which is interceding with the Father on our behalf. At least those are my thoughts.

Slava Bohu!