Hebrews 13:1-8

Another oft-quoted verse: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (v. 8) That’s a comforting thought! These time frames, “yesterday” and “today” may simply be the author’s personal reference in his own life. But “yesterday” may also refer more to Jesus’ life, His pre-incarnate life or His life here on earth. Likewise, “today” could refer to Jesus’ work here on earth through the Holy Spirit or His intersession with the Father in heaven. No matter our interpretation of the exact words, it’s a comforting thought!! Jesus is the same for all time!

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (v. 6) …what can man do to me? There are two psalms that contain this last phrase, Ps 56:11 and Ps 118:6. Jesus also spoke to this topic: And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28) This phrase, what can man do to me? jumped off the page at me, but I can’t remember ever really being challenged for my faith. Not by supervisors, not by my subordinates, not by students, not by anyone except other Christians when we were discussing Biblical issues (or politics). Three times in the past few years I’ve had major confrontations with other Christians and I’ve had to self-examine my own positions – thankfully, Carol is here to help me reason things out. But as long as I am true to God, man can’t touch me!

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (v. 4) We Christians are at odds with much of society on the issue of homosexuality. To me it’s confusing – not a black-or-white issue, except when it comes down to behavior: …let the marriage bed be undefiled! Herein I take the same position on homosexuality that I do on extra-marital sex – neither is appropriate behavior. God ordained man and woman, husband and wife, for marriage. That’s it. Period. And in taking such a position society calls me/us judgmental. But they’ve got it wrong. God is the one who judges, not me. I have a position on the issue, Biblically founded. Let men and women take their own positions with respect to that “marriage bed”. Individually it’s their call and their response to their Creator. I will love them and pray for them and mourn with them when their “natural instincts” burden their souls. But I cannot affirm the behavior of the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 12:25-29

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused Him Who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns from heaven. (v. 25) I was brainstorming about those who refused Him who warned them on earth. Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) immediately came to mind, plus those in Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), and others. I’m guessing that His “warning from heaven” comes from the Holy Spirit speaking into our hearts, guiding our consciences into right vs. wrong decisions. It’s great that we have a warning and not immediate destruction for our sins!

…for our God is a consuming fire. (v. 29) I’m picturing the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal: Then Elijah … set about repairing the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. He took twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes named for the sons of Jacob, the man to whom the Lord had given the name Israel. With these stones he rebuilt the altar for the worship of the Lord. He dug a trench around it, large enough to hold about four gallons of water. Then he placed the wood on the altar, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood.” They did so, and he said, “Do it again”—and they did. “Do it once more,” he said—and they did. The water ran down around the altar and filled the trench. … The Lord sent fire down, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench. When the people saw this, they threw themselves on the ground and exclaimed, “The Lord is God; the Lord alone is God!” (I Kings 18:30-35, 38-39) That must have been quite a “consuming fire”!!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 12:18-24

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God… (v. 22a) BUT YOU HAVE COME… Do you sense the power in those four words??!! We are no longer Old Covenant or mountain or tabernacle people. We are redeemed! We are on this side of the cross!! …this side of the Resurrection!!! …this side of Jesus’ Ascension!!! We are a freedom people, never more enslaved by sin! Tempted, yes, but enslaved? NO!! GLORY!!!!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 12:12-17

See to it … that no one is … unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. (vv. 15a, 16b) There must be more information elsewhere in this letter, because I cannot follow what my Study Bible is suggesting, that the author’s “readers were thinking of compromising their faith in order to gain relief from persecution. But to trade their spiritual birthright for temporary ease in this world would deprive them of Christ’s blessing. The author had earlier in this chapter mentioned persecution: “… you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (v. 4b) So there is probably some basis for what my Study Bible is saying. Confusing.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 12:1-11

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. … If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (vv. 6, 8) I do not disagree with these verse, but I am asking myself how the Lord has disciplined me. He has shown me my sin and made me sorrowful for mistakes I’ve made in the past – and continue to make today. But where is the discipline? I understand our parents’ discipline, but what do we mean by “the Lord’s discipline”? I had to go online to get some answers. Here’s the best that I found:

“God’s discipline comes from His great love for us. It is a token of His adoption of us as children. He loves us too much to allow us to remain in our sin. He loves us so much that He will do whatever is necessary to make us holy… While discipline is sometimes painful, God’s purpose in disciplining us is for our own good, our holiness. The ultimate good for a Christian is to be sanctified, which is to be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ. God allows us to undergo trials and temptations so our faith will be tested and we will grow in maturity as Christians. God uses these trials to discipline us for godliness.”

https://www.compellingtruth.org/God-discipline.html (my bold added)

Trials and temptations… I have undergone trials – difficulties, times of great testing. And I have undergone temptations – and too often succumbed to temptations, and later regretted it. I think I understand “the Lord’s discipline” a bit better now, but I still need to reflect more on the Lord’s discipline in my life.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 11:30-40

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. (v. 37a) I don’t know of any Biblical references to any Jewish “followers” being sawn in two. And while there are references to people being killed with the sword (e.g., leaders in the David-Absalom wars), it’s not clear that any of these men were killed for their faith. It’s possible that the author of Hebrews is referring to torture and lives lost in the Maccabean wars (2^nd century B.C.), information that might be found in the Apocryphal or other lost writings or as word-of-mouth handed down by faithful Jews through the ages. It’s quite a list that the author has compiled of torture and death associated with men of faith in the Old Testament. And the author is not even including those of his own and later generations who were tortured and killed for their faith.

And all these … did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (vv. 39-40) What a gift we and the author of Hebrews have of living on this side of the Resurrection. Those “saints” of old had some idea, but really did not know what they were praying for and hoping for. We have the advantage of knowing Jesus and His Resurrection and eternal life; in that sense we have much more for which to be thankful!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 11:23-29

By faith Moses … considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt… (vv. 24a, 26a) It’s easy to be confused when a speaker or writer uses the word “Christ”. That word is both a title (the Messiah) and, effectively, a name (Jesus Christ – more appropriately translated as “Jesus, the Christ”, that is, “Jesus, the Messiah”). But we often hear statements like “Christ died for our sins”, knowing that the person speaking this sentence is referring to Jesus. So we often translate “Christ” as “Jesus” or “Jesus Christ”. But in the verses quoted above “Christ” is not referring to Jesus; it simply means “the Messiah”. So Moses chose “…the reproach of [the Messiah]…” over the pleasures of Egypt. Thus this phrase is referring to the mistreatment of the Jews by the Egyptian authorities. In essence, Moses preferred to be numbered among the persecuted Jews than to enjoy his luxurious position as Pharaoh’s daughter.

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 11:13-22

By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph… (v. 21) It’s always been strange to me that of the twelve sons of Jacob, only three rise to any level of prominence – Judah, Levi, and Joseph – Judah as the tribe from which David and Jesus were descended, Levi as the tribe of the priests and Levites, and Joseph in his position as “prime minister” of Egypt and with each of his sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) being allotted a share in the Promised Land. A fourth, Benjamin, also gets further mention, but in a negative sense when the tribe of Benjamin was nearly eliminated (see the full story at Judges, chapters 19-21).

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead… (v. 19a) I guess maybe I considered this verse lightly in the past, but my Study Bible pointed out that Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac physically from the dead if Abraham had gone through his sacrifice of Isaac. Was that the case? I don’t see that claim in Genesis 22, so I tend to think not. I think that from Abraham’s perspective, Isaac was dead, but that somehow God would continue with His promise to make Abraham the father of many nations. Again, my thoughts…

If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. (v. 15) When I think back to the “land from which I had gone out” (the years before my born-again experience) I have no desire to return!! The Lord has filled me with Himself and His people so completely that my old (happy) life is a distant memory!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 11:1-12

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. (v. 3) It’s constantly amazing to me that God SPOKE all things into existence. If we were meeting together Carol could tell you all she’s learned from her students’ Senior Projects about sound vibrations as the basis for solids’ existence. Amazing!!

…for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. (v. 6b) To me it’s easy to believe that God exists – looking through a telescope or a microscope is all I need to know that we are not just accidental beings. But the second half – that God is rewarding us just for seeking Him… That’s a wonderful thought, very encouraging!

For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (v. 10) I’m not sure what “city” Abraham was looking forward to, maybe just the thought that soon he would be abandoning his tent living in favor of solid structures. Maybe he had some vision of the Temple and Jerusalem – probably not. But to the present day… We all are looking forward to that heavenly city, which foundation is God and God alone! Again, another really encouraging thought!!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 10:32-39

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property… (v. 34a) My first reading of the day is from the NKJV Chronological Study Bible. Therein this verse reads “on me in my chains” instead of “on those in prison” (ESV) or “on prisoners” (NASB). So right away I wondered if Paul was the author of Hebrews – that he was writing from prison to believing Jews in Jerusalem who were undergoing persecution or to faithful Jews anywhere who were being persecuted (e.g., Galatia, Thessalonica), where he himself had suffered persecution at the hands of the synagogue leaders. We’ll never know this side of eternity!

…since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. (v. 34b) This verse is the second half of the verse quoted above. I see its application today as we work our way through these troubling times. We have endured a challenging presidential election and are still working our way through a serious recession and a continuing pandemic – all of which have created worries and anxiety for many people. Yet those of us who believe in Jesus know that there are better times ahead – and not only that, but also we know that He is not unaware of all that is going on around us. He is allowing these difficulties, just as He allowed suffering for Christians in that 1^st century past. So through our difficulties today we continue to pray, “Your will be done”, confident that His Spirit is working in and among us. Our faith adds a certain measure of peace to our souls, diminishing (if not eliminating) our worries and anxieties. Peace be with you.

Slava Bohu!