Milo

DECEMBER 1

Reading 335

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST Hebrews 9

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God” (Heb. 9:14).Once cleansed, we can serve.

Overview

The focus of Old Testament worship was the blood sacrifice offered on the Day of Atonement (9:1–7), though that repeated sacrifice was unable to cleanse worshipers (vv. 8–10). Christ’s blood, however, cleanses us and brings us forgiveness (vv. 11–22). His one sacrifice brings full salvation (vv. 23–28).

Understanding the Text

“An earthly sanctuary” Heb. 9:1–6. Earlier the writer noted that the tabernacle on earth was a “copy and shadow” of heavenly realities (8:5). Here he suggested that the whole thing was designed with a single focus. The tabernacle was a setting in which the priests might perform their ministries. The most important thing in life is our relationship with God. Establishing and maintaining relationship with God is to be the focus of our efforts as well. “Only the high priest entered the inner room” Heb. 9:7–10. The tabernacle and temple were designed to portray a staged approach to God. An Israelite might enter the outer court, bringing an offering for a priest to sacrifice. An ordinary priest might enter the first room of the structure inside the court. But only the high priest, and that once a year, could enter the inner room of the house of worship, where God’s presence was deemed to rest. This staged entry conveyed a significant message. Though the people of Israel were God’s chosen people, they were not yet cleansed from sin. They had no direct, personal access to God. Even the high priest could not enter the inner room without sacrificial blood, which provided a temporary and symbolic cleansing for him as well as for the people. How different it is for you and me. Through Christ, our High Priest, we have direct access to God—at any time! At any moment in your life you can tune your heart to the Lord, and know that in that moment He is giving full and immediate attention to your need. Hebrews 4:16 assures us that we can come to the throne of grace with confidence—even if we need mercy because we have slipped and sinned! And surely we can come to find grace to help and strengthen us when we feel pressure or have any need. What a privilege it is, to rush unhesitatingly into the presence of God, absolutely sure that He welcomes us! “By His own blood” Heb. 9:11–12. Throughout Scripture blood has unique significance. Blood was shed to provide the animal skins that covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve, for the sacrifices mentioned in Genesis, and in the sacrifices ordained in Old Testament Law. Blood was so significant that God’s people were forbidden to eat or drink it, for Leviticus 17:11 said, “The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement.” Blood not only represents life, but life poured out in sacrifice. Even more significantly, the blood of Old Testament sacrifices prefigured the ultimate sacrifice to come. The blood that permitted the Israelite to approach God was a vivid metaphor of the blood that would one day be poured out on Calvary; a picture promise of the full redemption to come. Blood. Life, poured out in sacrifice. This is the source, and the promise, of the eternal redemption obtained for us by Jesus Christ. Hebrews reminds us that Old Testament Law required “that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (vv. 16–22). Here an Old Testament priest sprinkles the blood of a sacrificial animal on the horns and at the base of the altar. “The blood of Christ [will] cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death” Heb. 9:14. Each of us, if we look back into our pasts, can easily locate incidents over which we feel both guilt and shame. Such incidents lodge themselves in the human conscience. Lodged there, they have a terrible impact on our present. They remind us of our failures, and so keep us from stepping out to try again. They create a sense of dread and fear of God, who we feel must punish us. At best they lead to frantic self-effort as we try to make up for our past by doing better in the future—effort which can only lead us farther away from a God who insists we abandon self-effort in favor of faith. But the writer of Hebrews tells us that the blood of Christ cleanses the conscience. All the guilt, all the shame, all the scars caused by our sins, is washed away by the forgiveness that flowed with the blood which poured from our Lord. In the blood of Christ we hear the message, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (8:12). When we claim forgiveness by faith, our conscience is purged and cleansed. And with a cleansed conscience, we are at last enabled to “serve the living God.” Perhaps you’ve seen a child’s motorized toy, with its steering wheel fixed, going round and round in a circle. It cannot break out of that circular path. Its direction is fixed. We were like this before Jesus cleansed us. Sin and guilt had fixed the pattern of our lives. Then forgiveness came and filled in the rut which guilt had worn in our personalities. With that cleansing also comes enablement. Our lives change direction. We begin to move toward the goal of righteousness, and as we move, we experience freedom and joy. Don’t live on in the grip of past guilt. Accept God’s Word that the blood of Christ has wiped out your past, and let the Holy Spirit make this real to you. Freed from the grip of your past, you can look ahead with joy, confident that God will enable you to serve Him well.

DEVOTIONAL

Once, for All(Heb. 9:23–28)

“Back on the machine, dearie.” The nurse’s voice was cheerful. But even though it was only the machine that kept him alive, he dreaded going into the white, antiseptic-smelling room again. The kidney dialysis machine that kept him alive also reminded him of his fatal illness. He was not free, but bound to return to the machine that purified his blood again and again. Away from it, his sickness quickly took grim hold on his body, and sapped all his strength. That’s just what Hebrews 9 says about the Old Testament system (vv. 6–9). The fact that the sacrifices of atonement had to be constantly repeated meant that the patients were not cured! Sin kept its grip on them, and they were only maintained in fellowship with God by repeated applications of sacrificial blood. The writer of Hebrews shouted the news. Christ “appeared once for all at the end the ages to do away with sin.” In Christ and by His one sacrifice, we are cured. We stand forgiven, cleansed. Possessors of a new and endless life, we are equipped to love and serve our God. The repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament system reminded worshipers of their continuing desperate condition. The one sacrifice of Christ reminds us of His total victory. Don’t let yourself be dragged back into sin by the weight of your past. Because of Jesus, the past has no hold on you anymore! Consider: The blood of Christ has cleansed you from all sin! By one sacrifice Jesus has made you well, and guaranteed victory! We are the lame, called to leap and dance. We are the blind, called to see. We are the deaf who now hear. By the once for all sacrifice of Jesus, we are forgiven, made well, and called to face life rejoicing in the assurance that the victory we need has already been won!

Personal Application

Let Christ’s one sacrifice free you to live confidently, and joyously.

Quotable

“One Sunday it happened that St. John could not be at church with his friends, for like Elisha, like Jesus, he was taken by the armed men, and held in prison. But God consoled him with a vision: he saw the Christian sacrament that morning not as men see it, but as it is seen in heaven. His spirit went up; he saw the throne of Glory, and the four Cherubim full of eyes in every part, who sleep not, saying Holy, Holy, Holy. And he saw the sacrifice, the Lamb of God: a Lamb standing as though slaughtered; a Lamb alone worthy to open for mankind the blessed promises of God. He saw the Lamb, and then the angels. I saw, he says, and heard the voice of many angels around about the Throne, the number of them ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands: saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. That is the Christian eucharist. Certainly when we gather here, those that are with us are more than those who stand upon the opposing side. For all heaven is with us when once we lift our hearts up to the Lord, and praise the everlasting Love, the One God in three Persons. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: to whom is ascribed, as is most justly due, all might, dominion, majesty and power, henceforth and forever.”—Austin Farrer

NOVEMBER 30

Reading 334

A BETTER COVENANT Hebrews 7–8

“The ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which He is made Mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises” (Heb. 8:6).Because of Jesus, God remembers our sins no more.

Overview

Christ is no levitical priest; His priesthood is of a totally different order (7:1–11). Thus every element of the Mosaic system is also replaced: its ineffective Law (vv. 12–19), its mortal priesthood (vv. 21–28), its inadequate gifts and sacrifices (8:1–6). Christ has instituted the promised New Covenant, which brings forgiveness and renewal to all who believe (vv. 7–13).

Understanding the Text

“This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High” Heb. 7:1. Hebrews 6:20 says Jesus is a High Priest in the “order of Melchizedek.” His priesthood was traced to Melchizedek, not to Aaron. Even before explaining the implications, the writer took pains to show the Melchizedekian priesthood is greater than Aaronic. This man, who appears briefly in the Old Testament account of Abraham’s life (Gen. 14:18–21), was a king (Heb. 7:2). Since no mention is made of his birth or death in the Old Testament, he appears in Scripture as a “priest forever” (v. 3). Since Abraham, the ancestor of Aaron, paid tithes to Melchizedek, the implication is that Aaron, in the person of his forefather, conceded his superiority (vv. 4–10). Even today a person’s family name has significance. That’s one reason why a Japanese firm recently bought a controlling interest in a Rockefeller holding company. With it, they purchased the right to use the name “Rockefeller” in their marketing! The family line—the name of the person to whom one’s identity can be traced—was particularly significant in Judaism. And thus the writer took great pains to show that Jesus’ priesthood is not Aaronic, but can be traced back to a more ancient and honorable name. For us the name to which we trace our identity is Jesus Christ. We hold up that name whenever we identify ourselves as Christians. Because Christ’s name is so honorable, it is vital that everything we do makes it shine even brighter. And that nothing we do tarnishes a single letter. “When there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law” Heb. 7:11–17. The argument may seem obscure to us, but was very clear to the first-century Jewish reader. The Law given by Moses was a carefully designed system that governed the whole of the believer’s relationship with God and with others. The priesthood was an integral part of that system: it was designed for the system, and the system was designed for it. If the priesthood changed, then everything else in the Old Testament system was affected. Compare the motor of your car. If the transmission is a certain size, it is because it was made to fit the size and the engine of the model car you drive. If you change the transmission size, it’s clear you have to change vehicles if it is to fit. Hebrews tells us that God has provided a whole new vehicle in which we who believe in Christ travel now with Him. The old model, that of Old Testament Law, is obsolete. With the change in priesthood, everything has changed. This is to be true of our lives as well. When Jesus enters our lives, everything changes—and is to change. We can’t go on the way we have been. Jesus’ own “indestructible life” is ours. We must learn to make everything harmonize with Jesus, who has entered our life to make us fresh, holy, and new. “The Law made nothing perfect” Heb. 7:18–19. The loss of the Law was no disaster, for it was “weak and useless.” Here again the writer included the whole system, with its code of conduct, its priesthood, its sacrifices, and its worship. The Old Testament system did not succeed in making men better, or bringing them closer to God. This is something for us to remember. Rules and regulations are no help if we want to draw near to God. What counts is the work Jesus has done for us on the cross. And the work Christ is still doing as High Priest, dispensing both mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (4:16). “Jesus lives forever” Heb. 7:20–25. The quote from Psalm 110:4 makes a vital point. God provided us a Priest who could guarantee us salvation, for He made an oath that “You are a Priest forever.” Only in someone who lives forever could this promise be realized. And only God the Son, Jesus, who does live on, could have a permanent priesthood. What does the permanent priesthood mean to us? The other day I read of a legal battle going on to break a will. There’s a good chance that the deceased’s plans to disburse his estate will not be carried out. The resurrection of Jesus to the role of High Priest tells us that God guarantees that the purposes He had in mind in Christ’s death will be fulfilled. Jesus died to make heaven’s riches ours. And He rose from the dead to supervise the distribution of those riches Himself! No wonder the writer said that “He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him.” His living presence certifies that all we need to guarantee our salvation will be provided by Him. And note that “save completely.” We are not just saved by Jesus from punishment for our sins. We are being saved from sin’s insidious control of our thoughts and actions daily. Jesus is the source of our forgiveness, and the source of our transformation as well. “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself” Heb. 7:26–28. With the change in the priesthood all the elements of the Old Testament system were replaced. The inadequate sacrifices of the old system were replaced by Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for our sins.

DEVOTIONAL

New!(Heb. 8:7–13)

Advertising Age pointed out long ago that the two most attractive things a seller can say about his product are “New!” and “Free!” But that’s not always the case. I have a six-year-old van, with about 70,000 miles on it. I don’t want a new one. I plan to keep this one till it runs up at least 300,000 miles. Why get something new if what you have works perfectly well? Yet that’s just the point the writer was making in Hebrews 8. The old system of Law didn’t work (vv. 7, 9, 13). The covenant made by Moses, called the Old Covenant here, was “obsolete and aging” almost before it was given. What makes the New Covenant God has made with us in Christ superior? Two things. It provides complete and full forgiveness for all our wicked acts (v. 12). Because Christ has paid for our sins, God is no longer obligated to “remember”—in the sense of punish—our sins. And, the New Covenant operates to “put My laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts.” The Old Covenant engraved standards that human beings proved unable to meet on tablets of stone. The New Covenent engraves the desire to please God in our inmost being, and moves us to do the very things Law demanded, but could not produce. When it comes to faith, “New!” truly is a sell word. Those who have tried everything else, and failed to become the kind of person they, and God, want them to be, can turn to Jesus and find themselves forgiven and renewed. And, in case you didn’t notice, the other sell word applies too. The salvation offered us in Christ, costs us nothing. Hebrews 8:1–6 reminds us that everything in the Old Testament system had significance, but that the significance was primarily symbolic. The gifts and offerings made by Old Testament priests were vivid illustrations of what Jesus would do in the heavenly sanctuary of which the earthly tabernacle and temple were merely “copies and shadows.” Christ is the reality, and His work has won us a full salvation.

Personal Application

The best advertisement for Christianity is the new and improved Christian.

Quotable

“We ought to be Christians in large type, so that it would not be necessary for others to be long in our society, or to regard us through spectacles, in order to detect our true discipleship. The message of our lives should resemble the big advertisements which can be read on the street by all who pass by.”—F.B. Meyer

NOVEMBER 29

Reading 333

OUR HIGH PRIEST Hebrews 4:14–6:20

“Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Heb. 5:1).With Jesus as our High Priest, we can approach God’s throne with confidence.

Overview

Having Jesus as High Priest guarantees our welcome by God (4:14–16), for Jesus, who God appointed to represent us (5:1–6), is also the source of our salvation (vv. 7–10). To reach maturity we must build on this foundation (v. 11–6:3), which cannot be laid again (vv. 4–6). Rooted in faith, we will produce the fruit that accompanies salvation (vv. 7–12), resting on the unbreakable promises God has made to us in Jesus Christ (vv. 13–20).

Understanding the Text

“Tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” Heb. 4:14–16. “But you don’t understand,” are perhaps the most common words a pastor or Christian counselor is likely to hear. Each of us has a tendency to think that our troubles, our temptations, are unique. They’re not. Each human being is tempted through the same avenues—through relationships with others, through vulnerability to pain, through pressures beyond his or her control, etc. It’s true that not everyone knows the pain of rejection by a spouse bent on divorce. But even our nine-year-old knows the pain of rejection by a best friend, who over a misunderstanding takes off her half of their “best friend’s necklace,” covers her ears with her hands, and says, “I’ll never talk to you again.” That’s what the writer tells us about Jesus. In His humanity Christ experienced every kind of temptation—every vulnerability of mankind. He felt the pain of rejection, the pangs of hunger, the hostility of the crowds, the fear of His coming death. And because He knows exactly how painful it is to be a human being, He is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses.” Think about this next time you’re hurting. Think about Jesus the Man; remember how completely He understands. Then, without hesitation, come confidently to the throne, where God dispenses grace, and receive the mercy and help He is so eager to pour out on you. “Every high priest” Heb. 5:1–10. The writer continued to develop the theme of Jesus’ humanity, to show how it relates to His priesthood. No angel could serve as high priest, for no angel could understand our weaknesses and “deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray” (v. 2). It takes a human being, aware of human weaknesses, to be sensitive to humanity’s needs and so represent us before God. What a wonder this is. Jesus came to know the anguish of vulnerability. Jesus, approaching the cross, “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears.” One of the Gospel writers tells us that His agony was so great He sweat drops of blood. Oh, yes. Jesus understands us, far better than we understand our own weakness. He resisted every temptation, and so experienced man’s weakness to the full. The thought here is important. Suppose two friends go on a diet. The first day each becomes hungry, and one says, “I’ve got to have a candy bar!” And he eats. The other says, “I’ve got to have some candy too—but I won’t.” Instead he stays faithful to the diet for six weeks. Which one, do you suppose, really understands hunger and a yearning for food? The one who surrendered to his hunger the first day, or the one who lived with his hunger for six weeks? This is what the text is saying about Jesus. He understands our weaknesses, because He never gave in to them! Jesus lived, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, with all our vulnerabilities, and never once surrendered to them. And in this process He was “made perfect” as our Saviour. Not that there was any change in His essential nature as God. He was “made perfect” in the sense of being fully equipped by suffering to sympathize with us, for by suffering He learned what it means to be human. Because our High Priest became a man and lived as a man among us, He is able to “deal gently” with us who are so ignorant and so prone to go astray. Jesus understands our weakness. He does not condemn. He saves. And Jesus cares. “By constant use have trained themselves to distinguish” Heb. 5:11–14. The writer seemed more than a little upset that his readers had not realized what a wonderful High Priest we have in Jesus, and gone on to maturity. He expressed his annoyance. But he also shared the key to maturity. We become mature by constantly using the truth God has revealed to distinguish good from evil. Don’t mistake possessing information for maturity. The ability to quote long passages of Scripture or to argue theology is meaningless. What brings a believer to maturity is the conscious effort to distinguish between good and evil on criterion established by God’s Word. The difference between “milk” and “meat” is not a difference between a superficial and comprehensive knowledge of Christian doctrine. It is not a difference between a little knowledge and a lot. The difference is found in the way we process Scripture. To those who hear but do not apply Scripture, the truths they know are milk. But to those who hear and do apply the Word of God, the same truths become solid, sustaining meat. “Let us go on to maturity” Heb. 6:1–6. It’s important to notice that this famous warning passage in Hebrews is concerned with maturity rather than salvation. Some have become deeply concerned that they might “fall away” from salvation, and be unable to be “brought back to repentance.” However, as the whole section from 5:11–6:12 deals with maturity, it’s best not to assume the writer suddenly shifted in mid-thought to a different topic. What then is the passage saying? First, that the foundation on which we build our lives has already been laid in Christ. When we trust Him, our great High Priest, we are already on the foundation. Now we need to build on it—not lay it again. The image that I keep seeing is that of a terrified person stretched out on a solid cement slab laid on solid rock. He’s digging in his fingernails and holding on for dear life, terrified that he’ll fall off the foundation. The problem is, since he’s just laying there holding on, the rest of the house isn’t going up! The wood for the frame and the trusses for the roof are sitting there on the ground, but nothing can be done as long as the man lies there, clutching the foundation as if his life depended on it. Our relationship with God through Jesus is not like that! In Christ God has laid a foundation on which we are secure. Rather than devoting all our energy to holding on, we’re to devote our energy to building on the foundation God has laid. Once we realize how safe we are, we can step out in joyous faith and go on to maturity. “Crucifying the Son of God all over again” Heb. 6:4–6. The issues of death, faith, and resurrection have all been resolved in the death of Christ. The problem with the panicky people the author addressed here was that they hadn’t thought through what uncertainty about their relationship with God implied. So the writer, with more than a hint of sarcasm, asked a hypothetical question. We can see it clearly in this paraphrase of these critical verses. What would you want to do? View your failure as a falling away of God, so access is lost? How then would you ever be restored—you who have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, and known the flow of resurrection power? Do you want to crucify Jesus all over again, and through a new sacrifice be brought back to repentance? How impossible! What a disgrace, this hint that Jesus’ work for you was not enough. Thank God, Jesus’ work as our High Priest was enough. And we are secure in Him. “We are confident of better things in your case” Heb. 6:7–12. The writer shifted images from construction to agriculture. God wants us to produce a useful crop. And, because of our relationship with Jesus, we will! Good things do accompany salvation: things like work and love shown toward God, and help offered to His people. These are the things we should concentrate on. We need not be anxious about our salvation. We can put all our energy into serving God and others.

DEVOTIONAL

God Doesn’t Lie(Heb. 6:13–20)

I like the familiar saying. I’ve even seen it on bumper stickers. “God Said It. I Believe It. That Settles It.” Of course, for some people, that doesn’t settle it. That was the problem with some of the folks the Letter of Hebrews is addressed to. And so the writer invented his own bumper sticker. God promised. God swore He’d keep His promise. And that settles it for sure. It’s not just that God, who doesn’t lie, has promised to bless us. God sealed His promise with an oath, executed in the blood of His one and only Son. God wouldn’t lie in the first place. But God would never, ever, consider violating an oath that He made at such unimaginable cost. Why did God take such pains to confirm His promise? Because He knew how vulnerable we are to fear and doubt. He knew how weak our faith becomes at times. And so, not because He needed to, but as an anchor for the hope we have in Christ, God promised, and He swore His oath—to reassure us. What a gracious God we have. And how little cause we have to doubt Him. What God has promised us in Christ is ours. In Jesus we have “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Personal Application

Don’t rely on your ability to keep on believing. Rely on God’s ability to keep His promises.

Quotable

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. It is so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”—Martin Luther

NOVEMBER 28

Reading 332

GREATER THAN MOSES Hebrews 3:1–4:13

“Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself” (Heb. 3:3).Heeding the Word of Jesus is our key to rest.

Overview

Jesus is superior to Moses the Law-giver (3:1–6). The generation Moses led failed to respond to God’s voice, and as a result was unable to enter God’s rest (vv. 7–19). The promise of entering God’s rest still stands, as it did in the time of Moses, Joshua, and David (4:1–8). We enter that rest through a faith expressed in obedience to God’s living and active Word (vv. 9–13).

Understanding the Text

“Just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house” Heb. 3:1–6. Angels might be superior to men. But one human being dominated the history of Israel. This man, Moses, was THE spokesman of God, and while his brother Aaron served as high priest, it was Moses who in prayer faithfully represented the people to God. To the pious Jew even the angels seemed hardly superior to Moses, the Law-giver. And so the writer of Hebrews met this challenge. The “Apostle and High Priest” of our faith, whose role corresponds to that of Moses, is Jesus Christ. And He is greater than Moses. Jesus is Builder of the house of God, of which Moses is a part. Moses was faithful as a servant, Christ is faithful as a Son. It follows that the revelation Jesus brought is superior to that brought by Moses! When the writer said, “Fix your thoughts on Jesus,” he was calling the reader to compare Christ to Moses, not to put Moses down, but to see how much greater Jesus is than this greatest of men. For us, “fix your thoughts” has another implication. If Moses was held in such high regard that the average Israelite was zealous to keep his commands, how much more dedicated should Christians be to doing all that Jesus commands? “Today, if you hear His voice” Heb. 3:7–11. This quote from Psalm 95:7–11 sets the theme for this second “warning” passage in Hebrews. The central thought is that when the Word of God was communicated by Moses to the Exodus generation, what they heard was the very voice of God, addressing them in their today. That generation hardened its hearts against God’s Word. They would not trust God, and refused to obey Him. As a result the generation that Moses led from Egypt wandered for decades in the wilderness, never able to enter the Promised Land. Unbelief and disobedience have tragic consequences. Whenever we hear God’s voice, it is essential that we trust Him, and obey. “As long as it is called Today” Heb. 3:12–15. What is “Today”? It is now, this moment, and every moment of our future, as long as you and I live on this earth. The wonderful message of Hebrews 3 and 4 is that God still has a today voice! He is ever here, ever speaking to us, ever inviting us to respond to His direction and guidance. One of the most important purposes of the church is to provide a fellowship in which we encourage one another to respond to God’s voice when He speaks. As long as you live it will be today for you. In each of your todays you need to be listening for God’s word of guidance, direction, or command. Active participation in a local church, and building relationships with others who love the Lord, can help keep you sensitive to His voice, and ready to respond. “Because of their unbelief” Heb. 3:16–19. Another key word in these chapters is “rest.” The specific “rest” in view shifts as the argument develops. At first there is rest for the wandering Israelites awaiting in Canaan (v. 19). Later there is total victory over enemies in Canaan (4:8). But these are only illustrations, to help us sense what the rest promised believers today is like. Everyone who has heard and responded to the message of Jesus is invited to experience a rest of complete inner peace. Only one thing holds us back. The same thing that condemned the Exodus generation to years of unfulfilled wandering. And that is a failure to trust God completely; a failure exhibited in our refusal to respond to His voice. You can be saved and miserable. You can a Christian and anxious. You can be converted, and totally unfulfilled. And you most surely will be if you harden your heart, and fail to respond when you hear God’s voice in your today. “The promise of entering His rest still stands” Heb. 4:1–2. What a tremendous message of hope this is. Perhaps you’ve been a disobedient Christian. Perhaps you can look back on wasted years and lost opportunities. Perhaps you grieve over relationships so tangled and distorted that they are beyond healing. Yet whatever happened to you yesterday, “the promise of entering His rest still stands.” You still have today. And God says, “Today, if you hear His voice.” God does not say, “Yesterday, if you had heard it.” Every today gives us a fresh start, another opportunity. If you hear His voice today, and respond in faith and obedience, you can still experience His rest! You can still know peace, and a tomorrow that will be filled with joy. “His work has been finished since the Creation of the world” Heb. 4:3–4. The Jewish rabbis noted that in the Genesis Creation account the description of each creative day concludes with, “there was evening, and there was morning.” But no such closing phrase is found in the description of the seventh day. The rabbis wisely concluded that the seventh day had no end: God is active, but He is at rest. What’s the significance of this comment? Simply that in the six days of Creation God set in motion a universe whose ages He had already determined. God rested on the seventh day, as there is no contingency for which He has not planned. There is no problem for which He has not already worked out the solution. There is no need He has not already arranged to meet. Have you ever noticed that what drains us is the stress of work, and not work itself? It is the uncertainty, the doubts, the unexpected setbacks, the awareness that no matter how hard we try, so many things are beyond our control. The Sabbath reminds us that there is no such stress for God. He is active, at work in us and in our world, but in His work He is at rest, sustained by perfect peace and certainty. What a God we have! And what an invitation—that we should enter “His rest.” “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” Heb. 4:5–11. The writer mentioned Joshua and David to show that God’s ancient promise of “rest” was not totally fulfilled when Israel at last possessed the Holy Land. Entrance into Canaan, victory over the Canaanites, and even David’s successful campaigns to expand Israel’s kingdom, were merely metaphores—symbolic of a reality far more significant than even these key historic events. The fact that each of these periods in sacred history is identified as a “Today” also serves to remind us that “Today” is here and now for you and me. When we hear God’s voice, we can respond, and in responding find the Sabbath rest that God Himself enjoys! But why does the writer tell us to “make every effort to enter that rest”? What is that rest, and how do we experience it? It is God’s own rest. It is the realm in which the future is assured, for every contingency has been planned for. We enter that rest by responding to God’s voice with faith and obedience. He who knows the future can and will guide us safely through our today. The voice of Him who has solved every problem will lead us to His solutions. The voice of the One who knows every need will guide us to the place where our needs will be met. Our struggle is not to find our way into tomorrow, but to submit to His will, so that He can guide us to where we must be. The result of total submission to God and obedience to His Word is rest. We suddenly, inexplicably, find ourselves at peace. Dangers abound. Difficult decisions must be made. Circumstances remain beyond our control. But by submitting to Jesus we have rested from our own works, to rely completely on Him. And so we find the Sabbath rest that is promised to us by our God.

DEVOTIONAL

The Word of God(Heb. 4:1–13)

Have you ever noticed that when you read the Bible, you tend to imagine a tone of voice? Reading some passages, like Psalm 23, we imagine a warm, loving tone. Reading other passages we can almost hear disapproval or anger. Actually, the tone of voice we imagine is most helpful—or harmful—when it comes to really understanding God’s Word. Take for instance those verses that conclude this fascinating passage on God’s rest. I suspect that most folks tend to hear a grim, threatening tone when they read that God’s Word is sharper than a sword. That it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, and that “nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.” But if you do imagine a threatening tone as you read, you’ll miss the message completely! You see, the writer has been telling us that God has a wonderful gift for us—an inner rest and peace that you and I experience as we respond to His voice when He speaks to us in our today. It sounds grand. Until we ask, where are we to hear that voice? How will we recognize it? Does God speak to me, personally, and not to everyone? The simple answer is in the Bible. That book, which is rich in truth revealed for all mankind, is also God’s living and active Word to the individual believer. How can that be? Very simply, God’s Word, while written by men, is a supernatural channel through which He speaks personally to the individual. The Word of God is so sharp a scalpel that it is able to surgically dissect our inmost being. The living, active Word of God assesses even our thoughts and attitudes. Nothing is hidden from God, and through the Word He has given us He penetrates our consciousness, to speak to each of us as an individual. The voice of God is heard in the Word of God. And the Word that is His voice echoes in sermons and classes and in Christians’ conversations. As we are sensitive to God and seek His guidance, we hear His voice speaking directly to our hearts. As we respond to the voice we hear, we find the promise fulfilled in our hearts. Today, we experience His rest and find inner peace.

Personal Application

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart and miss promised peace.

Quotable

“Starting afresh patiently and in good cheer and hope is the mark of the Christian. One of the helpful definitions of Christianity is this: the Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”—John B. Coburn

NOVEMBER 27

Reading 331

A MAN LIKE US Hebrews 2

“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death . . . and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb. 2:14–15).Jesus fully understands us and our needs.

Overview

We must heed Jesus’ message (2:1–4). It reveals the destiny God gives us through Jesus (vv. 5–13), who took on humanity to break the enslaving grip of death and Satan on our race (vv. 14–18).

Understanding the Text

“We must pay more careful attention” Heb. 2:1.

The warning found in verses 1–5 seems to fit best with chapter 1. God’s Son Himself has delivered the message of salvation, making that message even more binding than the earlier binding revelation given through angels. The image of “drift away” is significant. It pictures an ancient sailing ship, anchored near shore. As the sailors sleep, the wind picks up, and the anchor begins to drag slowly across the sandy bottom. By the time the sailors awake, the ship is pitching dangerously in heavy seas. You and I aren’t likely to consciously pull up the anchor of our faith and abandon the shelter Jesus provides. But unless we give constant heed to Christ’s word, we can drift unaware from our moorings. “How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” Heb. 2:2–4 This is the first of several warnings found in Hebrews. These warnings are addressed to believers, and generally deal with our experience of the superior salvation provided in Christ. Here the theme is Jesus as the Living Word. Those warned have heard the Gospel. They are urged to hold to what was heard, for if they do not they will drift from life’s moorings and fail to experience the benefits of God’s great salvation. What a blessing God’s Word is to us. It is a sure message, confirmed by witnesses who heard Jesus teach and saw His miracles, and confirmed by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet it is so easy for us to drift. What we need to do is to give Scripture our constant attention—and make sure we respond to God’s Word by putting it into practice. “What is man that You are mindful of him?” Heb. 2:6–7 How do we explain the wonder of God’s appearance in the flesh? The writer quoted Psalm 8, which displays the amazing fact that God cares about human beings. God has chosen not to ignore us, but has concentrated His attention on us that He might lift us up. He “made him [man] a little lower than the angels.” But what we were is not what we will be! We are destined for glory and honor and dominion at God’s side. “But we see Jesus” Heb. 2:8–9. The idea that humanity has been crowned with glory and honor seems laughable to some. Look at the mess we’re in—and have been in throughout recorded history. How does the human condition speak of glory, or of sovereignty? God has “put everything under his [man’s] feet.” How about sickness? How about suffering? How about wars, and crime, and drunk driving, and child abuse? Hebrews answers, “At present we do not see everything subject to” man. But what we do see is God, becoming incarnate in Jesus, suffering death for us, and “now crowned with glory and honor.” In the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus you and I see our own destiny. The glorified Jesus is proof positive that glory lies ahead for you and me. While a skeptical world looks at the ruin man has made of our earth, confident believers look at the triumph of Jesus, and find peace. “Perfect through suffering” Heb. 2:10. Again we have a seeming contradiction. How could God, who by definition is perfect, have been “made” perfect through suffering? The idea of perfection is expressed in the Greek word, teleios. This root is used nine times by the author of Hebrews, and it means “completed, mature, with every potential realized.” Suffering did nothing to add to Jesus character or nature. Yet it did equip Him for His saving work. In suffering as human beings suffer, Jesus shared all that it means to be human. As the writer added in verse 18, “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” In His incarnation Jesus experienced humanness in a way never possible for the preincarnate Son. His suffering as a man was necessary for His complete identification with us. What this means is twofold. It means that Jesus understands you and me in our pain and suffering. And it means that God loves us more than we imagine, for Christ’s exposure of Himself to mankind’s vulnerability was more costly than we can ever know. “I will declare Your name to My brothers” Heb. 2:12. Mark is a missionary to inner-city street people. He works with the addicts, the pimps, the prostitutes, the alcoholics, the homeless that inhabit the night. He lives on the streets with the members of his parish, because he is convinced that only by sharing the life they lead will he gain the credibility required to reach them for Jesus. Hudson Taylor, like Mark, adopted this principle of identification. When Taylor ministered in China he put off his Western dress, adopted Chinese garb, and grew his hair so it might be put in a cue. To reach the Chinese, he became Chinese in his ways. This is what Jesus did for us. He came, became one with us, and called us “My brothers.” By identifying Himself fully with us, He made it possible for us to put our trust in Him. If you want to reach others, don’t consider how different you are from them. Instead consider all the ways you are one with them. The more closely you can identify with others, the more clearly they will see the Lord Jesus in your life. “Him who holds the power of death” Heb. 2:14. Scripture speaks of two realms: a realm of darkness and a realm of light; a realm of death and a realm of life. While God is the ultimate authority in the material and spiritual universe, Satan is the present ruler of darkness. Where Satan reigns death, as spiritual insensitivity, selfishness, and guilt, hold sway. Human beings who live in Satan’s realm are captives of their own sin natures—and of the fear of death. It is the terror of the unknown, and the fear of extinction or of final judgment, that keeps humanity enslaved. The writer does not explain this imagery. But we can understand it. We know how fear petrifies and inhibits. Like the tiny animal held motionless by the gaze of the cobra, the terror of death keeps man from seeking God. No man aware of committing a crime is likely to search out the sheriff. No person fearing punishment for sin is likely to set out to find God, the Judge, and risk the death he knows he deserves. What Good News then the Gospel is. The Gospel trumpets Satan’s defeat, and announces a pardon available to all. Because Jesus lived and died as a man, and so defeated Satan, we no longer fear death. The paralysis caused by fear is broken, and we run, exulting, into God’s presence, eager to live the rest of our lives in His presence.

DEVOTIONAL

Merciful and Faithful(Heb. 2:14–18)

Nobody likes “have to” very well. Around our house, “You have to practice your music lesson now” meets with almost as many squeals of protest as, “You have to go to bed.” Actually, I’m not all that wild about “have to” myself. I often find myself saying or thinking, “I have to get my day’s work done first,” when I’d rather go fishing or just take off and play some tennis. But “have to” takes precedence. If the more important goals are to be reached, discipline is required. That’s what Hebrews 2:14–18 tells us about Jesus. His goals were so important that He did whatever He had to in order to reach them. And what Jesus had to do really hurt. First, He had to become a real human being, and suffer the pressure of all those temptations that trouble humanity, if He was to be a merciful High Priest. Philo, the first-century Jewish philosopher, held that the high priest must not show his feelings, but “have his feeling of pity under control.” But Jesus endured the human condition just so that He might display the depth of God’s compassion for us. If we were to know for sure that God loves us, we had to be shown a Saviour who was willing to suffer. Because Jesus did what He had to, you and I know that our High Priest is merciful. But Jesus also had to endure the ultimate suffering of the Cross to “make atonement for the sins of the people.” The Greek word here, hilastekesthai, means to make a propitiation—to satisfy and thus turn aside the wrath of God. He was faithful in this obligation which He as High Priest had to God. If Jesus was to accomplish the purpose for which He was sent, He had to offer up His own life. And, faithful in His commitment to God’s will, He did exactly that. For Jesus, the goal of satisfying God’s justice and showing mercy to mankind was so important that “have to” was transformed into “want to.” He chose freely to suffer for us. And we can learn from the voluntary suffering of Jesus. Let’s make the goal of doing God’s will so central in our lives that when you or I “have to” suffer in order to obey, we will want to respond, no matter what the cost.

Personal Application

When you truly “want to” please God, the things you “have to” do will become a joy.

Quotable

“I will be Christian. Like a crimson line running through my life, let the covenant bind me to the will and way of Jesus. “I will be Christian. My body, mind, and spirit Christ-centered, that I may learn His will; that I may walk His way; that I may win my associates; and that ‘in all things He might have the preeminence.’ “I will be Christian. My voice of passion in an age grown cold and cynical because of faltering faith and shrinking deeds; my answer to the Macedonian call of spiritual continents unpossessed and unexplored. “I will be Christian. In my heart, in my home, in my group, in my country—now, to help save America that America may serve the world. “I will be Christian. Across all lines of color and class, into every human relationship, without respect for temporal circumstance, in spite of threat and with no thought of reward. “I will be Christian. That Christianity may become as militant as Fascism; as terrible toward wrong as God’s hatred of sin; as tender with the weak as His love for little children; as powerful as the prayer of the righteous, and as sacrificial as Calvary’s Cross. “I will be Christian . . . So help me God.”—Daniel A. Poling