Hebrews

Sunday, 7 October 2018

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. Hebrews 5:1

The author begins Chapter 5 with “For” to ensure we consider the context of what has been said. In verses 5:14-16, the reader has been reminded of Christ’s suitability to mediate for us before God. He will now continue explaining why this is so. Understanding this, he says, “For every high priest taken from among men.” More rightly, it should say, “…being taken from among men.” The stress is on “men,” not on the “taking.” The fact that the high priest shares in the commonality of humanity is what is being stressed. The entire premise of the priesthood is that it can only be efficiently conducted if done so by a man. In this common bond of humanity, he “is appointed.”

The Greek word means to “put in charge.” It is what gives standing to him in order to exercise in a particular capacity. Aaron, for example, was appointed by the Lord. This selection is found in Exodus 28:1. And not only was he selected, but it was a selection which then established his house after him. It was designated to go from Aaron to one of his sons for the duration of the Mosaic covenant as is then seen in Exodus 29:9. Further, when a challenge was made to that priesthood, its validity was confirmed again by the Lord in Numbers 16 and 17. The authority of the priesthood was Aaron’s, but it was “for men.”

In other words, he was appointed to his duties, not just for himself, nor for Israel as a whole, but for the people of Israel in both an individual and a collective manner. As the human mediator, he was selected to mediate for men. It was he who bore the responsibility for the priesthood, and who was to symbolically take the sins upon himself and purge them through himself in the conduct of his duties. This is seen, for example, in the eating of the sin-offering by the priests, such as in Leviticus 6:26 and elsewhere. When a sin was committed by a high priest, that was handled differently. But for the men, he as a man was appointed “in things pertaining to God.”

Here the importance of the commonality of being a man is seen. God is perfect and cannot look upon sin. Therefore, in order for God to accept the people, the sin must be removed. But the mediator could not be other than a man. For example, it could not be an angel. The angel is in a different category and is unable to properly relate to the experiences, faults, and sins of the people. Further, it could not be an animal, as if the people could say, “This goat will mediate between us and God.” The goat can be offered for atonement (in type and picture of Christ only – see Hebrews 7:4), but it cannot perform the functions required of the priesthood. And the mediator could not be a stone or wood idol that the people petitioned to mediate between them and God. As obvious as that seems, it happens still in the world today. An idol of stone or wood (or whatever) is incapable of anything. There must be an acceptable priest to mediate the covenant in all things pertaining to God, and that priest must be a man. God has expectations, and only a man can understand those expectations – both from God and for man. This is so “that he may offer.”

The term “offer” is used in a technical sense. It literally means, “to bear toward.” In the Old Testament, it would correspond to the Hebrew word qarab when it is used in a similar sense. Both words can be used in a regular way, such as bringing a person to another person, but in relation to the priestly duties, it bears a technical sense. It is with this idea that the priests then offer, “both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”

The law would not allow the people to bring these near to God on their own. Instead, they had to come through a mediator. The people, though considered as a holy nation, were not properly set apart or ordained as “holy” in the sense of priestly duties. Therefore, only one who was so set apart could then offer these offerings. As it says, “for sins.” Sin is the problem, and thus it necessitated a system which could effectively show the people this. In reality, the offerings of Aaron and his sons were ineffectual. They did nothing but withhold God’s wrath from the people temporarily. This is noted in Hebrews 7:4 (also referenced above). The rites and rituals of the priesthood, in every single detail, only looked forward to the full, final, and finished work of Jesus Christ. This will continue to become more evident with each verse and chapter which lies ahead.

Life application: The author has clearly shown in this verse that only a man can mediate on behalf of man. However, no man with sin can truly mediate in a way which will remove the sins forever. And all men have sin. Thus, there was a need for God to intervene. Only the God/Man could do this. This verse demonstrates the heretical nature of the teachings of cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons. The JWs claim Jesus is an angel. This is not possible according to this verse. The Mormons claim Jesus was a man who became a god. But man came from Adam and Adam was created by the Lord who is the One and only God. Mormonism is logically a failed system because it is based on an impossible regress. There is, and there can be, only one God. Understanding the content of Hebrews, which is more clearly understood by knowing the Old Testament, leads us to a clear picture of who Jesus is, and the importance of calling on Him properly – as the God/Man.

Heavenly Father, the logic displayed in the pages of the Bible is truly remarkable. Everything keeps pointing forward to the coming Christ. And upon His arrival, everything looks back on what He has accomplished, or forward to His coming again. No matter where we are in this magnificent book, we find Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of everything it says. Thank You for the giving of Jesus who makes all things new! Amen.

Saturday, 6 October 2018

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

This is a well-loved, and often-cited, verse. It gives courage to the believer, and it is one which holds great importance for the one who is facing trials and difficulties. Countless well-intended and flowery comments have been made concerning it, applying it to the individual believer in their times of great need.

Having said that, proper context needs to be maintained in order to understand what is being conveyed. First, the context of the entire discourse has hinged on the idea of entering God’s rest. In verse 1 of the chapter, it said, “since a promise remains of entering His rest.” At that time, it was noted, “This is the key idea of the argument, and it is that upon which the whole discussion turns. There was the promise of rest, it was not believed by the people, and yet now the promise of rest still remains for God’s people. The truth of the matter still stands; it is yet ahead in God’s redemptive plans.”

Nothing has changed in this. With this understanding, we can now grasp what the author is saying. He begins with, “Let us.” The “us,” based on the context, refers to the Hebrew people who are offered the promise of entering into God’s rest. The chapter opens and closes with the same context. The author implores them to “therefore come.” They have an offer which is available to them, and they are being told to go forward and appropriate that offer while it is still called Today. They are to come and they are to come “boldly.” The Greek of the word signifies, “confidence (bold resolve), leaving a witness that something deserves to be remembered (taken seriously).” (HELPS Word Studies).

This is the attitude that they are to employ. They are to have faith, and they are to use that faith in an open manner, exercising it plainly. This then is in contrast to those in the wilderness who did not enter because of disobedience. The people are to see Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises, and they are to accept that premise and appropriate it. With this understanding, the author next says that they are to come boldly “to the throne of grace.”

The words are tied into the previous verses which spoke of the “great High Priest who has passed through the heavens.” Thus, the symbolism is that of the Old Testament where the high priest would go forth on the Day of Atonement and seek a covering for the sins of the people, finding mercy from there at the throne of grace – meaning the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant. That pictured the true place of propitiation, meaning Christ’s shed blood. From the Cross of Calvary, to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, Christ’s body was conducted. From there in His state of physical death, He accomplished the true, full, and final satisfaction of the sin-debt for Adam’s seed. To understand the symbolism of this from Exodus, please refer to this sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-VPtDW-qB8

Thus, Christ is both the High Priest and the One who is there at the Throne of Grace, offering Himself to those who come. With this understanding, the author then says of coming to the throne of grace, “that we may obtain mercy.” Of these words, Charles Ellicott says, “The real meaning is, receive compassion (Hebrews 2:17) in our weakness and trials. The thought of obtaining mercy for guilt is not in these words.” This is incorrect. He rightly cites Hebrews 2:17, but that says, “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Two things are going on here. The first is the compassionate work of the High Priest (who is Jesus). The second is the merciful forgiveness of sin at the throne of grace (which is Jesus). Mercy is not receiving what is deserved. The author is imploring his audience to come boldly, because of our compassionate High Priest’s access to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy at that same throne of grace. This receiving of mercy is then tied into the next words, “and find grace to help.” Grace is receiving what is not deserved. The person deserves condemnation and does not receive it. The person does not deserve this mercy but obtains it. This is what is being conveyed now. The receiving of mercy, and the finding of grace to help, is then tied into the final words of the verse and the chapter, “in time of need.”

The word translated as “time of need” is found only here and in Mark 6:21. It signifies a suitable time, a strategic time, or even a time of a holiday or festival. The idea is that of the Day of Atonement. That was fulfilled, in its entirety, by the Lord Jesus in His work. That idea is that the offer is still open Today to the Hebrew people. Until they appropriate it, they are not accepted by God, even though they are called the people of God. The seasonable time is the time of Christ’s atonement. That time is open to any and all who come individually, and it is open to the people of Israel collectively as well. There is one, and only one, fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, but there is the availability of the efficacy of its effect while Today remains. In appropriating that work, those who so do will enter into God’s rest.

With this understanding, we can now consider the idea of this verse being applied to individual believers. Though this is not the context of the verse, we can now question, “If we have come to the throne of grace in our time of need (meaning our need for atonement of our sins), and that was granted by God because of Christ, do we still have that same access now?” The answer is, “Yes.” In Christ, the veil is rent, we have passed through to the Most Holy Place with Christ, and we are forever granted that access because of Him as our High Priest. And so, despite this verse speaking of the context described above, it can still be happily applied in the general sense which has been commonly applied to it. We will not damage the intent of the words using it in this way, as long as we understand the main context first and how it allows the secondary meaning.

Life application: Taking verses out of context, especially Old Testament verses which are spoken to Israel as a people, is not appropriate unless the truth can realistically be applied to us as individuals today. Care must be taken to always consider context first. From that, any secondary meaning can only be drawn if the main context allows it.

Lord God, help us to always keep our application of verses from Your word in their appropriate context. If we fail to do this, we can misappropriate claims to which we have no right. That will only lead to a false sense of reality within our churches and within our personal lives. May we have soundness in what we accept, apply only that which is appropriate, and so bring honor to You through this process. To Your glory alone may we live out our lives in Christ. Amen.

Friday, 5 October 2018

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

The verse now continues to explain the nature of Christ Jesus. In verse 4:11, the author implored his audience to be diligent to enter God’s rest “lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” This means they were to possess faith that God would lead them through. He then spoke of how God is able to know every failing of man because He can discern all things. Immediately, he then noted that Jesus is our High Priest, that He has “passed through the heavens,” and that we are to hold fast our confession in him.

Understanding this train of thought, he now explains why this is possible for the reader to accomplish. It is because (For) “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.”

The author is tying our weaknesses in with those who had fallen into the disobedience just mentioned in verse 11. They were weak, they failed to believe, and they failed to enter God’s rest. But we have something more than they had. They had a fallible high priest who also disbelieved. They had a priesthood and a system that could never make them perfect. The law, though good, could never achieve bringing the people to their promised rest. Through it, man could never enter God’s rest. That is, except for there being One who could fulfill that law, and who could then establish a New Covenant based on the fulfillment of the Old. In so establishing it, he would become its High Priest in the process. This is Jesus.

And not only is He the High Priest of this New Covenant, He is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses.” The word is sumpatheó, and it is only found here and in Hebrews 10:34. In it, one can see where the word “sympathize” is derived from. As Vincent’s Word Studies says, “This is more than knowledge of human infirmity. It is feeling it by reason of a common experience with (σύν) men.”

Christ experienced everything we experienced. He was under the same law as Israel, He saw the limitations of the Levites and priests, He knew the burden of meeting the numerous laws contained within the Law of Moses, etc. He further knew the trials associated with hunger, weariness, and so on. The physical limitations of a man tend to weaken his spiritual and moral resolve. Because He experienced these things, He is able to minister as a High Priest with a sense of perfect empathy to those on whose behalf He ministers.

The importance of this is evident. Those in the wilderness had a fallen priest ministering on their behalf, and that ministry was between them and God. They had no idea about God’s ability to empathize with them. They were bound by their physical limitations, He is not. It led to a feeling of being somewhat disconnected from Him. However, such cannot be said of Christ. He physically came and lived under that same law. The record of His life shows His sufferings, His physical limitations, the temptations He faced, and so on. Like Aaron, in Him is an example of the ability to empathize. But in Him is something greater. This is first because He “was in all points tempted as we are.” This thought takes us back to verse 2:18, which said –

“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

There is no part of the human experience that we face that He did not face in some comparable measure. And so like Aaron, we have a high priest with this capacity. But between Aaron and God there was a disconnect. Aaron’s priestly duties were limited because of his fallen nature. Such is not the case with Christ. This is evidenced in the final words of the verse. He was tempted as we are, “yet without sin.”

This same idea is noted in 1 Peter 2:22, but even more, it was prophesied in the Old Testament, such as in Isaiah 53. The author will also note this about Christ again in Chapter 7 of Hebrews. Christ Jesus never sinned, and so in His work, He fulfilled the Law of Moses. Because of this, in His death, He brought the Law of Moses to its end for those who trust in Him. In Him, the law is annulled (7:18), obsolete (8:13), and taken away (10:9). Now, through His establishment of a New Covenant, we have a high priest that is not only like Aaron, He far exceeds Aaron.

Aaron could only go into the Most Holy Place once a year, and never without a blood sacrifice for his own sin. Christ Jesus went through the heavens and to the very throne of God with His own blood, not for atonement of His sins, but for atonement of the sins of His people. He was and is pure, undefiled, perfect, and fully able to sympathize with our own shortcomings. Because of this we can, in fact, be diligent to remain faithful to our God – not in our own strength, but in the strength of Christ. The blessing and benefit of this will be seen in our next verse.

Life application: When you face your own doubts about your ability to come to God, look to Christ Jesus. He has gone to His Father before you, and He carries you with Him when He goes. For those who trust in Christ, for those who are “in” Christ, there is no need to worry if God has accepted you. He has. We have an infinite source of grace and mercy available to us because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, if we were still under the Law of Moses, our mediator would be a fallen, fallible man who possessed only limited access to You. We could never be sure of whether You truly sympathized with us or not. But in Christ, we have a New Covenant, established on better promises, and which is mediated by the perfect and undefiled Son of God. We have full and complete access to You because of our perfect High Priest. Thank You for Christ Jesus our Lord who goes before us. Amen!

Thursday, 4 October 2018

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:14

The author now returns to the symbolism of the high priestly duties of the Lord, continuing the contrast between Him and the high priest of the Old Covenant, meaning the Aaronic priesthood. This thought was left off at Hebrews 3:1, but it was more fully explained in verses 2:17, 18 –

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

The reason for returning to the idea of the high priestly duties now is because of what has just been said in verses 4:12, 13. Man is completely open and exposed before God, to whom we must give an account. Because of this, and because we are utterly without hope in this state, we need to have someone mediate for us. This is the role of the High Priest, Jesus. And so he begins the verse with, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest.”

Aaron was a fallen man, chosen from among his brethren to minister as high priest. His priesthood was fallible, and it was fraught with failings even from the very beginning. However, everything about Christ Jesus (and thus His priesthood) is superior to that of what was seen in Aaron. In His humanity, He was born sinless, He lived without sin, and He died and was resurrected in that state. In this, He was exalted to sit at God’s right hand, as noted in Chapter 1. And more, He is also the divine Son of God, as was noted several times in the preceding chapters. It is He “who has passed through the heavens.”

The symbolism takes us back to the duties of the high priest of Israel. He performed sacrifices at the brazen altar. From there, and depending on the type of sacrifice, he took the blood of some of those sacrifices into the Holy Place, or even into the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle. In the case of the latter, He passed through the outer door, through the Holy Place, through the veil, and into the Most Holy Place. This all pictured what Christ would do, passing through the heavens, and even to the very throne of God. As God has rested from the labors of creation, Christ goes to that place of rest for us, thus providing us that rest (verse 4:3). Other duties of Christ as our great High Priest will be explained in the chapters ahead. For now, it is simply a statement that what occurred in the past was only a type, or shadow, of that which Christ literally fulfills for His people. Unlike Aaron, a son of Levi, it is instead “Jesus the Son of God.”

First the name – JESUS – means “Salvation.” It is that name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9), and which carries the meaning of what He has accomplished for His people.

Next the title – THE SON OF GOD – signifies His divine nature. And so we see the uniting of His humanity and divinity in this verse. It thus shows that He can effectively mediate on behalf of humanity, even before the divine throne. It is He who is the bridge between the finite and the infinite. The gap, which was otherwise impossible to bridge, is spanned in Christ Jesus. His Person, position, and duties are not only better than those of Aaron, they are infinitely better. And because of this, while speaking to his Hebrew audience, the author says, “let us hold fast our confession.”

They have the perfect Mediator: He is the divine Son of God. He has shared in their humanity. He suffered and was tempted, and is, therefore, able to aid those who are tempted. He has built His own house in the New Covenant. He is the propitiation for the sins of God’s people. By faith in His work, one enters God’s rest. And so on.

With all of this superiority, the author of Hebrews is showing that a return to the Old Covenant system is utterly pointless. It would be going from the greater to the lesser. Holding fast to the confession made in Christ is the only logical and proper choice to make. The case in this will continue to be presented, including the ramifications for failing to heed.

Life application: There are all kinds of views about the work of Christ, about the scope of that work, about the need to continue on with the Old Covenant system while also participating in the New Covenant system, and even about simply returning to the Old Covenant system. These varying views are all suggested by people in the world today. However, there is only one choice which is compatible with the words of the book of Hebrews. The author has established his baseline, and he will continue to build on that in the chapters to come. We are to come to Christ, be in Christ, and remain in Christ. We are to enter the New Covenant, and we are to remain in the New Covenant. Nothing else will do. Keep away from anyone who suggests that we are to hold to the Old Covenant in part or in whole.

Lord God, Christ Jesus initiated a New Covenant in His blood. Everything about the Old only anticipated the New. Nothing of the Old can save, and not participating in the Old cannot keep a person from being saved. Only Jesus can save, and only Jesus can keep on saving. Why would we return to a covenant that had no power to save? Help us to get our doctrine right, to call on Jesus, and to be saved – once and for all time – through His perfect work. To Your glory we pray. Amen.

Wednesday, 3 October 2018

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13

The previous verse explained that the word of God possesses the ability to completely open up the very essence of a person. That is now complemented with the notion that no person can hide from that scrutiny. The logic is that if this verse was not added, someone might say, “Well, the word of God may be able to get to the very heart of the matter in man, but I will simply hide myself from that word.” However, the author now shows the impossibility of that by saying, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight.”

Nowhere someone travels, no abyss that they climb down into, and no place of the deepest darkness can keep a person hidden from the eyes of God. This is seen, for example, in Psalm 139 –

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’
Even the night shall be light about me;
¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Psalm 139:11, 12

Job 34:22 speaks of this as well. Man, wherever he is, and no matter how secretly he thinks he is conducting his affairs, is completely surrounded by the all-seeing presence of God. Understanding this, it is still the word of God of the previous verse which is the subject, but it is God’s presence, which is everywhere, which then touches all men through His word. This is then again evidenced by the words, “but all things.” He is referring to man and the deeds of man. Everything that makes up the individual, and which cannot be hidden from His sight, is “naked and open to the eyes of Him.”

The word “naked” is exactly translated. The idea takes the reader back to Genesis 2 & 3 where Adam and Eve were naked before the Lord. First, they were naked and unashamed, but then after their disobedience, they were naked and ashamed. Their state of exposure didn’t change in a physical sense, but it did change in a moral sense. Nothing has changed since then. We can cover ourselves with layer upon layer of garments, but we are just as naked before the Lord as Adam and Eve were before they sewed together fig leaves in an attempt to hide their shame.

The word “open” is trachélizó. It is found only here in the Bible. It signifies “to seize by the throat or neck, i.e. To expose the gullet of a victim for killing (generally, to lay bare) – opened” (Strong’s Concordance). One can see where the word trachea comes from in our modern languages. The idea is that one is most vulnerable when the neck is exposed. When a sacrificial animal is slain, its neck is exposed and the animal is slain. Likewise, a person may survive a wound in many parts of the body, but when the neck is cut, the lights go out. All men are as sheep going to the slaughter because of their always evident sin before the Lord.

As noted, the symbolism is directly tied to that of verse 12 which speaks of the word of God as a two-edged sword. It will devour all with the exception of those who are in Christ. As He is the Lamb slain for those He died for, then the penalty is paid. The devouring instrument will return to its sheath, and the soul and spirit shall be spared the work of the sword. For all others, what has been found wanting shall be exposed and it shall receive its fair and just due.

The author is using the most graphic example of the Hebrew society, and that which all would have been painfully aware of as they traveled to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices at the altar. What was given in type and shadow in those innocent sacrificial animals will either be accepted as having been accomplished in Christ, or it will be realized in them as God wields His sword of judgment.

Life application: The wages of sin is death. If sin is found in man as his judgment that death, which already really and truly exists, shall be rewarded with eternity in the Lake of Fire. For those who are in Christ, the penalty is paid, the covering has been provided, and the sword shall not find a victim any longer.

Lord God, the sacrifices of Israel are a strong reminder to us of what we deserve. The animal was presented on fallen man’s behalf, the innocent neck was laid bare, and the knife received its victim. That is what all men deserve because of sin – both inherited and committed. But Christ has taken our place. Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Thank You that we have this option. Thank You for the covering which has been provided. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank You, O God. Amen.