Hebrews (written)

Tuesday, 2 October 2018

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The verse now begins with “For.” Actually, in the Greek, it says, “Living (is), for, the word of God…” Thus it stresses the thought of “living.” But the word “for” is used to build upon a previous thought. That takes the reader all the way up to verse 4:2 which said, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them.” At that time, it was explained that the word “gospel” should read, “good news.” Further, “the word which they heard” literally reads “the word of the message.” That was referring to the word of God which promised rest.

After that came the intervening verses which explained God’s rest in great detail, including quotes from Psalm 95. This context explains the word “For.” The “word of the message,” meaning the word of God, was preached to those before, and it made its judgment. The same word of God still speaks to the Hebrew audience, awaiting a response.

The term, “the word of God,” here was thought by the church fathers to be speaking of the Person of Jesus. This is not the author’s intent. Outside of John’s writings, the term is not used in relation to Jesus, nor is it hinted at in the book of Hebrews. Rather, it is speaking of the word of God, meaning His utterances – in whatever manner they come. They may come through prophets, or through Scripture. His word also came through Jesus as He spoke out the word of God. It is this word of God which the author now says is “living and powerful.” As noted, the word “living” is in the emphatic position.

It is not a dead word, but one with vibrancy. It is not a weak word, but one which has power to produce an outcome. As Vincent’s Word Studies notes, “The message of God which promises the rest and urges to seek it, is no dead, formal precept, but is instinct with living energy.” Just as a living body accomplishes actions, so the word is capable of the same. There is power which comes forth from an animate being, and that is true with the word of God. There is almost a personification of the word in the author’s mind.

He next says it is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” The word “two-edged” is distomos. It signifies “two mouthed.” The symbolism here comes directly from the Old Testament where “the edge of the sword” is literally, “the mouth of the sword.” It is a devouring instrument, consuming that which it comes in contact with. Being a mouth, it is then likened to a drinker of blood. Being two-mouthed, it is a consumer of blood. No matter which side is presented, its effect remains the same. And so, the sword is used to describe destruction throughout the Old Testament, and even into the New. Jesus uses the terminology of the sword to describe the fate of the Hebrew people in Luke 21:24 –

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

The passage in Luke uses the same imagery, the “mouth of the sword.” Why would this come upon the Jewish people? Because He knew they would reject the word of God. Thus, this living and active, devouring instrument would actively consume them. So effective is it that it is capable of “piercing even to the division of soul and spirit.”

The Greek word used here for “piercing” is unique in Scripture. It means “coming through.” thus, it wholly penetrates even to the division of soul and spirit. This is not intended to mean that the “soul and spirit” are divided one from another. The word “division” does not refer to the point of division, but the act which occurs. The word is only used elsewhere in Hebrews 2:4. There it speaks of the “gifts” or “distributions” of the Spirit. The spirit is One, without division, but there are many gifts. Understanding this, and to confirm it as well, the author then says, “and of joints and marrow.”

Joints and marrow don’t have contact with one another where it can be said that they can be so divided. Thus, this is an explanation of “soul and spirit.” It is not a point of division, but the act. Similarly, “joints and marrow” are likewise to be taken figuratively, not as actual joints of a person, or the marrow of the bone. Again, Vincent’s Word Studies explains the terminology –

“The form of expression is poetical, and signifies that the word penetrates to the inmost recesses of our spiritual being as a sword cuts through the joints and marrow of the body. The separation is not of one part from another, but operates in each department of the spiritual nature.”

“Soul and spirit” are joined in the words as an example of that which is inmost spiritually. “Joints and marrow” are joined in the words as an example of that which is inmost physically. Thus, though there are two groupings, they are four individual things – “division of soul, of spirit, of joints, of marrow.” The word of God pierces everything about the individual, and nothing is hidden from its all-consuming, devouring mouth. This is so much so that it is even “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The word “discerner” is also unique in Scripture. It is an adjective which also implies division. It means “able to judge,” or “critical.” It separates things through an evaluation process. Thus, it separates thoughts of the heart. Those things which the heart ponders and deliberates upon are known and separated by the word of God, sorting them out for judgment. It also separates the intents of the heart. These are the things which have been settled out, such as opinions and attitudes. A person may be a conservative or a liberal. They have settled out their opinions, and that is where they stand on the issues. The word of God will look at these things and evaluate them.

As a real-life example, a person may be either against abortion or for it. The word of God discerns the matter and judges it. It separates the two (or any middle ground such as “in certain cases”) and it makes the determination as to which is acceptable and which is not.

The entire tenor of the words of this verse are geared towards the attitude of the people concerning God’s rest. The word of the message (verse 4:2) is given. The people will be evaluated based on the word of God. Will they be diligent to enter that rest? This is the question, and the word of God will sort out the truth of that matter from the very fiber of their being.

Life application: There is no part of us that is not known to God. There is no thought that we have, no opinion that we are settled upon, and no attitude that we display which is not able to be evaluated, completely and entirely, by the word of God. We are open and exposed in our lives and actions as if we stand naked before Him. Let us not attempt to cover our faults, failings, and faithlessness with fig leaves. But rather, let us adorn ourselves with the covering of Christ. Nothing else will suffice when we come before God for our evaluation.

Lord God, Your word shows that there is no part of us which is not exposed before You. Your word stands as a discerner of every thought, motivation, and settled opinion which we possess. We are as naked before You as our first parents were when they were created. Should we attempt to cover ourselves with the leaves of fig trees? Rather, shouldn’t we be found covered by the righteousness of Christ? Only in His perfection can we stand before You cleansed and pure. May we be wise and discerning about what judgment before You means. And may we choose the good covering of Christ in preparation for that day. Amen.

Monday, 1 October 2018

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11

The author has shown that the promised rest of God is yet future for the Hebrew people. In verse 4:9, he has stated that there is a Sabbath-rest which is yet available for the people of God. It has been shown that the context of “people of God” is referring to Israel collectively. Individuals of both Jew and Gentile enter into “that rest” by belief (verse 4:3), but there is a time of rest for Israel as a people which is yet ahead. With this understanding, he says, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest.”

The word “diligent” is from a Greek word signifying eagerness or zeal. HELPS Word Studies says it is “acting fervently (speedy commitment) to accomplish all that God assigns through faith (‘His inbirthed persuasion’).” Many commentaries grab onto this and explain that this means that we must be diligent as individuals to work in order to attain rest (meaning heaven). Albert Barnes, bizarrely says, “Heaven is never obtained but by diligence; and no one enters there who does not earnestly desire it, and who does not make a sincere effort to reach it.” That statement is so far from Ephesians 2:8, 9 that it is incredible to even contemplate.

The author has clearly stated that we enter our rest through belief. Nothing he says after that will contradict that one statement, and so this cannot be speaking of us “working” in order to be saved. Rather, we believe, and we enter into God’s rest. Period. On this verse, John Gill rightly says of salvation –

“…salvation is not by works; eternal life is a free gift; good works do not go before to prepare heaven for the saints, but follow after: nor is the saints’ entrance into it a precarious thing; God has promised it, and provided it for his people; Christ is in the possession of it, and is preparing it for them; and the Spirit of God is working them up for the self same thing, and Christ will give them an abundant entrance into it.”

John Gill then says that this verse is not speaking of God’s rest, but the “Gospel rest … which believers now enter into, and is at this present time for them.” Though he was right about salvation, he is incorrect about this. The author has been speaking of the rest promised by God. There is nothing to suggest that he has departed from that. And so what is the author of Hebrews saying now? The answer is that he first speaks of the whole, saying “us.” He then moves to the singular in the second clause with the words, “lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”

The author is asking his audience to watch out for one another. It is exactly what he said to them already in verses 3:12, 13. The people are to be diligent in laboring to enter the rest. They are the people of God, and they have not yet entered that rest. It is incumbent on them to warn one another against failing to believe. It took a bad report by ten of the twelve spies to poison the minds of the entire congregation against entering Canaan. The author is warning against such an attitude again.

As this was written to the first century Jews, it is evident that they once again failed to attain what they had hoped for. However, due to its placement in the Bible after Paul’s epistles and, more importantly, because of God’s unfailing promises, it is evident that the promised rest for Israel is still open to them even now. It will come, and Israel will attain what it has thus far been unable to apprehend.

Life application: It cannot be that a verse in the Bible will contradict another verse. If we are told that someone is saved by grace through faith, it cannot be that another verse will mean that we must labor in order to be saved. Therefore, there must be another meaning to the words than what is at first presumed to be said. For this verse, John Gill understood and gave a second option. However, his option removed itself from the immediate context of what was being presented. And so a third option must exist which accepts both a non-contradictory stand concerning salvation, and which retains the proper context. This is how we are to evaluate Scripture. We are to always maintain context, and we are to ensure that truths which are presented elsewhere are not to be violated in our analysis of what we are studying.

Heavenly Father, Your word says that we are saved by grace through faith and that works are not a part of the process. May we never deviate from this clear, concise, and obvious truth. Our justification is by faith alone. Because of the work of Jesus Christ, we stand approved before You. What could we add to what He has done? Nothing. So let us not go there! Amen.

Sunday, 30 September 2018

For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:10

The words of this verse are set against the words of verse 4:9. There it said, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” It was established in that commentary that the “people of God,” in the appropriate context, is specifically speaking of the Jewish people. There remains a “Sabbatism” for them.

To ensure that this is understood, the author now says, “For he who has entered His rest.” The verb translated as “entered” is in the aorist tense. Therefore, it “marks the completeness of the appropriation – once and for all” (Vincent’s Word Studies). This is then tied into verse 4:3 where it said, “we who have believed.” It is in the same tense. Those who have believed then enters God’s (His) rest. If someone enters His rest (as it is clearly stated in verse 4:3 that “we who have believed do enter that rest”), as those who have believed in Jesus have, then he “has himself also ceased from his works.”

The translation here is lacking. It should say, “has himself also rested from his works.” The entire passage has been speaking about the state of rest. It is true that resting implies ceasing from labor, but ceasing from labor may not necessarily mean resting. A person may be doing one thing and then pick up and do another. But when one rests, they stop doing all things. Thus, maintaining the consistency of translation here explains the state of having entered the “Sabbatism” of the previous verse.

When a person believes in Christ Jesus, they enter into God’s rest. In entering God’s rest, they rest from their own works. Well, what works are being referred to? Commentaries generally assume that it is speaking of the toils and labors leading to the aches and pains of this life. This fails to explain the true meaning of a Sabbath observance by Israel. The purpose of the Sabbath was to be a sign to them (Exodus 31:17) that they were, in fact, God’s people. He did the work in redeeming them, and He did the work in sanctifying them. They rested from their weekly labors as a sign of this. They “did” Sabbath, because they “could” Sabbath. The unending labor could be ceased because God still provided for them, even on the Sabbath (hence, a double portion of manna was given on the sixth day, etc).

Before explaining what “works” are being referred to, it should be noted that John Gill states that “he” at the beginning of the verse is speaking not of “whoever,” but of Jesus. “For He (Jesus) who has entered His (God’s) rest.” That is possible based on the context. If that is so, it is speaking of the labor of works under the law, completing God’s works which were “finished from the foundation of the world” (see verse 4:3). As noted then, Christ simply completed what was ordained from the foundation of the world. Bringing to man the ability to enter God’s rest through His completed work.

Understanding this, we can assume that “he” in this verse is either “Jesus” or “whoever.” Though important in proper analysis, it is not important in application. The reason is that even if Jesus is being referred to and not “whoever,” it doesn’t change the outcome. If it is Jesus, He has rested from His works designated by God. If it is us, we have rested because of Jesus’ works. Again, verse 4:3 says that “we who have believed (meaning in Jesus’ completed works) do enter that rest.”

We are, from the moment of belief, positionally “in Christ.” Thus, the “works” being referred to are works of pleasing God in order to be saved, and which allow man to enter into God’s promised rest. In other words, the works are either Christ’s works or “faith in Christ’s works.” As you can see, the outcome is the same. We have no works pleasing to God apart from Christ, but we are fully pleasing to God, and accepted by Him, through Christ’s works. We are “in Christ,” and have rested from our works, because He has rested from His.

This is then further explained by the final words of the verse, “as God did from His.” God created in six days, and He rested on the seventh. As the scholar Bengel says, “Labour precedes rest; … The work and rest of GOD are that archetype to which we ought to be conformed.” This is true with whatever labor and rest are being spoken of. It is true of God’s creation leading to rest, it is true of Israel’s Sabbath where they worked and then rested, and it is true with us who put our trust in Christ who has labored, and who then rested.

There is the type and then there is the Archetype. As always, pictures in the Old are merely given to point to the realities of Christ in the New. God rested after His labors, Christ rested after His, and we rest after ours (of which Christ accomplished for us). Hence, “we who have believed do enter that rest.” It is done!

The contrast of this verse is what is certain. The “people of God” of verse 4:9 is speaking of Israel collectively. They have not yet entered into God’s rest. That will only occur when they, as a people, trust in the work of the Lord Jesus. Individually, they can enter God’s rest even now, but as a people, that time is yet ahead.

Life application: Yes, it is actually important who “he” is being referred to in this verse. For the sake of giving an answer, I would say that it is “whoever.” This is based on the contents of verse 3 which are followed by the words of Psalm 95. Those same words are reexplained here in verse 10, and which were preceded by another quote from Psalm 95. However, if John Gill is correct, and it is speaking of Jesus, the outcome of the thought does not change. The person who trusts in Jesus’ completed work enters God’s rest, just as Jesus did after the completion of His work.

Lord God, Your word is big, it is often complicated, and it can overwhelm us when we try to understand its complexities. And yet, the overall message is simple, concise, and unchanging – You sent Jesus to do what we cannot do. When we trust in His completed work, we are saved, we remain saved, and we are given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of that salvation. Help us not to muddy the waters which show that we are saved by grace through faith, and there is nothing we need to do to add to that. Amen.

Saturday, 29 September 2018

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

The same word translated in verse 4:6 as “remains” is used again here. There it said, “Since it therefore remains that some must enter it.” This was speaking of God’s rest. Now the author clearly and concisely states what he has so methodically been building up to by saying, “There remains therefore.” The author, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says unambiguously that the day, called Today, still allows for obtaining what was once denied, which is “a rest for the people of God.” Further, as Charles Ellicott says, “It is tacitly assumed that no subsequent fulfillment has altered the relation of the promise.”

As noted in the comments of verse 4:6, what this means is “that which was available in past times still remains available.” Because it is promised, and because the promise was not laid hold of, the promise remains unappropriated. And though unappropriated, it is also not retracted. What is not noticeable in the English, but which blazes forth in the Greek, is that the word for “rest” is not the same as has been used thus far. The word is sabbatismos, a Sabbatism. It is an emphatic verbal noun which occurs only this once in all of the Bible. It is a derivation of the word sabbaton, or Sabbath day. Thus, it signifies (as some translations more appropriately translate it) a keeping of “Sabbath-rest.”

This then takes the thought all the way back to Genesis 2:2 where God is said to have “rested” on the seventh day. The word is shabath, the verb from which the idea expressed in the noun Sabbath is derived. God rested, implying He had a rest. It is this rest that has remained unappropriated but not retracted. But to whom is this directed? It is a Sabbatism “for the people of God.” The question then is, “who is this referring to?” Many Christian scholars say that it is a type of heaven for the church, or the “true Israel.”

However, it has already been seen that those who believe have entered their rest. It is a place of rest which is granted by faith in Christ. No distinction can be made between Jew and Gentile. It simply says that those who believe have entered. And yet, there is the unappropriated offer of entering into God’s rest for the people of God. This term is notably used in the New Testament, with certain exception when speaking of the Gentile-led church, to speak of Israel.

Thus, it is not a “spiritual Israel” that has replaced the people of Israel, but actually the people known as Israel. Speaking of the literal people of Israel, Paul uses the term “His people” in Romans 11:1 & 2. The author of Hebrews, speaking of the “house of Israel and the house of Judah,” uses the term in Hebrews 8:10. He also calls Israel “the people of God” in Hebrews 11:25. Peter informs his Jewish audience that they “once were not a people but are now the people of God.”

The implication is that they were rejected by God, but then after that rejection, they are once again called as His people. Even Paul, in Galatians 6:16, speaks of the “Israel of God.” That does not refer to Gentiles who have replaced Israel, but rather those Israelites who have come to Christ in contradistinction to those Jews who have not. And finally, the audience of the book of Hebrews is the Hebrew people. The overwhelming evidence then points to the subject of this verse now as the Jewish people. It is they who are being referred to.

The rest which remains for them, that of the true rest found in Christ Jesus, remains open to them. With this understanding, this does not negate that Gentiles are included in this. Anyone who believes in Christ Jesus’ finished work is granted this rest. But the context is that the “people of God” being referred to are the people of Israel. It is they who were with Joshua (verse 4:8), and it is they to whom the psalmist wrote the words of the 95^th Psalm.

Life application: The rest of God which has been from the foundation of the world is a rest which can be entered into by trusting in the completed work of Jesus Christ. It is He, and only He, who makes this possible. One cannot earn heaven by taking a weekly Sabbath, nor can one earn heaven by refraining from eating certain meats. One is not granted heaven because he is circumcised. The only way one can enter into this blessed state is to trust that Christ did all of these things already. He has merited for us what we could never do. Trust in the Lord, and enter into His rest.

Glorious God, why do we always attempt to merit Your favor through external rites? “Keep the Sabbath.” “Don’t eat that type of food.” “Cut your flesh to stand approved.” None of those things can bring us a step closer to You because we are already infected with sin. Only Jesus, born without sin, and who fulfilled the law on our behalf, can make us right with You. May we rest in Him alone, never trusting in our own deeds as a means of attaining that which You offer through grace. Amen.

Friday, 28 September 2018

For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. Hebrews 4:8

The author speaks now of Joshua son of Nun who succeeded Moses, and who led Israel across the Jordan and into Canaan. There was a rest promised to Israel which was not attained, despite their having entered the Promised Land. Scripture does speak of entering Canaan as a type of rest several times. The Lord promised rest to Moses in Exodus 33:14. Moses spoke of the prospects of rest in Deuteronomy 3:20 and 12:9 as well. And then in Joshua 23:1 it says –

“Now it came to pass, a long time after the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age.”

However, this cannot be the state of rest spoken of in the psalm. Rather, it was merely a lesser type of rest. There was a more full and blessed rest which was still anticipated – the “rest” of God. This is evident because the author has spoken of it in exactly those terms already, and now he says, “For if Joshua had given them rest.” The implication is that through Joshua’s leadership, the promised rest had not been attained. Entering and possessing the land of Canaan is not all that encompasses the thought of “God’s rest.” Because of this, the verse continues with, “then He.”

The “He” here is speaking of the Lord. The author is referring to the words of the psalm again which said, “Today.” If the full and complete promise of rest had been attained at the time of Joshua, the psalmist would have no basis for saying, “Today,” and then saying of those in the past that “They shall not enter My rest.” That they did not enter into the Lord’s rest is verified by the author with the words, “then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.”

The point then is that what is anticipated in the promise of rest is yet future to the time of the psalmist, and it is even open and available concerning the time of the writing of Hebrews. This will be verified in the coming verse.

As a final note, some translations say, “Jesus” instead of “Joshua” in both this verse and in Acts 7:45. The names are the same in the Greek. This is true in both the Old Testament Greek, and here in the New Testament. The context of both passages clearly speaks of Joshua the son of Nun. It is true that Joshua is a type of Christ to come, but type and substance are not the same. The older translations which say “Jesus” in these two verses leave the reader with a false idea about what is being relayed. In the New Testament, when Jesus is referred to in relation to the work of the Lord in the Old Testament, the term “Lord” or “Christ” is used.

Life application: There is rest, and then there is rest. A person can build a house, put up walls around his property, and call it “rest from his enemies” as is stated of Israel at the time of Joshua. And yet, that person may not believe in Jesus at all. If so, then he has not entered into God’s promised rest, even though he has “rest” in a lesser sense. We can only truly say that we have attained God’s rest through the full, final, and finished work of Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we enter into God’s rest.

How marvelous and how wonderful it is to share in Your goodness, O God. This is true for all people who can enjoy those things which delight our five senses. You have given us so much in this way. But those things are temporary and perishing. The true goodness we now have is what comes through a personal relationship with You because of Jesus. In Him, we can enjoy You and share in You in a completely new and glorious way. May those who have never received this gift reach out and do so today! What a blessed taste of future glory we have, even now, because of Jesus! Amen.