jer's blevos

The Festering Wound

2010-09-24T07:17:00.003-06:00

Psalm 38

In this petition, David vividly describes the effects of sin. It is not clear to me if David is writing literally or figuratively but, regardless, it is clear that sin has devestating effects on the sinner. There are two issues: David's sickness at his own sin and his enemies' plots to take advantage of David's weakness. Twice in the opening section David states that "there is no health in my body." (v. 3, 7) and the rest of the psalm expands on that theme. It is clear that David believes that his current situation is a direct result of his sin (v. 5) and God's wrath in response to his sin. It is interesting to me that David would beg the very one who is causing his pain to bring relief. You might think that the human response would be to run and hide from the one who is bringing you pain but David recognizes that the Lord is the source of his strength and life and so, at the end of the psalm, he petitions the Lord to not forsake him and to come to his aid.
I don't often feel the weight of my sin like David does in this psalm. There have been too few times where I have been pierced with guilt, where the very strength has poured out of my body, because I have disobeyed Christ. The problem, of course, is that whether I feel it or not, the wounds of sin continue to fester and continue to rot my spirit like an unseen cancer rots a person's body. I am afraid that unless the Spirit makes my heart more sensitive to my sins that I will not deal with my sinfulness until it blows up all over the place. Just like I would rather deal with a cancer before it takes out some vital organs, I would rather deal with my sins before they destroy my family, discredit my ministry and bring shame to the name of Christ. Spirit of God, would you please show me those cherished sins that I have grown so accustomed to that I am no longer aware that they are sin and have been dulled to their insiduous work? Then, would you please give me the strength and the desire to allow you to root them out of my life?

Fret Not!

2010-09-21T06:07:00.002-06:00

Psalm 37

David writes this psalm like a series of proverbs around a common theme: the righteous will be blessed and the wicked will fail. This is a teaching psalm more than it is a psalm of praise, althout it definitely speaks of God's character: he values righteousness, faithfulness and is just. The main instruction is: do not fret, words which are repeated a few times in the psalm, when you see the wicked attaining success for their success will be short lived.
Perhaps David was concerned because he was seeing his people becoming so frustrated by the wicked that they were beginning to employ wicked means to stand against them. In any case, he warns them not to become like the wicked. He indicates that the beginning of wickedness is fretting because, I believe, it indicates a lack of trust in the Lord and the beginning of taking matters into our own hands.
This is one of the things I needed to be reminded of from this psalm. Do not fret - it leads only to evil. It means that I have lost trust in the Lord. The only conclusion to draw is that I am afraid that the Lord can't handle the situation. The other indication is that I am more worried about me, my reputation and my comfort than I am about the kingdom of heaven. In other words, I acknowledge that Jesus is in control but I fret about what that could mean for me. This means that I have become the center of my life or that I have lost confidence in the Lord's goodness.
The other thing that struck me from this psalm was the line, "those the Lord blesses will inherit the land" (v.22). This reminds me of the beatitudes in Christ's sermon on the mount: "blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." David is aware in a general way that inheritance of the land is at the perogative of the Lord. Jesus tells us the qualities he is looking for in those he wants to bless: meekness. I don't think I have a good understanding of this word. It conjures up ideas of humility, quietness, and submission. It has a bit of a negative connotation. In fact, dictionary.com defines it as overly compliant. It is clear that meekness is not necessarily something we value in our society and yet Jesus promises that those who are meek will be blessed.
So, my prayer from this psalm is two fold: one, that Christ would remind me that he is good and he is King so I do not fret. I want the Spirit to make me aware of those times when I am fretting and stressing and then move me to re-orient my thinking to recognize that Christ is still in control. Two, that the Spirit would make me meek even though it is not something that will be valued by this world. I long to want the affirmation of Christ more than the affirmation of this society and so, again, I acknowledge my dependence on the Spirit to re-orient my priorities and focus.

The Fountain of Life

2010-09-17T05:34:00.002-06:00

Psalm 36

The psalm starts with a unique title: For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. I haven't seen this title so far in the Book of Psalms. I wonder if something happened to make David particularly humble in the writing of this psalm or I wonder if he establishing his credentials as someone who can speak a message from the Lord.
The message he has is concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. He focuses on what the wicked see (themselves) and what they say (wicked and deceitful words). The main message is that they are so focused on themselves that they are completely unaware that they are violating a standard of righteousness. They may even be unaware that such a standard exists.
The theme of the psalm abruptly switches to the character of the Lord. I think David is trying to show the contrast between the depravity of the wicked and the beauty of the Lord's character. Perhaps David's goal is to call the a group of people, perhaps the whole nation, to turn away from their wickedness and toward the Lord. In this capacity, David is acting as a prophet or servant of the Lord.
I need to be reminded of the beauty of the Lord's character. Like the wicked in this psalm, I get distracted and my focus shifts from the beauty of the Lord to the cheap substitutes that this world has to offer. I need to be reminded that the love of the Lord reaches to the heavens, his faithfulness reaches to the skies, his righteousness is like the highest mountains and his justice is like the mighty oceans. I need to be reminded that his love is precious. I know that I do not value who the Lord is to the extent that I should. I long to long for him.

Contention

2010-09-14T05:56:00.003-06:00

Psalm 35

This psalm of David is another imprecatory psalm, meaning that they contain prayers for his enemies destruction. David obviously had a strong sense of justice that bordered on revenge except that he left his vindication in the hands of the Lord, at least in the psalms. David gets right to the point in this psalm: Contend with those who contend with me. He then gives some history: they had laid a trap of some sort for him even though he had prayed and mourned for them when they were ill. David calls for the Lord to act on what he has seen, cursing those who delight in his destruction and blessing those who rejoice in his restoration. He ends with a pledge to praise the Lord that, while not explicit, seems a bit conditional.
I have definitely felt the same way as David about some people or circumstances in my life; my sense of justice and fairness have been offended. I think the difference between my reaction and David's reaction in the psalm is that I dream of taking personal revenge while David prays to the Lord. David definitely has desires for the destruction of his enemies but, at least in the psalm, he trusts the Lord to vindicate him. I do wonder that if David had an opportunity to take revenge if he would see that as the way the Lord has chosen to restore justice. In other words, I wonder how passive David really was.
The other difference between my reaction and David's reaction is that I am often looking for "justice" for my name's sake while David is looking for justice for the Lord's name sake. It is not explicit in this psalm but it definitely comes up in other psalms. This is the difference between having a self-centered life and a Christ-centered life. When my life is centered on Christ, all my passions, emotions and desires are rightly ordered and when I see injustice I immediately recognize how that reflects on Christ's character and I want his name to be "cleared" or glorified. Again, I may be overstating a little bit since most of David's imprecatory psalms are written in response to perceived injustice against himself and rarely because of injustice in another's life.
It is clear that the Lord values justice, that he is the King and Judge and that I can be confident that he will restore justice. My prayer is that I would have the heart of David in regards to justice, not just for my own life but for others as well. I pray that God would make me more aware of the principles and values of his kingdom and of when those values have been offended. I pray that God would assert himself as the King and Center of my life so that I can be more aware of the suffering and oppression of others.

The Refuge of the Righteous

2010-09-13T05:38:00.003-06:00

Psalm 34

This is a psalm of David written as a response to his deliverance from Abimelek. I can't help but here the ecstatic relief in the tone of the psalm. I would expect the psalm to be less focused because of the emotions David must have felt and yet it is incredibly disciplined: the text notes indicate that this was an acrostic poem.
There are a couple of themes in the psalm. The first is praise. David begins with a call to praise and then gives his reason for praise. It isn't long before David seizes this teachable moment to instruct the congregation. David's main point is that the Lord protects those who fear him. This theme is repeated through out the rest of the psalm with a brief pause to instruct his fellow worshipers in how to fear the Lord: turn from evil and do good.
It would be easy to read a formulaic faith in this psalm because David pretty much lays it out as a formula: turn from evil and do good and the Lord will hear your prayer and deliver you from trouble. The problem with this formula is that it doesn't work and adds pressure to me. If I am experiencing trouble the obvious conclusion is that the Lord is not hearing my prayer because I do not fear him enough or have not done enough good. Sometimes there is truth to this conclusion but sometimes there is not. Job would stand as a witness that this formula cannot be upheld 100% of the time. This is why I see this psalm as a sort of proverb: a general truth that has some exceptions. Sort of like the rule of thumb: it's right 9 times out of 10 (including this one... I'll leave you to do the math on that!). However, the formula is ultimately right. Ultimately the righteous will be delivered. Ultimately evil will be defeated. Ultimately those who fear the Lord will be vindicated.
This is what I like about the psalms: there are psalms that reflect almost every emotion and circumstance in my life. In times of victory and deliverance, I can sing this psalm with David. In times of brokeness and darkness, I know that even though I walk through the valley of the darkest shadow the Lord is with me. His rod and staff will bring me comfort. I do not have to fear any evil. He is with me in the present and I will take refuge in him until that day when he ultimately delivers me.

The Vanity of Horses

2010-09-10T09:11:00.002-06:00

Psalm 33

This psalm is without title and has no author attached to it. It is a psalm that encourages the congregation to sing praise to the Lord. The "word of the Lord" is a phrase and/or idea that appears repeatedly through out the psalm. The second stanza describes the quality of the word of the Lord as right and true and the third stanza describes the power of the word of the Lord in creation and sustaining his creation. The rest of the psalm draws its conclusion from the fact that the word of the Lord is powerful: therefore the plans of the wicked will be foiled, the nation who trusts in God is blessed even in the face of famine, war and death.
The section of the psalm that draws my attention is the second last and last stanzas. The psalmist recognizes that there is a power bigger than that of a large army, there is strength stronger than that of a mighty warrior on a war horse. Only those who fear the Lord and trust in his unfailing love will experience the full blessing and protection of the Lord. The conclusion of the psalm is that the nation will trust in and wait for God, with the plea: "please don't let us down."
I can certainly resonate with that last plea. It adds to the humanity of the psalm: Lord, I trust you completely... mostly. I know that I don't live with a complete trust in the Lord. At best he is my plan A but I am always working on plans B, C, and D just in case. The things I rely on are my own abilities, mostly my strategic planning and my communication skills. But there are other things I trust as well: do I need some money? I have credit cards or lines of credit to supply my need. And this is where I get confused: I recognize, most of the time, that God gave me certain abilities so when I use them to solve a problem am I trusting in my own ability or in the Lord? Would the psalmist have turned down a large army or mighty warriors on fighting horses saying that he trusted in the Lord to provide or would he have concluded that the army he had at his disposal was the Lord's provision? I don't think the psalmist is saying that he wouldn't use horses if he had them but is acknowleding that there is a power greater than that of the horse. So, I don't think it is wrong for me to use my abilities, skills and resources as long as I continue to recognize that those resources have been given to me by the Giver of all good things and that my skills in strategy are only a spark compared to the blazing intellect of the Lord, that my ability to communicate is overshadowed by the one whose very word is right and true, whose very ability to communicate didn't just create ideas or explain concepts but created the very world and universe. As long as my heart is rejoicing in him and not in my abilities, as long as I trust in his holy name and not my own skills I believe my heart is right.

Forgiven

2010-09-03T07:26:00.002-06:00

Psalm 32

David is recounting a time when he experienced the Lord's forgiveness for a sin that David wanted to keep hidden but eventually acknowledged and confessed. The pslam includes a section where it seems as if David is writing from God's perspective (v8-9) and ends with a section where David is instructing the congregation but the rest of the psalm is addressed to the Lord.. I think we've all heard prayers where the pray-er is instructing us more than she is talking to the Lord. There is definitely an element of that here as well.
The basic message of the psalm is that even though you are afraid to come before the Lord and acknowledge your sin, don't wait to be led like a horse on a bit and bridle. Come to the Lord, acknowledge your sin and you will experience the hilarity (to borrow a phrase form Marva Dawn) of God's forgiveness. You will be surrounded by songs of deliverance and unfailing love, not punishment or vengeance.
There is a phrase that strikes me right at the beginning of the psalm. I'm not sure how much theology we are to take at face value from the psalms because I believe we have to leave room for the artistic poetic language of the psalmist. However, having said that, David makes a comparison between being forgiven and having no deceit in my spirit. If I am interpretting this correctly, David is saying that when we confess our sin and the Lord forgives our sin, no longer counting it against us, we are not only forgiven but we are made clean. This meshes completely with the teaching of the NT, especially 1 John 1:9. However, I am not sure that I always believe this. I think I have a wrong concept of forgiveness because I believe, as seen through the way I act and relate to God, that I can be forgiven of my sins but still have to make amends somehow for my sinfulness. I believe that somehow God can overlook my sinful actions but that the stain remains on my soul and spirit. David says that this is not true. When I am forgiven by the Lord, there is no stain that remains. My spirit contains no deceit. I think this may be why I have not ever really experienced the fullness of Christ's forgiveness. First, I know my propensity to wander and believe whole-heartedly that I will fall into that sin again. I know that to some extent, I enjoy sin. Second, while Christ may have dealt with the particular sinful action, I don't believe that he has dealt with the fatal flaw itself and so I confess the symptom knowing that the root cause remains. Of course I know theologically that this is not true but I am not convicted or convinced of the truth of this and so I continue to live under the weight of my sinfulness. I long to know, to experience the full freedom of being not just forgiven (to split hairs) but cleansed and made new by Christ. Having said that, I also know that the pattern of my life has been to see Christ working gradually and inevitably rather than dramatically and spontaneously.

Mercy in a City Under Siege

2010-08-31T06:54:00.003-06:00

Psalm 31

Again, David uses incredible imagery to describe both the desperation of his situation and his complete dependance on the Lord. The psalm indicates that the wicked are enjoying a time of prosperity and the righteous are suffering. In this situation, it would be easy to lose heart and faith but David reminds himself and his audience that their hope and trust are completely in the Lord and that the Lord is faithful and trustworthy.
I am reading Eli Wiesel's "Night" right now and some of the situations David describes reminds me of the situation in Germany. It was a death sentence to associate with a Jew and so even their friends mostly abandoned them and did not speak up in their defence, sometimes even denying, in word and attitude and action, that they ever even knew their Jewish neighbours. David is experiencing similar rejection: because of the oppression of his enemies, his friends no longer acknowledge his presence, as if he is dead. The people who see him on the streets turn away from him. To acknowledge him is to be tainted by the death that hangs over him.
How can David remain faithful and hopeful in such a dire situation? I think it is because of his past experiences of God's saving mercy. He remembers the mercy and love he experienced in a city under siege. He remembers the saving power of the Lord in his own history as well as the history of the people and he trusts that God will rescue him again. So, be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord!
This certainly speak of the massive faith that David had but more than that, it speaks about the faithfulness of the Lord. David can only trust in the Lord if the Lord is in control. If he is not, then there is reason to despair for then the fight is not decided and evil may prevail. The Lord must also be good. If he is not, then there is reason for despair for he may be the source of the pain and suffering without any reason. Finally, the Lord must be love. If he is not, then he may be simply using David, his people and you and I in a chess match that he will win and which will be good but not necessarily for us. If he is not, then the ends justify the means. What I see in Scripture is that not only will the Lord accomplish a good end but he will do it by a good means. When I recognize this, I can say with David, "Praise be to the Lord!"

Night and Day

2010-08-27T06:49:00.003-06:00

Psalm 30

This psalm was written by David for the dedication of the temple (or possibly the palace). If it was written for the dedication for the temple it was an act of faith since the temple was not built in David's lifetime. I find the psalm to be an incredibly personal psalm for such a public occasion.
The first stanza expresses praise to God for deliverance from death and humiliation. The second stanza calls on the people to sing the praises of the Lord because his anger and judgement are momentary while his joy and favour are long lasting. David uses the imagery of day and night to make his point: just as the dawn follows the night, so the joy of the Lord will follow times of sorrow. The third stanza talks about the security David feels when he is in the Lord's favour and the terror he experiences when the Lord hides his face. David seems to be reliving the experience of not seeing the Lord's face, perhaps the circumstances he refers to at the beginning of the psalm, and recalls how he cried for mercy in that moment. I really take delight in David's argument: "If I die, I will not be alive to praise you. You should save me from death so I can continue to sing your praise." In the fifth stanza, David recalls the Lord's response to his plea, using imagery and language that seem to dance across the page: "you turned my mourning into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent."
This psalm serves as a good reminder that the day is coming. It may seem like the night is never ending. It may seem as if the Lord's face is hidden. It may seem like our suffering will last forever. David experienced the dawn. We may not experience much of the sun in our lifetime but we can be sure that the dawn is coming. There is coming a time when light will flood our senses, when the we will experience the hilarity of the Lord lifting his countenance upon us and when we will experience the end of every pain and sorrow. Then we will finally and completely exchange our sackcloth for joy and our mourning for dancing.

The Voice of the Lord

2010-08-25T05:44:00.003-06:00

Psalm 29

David focuses on the glory of the Lord as seen in the mighty force of his voice. The first stanza repeats the phrase "ascribe to the Lord" three times, each one building on the previous thought: first identifying the audience to whom the command is given (heavenly beings), second identifying exactly what they are to ascribe to the Lord (glory) and third identifying the reason for ascribing glory to the Lord (he is due it). The second stanza focuses on the voice of the Lord and David gives many examples of what the voice of the Lord can accomplish. David ends by affirming the Lord's position as King above all the turmoil of earth. He re-inforces the idea of the Lord being enthroned: he is not waiting for this throne or his kingdom but sits as ruler now.
David's main point seems to be that we should give the Lord the glory he is due because he is so powerful that his very words have a devastating affect on people and nations and because he is enthroned as the King of the universe. The imagery that David uses to describe the affect that the Lord's voice has is stark and sometimes frightening. At first it reinforces the majesty of the Lord: the voice of the Lord thundering over the waters in power and majesty. Then David reminds us just how powerful the Lord's voice is: it not only creates but destroys; it not only draws people but sends them running like a frightened calf. This is something that I don't think of often. Actually, I'm not sure that's a fair statement. I live with a constant awareness of the Lord's justice and might. It is always there in the background acting as a motivating factor for much of my life. Yet it is a somewhat unrealized fear. I rationalize my choice to engage in sin by stating that I haven't been punished yet but I live in constant fear that someday the shoe will drop and I will be in a world of hurt for all the selfishness and depravity that my choices have exhibited. I believe that the Lord can use this fear to bring repentance and I believe that there is a seed of truth in there. However, I also believe that this type of fear actually keeps me at a distance from God. I act as if I believe that if I maintain my distance I am less likely to be discovered for who I am and therefore less likely to face the terrible voice of the Lord. My prayer is that the Lord would reveal the fullness of who he is to me: all his goodness, his grace, his love and his majesty. I want to have a healthy fear of the Lord for it is the beginning of wisdom and I also want to realize the intimacy and peace that is available to me as one who has placed his trust in the Lord.
This is where David ends his psalm. The Lord is enthroned over the chaos and turbulence, he strengthens his people and he blesses them with peace. I believe that the Lord actively provides strength and peace to his people but I also believe that there is a passive, if one can use such a word about the Lord, aspect to his provision: I receive peace and strength when I realize and acknowledge that the Lord is enthroned over the flood. He is the King and I can rest in confidence and move in confidence. The chaos and turbulence of this world will not overcome me or overthrow the Lord. He is the King.

The Fortress of Salvation

2010-08-23T06:57:00.003-06:00

Psalm 28

David is returning to a familiar theme: his complete dependence on God and his keen sense of justice. He begins with a petition for God to hear his prayer and then calls on him to pour out justice on the wicked. He ends with assurance that God has heard his prayer and is the strength of the king and the nation.
David uses some metaphors/similes to describe the strength of God: rock, my strength, my shield, a fortress of salvation, shepherd. I resonate with the fortress of salvation. It evokes images of building forts in the living room and in the backyard; secret places of peace, safety, security and adventure. Unlike my chair and blanket forts, God provides a place of true security. There is nothing that can penetrate his defenses. When I am found in God, I am comletely safe and can have utter confidence. The other image that resonates with me is the image of shepherd. This is another common image that David uses but in this case it stands out because of all the other images that David uses of shields, fortresses, rocks and strengths. The image of shepherd is usually a very tender image in my mind. Here, David reminds me that God the Shepherd is a strong shepherd. He is a warrior who will do battle on behalf of his sheep. He guides and directs his sheeps and protects them. The reason that the image of Shepherd is such a tender one is because in the presence of the Shepherd, I am completely secure and at peace. Nothing can harm me. I can trust him implicitly.

Trust

2010-07-22T08:41:00.003-06:00

Psalm 25

Trust is the theme of this psalm of David. This is an interesting psalm because it is so much about the character of God and a surrender to God but the occassion for writing it is that David has been reminded of a past sin. However, David recognizes that God is good, upright and loving and therefore David's relationship to God does not have to be defined by his previous sinfulness. He can enjoy a restored relationship because God has forgiven his sin.
I like the contrasts: Remember your mercy and love, not the sin of my youth. This is not easy grace. David recognizes the greatness of his iniquity. In fact, verse 16-19 indicate that he feels the pain of his sin keenly. David also recognizes that forgiveness from God cannot be earned or based on merit. It is only according the name and character of the Lord that he will be forgiven.
My prayer could very often echo this prayer of David:
"God, I trust in you. Show me your ways, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and lead me for my hope is in you always. Remember your mercy and love and not my sinfulness for you are good.
You will instruct, guide and teach sinners like me for, even though I am not good, you are. For the sake of your name and because of your loving faithfulness forgive my sin, though it is great. I will look to you alone for help, for guidance and instruction.
I feel the full weight of my sin and the triumph of my spiritual enemies. Please turn your face to me and be gracious to me. Don't let me be put to shame for I take refuge in you. My hope is in you."

The Seeking Generation

2010-07-21T08:57:00.003-06:00

Psalm 24

This is a praise psalm composed by David. There are three major sections. The first section focuses on the creative power of the Lord. The second section asks and answers the question, "who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?" The final section addresses the gates of the temple or the city, proclaiming the arrival of the King of glory. This section seems to build into a crescendo of praise, perhaps resulting from the thought that the Lord has vindicated and blessed his people.
It is obvious that David's hope of salvation was in the Lord. He asks who may stand before the presence of God and then answers his own question: those who have clean hands and a pure heart and whose loyalties are not divided. The qualifications are high: both inwardly (heart) and outwardly (hands), David has to be perfect. I really like the simplicity with which David sums up the requirements to stand before God. In three simple images, he captures the total picture. His hands must be clean meaning that his actions must be righteous. There must not be any blood on his hands. His heart must be pure which means his affections, his attitudes, his motivations and his thoughts must be pure. He must not swear by any other god, meaning that his worship must be focused only on the Lord God. He must not have anything besides God at the center of his life.
The requirements are impossible to meet and yet David has this utmost confidence that he can stand in the presence of God. Why? Because he trusts God for his salvation and not his own religious observances and piety. David recognizes his own sinfulness (we'll see that in other psalms) but trusts that the grace and righteousness of God are enough to overcome his impurity and make him pure.
This is also my only hope. Yes, of course, I strive to be more righteous in my actions, interactions, atttitudes and worship but ultimately I know that I am not righteous. I depend on Christ for my vindication. This is the characteristic of the generation who seeks God's face - their hands are clean because Jesus has made them clean. Their hearts are pure because Jesus makes them pure. They worship with integrity because Christ has bound their wandering hearts to his.

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

2010-07-20T08:46:00.003-06:00

Psalm 23

I can definitely see why this is such a favourite psalm. It is so gentle, so full of peace and yet not fairy-tale, happily ever after kind of sentiment. David, the composer, is reflecting on his relationship with the Lord. It is obvious that David is drawing on his experience as a shepherd, perhaps even writing the psalm while out with the sheep. He carries the shepherd-sheep imagery through the first two thirds, painting pictures of green pastures, quiet waters, and confidence in the shepherd even when the path leads through shadow filled valleys. The last third of the psalm talks about the provision of the Lord even in the face of opposition and the joy that David has from his relationship with the Lord.
The rod and the staff bring comfort to David. The rod and the staff, as far as I know, are meant to correct and guide the sheep. I've never heard of a shepherd beating his sheep with the rod but I imagine it could happen. David is speaking of the gentle, love-filled corrective touches from God. I can imagine that sometimes the sheep find those corrective touches restricting and sometimes even scary. For David they are reminders of God's presence and his care and love for the sheep.
I long for this kind of relationship with God. I know lots about God and I do a lot of the right things; things that people have told me will increase my intimacy with God but I still feel like my faith is more intellectual than passionate. I feel like I have a theology more than I have a relationship at times. I feel like I am missing out on the kind of closeness that David had with the Lord. Oh, I can look back on my life and see where God has definitely been my shepherd. I can recount instances where his rod and staff have corrected me and comforted me. I can tell people about times when I walked through dark valleys and knew that God was still in control, good and loving. Maybe the reason that I don't experience God's presence is because I don't take enough time to reflect each day on where I saw and experienced the presence of God.

Praise Theme

2010-07-19T09:54:00.003-06:00

Psalm 22

I really love the vulnerability of this psalm. David is the composer and it is another psalm of lament. The theme of the psalm is "Why have you forsaken me?" As I read it, I get the idea that David is saying, "I have many enemies and I can understand why they might oppose me but I can't understand why you, Lord, have also forsaken me." There is a lot of strong imagery in this psalm, revealing David's artistic heart: I am a worm; you made me feel secure on my mother's breast; many bulls surround me; roaring lions... open their mouths wide against me; I am poured out like water; my heart has turned to wax. The imagery also serves to increase the level of vulnerability. David is completely vulnerable before the Lord. If God has truly forsaken him, then he has no hope and is stripped of all defenses.
There have been a few times when I have felt this way also. Usually it is in a time of trial when I've come to the end of all my strategies, strength and wisdom. It is then that I realize how completely dependent I am on the Lord. I realize that my strength is weakness, my wisdom is foolishness and my strategies are worthless. It is a terrifyingly wonderful place to be. I know that people often say that they are just trusting the Lord and wherever he leads or however he provides will be good. I have often said that myself. The reality of my own heart is that usually those are just words because while I might appear calm and trusting, I am depending on my own abilities to come up with a plan and a direction. The issue is that the theme of my praise then can only be me: look what I have done, see how I have rescued myself, see how I have provided. The theme of David's praise comes from God because David is completely dependent on God.
So, what is the theme of my praise? When I ask myself these questions, I sense the sinful and the redeemed self struggling against itself because there is the redeemed part of me that wants the theme of my praise to be the Lord and his wisdom, strength, provision and glory. However, the sinful self really likes the spotlight. My pride rears its ugly head and the lie of Satan is terribly appealing: "You don't need God. You can do it on your own. Then all the glory will be yours." It becomes an issue of trust. Do I trust God enough to pray, "Father, bring to the place where I depend solely on you"? Or do I trust myself more.
I know what my praise theme will be when I stand before the throne of Christ. I pray that I would learn the tune and words to that theme while I am still here on earth.

The Joy of Your Presence

2010-07-15T09:17:00.003-06:00

Psalm 21

Another psalm of David. This psalm contains both elements of praise and elements of an imprecatory psalm. By the way, I love that word! I think it is one of those words that sounds like what it means. Say it with me: imprecatory! David talks about himself in the third person: the king, he, etc. maybe so that the work of the Lord would be emphasized and maybe so that it could be sung by and instruct others, including future kings.
The praise section is so joyful and intimate. I'm not sure, but it feels like the use of the third person adds to the sense of intimacy. The whole psalm is very focused on the work and power of the Lord. When David is singing about the king, it all about what the Lord has done for the king. When David is singing about the king's enemies, it is all about what the Lord will do to the enemies. Ultimately, it is not the king but the Lord who is exalted and the Lord who receives praise and songs from the people. To sum up the psalm in a word: trust.
The line that stuck out to me is from verse 6: "Surely you have... made him glad with the joy of your presence." First, what stood out is the double joy. The king is glad with joy! I love the imagery and the flow of that sentence. There is sometimes when the joy of life and the joy of the Lord makes me glad. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and affections so that I am glad with the joy of the Lord. The second thing that stood out was the joy of the Lord's presence. I live my life deistically. God is there but not here. I know he exists but I don't often experience his presence. I acknowledge the truth about God but I live as if he sits at a distance as more of an observer than someone who is intimately acquainted with the details of my life. I try to figure things out and solve them through my own abilities rather than trusting in God. Because of this, I don't often experience God's presence which means that I too often miss out on the joy of God's presence. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and my spirit to recognize and rejoice in the presence of God. He is not distant. He is close, personal, and present.

Benediction

2010-07-14T08:30:00.003-06:00

Psalm 20

This is another psalm of David. The first half of the psalm is a benediction and the second half is a declaration of what David knows about the Lord's relationship to the king and, therefore, the nation. It ends with a prayer for the king's victory or success. The psalm is written in the classic Hebrew poetry style. In the first half the couplet repeats the idea (May he send you help... and grant you support...) and in the second half the couplet mostly offers a contrasting idea (Some trust in chariots... but we trust in God). The contrast is mostly between those who trust in human ingenuity and those who trust in the Lord. The repeated ideas/words are victory and the name of the Lord. From looking at the content, it would be likely that this psalm was meant to be used in the coronation of the king or a confirmation of the king's authourity to express the people's desire that the Lord would bless their king and therefore their nation.
What is clear from the psalm is that victory ultimately belongs to God. There is a complete dependence on the Lord and a complete trust that he will ultimately bring victory and vindication. At the same time there is an implied acknowledgement that our response to God plays some role in achieving the victory. This fits well with the rest of Scripture: God is ultimately responsible but he has discharged some responsibility to us as humans and as his people. He equips, empowers and guides us and we acknowledge that we can do nothing apart from him but that doesn't mean that we just sit back and let him do it. We work and move and plan according to his equipping, empowring and guiding. When victory/success is achieved we can seek no glory because it is only through God that we have achieved the victory. We don't trust in our chariots and horses (or abilities and resources) but neither do we leave them in the barn. We use them with all the wisdom that God provides and move with confidence, not because we have so many resource but because we are moving in submission to the leading of a great and powerful God.
I think the part of the psalm that I resonate with most is the last part of the benediction: May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of the Lord. I love that! May we share in the joy of the triumphs that the Lord has accomplished through each other and may the Lord receive all the glory from our rejoicing.

Silent Testimony

2010-07-13T10:26:00.003-06:00

Psalm 19

In this psalm, David, the author/composer, directs his attention to two witnesses of God's character. The first witness is wordless and voiceless but declares the glory of God to all who will listen. The second witness is one of words and speaks of God's character to all who will read or hear. David begins with the more general testimony of creation and moves to the more specific revelation of the Law.
I find it interesting that people love the first part of this psalm that talks about creation's witness to the glory of God but don't focus much on the second part of this psalm that points out the Law's witness to God's character. David spends more time talking about the witness of the Law than he does about the witness of creation. It would seem that he values or appreciates the Law's testimony more than creation's testimony. Yet we love to focus on God's glory as seen in Creation. I wonder if it is because the Law, or more generally, Scripture, is too convicting. We can delight in the creativity and glory of God in nature without being too convicted but when we read Scripture we don't get very far before we are confronted with our depravity and sinfulness.
My prayer is that I would learn to see God's glory more clearly in creation. I think sometimes I limit creation's testimony to big things like storms and mountains. I want to know God so intimately that I can see his fingerprints in all of creation: in the grass along the coulees, in the ant hill, in the garden, in the park, in the sky and in the dirt. Even as I say that I am convicted because I believe that I will know God more intimately and see him more clearly in creation not by studying creation more but by studying Scripture more. As I learn more about who God is from Scripture I am confident that I will see evidence of him more clearly in nature.
David obviously loves Scripture because it fuels his knowledge of and love of the Lord. With the help of the Spirit, I too will love Scripture and value it more than gold for the same reason; because it points me to Jesus.

My Plea

2010-07-08T10:13:00.003-06:00

Psalm 17

This is another psalm of David. I noticed in the title that rather than saying "psalm" or "mitkam" that it says "prayer". I'm not sure if it indicates another style of poetry or a different musical style. It is clear that this psalm addresses God directly. It is another lament.
In this psalm, David opens with a plea for God to hear his prayer. In the second section David argues that he is upright and innocent and therefore does not deserve to be oppressed by his enemies. This is classic formulaic thinking which exists today: if we do this, then God must do this. David recognizes that this is not always the case in real life but basically his psalms of lament argue that this is the way it should be. The fact that it does not work that way indicates that something is broken. I would agree that something is broken but I don't think it is the formula necessarily. I don't agree that my actions demand certain responses or blessing from God.
In the third section David reflects on the intimacy of his relationship with the Lord. The relationship is two way: David has complete confidence in God and recognizes that God loves him very much. His request is that God would protect him from his enemies which leads David to reflect on the nature of his enemies in the fourth section. The fifth section contains David's request that his enemies be utterly destroyed and humiliated and, finally, David closes by expressing his confidence that God will vindicate him and that he will continue to have a close relationship with God.
I think it may be his confidence that he will have a close relationship with God that gives David comfort. In the end, whether his enemies triumph or not, David's relationship with God is secure and it is intimate. In fact David contends that he will see God's face and his likeness. This is huge! To see the face of God meant to be enveloped in all his majesty and all his glory. It almost always meant instant death because we, as sinful humans, could not survive in the presence of such intense holiness. But David desires God so much - more than he desires his vindication and the defeat of his enemies - that he is willing to risk death for the satisfaction of seeing God's likeness.
I don't think I understand the privilege that I have as a disciple of Christ. In Christ I am declared righteous enough to stand in the holy, majestic glorious presence of God and see him face to face. In Christ I can approach his throne with confidence. I am living out the blessing of the priests: May Lord make his face to shine upon you... may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace! Amen!

Eternal Pleasures

2010-07-07T09:44:00.003-06:00

Psalm 16

What joy and light is contained in this psalm! This is another psalm of David. It is a psalm of praise that focuses on the Lord's character and David's response to his character. It covers everything from the nobility of the godly to the sufficiency of God's provision. The overall tone looks to the future: a delightful inheritance (v. 6), the assurance of life after death (v. 10) and the pleasures that David experiences now and will for all eternity (v. 11).
I think part of the pleasure that we experience now is the anticipation of the greater pleasure that is yet to come. As my wedding approached I anticipated being married and all that I thought it entailed and that brought me joy. That joy was fulfilled in many ways on my wedding day, and continues to be more fully fulfilled today, but part of the joy I experienced was the anticipation of the joy that was to come. I think this is true of the joy we experience now. We know who God was and is and ever will be. We know who we are in Christ and we have some idea of what joys await us. The anticipation of that joy brings us pleasure in the present. It is certainly what David is experiencing in this psalm: present joy that is at least partially the anticipation of future joy and eternal pleasures.
More than the pleasure and the joy itself, this psalm constantly calls me back to the source of pleasure and joy. The Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my King. The Lord is my provider of all that is good. The Lord is my portion. The Lord is my security. The Lord is my inheritance. The Lord is my counsellor. The Lord is my strength. The Lord is my hope. I worry that I love God's gifts more than I love God at times. This psalm reminds me that the Lord is my gift. There is no greater blessing that the Lord himself. With David, I will praise him!

Impossible

2010-07-06T08:24:00.003-06:00

Psalm 15

This is another one of David's psalms. This one is not a lament but instead lists the attributes of the person who may dwell in the presence of God. Looking at the structure of the Hebrew poem, it looks like there are four main ideas with two sub ideas under the first three main ideas and one sub idea under the fourth main idea. The four main ideas are: those whose walk is blameless (integrity), who have no slander on their tongues (relationships), who despise those whose ways are vile (values) and who lend money to the poor without interest (money).
There is a bold statement made at the end of the psalm: "whoever does these things will never be shaken." I'm not sure that David means that they will never doubt or never face trials or never suffer. If he does mean that, I think we have sufficient evidence to show that the statement is not entirely true. However, I think David is talking about being shaken in their standing before God. Those who do these things will always have a place in the presence of God. The problem is that keeping this list is impossible for me. I might be able to keep parts of the list part of the time but not the whole list the whole time. Sin has twisted me too much. In the context of the rest of Scripture, the good news is that I have one who has kept the whole list the whole time who stands always before God and intercedes on my behalf. His righteousness has been applied to me and, by the Spirit, I am being changed to reflect this list more and more. I wonder if it was this list that Paul had in mind when he wrote some of his lists describing those who had been regenerated and walked by the Spirit.
There is one item on the list that really stands out to me every time I read this psalm: "who keep their oaths even when it hurts." I'm really good and making promises and then justifying my breaking them because of circumstances that come along. Recognizing this tendency has not led me to keep my promises more strongly but to not make promises. I don't think that's a good solution. I need to be careful about the promises that I make and then work hard to keep those promises even when it hurts.

Devouring People Like Bread

2010-07-05T09:31:00.002-06:00

Psalm 14

This is another psalm by David and once again it takes the form of a lament. This time his lament is more commentary than prayer. He recognizes that in the sight of God there is no one who does what is good, that everyone has turned away and become corrupt. As usual, there is a contrast between the people of God and the "fools" who live as if God does not exist. The fools are opposed to the godly and are seeking to destroy them. The psalmist uses strong imagery: "They devour my people as though eating bread." However, the fools are overcome with dread since God is present with the godly. The implied claim is that ultimately the Lord will prevail. David ends with a longing for that time.
This fits very well into the teaching of the rest of Scripture. The teaching on the depravity of humanity is found everywhere, in Romans 3 for example, as is the teaching that God will ultimately prevail, especially in the Revelation of John. I don't live in a context where I have to cling to that hope very often. My life is pretty good and I don't face much in the way of opposition from people or even from Satan. I acknowledge that he is the tempter and I give into his enticements far too often but for the most part his opposition in my world takes the form of laying low and lulling people to sleep.
That is why the last line of v. 4 caught my attention: "they never call on the Lord." Unfortunately, this all too often describes my life. Because I don't face much opposition and because God has blessed me with abilities I can live much of my life as if I don't need God. I have a plethora of resources literally at my fingertips. The truth is that I don't really want God to put me in a situation where I am obviously and completely dependent on him because that scares me. I'd rather trust myself, which is absurd, isn't it?
David's trust, in this psalm, was utterly in God. God is the refuge of the godly, God is in the midst of the company of the righteous and it is God who will bring salvation from Zion and God who will bring joy and gladness to Jacob.

How long?

2010-06-30T08:26:00.002-06:00

Psalm 13

This is another psalm written by David. The circumstances are not noted but it is obvious that David is suffering and this is another psalm of lament. The repeated refrain is "How long, Lord?" David recognizes that unless the Lord intervenes, all is lost and his enemies will triumph and rejoice in David's downfall. As in most of his psalms of lament, David ends with a declaration of trust, a recognition of the Lord's goodness and a pledge to praise.
I'm only at Psalm 13 and I am realizing that David is writing a lot of psalms of lament. It seems that David has a keen sense of justice and of right and wrong and when things are not right, he feels that deeply. Not only that, but he recognizes that the reason that things are wrong is because God's right to rule is not recognized. He acknowledges that God is in control even when people do not submit to his right to rule and that ultimately all things will be made right and justice will be restored. These are the reasons for his praise.
There are definitely times when I've wondered, "how long, Lord?" How long until we have a baby? How long until our house sells? How long until poverty is abolished? How long will evil people triumph? How long will injustice go unpunished? There is comfort in the questioning because the questions acknowledge that God is in control; it's his "fault" that these things are happening. When I focus back on God rather than just on the circumstances, I remember that God is also good and loves me very much and then I can turn to praise. I think we need to give each other permission to ask these questions of God. I think we need to acknowledge that our lament and our questions are an aspect of worship. In some ways it is a deeper worship than the surface praise we so often engage in.

lies & flattery

2010-06-10T07:53:00.002-06:00

Psalm 12

This is another psalm written by David. The occassion of his writing is not noted but it is clear from the psalm that David is troubled by the "yes men." Those who flatter and lie are not doing him any favours and are likely hiding evil intentions. The words: flatter, lie, lips and tongue are the key words in this psalm.
David calls for the Lord to arise and silence the flattery and boasting and looks forward to the time when he will rise up to defend the poor and needy. There is a contrast between the utterances of the proud (lies, boasting, flattery) and the utterances of the poor and needy (groans) and the utterances of the Lord (purified silver and refined gold). The proud trust their words to defend them but it is truly the word of the Lord that brings safety and protection.
This is a good reminder for me. I trust too often in my own abilities and wisdom. I trust my ability to argue, debate and reason. I need the Lord's wisdom, the Lord's words, and the Lord's strength. So, today, as I look for a house, I will trust the Lord for his direction, his provision and his guidance.
There is one other impact this psalm has on me: I have ignored and, at times honoured, the depravity of the human race. That must stop. Where I see injustice, I must speak out. Where I see need that I can meet, I must act.

a scorching wind

2010-06-09T08:32:00.003-06:00

Psalm 11

This is another psalm of David. It is clear that he is facing opposition once again and that even his friends are despairing. The advice they are giving him is to flee because of the overwhelming strength of his enemies. David's response is that God is in control.
There are some strong images: fleeing like a bird, foundations being attacked, raining coals and sulphur, seeing the Lord's face. David's belief is that God is in control and that he is on the side of the righteous and is opposed to the wicked. The implication is that he can be secure because God is in control and nothing can oppose God and his purpose.
The image of the upright seeing the face of God is incredibly intimate and incredibly rewarding. The Scripture teaches that no one can see God and live. Even Moses could not see the entire glory of God but saw his "back". David contends that there will be a time when the upright will be able to see the full glory of God and commune with him face to face. The teaching of the NT is that the time David talked about begins now because through Christ we have full access to the throne of God to find mercy and grace in our time of need. We still see through a glass darkly, says Paul, but the time is nearer when we shall know even as we are fully known.

Arise!

2010-06-01T08:13:00.003-06:00

Psalm 10

This psalm was originally the second half of Psalm 9 which means that it was also written by David. The psalm is another lament: the world is not as it should be. In this particular case, the complaint is that the wicked are taunting God with their words and actions and are getting away with it. David calls for the LORD to arise and ends by assuring himself and his congregation that God does see the trouble of the innocent and is keeping a record of it.
David uses some vivid imagery in this psalm. He compares the wicked to a lion who waits in ambush for the weak and helpless. He describes God twice as the defender of the fatherless. He calls for God to break the arms of the wicked so they won't be able to continue their reign of terror.
In my sermon this past weekend I talked about forgiveness. David doesn't have a very forgiving attitude in this psalm. I don't think this is what Jesus had in mind when he taught us to pray for those who persecute us and love our enemies. However, what I notice is that David is not taking revenge. He is asking God to act on behalf of the poor. Of course, it was a bit different in OT times because God did use people like David and all kinds of nations as his instrument of justice. But it is still instructive to notice who David leaves justice with: God. I can remain at peace because I know that the judge of all the earth will do what's right. Yes, there are times I wish he would act more swiftly. Yes, there are times I wish he would act less secretly. Yes, there are times I wonder if hell will burn hot enough to make up for the murder and abuse of the innocents in our world. But in the end, I trust that the LORD is King for ever and ever and there will come a time when mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. In the mean time, I can pray the prayer of David: "Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless."

stronghold of infants' praise

2010-05-27T08:34:00.004-06:00

Psalm 8

This is another psalm written by David. The occassion for the psalm in not noted although v. 3 indicates that he has just spent some time outside at night, looking up at the stars. It is a psalm of praise, beginning and ending with the same phrase: LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! The evidence of the Lord's majesty is that his glory is above the heavens, that he has established a stronghold against his enemies through the praise of children and infants and that he cares for and given authority to humans.
The section on humanity is the main focus of the psalm. David can't get over the fact that in light of all that God has created, he has given such attention to humans. He's even given them authority over the earth and all the animals. I picture David laying on a hill, looking up into the sky at night and just thinking: that's so big and I'm so small! It's amazing that God even knows I'm here and blows my mind that he cares so much for me.
I like the balance David strikes in this psalm: God is majestic, we are small. His creation is amazing and we are nothing in comparison except for the fact that God created us, cares for us and gave us authority over creation. Our position and authority is given to us not because of our merit but because of God's sovreign authority.
I also like the picture of God's power and majesty in verse 2. It is the verse that stands out to me: God is so majestic and strong that he can build a stronghold against his enemies out of the praise of the weakest and most vulnerable humans. It not only speaks to the power of God but the position God has granted humans: humans have been given such authority and power by God that their weakest and most vulnerable members can created a stronghold merely by their voices. The image of a stronghold made of infants' praise is a very vivid one and fires my imagination! It brings incredible peace and security. It also motivates me to add my voice to the stronghold of praise.

vindication

2010-05-26T08:37:00.002-06:00

Psalm 7

This is another psalm of David. The title indicates that it was written concerning Cush the Benjamite. No further information about Cush is given but from the psalm it is clear that Cush is making false accusations against David. Since Saul was also a Benjamite, it is speculated that Cush had the ear of the king and was speaking directly to him about David. There is some speculation that Cush may have been a code word for Saul himself.
In Psalm 6, David is suffering because of his own sinfulness. In this psalm, he is suffering as the result of someone else's sinfulness. Again, this psalm is a lament. David recognizes that something is broken and takes his frustration to God. David calls for his day in court in order to vindicate himself. What is interesting is that God acts as both Judge and David's Defender. The other interesting image is in v. 14: "those who are pregnant with evil..." A very vivid image!
The flow of the psalm is: I am suffering unjustly because of the untrue accusation of Cush. I appeal to God's justice. God's justice means that those who plant traps for the righteous will fall into them themselves. Because I know that justice will prevail, and therefore I will be vindicated and rescued, I will praise God.
If I lived like this, my life would seem so peaceful to those observing my life. I may cry out to God and rage against the injustices and brokeness of the world but outwardly, I would seem at peace because I would be living with the unshakeable assurance that no matter what accusations may be brought against me, no matter what injustices may be suffered in the world, they will all come to light when the Lord gathers the assembly around him and sits enthroned over them and judges the peoples. All the brokeness in this world will be restored. All the injustice of this world will be brought to justice. All the lies will be revealed by truth. All the darkness will succumb to the light. All the righteous will be vindicated.

anguish

2010-05-25T08:12:00.003-06:00

Psalm 6

This is another psalm written by David. The exact circumstances of his writing are not given. The first seven verses contain a vivid description of anguish and suffering. It is not clear if David is suffering because of attacks from his enemies (v 7b and 10 would imply this to be the case) or if he is suffering from some illness which the rest of the psalm implies. It could also be a relational break down that is causing David to suffer in this way. Whatever the circumstances, the anguish is intense: bones are in agony, soul is in anguish, worn out from groaning, bed flooded with tears each night, eyes weak with sorrow.
This psalm is a classic lament. Something is not as it should be and it is causing David great sorrow and even questions: "how long, Lord, how long?" It is clear that David recognizes that God is in control and can stop the suffering if he so chooses. He appeals to God's character, specifically his unfailing love, in his request for relief. His logical argument is: I can't praise you from the grave. Therefore, preserve my life so I can continue to proclaim your name. As in all classic laments, David's emotions resolve. He recognizes that God is still in control and that he is good. Therefore, the enemies of good can look forward to being shamed.
I can remember a few times in my life where my body ached because of my sorrow. I can remember when anguish overtook my soul and I can remember asking God some very similar questions. I think sometimes we're afraid to ask God these type of questions and to express our emotions in this way because we're afraid that we will offend God. I think the key is to remember that God is in control. This brings both comfort and more questions: if he is in control, why doesn't he stop what's going on? Also, we need to remember that God is good and, even in the midst of our anguish, he is communicating his love to us in some way. We can have the same confidence as David, not that our situation will become lollipops and rainbows but that God will accomplish his purpose in this earth.
I also think that we are tempted to think that bad things in our lives mean some sort of bad behaviour on our part. This was David's assumption at the beginning of the psalm. Sometimes it is true; God does use circumstances to correct our behaviour. However, it is not always the case. It reflects the linear thinking that we so often fall into: if I do A it results in B. The downfall of this thinking is that we then believe that we can achieve God's blessing (B) if we just work hard enough (A) and if we're not experiencing God's blessing, then we just aren't trying hard enough. This is not correct thinking. God's blessing is only a result of God's grace and there is nothing I can do to achieve it. In the end it comes down to trust. That's where David ends up; trusting that God is in control, that he is good and that loves us very much.

sleep - part 2

2010-05-20T08:33:00.003-06:00

Psalm 4

In many ways this psalm seems like it could be an extension of Psalm 3. Psalm 4 is written by David. The occassion of his writing is not noted. David begins by addressing God with a plea to hear his prayer, then addresses the congregation with assurances that God will hear his prayer along with some instructions to appropriately fear the Lord and finally he addresses God again with a request to look on the nation, with favour.
There is again an emphasis on sleeping which indicates trust in God: I so firmly believe that God is in control that even in the face of many troubles and threats, I will sleep peacefully knowing that God will protect me and accomplish his purpose. David also instructs his audience to search their hearts and be silent when on their beds. I am not sure of the significance of that command.
The psalm seems to indicate that David's audience has doubts that God will hear David's prayer and possibly is ridiculing David for trusting in God. David points out that it was God who sanctified him for the throne. I don't know when in David's life he wrote this psalm but it is clear that David had a sense of being set apart for some service in the kingdom.
David asks that God would fill their his heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. This could possibly be that David is so confident that God will look on the nation with favour, which almost always meant prosperity, that he is looking forward to being filled with joy. However, the use of the word their makes me wonder if David is asking God to help him rejoice in the prosperity of his opposition. Because I am so individualistic in my mindset, I can barely rejoice in the prosperity of my brothers and sisters, let alone my opposers. I need God to transform my thinking from "me" to "we" so that I can truly rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.
I feel in some ways that God has blessed with me assurance today that his Spirit will be helping me in my sermon prep. I slept very well last night! I slept in a little bit but also very restfully. This should normally be the case. I don't need to fret. I don't need to stress. I can completely trust God because he is in control, he is good and he is loving. I pray for this assurance in my life. David isn't going to stress over the apparent drought. There is nothing he can do to make the crops grow except pray and once he's prayed, he sleeps. I wish I could remember in those times of stress that there are things that I can't do and rather than get all upset about those things, to trust God and, when it's appropriate, sleep.

deliverance

2010-05-19T08:39:00.002-06:00

Psalm 3

This psalm was written by David while he was fleeing his son, Absalom. I think that context gives extra meaning to the words of the psalm. I don't think the psalms are always arranged thematically but Psalm 2 and 3 fit very well together: God has installed his king in Zion and David expressed complete confidence and peace in the midst of turmoil.
David states the problem: I am so surrounded by enemies that nobody has any hope of my survival. Then he states his confidence: it is God who will protect me, deliver me and potentially restore me. Because of this confidence, David can slepp at night without fear.
This is really an acknowledgement of God's sovreign control. If God really is the ruler of this world and if he really does laugh at the plans of those who rebel against him, then David really has nothing to fear. The plans of Absalom will not overthrow the plans of God. For that matter, the plans of David will not prevent God from accomplishing his purpose. Because David knows that God is in control, he can rest. Because David knows that God is good, he can trust that God's plan, whatever it is, will be good. God sustains David. God lifts David's head.
While I don't often (ever?) have a tonne of human enemies surrounding me, sometimes I feel like circumstances and stresses are piling up around me and threaten to overcome me. There are times when I can't sleep at night because of all the worries I have. David reminds me that I can sleep in peace because God is in control and he is good. Sometimes I feel the need to lift my own head: to sustain myself, to glorify myself, to defend myself. David reminds me that God is the lifter of my head, the sustainer of my life, health and reputation and the shield that defends me. I can have the same confidence in the face of failure, temptation and sin. God is the one who restores and sustains me. There are things I can and should put in place to prevent myself from giving in to sin but ultimately, Christ is my strength, my shield and my defender. I can build my confidence on the second last line of the psalm: from the Lord comes deliverance.

God's Laughter

2010-05-18T08:10:00.003-06:00

Psalm 2

This psalm is made up of the image of the kings of the earth conspiring together against the King of the kings and God's response to their plans. The psalmist paints an almost bully-ish picture of God: a God who laughs and scoffs at the feeble plans of the earth's rulers. In the end, the kings of the earth will submit themselves to the king that God has established in Zion.
The key words are wrath, terror/trembling. There is an interesting choice of words in the last couple of verses: "celebrate his rule with trembling." It reminds me a bit of the old stories of communist Russia - you didn't want to be the first one to stop applauding the president. It paints a very interesing picture of God.
This psalm was probably used as part of the coronation ceremony of the King of Israel but also has a lot of foreshadowing pointing to the coming King of the kings. There is a lot of adoption language which, in conjunction with the historical kings would mean that God has given the king of Israel his authourity to rule. In relation to the Messiah, it speaks more about the authourity that the Messiah has.
The picture this psalm paints of God depends on which side of the line you are on. If I am one who takes refuge in God, then this psalm is incredibly comforting: there is nothing that the leaders, rulers, governments, presidents, prime ministers, chancellors and kings of this world can do to subvert the plans of God. I don't have to stress, worry or fret. God has installed his King in Zion. I can trust completely in him.
On the other hand, if I am one who is opposing God and his plans, I have a lot to be worried about. He has installed his King in Zion and there is nothing that I can do to subvert his plans. My only play is to kiss the son, to surrender to the supremacy of Christ.
The truth is that I am in both camps. I have surrendered to the supremacy of Christ but I am like one of the Baltic states in the old CSSR: constantly trying to assert my own independence and right to rule. I must constantly remind myself that I live my life in submission to the King of the kings. I am only blessed if I take refuge in him.

Blessed

2010-05-11T08:39:00.002-06:00

Psalm 1

There is a contrast between the rootedness of the righteous and the temporary nature of the unrighteous. There is also a nice word picture of temptation: starts with journeying with someone, leads to hanging out in bad places and finally ends up by being at home or taking a place among the wicked. There is another word picture of the blessed one: he is like a tree planted by streams of water that produces fruit in the proper season.
The word delight stands out to me. The psalmist is not talking about a religious reading of the law of the Lord. No, the blessed one takes delight or finds pleasure in the laws of God.
This psalm speaks to me on so many levels. In terms of tempation, am I walking in step with the wicked? Do I hang out in places where I know I will find trouble? Do I feel at home in the company of the wicked? This isn't talking about having friends who are lost but about allowing the lost to influence my behaviour. Secondly, do I take delight in the Word of God? There are times when studying the Word has actually been a rush! However, too many times it is a chore. This is because I don't really understand the value of what I have. The King of the universe is communicating with me! If I am at all alive spiritually, that should bring me great delight!
Finally, there are times when life just seems to be a slog. The promise of this psalm is that the one who avoids the ways of evil, delights in the Word of God and meditates on it will prosper. In the immediate context it is probably talking about success in life: riches, honour, position of respect, etc. In the light of the New Testament, I cannot claim this promise for myself. However, there will be a contentment and a peace when the Word of God is the source of my pleasure and the focus of my meditation.

the end

2010-02-17T09:04:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 13:20-25

The author ends with a benediction, which both praises God and asks for his blessing on the audience, and final greetings. In the TNIV, it is clear that the author is writing from Italy. The author also has relationship with Timothy, who, it appears, was in jail but has now been released. The author is free to travel (v. 23) and therefore it is not jail that is preventing travel (v. 19).
In the benediction, the author reminds the audience of God's incredible power and the superiority and eternal nature of the new covenant. It is from this power that the author calls for the equipping of the audience to do what God has called them to do, reminding the audience that the fulfillment of God's call is for the glory of Christ.
This is a good reminder. In staff chapels we're studying the letter to the Colossians. It has the same basic tone: we work in God's strength for Christ's glory. I get a little bit sick of Christian athletes because they are always giving God credit for stuff and it sounds a bit hokey but... they actually have it right to a point. God gives us the ability to do what he has called us to do. He does not call us to things that he does not enable us for. So, when I accomplish what God has called me to do, it is to his glory and credit. There is nothing for me to boast about or feel proud about. I couldn't speak unless God gave me the ability to speak and the insight into his Word. I couldn't lead unless God gave me the ability to lead and the wisdom to know where to go. Everything I do is because God has given me life, breath, strength, grace, gifts, talents, etc. My life stands as a monument to him.

leaders

2010-02-11T07:23:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 13:17-19

There are two imperatives, each with further, explanation in these verses. The first is: "have confidence in your leaders." This includes the author as one of the audience's leaders seen by the plural "us". The reason that the audience should have confidence in their leaders is that the leaders are going to have to give an account for their leadership. The author has confidence that the leaders take their role seriously, understand that they are under the authourity of Christ and will have to give an account of how they led (see v18). Because of this, the conclusion is that the leaders have the best possible motives and are, as best as they can, ministering according to the direction of the Spirit. The audience's responsibility is to make sure that leadership is not a burden.
The second imperative is: "pray for us." The author implies what the audience should pray for: that the work of leadership will not be a burden, that the leaders will keep their conscience clear and that they will fulfill their desire to live honourably. We learn in this section that the author is prevented from joining the audience for some reason.
There are two implications for me: 1) because I have leaders over me, I must remember to pray for them and to have confidence in their leadership. This doesn't mean blind obedience but to recognize that they are leading as best as they know how and that their desires and motives are good. I must be very careful about how I talk about them and to them. I don't have any real problems with the leadership of this church but it's a good reminder to support them through prayer. 2) as a leader I must make sure that my motives are pure, my conscience is clear and that my desire is to live honourably as a leader. As soon as personal ambition or pride enter the equation, my leadership abilities are compromised. I enjoy leadership but it is a massive responsibility.

continuous sacrifice

2010-02-10T08:18:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 13:15-16

The author changes focuses a bit. The previous paragraph compared the sacrifice of the priests to the sacrifice of Christ and this paragraph moves on to the sacrifice the audience is called to make. The key words are continually and sacrifice. The author includes two examples of sacrifice that is pleasing to God: a sacrifice of praise through Jesus and doing good to and sharing with others.
The author's line of reasoning is that despite the persecution and hardship that the audience is facing, they should not forget to keep on praising God and doing good to others. I am not sure if the author is talking about fellow believers or those outside the family of God. My guess is that the author has both in mind.
I get so focused on my own life and all the things that I have to do and all the things I am facing that I forget the two great commandments: love God and love my neighbour. This is hard to do when all my energy and attention is focused on me. I pray that God would help me to remember him and remember my neighbour in the midst of my busy-ness and stress. I think it's significant that the author uses the word sacrifice: it will cost me something (time, energy, effort, focus) to love God and love my neighbour in this way. However, I trust that the sacrifice is worth it.

disgrace

2010-02-09T08:17:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 13:11-14

The key words in this passage are blood, outside, holy, city. The author is revisiting the persecution the audience has and is enduring for the sake of Christ, reminding them that Christ was also an outcast from society. This passage also continues the comparison and contrast between the rituals of the tabernacle and the sacrifice of Christ and contains the theme of the city that is yet to come.
The author makes an obvious argument with some subtle subtexts. The obvious argument is: Just like the bodies of the sacrificed animals were cast outside the camp, so Christ was killed outside the city and so should we be willing to be separate from society for the sake of Christ. The subtexts are: the priest brought the blood of the sacrifice to the Most Holy Place while Christ was the sacrifice whose blood makes people holy. The author is again pointing out the supremacy of Christ and his sacrifice: it's not about a holy place, it's about holy people and there is the indication that the priest is still carrying the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place (the verb "carries" is in the present in English. I don't know about the Greek), indicating that these sacrifices must be continually offered while Jesus' sacrifice is talked about in the past tense, indicating that his sacrifice is final.
When Christine and I visited Hamilton, it felt foreign to us. We knew that it was not our home, although it will be for three years. However, I don't often have that same feeling about this earth. I am too settled here and I identify too closely with this culture, society, world. If I had to live outside of the society, it would be painful for me. I have become to accustomed to this city and I am no longer looking forward to the city that is yet to come. However, there are moments when I realize that I am not home, when this city and world that I live in seems foreign to me. I need the Spirit's help to help me look with fresh eyes at this world and to remind me that I am not yet home.

constant

2010-02-08T08:20:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 13:7-10

The key words and ideas are: leaders, imitate, same, teachings, ceremonies. The author is now speaking of different teachings. The audience is reminded of their spiritual leaders and their teachings. This is contrasted with the strange teachings about ceremonies and rituals. The author reminds the audience that the heavenly altar is superior to the earthly one.
It is interesting that the author tells the audience to consider the outcome of the faith of the leaders since most of the leaders, which I'm taking to mean disciples/apostles, were martyred. However, in the context of Hebrews 11, their deaths were glorious because they were looking forward to the fulfillment of their faith. Therefore, it is no problem for the author to exhort the audience to imitate their faith. The hope of their faith is that they were received into heaven. Since Jesus is the same today as he always was and will be, the audience can be assured of the same reward if they remain faithful.
The author contrasts grace and the eating of ceremonial foods. Eating ceremonial foods would be part of the law. So the contrast is between grace and the law. The author's point is that grace strengthens our hearts, not the law.
This morning I am enjoying the reminder of Christ's constancy. He never changes. I can trust him to treat me with the same grace, fairness and compassion that he treated his disciples with. I can trust him to give me the same reward for faithfulness that he gave to the martyrs. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

loving money

2010-02-06T17:22:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 13:5-6

I dealt mostly with verse 4 in my previous post but there is a lot to explore in these two verses as well. Here, the author is focusing in on money, giving instructions not to love money. Again the exhortation is tied to the character of God. In this case, the audience does not need to love money because God is faithful, omniscient, immanent, good and sovereign. The author quotes two passages: Deuteronomy 31:6 talks about God's immanence, omniscient and faithfulness and Psalm 118:6-7 talks about God's goodness and sovereignty.
The argument the author is making is that the audience doesn't need to love money because they can trust the fact that God wants to provide for them (he is good), he knows what they need (he is omniscient and immanent) and he has the ability to provide for them (he is sovereign or omnipotent).
This is a good reminder for me. I need to be a good steward and faithful to God in the way that I use my money but, I should not stress about finances because of who God is. When I stress about finances it shows that I am casting doubt on God's character and that I am too focused on money. The author is exhorting us to keep money from being the center of our focus and to make sure that God is.

love and money

2010-02-05T21:45:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 13:4-6

This part of the author's address is a series of exhortations to the audience. It is almost like the author is including a list of things that don't necessarily fit into the main argument of the address but are so important that they can't be left out. The author focuses on two very important issues in this section: sexual purity and money. It seems like the author uses a bit of hyperbole in these issues, perhaps because the exhortation is so brief.
In regards to marriage and adultery, the author states that the sexually immoral and the adulterer will be judged by God. Ultimately this is because sexual immorality and adultery offends the very character of God, especially the facets of purity, faithfulness and exclusivity. I'm not sure how to reconcile the judgment and the grace of God. I am very sure that the forgiveness of God is enough to cover sexual immorality. I am very sure that God's judgment is reserved for those who are unrepentant. Yet the author, addressing those who have repented, uses judgment as the motivation to avoid sexual immorality. Perhaps the argument is that if you are frequently engaging in sexual immorality is a sign that you may not actually have repented and your identity has not been changed from sexually immoral to child of God. In which case, you would still be under threat of the judgment of God.
This parallels what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount; deal as harshly as necessary with lust because giving in to lust puts you in danger of being cast into hell. Again, the message, I think, is that if you are giving into lust constantly you may not be a true citizen of the kingdom and you (and I) are facing condemnation. This is not the teaching I am used to: I don't like to be motivated by fear and to motivate others by fear. It's not considered polite or politically correct. Yet, the author and Jesus make it clear: giving into sexual immorality endangers my soul.

identifying with the oppressed

2010-02-04T07:51:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 13:1-3

The key word in this section is love. The author gives a command to love one another as brothers and sisters and then gives two examples of how to love: show hospitality and identify with the oppressed. In the context, I believe that the author is speaking specifically about showing hospitality to other disciples and to fellow believers who are persecuted for their faith. I draw this conclusion based on the family language in the first verse: showing hospitality and identifying with the oppressed are examples of loving our brothers and sisters.
If my brother or sister was unjustly imprisoned or suffering persecution, I would move heaven and earth to bring justice to that situation. I would write letters, visit politicians, publicize the injustice, try to rally support, organize prayer meetings, pray continuously until the situation was changed. Even if my brother or sister was justly imprisoned, I would likely visit them regularly and support them as best as I could.
If my brother or sister needed a place to stay, I would inconvenience myself in order to make sure they somewhere. If they needed a ride or to borrow my car, I would try to work something out for them.
The author is pointing out that my fellow disciples are my brothers and sisters. I do not love them as I should. I do not go out of my way to welcome strangers. I do not go out of my way to make sure people have rides to church. I do not go out of my way to protest their unjust treatment at the hands of governments and mobs. My actions make it clear: I do not really care! Just this past Sunday I've been reminded of the plight of the oppressed and the high priority that Jesus places on justice. If I am to represent my King well, I must find a way to practice hospitality and stand up for the oppressed.

shaken...

2010-02-03T08:34:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 12:25-29

The key words: warn/speak/voice, shaken. This section connects to the previous verses in that the author is still making a comparison to Mount Sinai where the Old Covenant was given and to Mount Zion where the new covenant will be fully realized. The author is referring to God's voice shaking the earth as he gave the Laws of the Old Covenant. The people ignored his voice and suffered judgment. The whole generation perished in the wilderness because of their rebellion. The author contends that the danger this generation is in is even greater because God is not just speaking from earth but from heaven.
The author indicates that there will be one more "shaking" and that this time it will not just be the earth but the heavens. The emphasis is on "once more" indicating that this will be the final shaking. All the temporal things will be destroyed and only the eternal things will remain. The author reminds the readers that the kingdom they are receiving cannot be shaken. It is eternal. It will survive the final shake.
The response the author calls for is one of worship. Specifically the author calls for acceptable worship. Paul calls acceptable worship the offering of our bodies as one living sacrifice. This echoes the author's emphasis in 12:14-16 on body life and in 10:24-25 on the importance of meeting together. The author also indicates that acceptable worship has a proper view of God's holiness: he is a consuming fire so let us worship in reverence and awe. I think we've (and I've) lost the reverence and awe of God. I see him as Father, as Friend but not as much as King, as God Most High, Possessor of Heaven and Earth. I don't focus on the fact that he is a consuming fire who will absolutely ruin me (but in such a great and scary way) if I truly surrender to him. A consuming fire is never satisfied until it has completely consumed the material. As long as there is something left to consume, it will continue to demand it. This is a picture of God that I don't spend much time contemplating. He wants it all. That is thrilling and scary at the same time.

Mtn vs Mtn

2010-02-02T08:24:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 12:18-27

Here the author compares two mountains. The first, without being names, is obviously Mt. Sinai, where the law was given to Moses. The second is Mt. Zion where the city of Jerusalem rests. The author seems to be revisiting the theme of the supremacy of Christ: Christ is superior because the mountain of the new covenant (Zion) is superior to the mountain of the old covenant (Sinai). The differences are that Mt Sinai is a physical mountain while Mt Zion is spiritual, Mt Sinai is filled with darkness, mystery and death while Mt. Zion is filled with light, joy and life.
The author makes a list of things we have come to: Mount Zion, thousands upon thousands of angels, the church of the firstborn, to God, to the spirits of the righteous (a reference to the great cloud of witnesses?), to Jesus and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. This is an interesting phrase. Abel's blood cried out from the ground to the ear of God and the implied cry was a cry for justice. Justice demanded that someone pay for his murder. Jesus' blood cries out that justice has already been satisfied. When I sin and then truly repent, Jesus' blood cries out on my behalf. The word is the same (justice!) but the implications are very different.
Through the blood of Jesus the curse has been removed. I now approach God with full confidence by the blood of Jesus. My relationship to God is no longer based on law and death but on grace and life. I can join the thousands upon thousands of angels in their joyful assembly and the church of the firstborn because I am being made perfect by of the sacrifice of Christ. I claim the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word...

the anti-example

2010-02-01T15:06:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 12:14-17

The key words or idea here is the idea that we are together in this. The author talks about living in peace and looking out for each other to root out the seeds of bitterness and sexual immorality. I notice that this is not just for the individual but I have a responsibility for my brothers and sisters in Christ. The author contrasts holiness with bitterness, sexual immorality and godlessness. The author equates holiness to living as part of the body (at peace, looking out for each other).
The illustration of godlessness that the author uses is Esau. I've always been somewhat mystified by God's harshness towards Esau, especially in light of the alternative choice: Jacob. However, in this context I can see it most clearly. When compared to the people who lived by faith in Hebrews 11, Esau stands in stark contrast. He had something of immense value which he sold because he could not control his physical appetite. In comparison to what the people of faith suffered and went through for the sake of the promise, Esau did not suffer at all. He was just hungry and couldn't wait to make his own lunch. In some ways, Esau had the promise in his reach because the inheritance and the blessing belonged to him. Humanly speaking, the line of the Seed would go through him. By rights, he stood to inherit the land, the seed and the blessing. He had it in his hand and sold it for a bowl of beans!
Esau stands a great warning to me. I have the promise in hand. I have received the blessing. Yet I do not value it as I should and often am tempted to trade it for little more than a bowl of beans: a moment of enjoyment, a few dollars, my reputation. I am reminded that I do not value my salvation and my inheritance nearly enough.

a word of encouragement?

2010-01-29T16:48:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 12:4-12

This passage strikes me as funny and profound. The author has just listed an inspiring group of people who lived by faith and endured incredible hardships and received incredible blessing because of their conviction that God would keep his promise. Then the author encouraged the readers to run their race with perseverance. Now, the author's encouragement? The hardship you are facing is God's discipline and God only disciplines those he loves, therefore, be encouraged because God loves you and you are his children. The key words in the passage are discipline, love and children.
The author also offers some perspective: while the trials the readers are facing are extreme and very real, they have not yet died for their faith. Others have suffered much more and persevered through it. So, the readers should continue to persevere.
Both of these are great reminders. First, that God loves me but his love is not the passive love that just lets me do whatever I want. As my Father, he will discipline me for his glory and for my ultimate joy. I must learn to see the hardships that I face as an act of love on God's part. Second, the hardships I face are absolutely nothing compared to the hardships others face. The hardships I face are not even directly related to my faith but are just part of regular life: getting cut off in traffic, running late, not having things go as smoothly as I want. I don't think I've ever been persecuted for my faith. Sometimes my faith could be seen to have inconvenienced me in that it would have been easier in the immediate to make an immoral choice. But I have never been thrown in jail, beat up, had my property taken or felt threatened because of my faith. Because of this, I think I have a responsibility to do what the readers of Hebrews did: stand side by side with those who are being publicly exposed to ridicule, insult and persecution.

run!

2010-01-28T09:03:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 12:1-3

There are three exhortations in this section: let us throw off whatever hinders, let us run the race with perseverance and consider Jesus. All three flow out of the fact that there is a great cloud of witnesses who have a vested interest in our success. The author has indicated that the promise they were pursuing all their lives is only attained together with us. After talking about the faith of all these spiritual ancestors, the author return the focus of the book squarely back on Christ: fix your eyes on Jesus... consider him.
Chapter 11 does not take the focus off of Christ but backs up and takes the longer view: remember Abel? He was looking forward to the Seed. Remember Abraham? He was looking forward to the Blessing. Everything that the people of faith were building their lives on was anchored in Christ, the Seed promised to Eve and the Blessing promised to Abraham. So, even though the author is celebrating the faith of these people, everything is still centered on Christ.
The author calls the reader to have the same focus. In this case because Jesus provides an example and hope for those who are going through persecution. He endured the cross because he was focused on the joy set before him. The author calls the reader to consider his example so the reader won't grow weary and lose heart.
It's amazing to me how, right in the middle of trials and difficulties, my focus turns inward to myself. This is a good challenge to me. First, get rid of anything in my life that doesn't help me be the person that Christ has called me to be. This is easy to say but hard to do: do the tv shows I watch need to go? Is the music I listen to helping or hindering? Secondly, focus on Jesus. Consider his trials, his persecution, his death and his joy. I need to raise my eyes above the circumstances and see Jesus.

receiving the promise

2010-01-27T08:39:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:39-40

The key word, as in this entire section, is faith. The author points out that all the people listed and referred to lived by faith and yet none of them received what had been promised. For the author, this is the essence of faith: building your life on what is unseen and hoped for. This speaks against the prosperity gospel which claims that faith gives you riches and success and fulfillment of the promise immediately. According to the author, faith makes you homeless and impoverished and even lifeless because the person of faith is not tied to the things of this world. The person of faith recognizes that there is something better ahead.
The author makes an interesting statement that the perfection or fulfillment of their faith would only happen through us. We, being brought to God through Christ, represent all the hopes of these people who lived by faith before us. In us, and through Christ, the promises God gave to these people are fulfilled. It is no wonder, then, that the author describes them as a great cloud of witnesses. They have a vested interest in our faithfulness because in our faithfulness they see the fulfillment of God's promise. This is what they lived, and sometimes died, for.
Two things: 1) I think we are too tied to the world. I think I am too tied to the world. I love my life. I love my job. I love my house. I don't love my car but I loved my other car. I love the things that technology has to offer and the comforts that this world has to offer and I long for most of them. I envy them. I am too often focused on this world and not on Christ. I value the treasures of this world too much and value the treasure of heaven, which is Christ, too little. 2) We too often see our faith as an individual private act. Paul constantly speaks against this, teaching that our faith is lived out in community. Here, the author goes even further saying that our faith is the fulfillment of the faith of our spiritual ancestors. So, run the race with perseverance... (but now I'm getting ahead of myself!)

the world is not worthy of them

2010-01-26T08:13:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:32-38

The author speeds up the list at this point. He mentions a few names but talks more generally about all those who lived by faith through out Israel's history. At first the characteristics of these people who live by faith are epic: conquering kingdoms, administering justice, shutting the mouths of lions, quenching the fury of the flames, etc. Then the author looks behind the epic moments to reveal the cost of living by faith: torture, imprisonment, beatings, persecution, martyrdom, poverty, shunning, homelessness.
All of this was through faith in that they acted on belief in God and his promises which sometimes meant glorious victory in battle but also meant continuing in their faith in the face of opposition. We tend to think of the results of having faith as beautiful and good, and that will be the case at some point in the future, but we don't necessarily see the results of faith as being jail and torture. Here's an example of what I am trying to say: I have heard it said that some people are not healed of their diseases or injuries because they did not have enough faith. What this passage is saying is that faith is necessary to go through the disease. The person who is not healed looks forward to that day when there will be no more disease. They trust God to sustain them in the midst of their disease, knowing he could heal them if he chose but trusting him to do what is good and will bring him the most glory. That's the kind of faith that these people had in Hebrews 11.
This is the kind of faith that the author is telling me that I should have. I think that we too often see obstacles and opposition as evidence that God does not want us to go down that road. If we believe the destination and the route are from God, then we need to have faith that God will sustain us through whatever obstacles and opposition we might face. Even if I die, God will raise up someone behind me to carry on the task for the good of the kingdom of God and the glory of the King.

aiding and abetting

2010-01-25T09:20:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:31

The author stays in Jericho but turns the spotlight on Rahab. Looking back in the book of Joshua, I find Rahab's story interesting. She indicates that all the citizens had heard news about the nation of Israel and were living in fear of them for it was obvious that God was on their side. However, she is the only one who acts on that fear by suing for peace.
I'm actually struggling with this passage. Probably because I don't fully understand the act of faith that hiding the spies was. To me, Rahab's move seems logical: it's obvious God's hand is with the nation of Israel and her only hope of survival is to side with him and them. However, it can't have been such a logical move if she was the only one to make it. Also, it would have required a significant amount of faith to continue to live in Jericho, trusting the word of the spies, for the time between the spies' visit and the actual conquest of Jericho. I also wonder if she started to doubt when she saw the battle plan unfolding; who conquers a city by marching around it?
There is a similar situation today: God is obviously at work and has provided a way of salvation that seems really logical but also requires faith. Most people in this world aren't making the "logical" conclusion and turning their lives over to Christ. Even some who have grown up with the message and understanding of salvation begin to doubt in the time they wait for the fulfillment of their salvation and they turn away. This reminds me that as logical as my faith may seem to me, it is not really all that logical for it is based on being sure of things hoped for and certain of things unseen.

the walls came tumbling down

2010-01-21T08:55:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 11:30

I am really enjoying this chapter as I am forced to consider the faith behind the biblical stories I grew up with. I grew up with the story of Joshua and Jericho but never really considered the faith involved, both by Joshua and the people:
Imagine that you are the new leader of the nation. Sure, God has shown his power and affirmed your leadership by allowing the nation to cross the Jordan in a similar manner to the way he allowed them to cross the Red Sea. Now you are facing a new obstacle - a walled city. God's command is to take the city and get rid of all the inhabitants in the land but you have never led a military campaign before and your army certainly is not professional! So you start to pray, which is a good response to a shaky situation, and God actually speaks to you to give you the military plan: every day for six days, march once around the city. On day seven, march around the city seven times and then have everyone shout.
I can't imagine going back to my army as their new commander and telling them that this is the plan. I can't imagine standing up before the nation as their brand new leader and laying this out for them. People would think I was crazy! Yet, the people demonstrate incredible faith in Joshua as their leader and in God as the one who both appointed Joshua to lead and laid out this bizarre plan.
I think that our church has become too pragmatic in our decision making. I don't think we should discount logic and good sense too quickly but I think we may prize them too highly. I think that when we make pragmatic decisions we limit our ability to join in the work of God because we miss out on opportunities to see God do amazing things. I'm overstating my case because God is doing amazing things in our church but I worry that we are drifting more and more to a business model and away from the kind of reliance on and faith in God that would move us to march around a city blowing ram's horns.

pathways through oceans

2010-01-20T08:39:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:29

The author continues the list of the people of faith by pointing out the faith of the fledgling nation of Israel who walked through the Red Sea as on dry land. This faith is probably best defined as being sure of what is hoped for. The nation was in an impossible spot; they were pressed up against the water by the approaching Egyptian army. There was no way of escape until God created a path through the water.
I am not facing as dire a situation as the nation of Israel but I do feel like I am approaching a bit of an impossible situation. My wife and I want to adopt another child but it feels like we are pressing up against the deadline of our move. What birth family would choose us when we are moving across the country in about six months? This, compounded by the fact that our agency had no placements over a 12 week period this fall meaning that there were (are?) very few birth moms choosing adoption, makes the situation seem impossible. Yet, we hope. I wouldn't say I have much faith because I am not very sure of what I hope for. However, my faith is not in the situation and circumstances but in God. I have faith that God can create a path through this ocean for us to walk on in that he can still match us with a birth family before we move or he will show himself to be sufficient in our sorrow if we do not have another baby before then. I don't want to face the possibility of the second option but, humanly speaking, it is seeming more and more likely.

more to life than this

2010-01-19T08:32:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 11:24-28

The author focuses on Moses through this section, moving from the faith of his parents to the faith of the man himself. The theme of seeing what is unseen is explicit in this passage - Moses saw him who is invisible. There is also the theme of choosing: Moses chooses temporary mistreatment over temporary pleasure and disgrace for Christ over the treasures of Egypt. This must be because he realized that he would get something better than the temporary pleasure if he persevered through the temporary mistreatment and that disgrace for the sake of Christ would result in honour from Christ which is far better than the treasures of Egypt. This challenges me. I get caught up in the temporary pleasure that sin offers and the temporary treasures of this world. I know that I have something far greater because I have Christ but those commercials are enticing and I am soon led to envy and lust. I acknowledge that those things will not ultimately fulfill me but I am attracted to their shine!
The author mentions Moses' faith in keeping the Passover. Again, this demonstrates incredible trust in God: to escape the angel of death, apply the blood of the lamb to the door frame. Being a worrier, I would be up all night wondering if I applied enough blood, if the angel of death would see it, if I misunderstood the instructions, etc. This is a challenge to me as well: do I trust God to do what he said he would? Do I really trust that the blood of the Lamb is enough for my salvation?

no ordinary fella

2010-01-18T09:55:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:23

The author begins to turn his attention to Moses, starting with the faith of Moses' parents. Moses' parents are not named in this section but they are commended for their faith. The form their faith took was that God would not have them hand their son over to be killed by the Egyptian executioners, believing that God valued life so highly that he would protect their son, and that Moses was a special child, that God had great things planned for him.
I think all parents have that dream but for Moses' parents it was more than a dream. They were certain, or convicted, of the potential of their son. I don't know what form their certainty took. I don't know if they were given hints in dreams or visions or voices but they responded to whatever instruction and vision they had.
I think it's one thing to have faith and make decisions about one's own life but to take those risks and make those decisions on behalf of another increases the level of responsibility. I think it demonstrates great trust in God. I feel that responsibility when it comes to my son. The decisions I make impact his life and I am becoming more and more aware of that. May I have the faith of Moses' parents and the wisdom from God to make wise decisions for my family.

it matters where you bury me

2010-01-17T16:45:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 11:22

I never really thought about the faith of Joseph in this way before. Again, fitting with being certain of what is unseen, Joseph looks through time to the future and asks that his bones not be buried in Egypt because he recognizes that Egypt is not his home despite his phenomenal success there and that his brothers and their descendants will possess the land that God promised to them through Abraham.
On Saturday, at Refuel, I was told by Stephen that the word "certain" in v. 1 is the same word in 2 Timothy 3:16 translated rebuke. Stephen says that this word means to be convicted. The Word of God convicts me in that it provides me with convictions (firm beliefs that transcend circumstance) and in that it reveals my sin and guilt and reminds me that I am deserving only of God's wrath. The faith of these people in Hebrews 11 is more than a certainty, it is a conviction that God will keep his promise even though everything around them indicates that it will not come true. This was certainly the case in Joseph's life. He was so convicted that Egypt was not his home that he made them promise to take his bones with them when they moved into the land promised to them.
I'm trying to think of the promises that God has given me that I need to be as convicted about. I think for me it's the promise of Christ to return to this earth. In my head I know it to be true but I think I've lost the hope of that. I don't live in anticipation of it. I don't think it's because I love earth so much - although it definitely has its moments. I can't put my finger on why this is the case.

seeing the unseen

2010-01-15T14:05:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 11:21

There is an interesting theme developed in Isaac and Jacob in regards to eyesight. Isaac was nearly blind and, as a result this and Jacob's scheming, blessed Jacob over Esau. Jacob was nearly blind and blessed Joseph's younger son over the older. Joseph thought this was a mistake due to Jacob's blindness but Jacob was emphatic. Both men were blind but were given special insight, in one case without his consent, into the unseen. Joseph's younger son would play a leading role in the history of Israel (Joshua was from Ephraim, for example). This fits very well with the author's theme: faith is being certain of the unseen.
I love the image of Jacob worshiping while leaning on his staff. All his life he was so dependent on himself and in his old age he is dependent on his staff for physical support and dependent on God for life. I pray that I would learn that lesson earlier in my life than Jacob did.

unfulfilled promise?

2010-01-14T08:28:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:20

Isaac is the patriarch to whom the author turns his attention next but he only gets the briefest of mentions. I have to wonder if Isaac was a bit of a failure. He certainly had all the potential to be a great person of faith. He was the promised son (although Abraham was clear that he was not the Promised Son) through whom the promises of God to Abraham would be fulfilled. Yet, he remains pretty obscure in Scripture for someone that was carrying all that promise and he barely warrants a mention in this list of people of great faith. Even the thing he is commended for is pretty weak: by faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. Which sounds pretty cool. It sounds like Isaac looked into what was unseen and made bold predictions about the future of Jacob and Esau. The problem is that the biblical record in Genesis indicates that he intended to give Esau the blessing he gave to Jacob. Jacob and his mom tricked Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing intended for Esau. From the record in Genesis, it is clear that Isaac's intentions were contrary to God's intentions. Isaac favoured Esau even though God had clearly indicated that Jacob was the one who would carry the line of the Promised Seed.
So here's what I take away about God from this passage: 1) that his ways are not the ways of the world. In Isaac's time, Esau should have been the one who received the blessing because he was the oldest. Even in our time, Esau was the more deserving. Jacob was a weasel; a sneaky, underhanded younger brother. But God chose to bless Jacob. 2) that God will fulfill his purpose and his promise even when humans are working in the opposite direction. Isaac's intention was to bless Esau but God's intention was to bless Jacob. In the end, God won (he always does!). 3) God is incredibly gracious. Despite all the unfulfilled potential and promise of Isaac, he still fulfilled the intention of God and finds himself on the list of people of great faith. That's the grace of God on display!
Besides a better picture of God, I'm taking away from this passage that it is better to join God on his plans and in his work no matter who much better I think my plans are or how illogical God's work seems. He will accomplish his purpose and my only choice is to join him or be against him. I think it's pretty clear what happens when I work against the purposes of God...

ultimate sacrifice

2010-01-13T08:45:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:17-19

I am struck by Abraham's faith. Abraham trusted God enough to obey him even when it didn't make logical sense: God told him that through Isaac the promise would be fulfilled and now God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. As cruel as this sounds, it is consistent with the rest of the OT: the firstborn belongs to God because the firstborn represents the whole family and the family is sinful. The wages of sin is death and so the firstborn must die. However, God in his grace provided a ransom that could be paid to redeem the life of the firstborn. Abraham has faith, before this ransom was instituted, that God would provide a substitute for his son or that God would raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill his promise to Abraham.
This is really about worship. The danger for Abraham was that Isaac would become the promise rather than the one through whom the promise was fulfilled. Isaac points to Jesus who is the ultimate. Isaac is not. But the danger is that Isaac would become ultimate for Abraham; that Isaac would become the object of Abraham's ultimate attention, affection and worship. God is reminding Abraham that God is the ultimate.
I wonder what I am making ultimate in my life. Maybe the blessings of God are taking the place of the person of God. Maybe ideals and things of this world are taking the place of God. I know my reputation and the praise of people is always a threat to take over the ultimate spot in my life. I wonder what I love too much. I wonder what God might be calling me to sacrifice so that God can have the glory, attention and affection that I owe him. I can't think of much beyond my reputation and the praise of people.
I wonder how I would respond if God asked me to do something that did not make any sense from a human perspective. I wonder if God has asked me to do something like this (not literally kill my son, obviously, but give something up or do something that doesn't make sense humanly) but I have dismissed it as something that didn't make sense. I pray that God would give me great sensitivity to know what is threatening to take the place of God in my life and to know what is his voice and command even when it doesn't make sense.

longing for home

2010-01-12T08:15:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 12:13-16

The author interrupts the description of Abraham's life to lay out a more general description of all the people who lived by faith in the OT. The author lists descriptors: still living by faith when they died, did not receive the things promised, lived as foreigners and strangers on earth, longing for heaven. The theme of being certain of what is unseen is continued in this passage.
The main theme of this passage is that the people of faith realize that they have no place to call home here on earth. They are longing for a heavenly country for which they were made and, according to the author, God is pleased with this faith for he has prepared a city for them - a place they can call home.
This passage teaches me that God is trustworthy and is the fulfillment of all my longings. When I long for a home, a place to belong, God has already built it. My role, according to this passage, is to have faith that I will someday find myself as a citizen of this city. I am struck by the faith of these people who, even though they were dying without receiving the things promised to them, still held on to faith that not even death could prevent God from fulfilling the promises. I want that kind of faith - that despite all the circumstancial evidence, believes that God can rise above or worth through the circumstances to fulfill his promises. I am also struck by the allegiance these people had to heaven. It prevented them from feeling truly at home in this world. I am a proud Canadian and feel very at home in most of Canada. However, the truth is that Canada is not really my home. I fear that I have become too attached to this country and to this world. I would like the Spirit to cultivate a healthy longing for heaven in me.

looking for a city

2010-01-06T08:38:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:8-12

The key words in this paragraph are: faith (repeated four times), obeyed, promise. The focus of this section is Abraham, with a minor focus on Sarah. The author contrasts the temporary nature of Abraham's (as well as Isaac's and Jacob's) sojourn in the land to the permanent nature of the city that they were looking forward to. There is a comparison, or word-play, between the faith of Abraham and Sarah and the faithfulness of God: "By faith Sarah... considered him faithful."
The focus of this section is that Abraham's faith moved him to obedience even though he didn't see the whole picture. In fact, Genesis 12 and Hebrews 11:8 make it clear that he obeyed without knowing where he was eventually going to end up. This section also makes it clear that the Promised Land was not the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise. Abraham understood that the Promised Land was just the beginning and was temporary - there was still a permanent city that was to come. Revelations 21 describes this city for us. I look forward to the same thing that Abraham looked forward to in faith.
This passage speaks of God's faithfulness in fulfilling his promise even in the face of the impossible. He fulfilled his promise to Abraham even though Sarah was old and barren and Abraham was as good as dead. This tells me that nothing will stand in the way of God fulfilling his promises and his purposes in this world. Even though a thousand people and circumstances will stand in the way and logic demands that it is impossible, God still has the ability to work in and through and beyond circumstances. This is the faith that Abraham had. It is the faith that I can have as well. For example, it seems impossible that a birth family would choose us when they see that we are planning to move in six months. However, if God's plan is that we would adopt again, he will not allow that deadline to stop him. Today I trust the God who works in impossible circumstances.

holy fear

2010-01-05T08:23:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:7

The next person to make the author's list of those who had great faith is Noah. I think it's a bit strange that Noah, whose story takes a few chapters in Genesis, gets one verse, while Enoch, whose story only takes a couple of verses in Genesis, gets two verses. I get the impression that Enoch was more important to the Hebrews than the biblical record would indicate (this is supported by Jude's quotation from Enoch).
The key words in this verse are: faith (repeated three times in one verse!) and righteousness. The author emphasizes his theme of being certain of what we do not see. Here it is the coming judgment that Noah does not yet see but he has faith that what God told him would come to pass and, in faith and holy fear, built a boat to escape the judgment. His faith condemns the world and makes him an heir of righteousness.
I struggle with the whole concept of fear. I know I am supposed to fear the Lord and most pop-commentators say that means to respect the Lord. However, I think fear went a lot deeper than just respect in the biblical accounts. But I don't know why I am supposed to fear the Lord. Jesus says I should fear the one who can not just harm my body but can condemn my soul and my body. That would be cause for fear. But the bible makes it clear that I don't have to fear that condemnation any longer because I have put my faith in Christ and the fact that his death has paid the penalty for my sin; if God were to condemn me now, he would be unjust. If I approach God on my own merit, then I have much to be afraid of. But I approach God on Christ's merit. I guess I fear God in the sense that he will continue to deal with and eradicate sin and anything that does not conform to the image of Christ. I am afraid of what he might take from me. I am also afraid that God may not be trustworthy. I know that this is an irrational fear but there have been times in my life when I felt that God was setting me up with great hope and expectation only to pull the rug out from under me... sort of like Lucy continually pulling the football away from Charlie Brown just as he's going to kick it. I guess there is a sense of fear that with God in control he can and will do whatever he wants to bring him glory. However, I know that God is good and so that fear is not at all warranted.
I think that it is significant that Noah's fear was in regard to the coming judgment. Maybe that's supposed to be my fear as well; not because of what I might face but because of what people in my life will face apart from Christ. I also think it is significant that Noah's fear was holy. It was a different, pure, righteous kind of fear. I think this means that it was rooted in God's character and that it didn't debilitate him but motivated him to action. When I understand who God is and who I am apart from Christ, that shouldn't freeze me up - it should move me to act.

pleasing God

2010-01-04T08:57:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 11:5-6

The author is continuing the list of those people in Israel's history who lived by faith. The key words in this section are taken, please God, faith. The author focuses on Enoch in this section. Enoch doesn't get much press in the Bible but the press he does get is very significant. He is barely mentioned in Genesis, standing out only because he walked with God and was no more because God took him (Genesis 5:22&24). The author picks up on that theme here in this section recognizing that it was Enoch's faith that made it possible for him to please God.
The author's argument is that Enoch pleased God because he had faith in God. The author argues that it is impossible to please God without faith in him because in order to please God, one must come to God and in order to come to God one must have faith that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The emphasis that God places on faith continues to astound me. Here I am reminded that Enoch was commended because of his faith. God was pleased with his faith. In the parable of the talents, it is the servants' faithfulness that is commended. The master is pleased with their faithfulness. I tend to complicate things beyond where they need to be complicated. I make all kinds of effort to please God. The reality is that God is pleased by my faith.

still speaking...

2009-12-31T08:44:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:4

The key words are faith, righteous and speaks. The person the author focuses on in this verse is Abel. The connection is that Abel was one from Israel's history who demonstrated great faith. The reason the author includes this list of people is to remind the readers that they are part of the spiritual line who does not shrink back in the face of adversity but believes and is saved (10:39). The people in the list are individuals who are examples of faith in the face of extraordinary odds.
Abel's faith moved him to bring a better sacrifice to God than Cain brought. His faith resulted in God declaring him righteous. There is all kinds of speculation about why Abel's sacrifice was more acceptable to God than Cain's was. Some speculate it was because Abel brought some of the best of his flocks, some speculate it was because Abel's sacrifice involved blood. The truth is that neither Genesis or Hebrews really tell us. All we know is that Abel's sacrifice was motivated by faith. Probably faith in the fact that God was one day going to bring about the Seed that would crush the head of evil forever. This is supported by the fact that faith in the coming Seed and in the coming city is a theme through Hebrews 11. So, Abel's sacrifice was an act of trust in the work of God. Abel trusted God for salvation. Cain trusted himself. The Genesis account indicates that Eve thought Cain was the Seed and Cain has a record of taking matters into his own hands. His sacrifice, rather than being an act of faith in the work of God, is an attempt to gain salvation. In other words, Cain is trying to manipulate God. This self-reliant attitude is prevalent in human history. Against this back drop of self-reliance, Abel's act of faith stands out and continues to speak to us today.
What does it say to us? That God has accomplished salvation and there is no work left to do. It also tells us that God will not be manipulated. I will never be able to get God to owe me anything because of the quality of my service, my sacrifice or my life. It also tells us that God responds favourably to worship from pure motives. Abel's worship was in response to God's provision of salvation. Here's the paradox: when my worship is in response to God's goodness, God responds favourably to my worship; when my worship is an attempt to get God to respond favourably to me, God rejects my worship. There are many times that my worship has been an attempt at manipulation and more focused on me than on God.

seeing the invisible

2009-12-29T08:43:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 11:1-3

The author defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The author will support this definition by reciting those things for which the ancients were commended. The author gives the first example in verse 3: we haven't seen the universe spoken into existence by God but by faith we are certain that this is how the universe came into existence. Now, there is still lots of room for interpretation in the phrase "the universe was formed at God's command."
Even in the formation of the universe the author expands the theme of visible and invisible: what we see was made from what was unseeable (yep, made that word up!). It's a theme that is going to be perpetuated through this chapter: people acting on what was unseen. The author's point is to move the audience to the same kind of faith when facing the situations they are currently in: it might not seem like God is intervening but faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see so the audience can have faith that God is at work to bring about their ultimate redemption, to establish his kingdom in the hearts of humans and, eventually, on earth and that he is present with them in the midst of their severe persecution.
Some of the more ancient traditions and, I think, Hebrew teaching describes God as one who cannot be known. There is truth to that. God is indefinable by scientific standards. He cannot be measured or quantified. While some have seen something of his glory and some have heard him speak, I have never touched, smelt, tasted, heard, or seen God. I think he refuses to reveal himself to me according to any of my senses because he knows that I would then define him by and limit him to that experience and as soon as I do that, I have created God according to my image.
The obvious action plan for me would be to say that I was going to have more faith. However, I know that I can't manufacture faith on my own. I need God to give me the ability to even trust. How often I've prayed the prayer of Thomas: Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief.

the need to persevere

2009-12-24T09:16:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 10:32-39

The author continues with the theme of perseverance. In this section, the author uses positive reinforcement to motivate the reader to persevere. In the previous section, the author used negative reinforcement. The author commends the audience for standing firm under severe persecution in the past and reminds them of their need to continue to persevere in the present.
The author lists the positive actions of the audience in the past: publicly exposed to insult, stood with those who were publicly exposed to insult, suffered with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of property. The key to their perseverance is seen at the end of verse 34: you yourselves knew that you had better and lasting possessions. The audience understood that no matter what was done to them on earth that there was something better waiting for them in eternity that could not be taken away by humans. The author encourages the audience that eternity is closer than they think.
I need this mindset. I need to remember that there is something coming that is far better than anything the present has to offer. If I truly understood what eternity was about, even just a little bit of it, I would be much bolder in my work for the kingdom of heaven, I would hold on to my possessions much more loosely and I would not be as stressed about finances.

the hands of the living God

2009-12-23T08:30:00.004-07:00

Hebrews 10:26-31

The key idea in this paragraph is that a terrible judgment is waiting for those who deliberately treat as unholy the blood of Christ. The connection to the previous paragraph is that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins so those who continue to deliberately sin after receiving knowledge of Christ's sacrifice have no other sacrifice to depend on. If there is no hope of salvation because they have rejected the sacrifice of Christ, then the only hope, or expectation, is judgment.
The author uses very graphic words to describe both the judgment and the sinfulness of those who deliberately turn from God's grace. The judgment is described as raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. The deliberate sinfulness is described in terms of trampling Christ underfoot, treating the blood of the new covenant as unholy and insulting the Spirit.
This helps me to understand the horror of my willful sinfulness. It drives me to repentance. I have not only knowledge of the truth but encounters with the Truth. Yet, I have willfully sinned. According to the author, I have not only sinned by thinking or acting in rebellion against God, I have deepened my sin by cheapening the grace of God and making the blood of Christ common and unholy. What grace that I am still alive! What grace that I still have salvation and the Spirit! What grace that the hands of the living of God have become a place of rest, shelter and protection instead of a place of judgment, wrath and fear!
I am struck by the image of God's hands. By the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ, I no longer fear being in his hands. In fact, there is no other place I'd rather be. And, by the grace of God and the work of Christ, I can place people in God's hands knowing that he will protect and provide grace and mercy for their time of need. Yes, God's hands are still a dreadful place to be for those who disregard the holiness of the blood of Christ but they are an awesome place to be for those who are covered by the grace of Christ.

putting the spurs to you!

2009-12-22T08:19:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 10:19-25

This paragraph is a "since, then" construction. There is a lot of theological information in this paragraph but it is basically a summary of the author's arguments up to this point from which a conclusion is drawn. The author uses the word "therefore" to connect the practical application to the previous arguments. The subject is: what should we do since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy place and a great high priest over the house of God? The complement: We should draw near to God with a sincere heart, hold unswervingly to the hope we profess and spur each other on to love and good deeds.
I think it is significant that one of the ways that we can spur each other on to love and good deeds is to meet together. At least one of the purposes of meeting together is for mutual encouragement. The author speaks directly against those who are giving up this habit and appeals to the imminent return of Christ as a reason to continue. However, just getting together is not what the author has in mind. For there to be actual encouragement and "spurring" taking place, we must be willing to be vulnerable and honest with those we meet together with (wow! bad grammar!). There must be those with whom we can be completely open and vulnerable and who will call us on our masks and b.s. I've never been spurred but they don't look very comfortable for the horse. I think that if I have the kind of community that the author is referring to here, it won't be comfortable at times but it will be good!
I think this passage is very appropriate for the time of year. I love the sentimentality of Christmas but it is so much more than a sentiment or "Christmas spirit." This passage reminds me what Christmas is about: God became flesh so he could bleed and by his blood a way has been open for me to draw near to God and to have an everlasting hope.

not necessary

2009-12-21T09:42:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 10:15-18

The superiority of the new covenant is seen in that the laws of the covenant are written on our hearts and not on tablets of stone... although my heart certainly resembles stone at times. I think this means that we are no longer dependent on legal experts and priests to interpret the laws for us. The Holy Spirit is at work in each of us to interpret the laws of the new covenant. We have the Word, the Spirit and the Church and in this new covenant, each member of the Church has as much to contribute to my understanding as anyone else. While there are those who are certainly wiser and more studied, the Spirit is the real "legal expert" and as the Spirit has been given in equal measure to each of us, just as God had apportioned, there is no way that I can discount the contribution of anyone.
The key to the covenant is the forgiveness of sins. I love the simplicity of the final statement of this paragraph: "and where these (sins) have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary." I think I still find this hard to believe. I know, of course, that I don't have to find an unblemished sheep or a spotless ox and burn it on an altar but I am still making sacrifices for my sin in other ways - I'm trying to earn my salvation. What I'm really saying by doing this is that Christ's sacrifice is insufficient. The truth is that it is more than sufficient. Instead of de-valuing the sacrifice of Christ, I want to accept it totally and completely.

I'm Perfect

2009-12-17T08:26:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 10:11-14

The author contrasts the repetitive daily religious duties of the priests in the temple with the one time sacrifice of Christ. The author uses an almost comic image: the image is of priests scurrying around, performing the same tasks day in and day out. Then Jesus steps us, performs one superior sacrifice and sits down in his easy chair, waiting for his footstool to be brought to him. It's a picture of royal relaxation. I don't want to down play the significance of Christ's sacrifice for it is vital and bigger than I can fully fathom but the image of Jesus relaxing while the priests scurry is humorous to me.
The author also contrasts the results of Christ's sacrifice to the results of the daily sacrifices of the priests: the priests' sacrifices can never take away sin but Christ's sacrifice made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Two things I see in that phrase: one, that I have been made perfect forever by the sacrifice of Christ. This means that there is nothing I can do to make myself more perfect. Everything has already been accomplished in Christ so my perfection is no credit to myself. There is no ability or characteristic in myself that makes me perfect. I needed an outside force to achieve perfection. Secondly, I am still in the process of being made holy. I think holy and perfect are synonyms with slightly different meanings. So the author is basically saying that Christ's sacrifice has achieved perfection for those who are in the process of being made perfect. It sounds like an oxymoron but there is truth to it. In regards to the justice of God, I am wholly justified through the sacrifice of Christ - I am already perfect. When it comes to fully realizing and living out that justification, I still have a long way to go - I am being made perfect.
Both are a result of Christ's sacrifice. Yes, I believe that I have a minor role to play in working out my salvation but even my ability to live out my perfection is completely dependent on the grace of God in Christ. I will never be able to boast (which 'nucks because I like boasting) because I have done nothing except believe.

What does God want?

2009-12-16T09:22:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 10:5-10

So, God sets up this system of sacrifice, law and temple rituals and now the author is shredding it because something superior has come through Christ. All the arguments so far make sense but it does raise the question, how could the common person in Israel have known that the temple rituals were not enough? For that matter, how could anyone outside of Israel have known about God and his requirements? First, I think that this speaks to the huge responsibility that leaders had and continue to have. The common person in Israel probably was not able to read and was completely dependent on the religious experts for not just interpretation of the covenant but to read the covenant to them. The NT writers also speak of the huge responsibility that teachers and leaders have. This responsibility, when I understand it fully, fills me with incredible fear. By God's grace, this is not the debilitating fear that prevents me from doing anything but the motivating fear that causes me to be very careful in my actions, words and interactions.
In these few words from Psalm 40 the whole sacrificial system would be threatened: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire." The author even mentions that these offerings were offered according to the Law. In other words, the people were being obedient to what they knew. I mean looking back it is clear that the psalm was pointing to obedience being more important than rituals and, ultimately, to the obedience of Christ and his ultimate sacrifice. But how were the people who were living then supposed to see that?
My main concern is that if the people who lived under the Old Covenant were unable to see the coming promise of the future New Covenant, what am I missing? Is it possible that, just as the religious leaders then misinterpreted the role of the temple rituals and the law, religious leaders today are misinterpreting the Scripture? The author will argue that people who lived under the Old Covenant, and even before the Old Covenant, were able to see beyond the Covenant and rituals to the Promise by faith (chapter 11). I guess the answer to my concern is to continue to grow in faith in God; that the Spirit will illuminate my mind and heart to understand and, more importantly, obey the Scripture. It is also to see that everything, including the sacrificial system and laws of the former covenant, points to Christ. If I keep seeking Christ, I won't miss the point.

Shadows

2009-12-04T16:14:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 10:1-4

Key words: law, shadow, reality, sacrifice, perfect/cleanse and sins. The main argument is that the law is a shadow of the good things that are to come and, by implication, that the new covenant brings the realities of those shadows. Putting it in literary terms, the author is saying that the law with its tabernacle and religious rituals is foreshadowing the reality of the new covenant with its heavenly tabernacle and the sacrifice of Christ. The implication is that the shadow cannot be greater than the reality and therefore Christ and his new covenant is superior.
In this section the author argues his point but directing the reader's attention to the sacrificial system that is part of the old covenant. The author contends that the sacrifices offered year after year do not make anyone perfect. If they did, there would be no need to offer them again. This is a clue to when the book of Hebrews was written; the temple was destroyed in 70AD bringing a forceful end to the sacrificial system. The author indicates that at the time of writing, the sacrificial system is still in operation. This means it is likely that the book was written sometime before 70AD.
The author talks about the sacrificial system in much the same way that Paul talks about the law: Pauls says that the law "caused" sin and the author states that the sacrificial system, rather than wiping away the guilt of sin, acts as a yearly memorial to sin. I don't think that being reminded of my sin is a bad thing as long as it ends in worship. I think that part of remembering my Lord's death by eating bread and drinking wine is reflecting on the cause of his death - my sin. Not to heap guilt on myself - for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ - but to increase my awe at the incredible unconditional love that Christ displayed for me and at the incredible way that he satisfied the justice and grace of God. I no longer live in the time of shadows. I live in the time of realized grace and forgiveness. I don't have to dream about being forgiven and pure; I can experience it now through Christ's blood.

Written in Blood

2009-12-03T08:21:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 9:16-28

This is a longer section where the author talks about the necessity of death to bring a will or covenant into effect. He points to the old covenant which was only put into effect by the blood of animals. Moses sprinkled the scroll, the people, the tabernacle and everything in it. The author concludes that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness.
If the copies of the heavenly things were cleansed through animal sacrifice, then a greater and better sacrifice is necessary for the heavenly things to be consecrated. Jesus' sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices offered under the Mosaic covenant because Jesus sacrifice consecrates the real tabernacle in heaven, not just its earthly copies and because Jesus sacrifice stands for all time, unlike the constant animal sacrifices necessary under the Mosaic covenant.
The author's is using a very hebraic logical argument which, in overly simplistic terms, sort of looks like a wheel: the main point is the hub and the arguments which prove the main point are the spokes. Rather than following one spoke all the way to argue for the main point, the hebraic logical argument moves around the wheel from spoke to spoke gradually making its way to the center. If we were to re-write Hebrews to fit a western (or greek) logical argument, we would state our main idea (the supremacy of Christ and then we would take all the sections about Christ's priesthood being superior to the Aaronic priesthood and put them all in the same spot and then take all the arguments about Christ's sacrifice being greater than the sacrifices of the tabernacle and put them all in the same spot, and then all the arguments about the heavenly tabernacle where Christ serves as being superior to the earthly tabernacle where the priests serve and put them all at the same spot, etc.
Because of the hebraic construct of this book, we find elements of all those arguments in this section. In our minds it seems repetitive, which it is but each time the author revisits or incorporates one of the spokes, it is explored more fully with the goal of moving the reader ever inward towards the conclusion that Christ is superior to anything in the old system and covenant.

Eternal Inheritance

2009-12-02T09:23:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 9:15

Almost every word in this verse is a key word. The main key words are: covenant, inheritance, and ransom. This verse connects to the previous verses: "for this reason" refers to the superiority of Christ's sacrifice and tabernacle. Because Christ's sacrifice and blood has cleansed us eternally and completely, he is the mediator of the new covenant. It also connects to the subsequent verses in that the idea of an inheritance is continued: we only receive an inheritance when someone dies and the new "will" or "covenant" only comes into effect when someone dies. Therefore, the death of Christ is necessary for the covenant to come into effect and for us to receive our inheritance.
As one who has been called, I live free of the old covenant and the sins committed under the old covenant by the death and blood of Christ. In this season of advent, I think it is essential for me to remember that the story of Christmas does not end in a manger but climaxes in a cross and an empty grave. The hope of Christmas is realized in the crucifixion.

A Superior Sacrifice

2009-12-01T10:48:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 9:11-14

The author contrasts the heavenly tabernacle (perfect and actual) to the earthly tabernacle (imperfect and symbolic), the ministry of the priests to the ministry of Christ and the blood of Christ to the blood of the bulls and goats. In doing this, the author is showing that the redemption that Christ secured for us is eternal and complete as contrasted to the redemption secured by goats and calves which is temporary and external.
The purpose for which Christ saves us is so that we may serve the living God. This blows apart the religious way of thinking: I serve God so that I can be saved. The author is asserting that the message and sacrifice of Christ tells us that it is impossible to serve and please God until we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.
As much as I have been raised with this knowledge and have even taught this truth I still have a tendency to revert to a religious way of thinking: that I do these acts in order to put God in my debt. I must repent of this sinful thinking and constantly remind myself, with the help of the Spirit, that I serve at the pleasure of God only because I have already been cleansed. God owes me nothing and never will. I owe God everything - not out of obligation, not because I could ever earn or repay him for his grace but because I am continually growing in my understanding of what Christ has done for me which stirs up a response of love which moves me to service.

A Virtual Tour of the Old Tabernacle

2009-11-17T05:59:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 9:1-10

In this section, the author describes the layout and function of the old tabernacle. This continues the author's thought about the superiority of the heavenly temple compared to the earthly system. The train of thought is something like: since Jesus presides over a superior system, he must also be superior over all things.
There are two phrases that catch my attention. The first is in v. 8 where the author states that the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed. The author isn't saying that there was some magic password that was necessary but that accss into the Most Holy Place had not been granted to the ordinary person - they were still dependent on the High Priest to represent them to God. The implication for me is that I now have access to the Most Holy Place through the blood of Christ - which the author will explore more fully in the next section.
The other phrase is at the end of verse 7 where it indicates that the high priest offered sacrifices for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. I'm not sure what that phrase means. It either means that the people had committed sins in ignorance and that the offering of the high priest covers even those sins or that the high priest was making an offering without knowing what the sins of the people were. Either way this is good news: either it means that the sins that I commit without even really knowing I was sinning are still covered by the blood of Christ or else it is a comparison; the high priest made offerings without even knowing what the sins of the people were but Jesus, fully knowing each one of my sins, took all that sin on himself, and all the wrath of God that went with them, when he died for me. Either way, my response is "hallelujah, what a Saviour!"

New and Improved...

2009-11-10T08:33:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 8:7-13

Up to this point, the author has focused on the superior priesthood of Christ. As proof, the author emphasized that Jesus belonged to the priestly order of Mechizedek (superior to the levitical priesthood) and ministered in the heavenly sanctuary (superior to the earthly tabernacle). As part of the argument, the author made a statement that the new priesthood required a new law or new covenant. Now the author is arguing that the new covenant is superior to the old.
The author's argument is that there would be no need for a new covenant if there was nothing wrong with the old covenant. Therefore, by its very existence, the new covenant shows itself to be superior to the old covenant. The author directs the reader's attention to Jeremiah 31:31-34 to remind the reader that the new covenant was promised by God even while the old covenant was still in existence. At the end of the quote, the author declares that the new makes the old obsolete.
The features of the new covenant are quite interesting: it involves both Israel and Judah, which, at the time of Jeremiah, were two separate kingdoms. Therefore the new covenant is going to re-unite what is separated. Obviously, looking back from our position in history, the full implications are that even Gentiles are going to be brought in as part of the new covenant. The new covenant will be unconditional. Unlike the old covenant which depended on the faithful observance of the nation, the new covenant will depend solely on the faithfulness of God and the sacrifice of Christ. The new covenant will do away with the religious structures and rituals of the old. God will speak directly to people and it will not be necessary to go through a human priest or a religious ritual to approach him. He will write his laws directly on the hearts and minds of the people. They will no longer need to rely on priests for the Lord will reveal himself directly to people. The new covenant will be based on the forgiveness of sin.
I am so glad that I live in the time of the new covenant. If I lived during the time of the old covenant, I think that I would be someone who is very good at observing the rituals and traditions but my life and heart would be void of any spiritual vitality. I would miss the point of the rituals and focus on the rituals themselves. I am glad that I live in a time when the Spirit speaks directly to people and is not mediated through a priestly system. I am glad that I live in a time when Jesus is my superior high priest of a superior priestly order and has brought in a superior covenant with superior promises. I am humbled that God has chosen me to be one to whom he has revealed himself and in whom he has written his law. What a privilege and what grace!

Superior Ministry, Superior Covenant, Superior Promises

2009-11-05T08:24:00.003-07:00

Hebrews 8:3-6

The key words in this section are: priest, offerings, gifts, covenant, ministry, promises. The author contrasts the earthly high priests and their ministry to Jesus and his ministry. The author also contrasts the old covenant and its promises to the new covenant and its promises. The author's argument is: The ministry of Jesus is superior to the ministry of the earthly priests because the place where Jesus ministers is superior to the place where the earthly priests minister. The author's proof of the supremacy of the heavenly "temple" is that the earthly sanctuary is a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary.
The author then turns to the covenants: the new covenant is superior to the old covenant because the promises upon which the new covenant is built are superior to the promises upon which the old covenant is built. The author is going to argue for the superiority of the new covenant in the next section.
I am struck by how the author glosses over the sacrifice of Christ at this point. It is referred to in verse 3 saying that because all priests were appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices then Jesus also had to have something to offer. The author does not say anything else about it until chapter 10. I would think the author would want to get to the sacrifice quickly because it, at least by my Western way of thinking, proves the supremacy of Christ completely; the sacrifice he offers is superior to the sacrifices of the priest. However, I think in the Hebrew way of thinking, the author has to first prove that Jesus was a priest who was qualified and authourized to make offerings. I just learned at our CS Lewis Christian Thought Series with Dr. Flint that the Jewish rabbis and legal experts were most concerned with the covenants and legal sections of the Bible. In this light, it makes complete sense for the author to lay a foundation from the covenant and the law to show the qualifications and supremacy of Christ.
I am also struck by the author's boldness. In our Canadian tolerance, I am very careful about how I speak about and to other people's belief systems. I am still convinced that there is a place for respect and gentleness. However, the author reminds me that there is also a place for boldness and courage. I must not shrink from the truth. If Christ's ministry is superior and the promises of Christ are superior, I must not be afraid to show them to be superior. Spirit, help me to be bold and courageous. Help me to keep truth and love in its rightful balance. I tend towards one extreme or the other: loveless truth or truthless love. Keep me centered.

The True Tabernacle

2009-11-04T08:35:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 8:1-2

The author states his main point: "we have such (referring back to the superior priestly order of Melchizedek) a high priest, who sat down forever (indicating that he is no longer offering sacrifices because his one sacrifice was enough for all people - if they accept it on their behalf - for all time. This means that his sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices offered in the old, levitical order) at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven (indicating the superior position of Christ as compared to the position of the earthly, levitical priests. Jesus has authourity and favour), and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being (making this tabernacle with its accompanying law or covenant, priestly order, and high priest superior to the the one made by human hands with its accompanying law, priestly order and high priests)."
What an amazing picture of Jesus! He is our priest. I no longer have to go through human mediators to get to God. I now have direct access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus. He mediates my access to the Father. His sacrifice has made it possible for me to be forgiven of all my sins for all time. His sacrifice demands that God, in his justice, not hold my sin against me, if I ask for forgiveness, because he has already held it against Christ. What a Saviour! What a new deal, or covenant, I have through Christ! This moves me to worship. What an amazing God who would pour out all the judgment I deserve on his Son so that I could become his son. What an amazing deal that Christ would give his life for me - his perfect, full, pure life - and take mine in return - my wavering, broken, sinful life. My heart cannot contain it. My mind cannot fathom it. I am so unworthy of it. What an amazing priest!

The Perfect Priest

2009-11-03T08:31:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 7:26-28

The author contrasts Jesus, the priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, with the priests under the Levitical system. The priests in the levitical order had to offer sacrifices continually, first to cover their own sins and then for the sins of the people. Jesus, as the great high priest, offered only one sacrifice when he offered himself as the perfect, eternal sacrifice on sinners' behalf. This supports the author's point that Jesus is the High Priest that we need; that in his perfection, holiness, blamelessness, purity, etc. he truly provides the way for us to be reconciled to God. This makes Jesus not only superior to the levitical priests and the Jewish temple rituals but it makes him perfect.
Again, I am reminded that my hope is built on nothing besides Jesus and that is all I need for hope, salvation, reconciliation and justification. By grace alone through faith alone.

Eternal Priesthood

2009-11-02T10:51:00.002-07:00

Hebrews 7:20-25

The author is continuing his sermon on Psalm 110:4, exploring the Melchizedek priestly order that Jesus has become high priest in. The author now focuses on the oath that God made to this priestly line, and to the Messiah in particular, and the new covenant that Jesus brings in as the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. This goes back to the author's main point: the supremacy of Christ and of the new covenant.
He argues his point by contrasting the Melchizedek priestly order with the Levitical order: First, God has guaranteed that the Melchizedek order would be eternal, and that the Messiah would be the eternal high priest, by an oath; he has never made that guarantee to the Levitical order. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus rests securely on God's promise and oath and is therefore superior to the Levitical priesthood. Second, the Levitical priests were mortal and therefore there were a lot of them; Jesus' priesthood is eternal because Jesus lives forever. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus is superior because it lasts forever. This means that the covenant that we have under the priesthood of Christ is also superior in that it rests on God's oath, lasts as long as Jesus is high priest (forever!) and, therefore, we are offered a complete salvation (contrasted to the "partial" salvation available under the law).
My salvation rests in Christ's ability to intercede on my behalf. Because he is always alive, he is always able to point to his blood that was the payment for all my sins. When I ask for forgiveness, Christ, as high priest, takes that request to his Father, pointing to his shed blood which demands that God forgive my sin because Jesus has already paid for it and it would be unjust for God to demand two payments. What an incredible plan God has brought! What a great salvation has been purchased on my behalf! There is no reason to fear that God's mercy will ever run out because my forgiveness depends as much on his justice as it does his mercy. Jesus sacrifice completely and forever satisfies the justice of God and I am saved for all time in all areas of my life. Thank-you for saving me! What can I say?

Priesthood of Melchizedek

2009-10-29T08:34:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 7:11-19

It's certainly true that the author is going to leave the elementary teachings! This is some tough stuff to figure out. Basically the author is comparing the Levitical system to the new system that has been brought in under Christ. So the key words in this section are: priesthood, law, change, hope. The author is continuing his exposition of Psalm 110:4 (You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek). The author has explored who Melchizedek was and why his priesthood was greater than the Levitical priesthood (see the previous post). Now the author is setting out to prove that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek and therefore fulfills Psalm 110:4. This is to prove the greater point of the supremacy of Christ over any Jewish system, covenant or ritual. The author uses the following points to prove his point: 1) The eternal nature of the Melchizedek order indicates that the Levitical order was not enough to achieve perfection. Therefore the Melchizedek order is better than the Levitical order. 2) With a change in priesthood comes a change in the law. It is only possible for Jesus to be a high priest if there is a change in the law since under the Old Covenant, only descendants of Levi could be priests and only descendants of Aaron could be high priests. Since the Melchizedek order is greater than the Levitical order, then the covenant that the new order brings in must be greater than the covenant that existed under the Levitical order. 3) Jesus did not belong to the tribe of Levi or the line of Aaron. Therefore he could not be a high priest in the Levitical order under the old covenant. Jesus becomes a high priest by virtue of his indestructible life (his resurrection) and therefore fulfills the "forever" part of Psalm 110:4. 4) Through the resurrection of Christ, the Melchizedek order has been brought in and with it a new covenant which offers us a new hope - a better hope.
Not only is Jesus both Priest and King, just like Melchizedek, he has made us to be a kingdom of priests. This means that we, as disciples of Christ, are to be facilitating the worship of our families, of our fellow disciples and of those who do not yet know Christ. The question for me is: am I facilitating access to God through Christ or am I building structures, barriers, rituals, etc. that are keeping people from Christ? This does not mean that structures and rituals are bad. It just means that they must be a means to helping people connect to Christ. We have a structure and an order to our youth nights. However, the structure is not the point - the point is that students have the opportunity to connect with Christ and we use the structure to make that possible. So, what structures am I creating? Are they helping others (and myself) to connect to Christ or erecting barriers that are preventing access?

Melchizedek

2009-10-28T09:23:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 7:1-10

This Melchizedek character is a bit mysterious. He shows up in only two other places: once in Genesis 14 where we learn that he is both a priest and king, that he blesses Abraham and that Abraham gives him a thithe. In all, the incident takes up three verses. The other place his name is mentioned is in Psalm 110 which is a Messianic psalm, acknowledging the dual role of priest and king that the Messiah will play. Melchizedek is found in one line: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." It is to that line that the author alludes to at the very end of chapter six - it is not quite a direct quote but so close that in a college paper, the prof would definitely require an aknowledgement of source.
From the amount of time that the author spends on Melchizedek here, more than in any other place in Scripture, it seems that Melchizedek is a revered figure in Hebrew legend. The author points out that he was greater than Abraham because he blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser) and because Abraham paid him a tithe. The author argues that as the father of all Jews, Abraham is the father of the Levites and therefore the Levites share in the tithe that Abraham paid to Melchizedek and concludes that the order of Melchizedek is greater than the order of the Levites. He is setting the argument that Jesus fulfills the role of both priest and king (and is therefore the Messiah) because whether or not he is a Levite, he is a priest in the order of Melchizedek.
The author is returning to his main argument that Jesus is the pre-eminent high priest. He has argued so far that is ultimate because he empathizes with our temptations, he is in heaven and became the source of eternal salvation for all who believe. The author reminds me that it is all about Jesus. That in Jesus I have something infinitely greater than any religious system and that my life has been reorganized with Jesus at the center and everything else revolving around him.

the anchor

2009-10-26T09:22:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 6:16-20

The key words in this passage are: oath, hope, anchor, high priest. The author is continuing his thought about the certainty of God's promise of Sabbath rest. The author's argument that humans swear by something greater than themselves to confirm their statements. There is nothing higher than God so when God makes a promise, he swears by himself. This makes the promise doubly guaranteed: the first guarantee is that God cannot lie and the second guarantee is the oath that God made.
There are a couple of really interesting images. The first is the image of fleeing to take hold of the hope. There's a sense of urgency, even emergency. As if there is imminent danger and the readers and the author have sensed this danger and have fled to find refuge in the hope of Sabbath rest. The second image is that of an anchor that is secured in the Most Holy Place. The anchor speaks of security, the theme of this section. The fact that is secured in the Most Holy Place indicates that the disciple's security is tied to the unchanging character of God. The author also brings up the idea of Christ being a high priest in the order of Melchizedek again. This is something the author will explore more fully in the next section.
This passage reminds me of the unchanging nature of God's character. Part of being able to trust God is the fact that God never changes. He is eternally constant. He is and was and is to come. My understanding of God will change - hopefully continually growing fuller and deeper - but he is constant. This gives me great confidence in my salvation in that it depends on the unchanging character of God. I can rest assured that I will enter God's promised, future Sabbath rest - not because of my own character, abilities or accomplishments but because of God's. That takes the pressure off!

I Swear...

2009-10-22T09:02:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 6:13-15

The promise is what connects this paragraph to the previous paragraphs. The author has tried to prevent the readers from falling away first by warning them of the dire consequences if they do and then by exhorting them to work patiently and faithfully to inherit the promise. In this paragraph, the author reminds the readers that the promise of God is completely sure. He goes back to Abraham to show how trustworthy God's promise is.
The theme of patience also shows up in this paragraph as well. This indicates that the readers were growing impatient with the promise of God and were in danger of giving up on the faith, motivating the author's warnings at the beginning of the chapter. The author reminds the readers that Abraham had to wait to receive what God had promised but that did not mean that God was not trustworthy. In the same way, the readers can be sure that they will receive what God has promised (going back to the promised Sabbath rest in chapter 4) even though it is taking longer than they would like.
The author would speak the same message to us today: God is trustworthy and he will keep his promise. Be patient, work hard, have faith and don't fall away! The ways that I see people falling away today are many: ungodliness, immorality, materialism, complacency, turning following Christ into a religion or sub-culture, etc. I know that one of the ways that I tend to fall away is by losing sight of the fact that Christ will return, that the promise will become reality.

Faith and Patience

2009-10-21T08:56:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 6:9-11

The key words are: salvation, work, love, help, diligence, hope. The author contrasts laziness with faith and patience and parallels God's justice with his remembering the work of his children. The theme is faith, particularly the faith of our spiritual ancestors - a theme that the author will camp on in Hebrews 11 and 12. Another theme is the surety of our hope - a theme that the author will develop in the next couple of verses.
This section takes almost the opposite tone as the previous paragraphs: the previous paragraph being a dire warning and this paragraph being an encouragement to continue in the faith. The main thought is that, in light of the devastating consequences of falling away and the amazing hope if you hold on to faith, work hard to hold on to your faith.
This is a good affirmation for me. I do not feel in extreme danger of falling away from my faith, although I always need to be cautious because I know how weak I am; a few choices and changes in circumstances and my faith could be in extreme danger, apart from the grace of God. I need to work hard now, before my faith is in danger, to continue to solidify the foundations of my faith so that when the tough times come, I am ready and my faith can stand. Of course I recognize that while there is a human component to my faith - in other words, there are things that I am responsible for when it comes to my faith - it is Christ and his grace that ultimately sustains me. My work is to stay connected to him.

Graduate School Teaching

2009-10-20T08:16:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 6:4-8

The author warned his readers that he was going to leave the elementary teaching and he certainly did! The author lists characteristics of those who have participated in Christian community: enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God. This certainly seems like a description of someone who has been saved. The challenge is that the author says that it is impossible for someone who has experienced everything listed and has fallen away to be brought back to repentance. This passage seems to be teaching that it is possible for a person to lose his salvation. This does not really line up with my understanding of other Scripture passages so either my understanding of other Scripture is wrong or my understanding of this passage is wrong.
Even for those who believe that it is possible to lose your salvation, this passage causes major problems because it teaches that if you lose your salvation (fall away) it is impossible to be brought back to repentance. Most who believe it is possible to lose your salvation also believe that it is possible to regain it upon repentance.
It is possible that the list of characteristics could apply to someone who has entered fully into Christian community or the Christian sub-culture but has never surrendered her life to Christ - therefore, the person was never truly a Christian. In my opinion some major interpreting of the characteristics in the author's list is needed to support this view. However, it is not impossible to support.
The metaphor at the end of the passage actually helps: those who fall away are like land that has experienced much rain - in this case all the blessings of being a part of Christian community - but only produce thorns a thistles. The warning for me is that I must continually evaluate whether I am more in love with Christ or more in love with the blessings I receive from Christian community. This is a hard evaluation because Christ and his gifts are so connected. However, I must ask the Holy Spirit for help because it is of the utmost importance that my heart is more enraptured with Christ than it is with his blessings - my eternal destination is at stake. I must also be very careful to point people more to Christ than to his gifts. While the blessings of Christian community may draw people to Christ, I must make sure to help people see beyond the gifts to the Giver. Their eternal destiny depends on it!

Re-Laying Foundations

2009-10-15T09:17:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 6:1-3

The author continues his thought from the previous chapter about the maturity level of his audience. The author indicates his intention to move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ, which the next paragraph certainly does. Nothing like going from elementary school to graduate school in less than two paragraphs. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The author lists the foundational teachings: repentance, faith in God, cleansing rites, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Looking at this list, my mind is suddenly engaged. I think that it would make a great outline for a new believer's class: the class on cleansing rites could be about religious rituals and the class on laying on of hands could be about spiritual gifts and calling.
The sad part about looking at this list is that I think a lot of so called "mature" disciples of Christ don't have this foundation. The author says that he is not going to lay the foundation again. Instead he is going to build on the foundation. For me, I need to make sure that: 1) I have a good foundation of teaching to build on in my own personal journey, 2) that I lay a good foundation of elementary truths for disciples to whom I minister and 3) I rely on God's wisdom to know when it is time to move on from the foundations in the disciples I am leading.

Back to Elementary

2009-10-14T08:40:00.002-06:00

Hebrews 5:11-14

The author contrasts teachers and students, milk and solid food, infants and mature. The author is frustrated because there is so much more to explore regarding the priesthood of Christ but the audience is not even trying to understand the deeper truths and the author has to return to elementary teachings. The author compares the elementary teachings to milk from a mother's breast and the deeper teaching to solid food. The audience has obviously been disciples of Christ for a while since the author believes that, by this time, they should be teachers. However, they have not grown and matured in their faith and they still need someone to teach them.
There are a couple of applications for me. The first is obviously that I need to make sure that I never give up trying to understand the truths about Christ. There is better and more solid food, deeper and more wonderful truths to be enjoyed. If I am healthy, I must continue to grow. I must continue to have a deeper, fuller and more wonderful understanding of the teachings and person of Christ. The second application is especially relevant as I prepare to preach this weekend. I must recognize that there are people that I will be speaking to who are at all various degrees of maturity in their faith. There will be some who are relatively young and who need milk. There will be some who are more mature and can handle solid food. I must make sure that I provide both - not pandering to those who are not growing but continuing to encourage their development. As a pastor, I must recognize that part of my calling is to help others continue to grow in their spiritual journey. Like a parent, I must introduce more solid food and encourage people to move beyond milk. I must challenge those who are not growing and are no longer trying to understand. All of this, of course, must be done in the power of the Spirit and with the help of God.

The Weeping Messiah

2009-10-13T07:29:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 5:7-10

This paragraph is part of the author's description of Jesus as the Great High Priest. In this paragraph he is focusing on Christ's priestly ministry of intercession for the people before God. The key themes are prayer and obedience. When the author talks about Jesus offering fervent prayers with cries and tears, I immediately think of the Garden of Gesthemane. I think the author has that in mind as well but the author also indicates that this was not the only time that Jesus prayed with such fervency. The author indicates that this was a normal pattern for Jesus.
There are a couple of interesting phrases or ideas in this paragraph. First, the author says that Jesus was heard when he prayed to the one who could deliver him from death. At first I was confused by that. I could make the argument that Jesus was heard, just as the Father hears all our prayers, but that the answer was "no". However, the author's point seems to be that we can trust Jesus as our Great High Priest because God heard and responded positively to his prayer to escape death and therefore, as Jesus intercedes on our behalf, we can expect positive answers to our prayers as well. After doing some investigating, I discovered that this is precisely the point of the author and was reminded that Jesus did escape death; the Father responded to his prayer by raising him to life again.
This is a reminder to me that God may not always respond to my prayers in the way that I initially want or expect him to but that he will respond in a way that will bring him maximum glory. I can trust Jesus, even when facing death, even when dying, because I know that I have a High Priest who has even gone through and conquered death.
The second interesting phrase is: "once made perfect". This challenges my belief that Jesus was perfect because, right from conception, miracles had prevented him from inheriting the sin nature common to humanity and because he was fully God. The author's point is not that Jesus had some imperfection to work through and, after his time of obedience, his record was wiped clean and he was made perfect. The author's point is that as Jesus grew and developed as a human being he continued to face tests of obedience and as he continued to respond in submission to God he continued to work out and display his perfection. I can remember when I played volleyball and my dad was coaching. I was a terrible server. My dad would pull me off the court whenever it was my time to serve because I sucked! My dad also kept service stats that he'd post on the bulletin board outside the gym. I remember one time I went 0 for 0. I could say that I served a perfect game. However, I had not served at all. I think that's what the author was saying about Jesus. He was perfect but only as far as his obedience and perfection was tested. In Jesus' life, it was tested to the utmost. There is no greater test of obedience and Jesus passed it with flying colours, displaying his perfection. It is upon this life of perfect obedience that we now have hope for eternal life and for our own ultimate perfecting.
Here's what I know from this passage: I can trust Jesus as my intercessor and high priest because he is passionate in his prayer, because God hears and responds to his requests and because he is the only person who has earned the right to stand before God by his perfect life of obedience and submission. So, why do I pray so little?

Priest of the People

2009-10-08T08:52:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 5:1-6

This continues the author's teaching about Jesus being the great high priest. The first paragraph of this section deals with the qualifications of the high priest: one of the people, represents the people to God, called by God. I think the part that speaks most loudly to me is "able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness." I am not a priest by virtue of my being a pastor. I am a priest by virtue of my being a disciple of Christ. Jesus has created a kingdom of priests. We all have direct access to the Holy Presence of God through Christ and we all have the responsibility to come before God on behalf of each other. As a pastor, I have even greater responsibility in some ways to shepherd and teach people in a way that reflects the glory and character of God. I know that I have not always dealt gently with those who are going astray. I have forgotten that I am also subject to weakness and have more often played the role of the prophet than the priest. I pray that God would increase my priestly heart.
The author's point is that Jesus did not take the authourity of being a high priest on himself but that he was appointed by God. The author uses two quotes from two Psalms to support his point. The first is from Psalm 2 which was likely sung at a king's coronation. This is frequently used as a Messianic psalm in the NT, meaning that while it had a direct historical fulfillment in the coronation of kings, that it was ultimately fulfilled in in Christ. The second is from Psalm 110. This is again has several Messianic themes in it, especially the joining of the office of King and Priest. The author introduces the theme of the "order of Melchizedek". He will pick up on this them later.
Again, for the author, it's all about Jesus. He points to Jesus as our Supreme High Priest: from the people, familiar with our weaknesses, tempted with our temptations, appointed by God to represent us before God. What a glorious picture of Christ!

The Supreme High Priest

2009-10-07T09:24:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 4:14-16

The word "therefore" threw me for a loop. I was looking back at the previous flow of thought from the rest of chapter four and I just couldn't figure out how the author could, in my understanding, jump from a discussion on obeying God's Word in order to enter God's Sabbath rest to Jesus being the great high priest. Turns out I wasn't looking back far enough to catch the author's train of thought. Thankfully Pastor Steve pointed me in the right direction: I had to back to the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three: Jesus, in becoming like us, became our merciful and faithful high priest who is able to enter into our temptations and suffering(2:17-18) therefore, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess (4:14).
There are multiple interwoven arguments and themes because holding on to the faith we profess is the theme of the previous section but the motivation for holding on to faith is the rest we can achieve when we do. Now the author turns back to his previous motivation: that Jesus empathizes with our weakness and enters into our suffering but did it without falling into sin. This gives us confidence to approach the throne of God, knowing that he hears our prayers and empathizes with our needs.
Again the author's main point is the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is the supreme high priest because he allows us direct access to the throne of God. There is no longer a veil. Also, he empathizes with and enters into our pain.

The Double-Edged Word of God

2009-10-06T08:35:00.002-06:00

Hebrews 4:12-13

The author makes a comparison between the God's Word and a sharp double-edged sword. Unlike the sword, God's Word is able to divide not just flesh but soul from spirit. God's Word lays bare the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. God's Word is linked very closely to God: just as the attitudes of the heart are not hidden from God's Word, nothing is hidden from God's sight; just as the Word judges the thoughts of the heart, we must give an account to God. This reminds me of the importance of God's Word - that I read God's Word not just to find things that I must change about myself or rules that I must obey but to discover Jesus, the revelation of God. I cannot separate God and his Word. To know God I must know the Word and to obey God I must obey the Word.
The author uses a connecting word at the beginning of this paragraph indicating that his thoughts about God's Word are the conclusion of, or at least flows from, what he has been saying about the Sabbath rest that is available for those who will obey God. The line of reasoning is fairly clear: to enter God's Sabbath rest we must obey God and to know who God is and what he wants us to do we must read and obey God's Word.

Work Hard To Rest

2009-10-05T10:17:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 4:6-11

The author continues his inductive study on Psalm 95:7-11 but specifically looking at verses 7-8 and 11. He is specifically studying the Sabbath rest of God. His line of reasoning goes as follows: God's promise is that humans can enter his Sabbath rest if they believe and obey his word. Since the Israelites did not enter his rest because they were disobedient, God's promise is still open and has not been fulfilled yet. Psalm 95:11 makes it clear that the promise has been extended to a period of time called "Today". If the Promised Land was the Promised Rest, then God's promise would have been fulfilled when Joshua led the people into the land. However, Psalm 95:11 was spoken through David and David comes after Joshua. The warning is written to the people alive in David's day. The author extends that warning to the present day since, according to the author, we are all still living in the time period called "Today". The promise of God, according to the author, is therefore still not completely fulfilled and there remains a Sabbath rest available to all those who do not harden their hearts when they hear the voice of God.
The application is that the author's audience should work hard to make sure that they enter into the Sabbath rest of God and avoid following the example of the ancestors of Israel. The application for me is the same: what am I hearing from God's word that I need to start obeying. By not obeying I am questioning the word of God (did God really mean that?) and the character of God (can God be trusted?). It is not enough to hear the word of God or even to agree with the word of God, I must act on it! I must not just believe it, it must become a conviction!
The other application for me is that there is a rest available to me that is experienced at some level today and more fully in eternity. It doesn't mean that I stop working but that the goal of my work is to experience the rest of God. So much of what I do is busy work. I don't want to appear lazy so I make sure I am busy - often for the sake of just doing something. This has become a badge of honour in our society. Do a test. If you ask someone how they are doing or how their summer/fall/weekend/week was, I bet that the next most common response, after some variation of "good", will be a variation of "busy". I want there to be, at the core of my being and presence, a sense of rest and refreshment because I have tasted and, to at least a small degree, live in the Sabbath rest of God. I want to work hard to experience that rest.

A Sabbath For Me

2009-09-30T10:09:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 4:1-5

The author continues on his thoughts about the Sabbath rest that God has invited his people to enter. This continues his exploration of Psalm 95 but here the author focuses on the word "rest." The author contends that because the nation of Israel did not enter the Sabbath rest of God that the promise of entering that rest still stands. The author draws a parallel between the response of the OT Jews and the audience's potential; they both had a good news message proclaimed to them but the OT Jews did not share the faith of those who believed. I think "those who believed" is a reference to the people that the author lists in Hebrews 11.
Looking forward, I think that faith is going to be one of the themes that the author picks up on in the rest of the book. For sure it is a theme picked up on in Hebrews 11 and 12. It fits with the rest of the author's thesis: the supremacy of Christ and, therefore, the supremacy of everything that Christ offers to his disciples over what the Jewish religious system offers. Faith becomes the way to access the presence and glory of God and all the benefits that Christ offers - specifically in this passage, rest. Promise is another theme that will be picked up on in the rest of the book. Here, the focus is on the promise of rest.
It is interesting to me how well the author knows the OT but doesn't know where anything is (grin!). Twice the author has said something like, "there is a place where someone has testified..." and "somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words..." The words about the seventh day are fairly significant and quite easy to remember where they are - it's right at the beginning of the OT. I can't be too harsh on him though because I know that I've done something similar in a lot in my sermons: "as Scripture reminds us..." or "the Bible says..." Steve (my go to guy on this stuff) wonders if it is a common expression like "the good book says" or if he is just doing what we all tend to do in our talks and sermons.
The main point the author is making in this passage is that there is a Sabbath rest available for the followers of Jesus and that we enter that Sabbath rest by faith. This Sabbath rest is a promise that will be fulfilled both in the future and that is being fulfilled in the present. I can be experiencing the rest of God right now. If I am not, that speaks to my faith and my acceptance of the good news message.

The Danger of Unbelief

2009-09-29T08:27:00.002-06:00

Hebrews 3:16-19

The author asks a series of questions about the historical incident that prevented the Jewish adults from entering the promised rest. Basically he is making the point that it is the very people that Moses led out of captivity that have been denied entrance into God's rest. They had seen the redemptive work of God in the Exodus but still their hearts tended towards unbelief. The author is stressing that unbelief leads to disobedience. The logical flow, according to the author is: unbelief leads to disobedience leads to discipline. In this case, the discipline is death and an inability to enter God's promised rest.
All of this relates back to the quote the author uses: "if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart." The warning is that a hardened heart leads to disobedience and disobedience leads to punishment. It is an exhortation to continue in obedience to the voice of God and to make sure that my heart is soft toward him and his direction. The author is hinting that there is a promised rest for all of those who continue to obey God. The Sabbath and the Promised Land are mere shadows that point to the final Sabbath rest available to those who obey.

No Hard Hearts

2009-09-24T10:10:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 3:7-15

This section contains another lengthy quote from the OT, in this case from Psalm 95. This strengthens the assumption that this letter is being written to Jewish Christians who would have been familiar with the OT and with Israel's history. The quote is a recitation of Israel's history, in particular the forty years they spent in the wilderness. The point the author is making is that his audience must be careful not to harden their hearts to the voice of God as their ancestors had done. The flow of his argument is that because Christ is supreme, the readers must listen to his voice.
The author also makes the point that we are responsible for each other. We are supposed to look out for each other, watching for symptoms of a hardened heart. The antidote is encouragement and so the author exhorts us to encourage each other daily so that all of us together can share in Christ by holding firmly to the end.
The author clearly points out the three pillars of our faith: the Word - the voice of Christ (v. 7b), the Spirit (v. 7a) and the community of faith (v. 12-13). We need all three in order to thrive in our faith. When we lose one, we become imbalanced and risk failure in our lives. I must make sure to lean on all three in order to have a greater understanding of what Christ is calling me to and to ensure that I do not develop a hard heart.

God's House

2009-09-23T08:51:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 3:1-6

The image that the author creates is God's house. He is comparing Jesus and Moses in this section, talking about how Moses was faithful in his service in all God's house. The reference is to Numbers 12:7 where God judges Aaron and Miriam for stirring up rebellion against Moses. God affirms Moses' leadership because he is faithful in all God's house and has communicated with God face-to-face. This is contrast to the prophets to whom God communicates in visions.
The author compares the honour Moses receives to the honour Jesus receives, implying that Jesus is worthy of greater honour because he built the house while Moses only served in the house. Jesus is also worthy of greater honour because he is the Son, and therefore the heir, while Moses, as great as he was, is a servant. The author makes it clear that the house Moses served - the tabernacle - was a type of the house that God would ultimately build - the Church.
This section connects directly to the previous section in chapter 2. The flow of the author's thought is: Because Christ shared in our humanity and tasted death for us, we should fix our thoughts on Jesus. Again it all comes back to Jesus being the center. It is all about the supremacy of Christ. He deserves to at least be my focus and fascination. He is worthy of my full attention. Everything in my life must be centered around him - he is the sun around which the rest of my life must revolve.

Shared Humanity

2009-09-22T08:24:00.002-06:00

Hebrews 2:14-18

Death is repeated a few times in this passage and the idea that Christ shares in my humanity is repeated, using different words, as well. In fact, the idea that Christ shared my humanity is the key idea of this section of Hebrews. The author uses this fact to reinforce his assertion of the angels position in the creation order. While humans may be a little lower than the angels, it is to humans that Christ came to help.
The author is answering the question: Why did Christ became human? His answer: So that he might help us by breaking the power of death and serving as a high priest who makes atonement for our sins.
Right now our staff team is memorizing Philippians 2:1-16. Paul is making the same point that the author is making in this passage: Christ was made in human likeness, sharing in our humanity, and was obedient to death. I think that I have heard this so many times that I no longer give it much thought. I am no longer moved, as a I should be, by this profound truth. When I pause to meditate on it, I am brought up short. I can't move past it. It is so amazing that Christ would share in my temptations and suffering so that I could be free from death and free from sin. It is beyond thought that Christ, who is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, would die for me. Love so amazing! How can it be that Thou my God would die for me?

Band of Brothers (and Sisters)

2009-09-21T10:28:00.002-06:00

Hebrews 2:10-13

Jesus is bringing many sons and daughters to glory. The previous verses make it clear that it is through his death that they are brought into glory (he tasted death for everyone). The author makes it clear that Jesus is the pioneer of our faith - an image that he will return to again at least once (Hebrews 12). The idea of perfecting is also a common theme in Hebrews (again mentioned in Hebrews 12, as well as other places). Here, the author uses a troubling phrase that seems to indicate that Jesus was made perfect through his suffering.
The rest of Scripture and the historical theology of the Church makes it clear that Jesus was always perfect. He never sinned. He was eternally fully God. So what does the author mean that he was made "perfect through what he suffered." I think that we need to remember that Jesus was also fully human and this means that he matured like every human does. Also, Jesus had to live his life in obedience to God so that he could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The perfection of Jesus is seen most clearly in the cross. He died as the perfect sacrifice so the sense of this phrase is likely that his suffering affirmed his perfection. In other words, he was made perfect to us in his suffering.
The phrase that stirs the most awe in me is verse 11. Sometimes I see myself as a second class son or daughter. By focusing on my unworthiness to be a part of the family, I negate the effects of God's grace as seen in Jesus Christ. I am a full member of the family - as much as the one who made me holy is a member - and Jesus is not ashamed to call me his brother. There are two applications for me: 1) I need to stop beating myself up. Yes, I will continue to deal harshly with sin in my life and strive for holiness with the help of the Spirit but I am still a full member of the family of God. In my false humility of seeing myself as not a full member of the family I insult God by saying his grace is not enough and I teach my son that an adopted family member is not really a full part of the family. 2) I must not see others as third or fourth class members of the family. That makes me too much like the older brother in the tale of the prodigal son. I know that I am guilty of looking down on others for the sinfulness as if God's grace might just barely be enough for me but they will certainly have to earn their way back into God's favour. This is really saying that I have earned (or have a plan to earn) God's favour and a position in the family. Again, this insults God's character and dishonour those he has created in his image and redeemed by the blood of his Son. I must stop this! If Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, then why am I?

The Place of Mortals

2009-09-17T10:32:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 2:5-9

The key words in this section are angels, mortals (or humans), subject, and death. The author is continuing his argument about the place of angels. In this section, he compares the place of angels and humans in the creation order. His argument is that while humans are created a bit lower than the angels, it is to humans that he has given the right to rule over the earth and everything in it. This goes right back to the creation of humans and echoes the charge that God gives to humans in Genesis 1:28. The author quotes Psalm 8:4-6 in this section but introduces the quote in a strange way: "there is a place where someone has testified..." I don't know why but it just struck me. It actually makes the author seem more human and accessible because I've done the same thing many times: somewhere the Bible says...
The author compares the dominion of humans to the dominion of Christ; because of their sin, humans do not see all of earthly creation in subjection to them - having to defend themselves from wild animals and do battle with weeds, thorns and thistles - but Jesus has assumed his throne, received his crown and all things are subject to him. In this brief description of the willing humiliation of Christ, I hear echoes of Paul's writing in Philippians 2: "being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself and become obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name..."
Again, for the author, it is all about Jesus. For me, I must remember that it is Christ who reigns and that I am under his authourity and rule. I must submit myself to his agenda and his will. However, I must also recognize that I have a responsibility as given by Christ from the beginning of creation to act on Christ's behalf and to be his governor or ambassador in the areas that he has called me to. I have been commissioned by Christ to pursue and stand up for the interests of his kingdom.

The Message of Christ is Greater

2009-09-16T08:36:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 2:1-4

This section continues the author's train of thought regarding the supremacy of Christ particularly as compared to the angels. However, here we have his application. If Christ is superior to the angels, then the message we have from Christ is superior to the message received from the angels. The message received from the angels refers to the Law. The author's argument is: if disobeying the message received from angels resulted in punishment, how much greater will the punishment be if we disobey the message of Christ.
There is an interesting parallel between 2:4 and 1:1-2. God spoke in various ways at various times through the prophets but has now spoken to us by his Son. The message of his Son is verified by God as seen by various miracles. It almost comes full circle: the various ways in the past culminate in the single voice of Christ which is confirmed to the world in various ways. All of it points to Christ. He is the fulcrum upon which everything rests.
Again, this reminds me of the supremacy of Christ. My life would not be wasted if it was all about Jesus all the time. My life would not be wasted if I looked for every opportunity to speak and live the gospel in some way and if that became the whole focus of my life. This passage serves as a triple warning for me: 1) I must make sure that I submit to the message of Christ in my life. His message is that it is not by works but only through grace that I am saved. When I live in a way that attempts to earn God's favour or to make God owe me something I am violating the message of Christ and I do so at my peril! 2) I must make sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to hear the message of Christ so that they can submit to it. I must make sure that the message that I am proclaiming and living is the true message of Christ. The author makes it clear: escaping punishment is impossible if the message of Christ is not accepted. This must motivate me to action! 3) Everything is about Christ. I must make sure that my own life is centred around and built upon Jesus. I must make sure that my words and actions point people to Jesus. I long to be part of the long tradition of those who point others to Christ.