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.
Showing posts with label Hebrews 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hebrews 4. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Double-Edged Word of God
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.
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.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Work Hard To Rest
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Sabbath For Me
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 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.
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