Hebrews 11

Greetings once again,

Given the state of life these days, I have adjusted my approach to the Chapter Memory Study.  For a while I was motivated to (and able to) get through 1 chapter per week.  That has not been the case over the past several months.  One of the main reasons for the change is that I was just basically 'getting through' the chapter without taking time to really meditate on it.  So, while this takes me completely away from my nice, structured schedule, I am finding the daily study time to be much more rewarding.  My note sheet (the document that I work on throughout the week, of which this entry is a product) is much longer and more involved.

So, that said, here is the Thematic Outline for Hebrews 11 (built on the 'T' of SON IS MEDIATOR):

• The hall of faith (1-40)
  

(that's right, it's an outline with one point.  This chapter is renown and unique; I couldn't figure out where to separate it)

The Memory Passage for Hebrews 11 is:

• The hall of faith
  Hebrews 11:1-2
  1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the people of old received their commendation.
  
  

Brief Commentary
First of all, I love how these last few memory verses are 'perfect' for this study.  They contain the essential key words and effectively set up the theme of the chapter.  The topic of this chapter is faith.  Faith in God is defined by the author as being sure of things you have been promised (by God) and convinced of things you can't see (of God).  At the heart of faith if trust, but the core must not be who is trusting but the One who is trustworthy.

I share this illustration in regards to faith.  In Minnesota during the winter the lakes freeze over.  In college this was a novel thing to explore.  But before you stepped on the ice you had to make a choice;"do I trust the ice?"  My heart could be filled with 100% certainty that the ice is thick enough and will hold my weight; but if the ice is only fractions of an inch thick I will get a cold bath.  Faith ultimately depends more upon in what (or Whom) you put your faith and not how much faith you have.  How else could faith the size of a tiny mustard seed be so powerful in the kingdom of God? (Luke 17:6).  Our faith has power because we have faith in God. Our first application of faith, naturally, begins with God; we believe that He created the world by His word; turning what was not into what is.  This is an 'assent'; one step beyond knowing the fact about something.  It is an action of the will in addition to an act of understanding. 

The writer then describes (in varying detail) the faith of individuals throughout Jewish history.  And a very good place to start is always.......page 2?  Notice the conspicuous absence of Adam and Eve in this list.  We begin with their son, Abel.  Abel was the 'good' son who obediently offered his sacrifice to God while his brother Cain did not.  And the rest, as they say, is the rest.  Abel's faith and obedience is a testimony to us still today.

Enoch walked with God and his life pleased God.  God chose to 'take him up' so that he would not taste death.

Verse 6 is the first little break-out teaching point that the writer makes.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

It is pressed  between Enoch and Noah, but also applies to the entire list.  God is pleased with our faith in Him, and our relationship with Him must stand on our faith that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Noah displayed striking faith in God in that he built a boat in the middle of the land on which it had never rained.  He believed and trusted God against all available science and evidence.  I love that the writer describes Noah's faith as 'reverent fear' (7).  This is the way to the 'righteousness that comes by faith'.

Abraham gets a nice chunk of the chapter.  By faith Abraham obeyed God and lived the life of a nomad.  He had no foundation on which to dwell, but trusted God for the future foundation He had promised.  Sarah is listed as living by faith in God's promise of a son.  This is interesting because she obviously got impatient with God and tried to settle matters herself.  In spite of that, she is on the list.  Her ultimate faith in God to fulfill His promise (even at her old age) must have been exemplary.  From this 'man as good as dead' (12) came the promised descendants who all 'died in faith' not having received the ultimate reward of the promise; an eternal homeland.

This seems to be the writer's next break-out teaching point (verses 14-16).  Being that the promise of a homeland will not come while we live on this earth, we must keep our eyes on the 'better country, that is a heavenly one', that God has prepared for us in which to dwell.  Those who keep their minds on the 'old country' have little to hope for in eternity.

Abraham is not done yet, and here we are reminded of one of the most striking acts of faith in the Bible.  God made it clear to Abraham that His promise would be fulfilled through Isaac, but then tests Abraham's faith by asking Abraham to offer Isaac to Him as a sacrifice.  (if you haven't read this story in a while, go back to Genesis 22 and read it again).  Abraham feared and obeyed God, even to the point of believing that He could raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill His promise.  Faith.  Fear.  Worship.  A picture of the cross.

Isaac's blessings of Jacob and Esau (listed in that order), while it seems to us like a big decptive mess, are listed as acts of faith by Isaac.

Jacob finished well and blessed the sons of Joseph in his late years.

Joseph had the faith to request that his own bones be carried out of Egypt when the Israelites would finally exit. 

Moses' parents are commended with faith because they hid Moses from the Egyptians.

Moses himself, by rejecting the posh life of the Egyptian royalty and embracing his true heritage, considered the future reward greater than the immediate gratification.  The writer actually says that Moses 'considered the reproach of Christ greater' than the opportunity for royal living.  Many people speculate about what this means.  Did Moses have some revelation of Christ?  Is the writer associating the suffering and mission of Moses as similar to those of Jesus?  Whatever the writer (or Moses) knew, the message to us is to look to the future reward and the blessing of heaven instead of just what the world has to offer.
Moses' most famous story (the freeing of Israel from Egypt) is only referenced to in passing; the writer says that Moses left Egypt (probably after he murdered the Egyptian) and that he obeyed the instructions for the first Passover (toward the end of his interaction with Pharaoh).  As a side note, it is interesting what the writer includes and omits.  Here, we have nothing about the burning bush, the plagues, water from the rock.

Israel as a group are said to have had faith when they walked across the dry bed of the Red Sea (which would take faith by each and every one, I'm sure).  Then we skip all the way to the 'battle' of Jericho.  Israel's behavior leading up to and including their banishment from the promised land is conspicuously absent.  But when we do get to Jericho, there is no doubt that they were victorious because of God and the peoples' faith and obedience in Him.

Rahab, a prostitute in the soon-to-be-ruins of Jericho, was saved because she had faith (and fear) in the God whose people were advancing on her city.  She welcomed and hid the spies, and her testimony of faith earned her salvation from the siege.

Then the writer does what many people (at least I) tend to do when listing examples; move from specific to general.  After going into varying details about the previous individuals, the writer simply lists Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel.  He lumps together 'the prophets' and then describes exploits of faith in general.  Some try to pin these acts of faith on specific individuals in history.  That is fine, but what we are given are examples of how people lived out their faith in God.

To close the chapter, the writer mentions the 'other side' of faith.  Not heroic exploits of national or military nature, but the trials and persecutions of those who suffered for their faith.  In sincere reverence, the writer recounts some of these stories and commends those who suffered thus; 'of whom the world was not worthy'.  But even the greatest of these people of faith still have not fully received what was promised.  And they will not until all those who have faith in God are joined under Him when He returns. 


How does this affect  my worship?
The two main themes of worship throughout the Bible are who God is and what God has done.  Look here at what God has done through those who have faith in Him.  Am I living faithfully to God so that He can use me how He wants to.  Not for me, but to Your name be the glory; for Your name's sake and your renown.

How does this affect my discipleship?
Living a life the models faith in front of any disciple is very important.  Faith can be contagious.  If my language and behavior exemplifies faith (even a young faith, or a challenged faith) in God, it will be noticed.  Faith, humility, and hope stand out in this world.

by faith,

Ethan

Hebrews 10

Greetings and grace to you!

Hebrews 10 is much more than the foyer to the Hall of Faith in chapter 11.  In chapter 10 we find compelling descriptions of the differences between the old covenant and the new one.

The outline theme of Hebrews 10 (based on the 'a' of SON IS MEDIATOR) is:

• A shadow of the good things to come (1-18)
  
• Assurance of faith (19-39)
  

 The memory verses are:

• A shadow of the good things to come
  Hebrews 10:1
  " For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near."
  
  
• Assurance of faith
  Hebrews 10:22
  "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
  
  

Brief Commentary
The writer sets up this first main section of Hebrews 10 with the phrase 'A shadow of the good things to come' (conveniently, that's the thematic outline, too).  He then goes on to discuss several things relating to the law that are the 'shadow' and contrasts them with the good things that are to come; the substance (Col 2:17). 

The first, and most lengthy contrast is found in vv1-10.  The sacrifices made under the law are offered continually every year, they use the blood of bulls and goats, and serve as a reminder of sins every year.  The writer points out that if these sacrifices could indeed perfect the worshiper, why must they need to be offered continually?  If these sacrifices worked, the worshipers should be cleansed of a conscience of sin.  But it is clear that they are not.  In fact, that goes against the very nature and purpose of the Law.  But when Christ came, He 'does away with the first in order do establish the second' (9).  Christ's sacrifice was once for all, used His own precious blood, and is able to provide for the sanctification of those who follow Him. 

The second contrast is found in vv11-14.  The priest of the law was required to stand daily at his service to perform his duties; offering the same sacrifices over and over.  As stated above, these sacrifices cannot purify the worshiper nor take away their sins.  But Christ, our High Priest, offered Himself as a sacrifice once for all and 'sat down at the right hand of God'.  This one single offering is able to take away the sins of the worshiper.  But the significant difference in the ministry of the priests of the law and Christ the High Priest is that Jesus sat down.  Standing is a symbol of continued work; their work was never done!  But because Christ's sacrifice was once for all, His work had been fully completed and He sat down.  This is not because He was tired (similar to God 'resting' on the 7th day) but because the debt for sin had been paid and the way of redemption had been opened to all who believe, receive, and follow Him.

The writer's last contrast in this section has to do with a quick review of the New Covenant. The writer quotes Jeremiah 31 while reminding the readers that this new covenant will be written on the hearts and minds of the people (as opposed to the tablets and scrolls of the Old Covenant).  The efficacy of the New Covenant is that God will 'remember their sins and lawless deeds no more' (17, as opposed to being reminded year after year) and that His forgiveness takes away the need for any further offering for sin (18, as opposed to sacrifices being offered year after year). 

The second thematic section of Hebrews 10 begins at verse 19 and is titled 'Assurance of Faith'.  The key verse in this section (and the memory verse) is verse 22.  But before we get to the drawing near and the true and clean hearts and the washed bodies, the writer reminds us what had to come first.  We can only enter the presence of God by the blood of Jesus (19) through the curtain (His flesh)(20) and because of His position (High Priest)(21).  Notice the description of the heart here; we draw near with a true heart that is sprinkled clean.  Under the New Covenant we no longer have an evil heart!

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, He then gives us a new heart and a new spirit.  He has taken away the old heart that was deceitful and sinful (Jer 17:9) and given us a good heart in which His Spirit dwells (Eph 3:16-17).  This does not mean, of course, that we stop sinning.  Even with a good and clean heart we still must live from our good hearts by walking in the Spirit and subduing the flesh  (Gal 5:16-17).  We still must battle constantly against our enemies; the flesh, the world, and the devil (Eph 2:1-3).  But we now can do this by the power of Holy Spirit living in and working through our redeemed hearts. 

This power is multiplied when followers of Christ join together as the body of Christ.  Here we find two occurences of the phrase 'one another' (found throughout the NT).  Believers are to stir one another toward love and good works and encourage one another as Christ's return approaches.  The battle against the flesh, the world, and the devil is a life-long fight.  God does not want us to fight it without Him, and He does not want us to fight it with out each other.

The meaning of vv26-27 seems to have been lost in translation.  The obvious difficulty one might find here is that even afer being redeemed and given a new heart, the believer still sins.  So, we either have to dissect what 'sinning deliberately' means (which some people would say is ALL sin) or look to the greater context of Hebrews. Several commentators I have read will give this feel; 'If we hear the truth but reject it and do not repent, there is no other sacrifice for sins available; this is it.  And at the end of rejection of the Gospel is the judgment of God'.  This thought pattern seems to continue into the next example.  The writer reminds the readers that under the law, anyone who rejects the law could be put to death by the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Therefore, how much greater a punishment should be expected for someone who rejects the Gospel by spurning Christ, profaning the blood of the covenant and outraging the Spirit (three witnesses again)?  This seems to indicate rejection of the truth and lack of true faith as opposed to an embracing of the Gospel followed by apostasy.  The writer then wraps up the argument with a reminder that God is soveriegn and will judge people justly.

In one more attempt to encourage the readers, the writer reminds them of their previous sufferings for the Gospel and the hope they held through those times; hope for an eternal possession.  I would summarize this as the writer saying 'hang in there!  He is coming soon.  Live by faith and persevere.  It will be worth it!'


How does this affect my worship?
The daily/monthly/yearly offerings that were done away with by the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ were sin offerings, not offerings of praise.  My praise will continue every moment I take breath.  Later in Hebrews we read that we are to 'continually offer a sacrifice of praise; the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name' (13:15).  As is the theme in the Psalms, we are to praise Him continually for who He is and what He has done.  Of that material we can never run out.

How does this affect my discipleship?
There is no accounting for time in the discipleship process.  It seems like much of the significant and lasting life-change comes at the cost of time.  But if we hold firm to our confession of faith and our obedience of service, disciple-making brings change.  And it's worth it.  To see, and be a part of, the changed life of a Christ-follower is a truly joyful experience.  Hang in there!  The road is long, but it's worth it.

live by faith,
Ethan