Let’s wrap up our study of the book of Hebrews with chapter 13. The writer has shown that Jesus is a better messenger than the angels, a better servant than Moses, a better high priest than Aaron, has a better covenant than the old covenant, and is a better sacrifice than animals. All this produced a better way, the new and living way, the way of faith and the assurance that we have bold access into the very throne room of God through Jesus who offered his blood once for all.

But notice that in the first 12 chapters there aren’t a lot of instructions on basic Christian living. Instead there are a lot of debte type points and arguments to show all the “better” points. There is a big emphasis on enduring suffering to the end. So if you were the Hebrews writer, how would you conclude this letter with some basic Christian living instructions? Don’t go back to Judaism but what would you think were the most important things for Jewish Christians to focus on in daily living? Here they are:

1. 13:1 Let love of the brothers and sisters continue.” This love is philadelphia: Brotherly love, love of brothers: from phílos, “loving friend” and adelphós, “a brother”) – properly, affection for the brethren (fellow-believers). Maybe this is a reflection of chapter 2 where we are called the brother of Jesus, making us one big spiritual family where we should have the love this usually found between maternal brothers and sisters. It is interesting that he doesn’t use agape love here. AI: “Where agapē highlights unconditional, sacrificial commitment, philadelphia stresses the warmth and tenderness proper to siblings.”
2. 13:2 ² Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” The Greek is philoxenia: Hospitality: from phílos, “friend” and xenos, “a stranger”) – properly, warmth (friendliness) shown to strangers; (figuratively) the readiness to share hospitality (generosity) by entertaining in one’s home, etc.” Why would the author stress this? Chapter 10 might be the reason. 10:³² But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, ³³ partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated.  The writer is encouraging his readers to show sympathy and love to Christian strangers who are suffering and undergoing insults and distress. Some had “accepted joyfully the seizure of your property” (10:34) and did not have a place to live. Use your homes to show love to suffering Christians whom you don’t know and to all Christians whom you don’t know. After all, you might be entertaining angels like Abraham did in Genesis 18. 3 men who looked like normal men visited his camp, but they were all 3 angels appearing in human form for a short time.
3. 13:3 ³ Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” This would also be tied to 10:³⁴ For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property.” The Neronian persecution of Christians had begun during the time period of writing Hebrews, so this is probably the prisoners the writer is speaking of: those in prison b/c of their faith. AI: “In ancient times, prisoners often depended on friends and family for necessities like food and supplies. The verse encourages the church to support these prisoners, perhaps those imprisoned for their faith, by praying for them, sending them letters, visiting them if possible, and providing for their needs.” I read in the Voice of the Martyrs magazine of Christians in foreign countries who are put in prison and rely on friends and fellow Chrisitans to bring them any food and water, so this still happens today. You might recall how Onesiphorus “refreshed Paul often” while he was in prison in Rome. 2 Timothy 1:¹⁶ The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; ¹⁷ but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me.” Of course, we can also help those in prison for crimes they have committed although Peter makes this comment in 1 Peter 4:¹⁵ Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; ¹⁶ but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” One of my best friends and brother in Christ spent 25 years in prison for murder and it was a joy to help him during that 25 years. He has been out of prison for 15 years and is doing well spiritually.
4. 13:⁴ Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” Christianity begins in the home with husbands and wives faithful to their vows that they made to God. As a minister, I did a lot of vows. Here was the vow I usually had them say: “I, (Name), take thee (Name), to be my wedded (husband/wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and to be faithful to you only, as long as we both shall live”. This is a vow before God to not ever commit adultery, an oath, and God in the Old Testament stressed keeping your oaths and vows that you make to God. Often that part “to be faithful to you only” is not in vows today. Maybe that is b/c potential mates don’t want to make such a strong sexual commitment vow. Since the divorce rate is over 50% and most likely adultery is involved in each divorce, you can see where the vows are becoming less and less restrictive sexually. God will judge not only the adulterers but also the sexually immoral, which would include any kind of forbidden sexual acts not marriage related. Research shows that nearly all Americans (95%) have had premarital sex by age 44, and a significant majority (75%) have it by their early 20s. Many young adults who have premarital sex also cohabit with their partners before marriage, a fairly common practice nowadays. God will forgive those who repent of sexual immorality and/or adultery, but it is a very serious sin. A strong admonition comes from the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” I know you could say that all sin is equal, but Paul is saying that sexual immorality is worse than other sins.
5. 13: ⁵ Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” ⁶ so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” The Greek is aphilarguros: Free from the love of money, not greedy. from “not,” philéō, “fond of” and árgyros, “silver”) – properly, “not fond of silver,” i.e. not covetous for money; free from the love of materialism; not dominated (over-influenced) by the desire for financial gain; non-materialistic.”  It is the love of money, not money itself, that is the root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Jesus said, Luke 12:¹⁵ But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” He then went on to tell the parable of the rich fool who used his overflowing wealth to build bigger barns. A classic text on greed is Ecclesiastes 5:¹⁰ One who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor one who loves abundance with its income.” Paul puts greed right there along with sexual immorality, adultery, idolatry, drunkenness, and homosexuality in 1 Corinthians 6:⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” Someone has said that greed is the most common “hidden” sin among church members in the U.S. But the writer of Hebrews stresses “being content with what you have” along with not loving money or being greedy. It is hard not to look at others and want more than what you have. Others might be paid better, have better jobs, have better houses and cars, have vacation homes, etc. but are you really content with what you have? Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:⁷ For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either. ⁸ If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. ⁹ But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction.” When you make job and career decisions, do you think about the spiritual consequences of each decision or is money the main consideration? He also said in Philippians 4:¹¹ Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹² I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” No matter how bad the circumstances get, the Lord will always be with you to help, strengthen, and comfort you. He might not remove the bad circumstance, but He will be your Helper to help you through it. That takes away the fear, “I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” Many of us Christians live in fear. Fear or being afraid of a lack of money, of failing in business, of bad health, of tragedy that might happen, of being ridiculed b/c of our faith, of death, of physical harm, of losing a job, etc. That is sad b/c we have the Father as a constant 24/7 helper. We should be able to be at peace through any and all bad circumstances.
   

Chapter 13 closes with a few more instructions concerning spiritual sacrifices. In the old covenant, only those of the Levitical tribe were priests, but in the new covenant, all Christians are priests. The Reformation Movement called this the “priesthood of believers”. Peter taught this in 1 Peter 2:⁴ And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” John said in Revelation 1:5 To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— ⁶ and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.” The Hebrews writer had already said in 5:1 that it was the duty of priests to “offer up sacrifices and gifts”. All Christians are priests who should offer up spiritual sacrifices (not animals). What are those sacrifices? Hebrews 13:¹⁵ Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. ¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” 1) Praise. 2) Doing good. 3)Sharing. 4) Romans 12:1 adds “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” In one sense, everything you do in he name of Jesus is a living sacrifice, one form of worship and reverence toward God. 5) Thanksgiving (Psalm 50:23 He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me). 6) Prayer. The prayers of the saints was like offering incense in Revelation 5:8. Notice “continually”: regularly, often, without stop. Would people look at you doing all these things on a regular basis and see that you truly are a spiritual priest of God? We don’t need Roman Catholic priests. We Christians are all priests.

I hope you have enjoyed this study of Hebrews.

This blog is from Hebrews 12. The key verses is 12:³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The Jewish Christians being written to had suffered much at the hands of the Romans and even their Jewish non-Christian brethren like Saul of Tarsus who tortured and killed Christians. 10:³² But remember the former days,when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, ³³ partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated. ³⁴ For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.” Many of them were “growing weary and losing heart” and leaving the faith to return to Judaism.The Hebrew writer encourages them to keep their eyes of Jesus who suffered so much as an example of faithful sufferings for the Lord. 1 Peter 2:²¹ For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps, ²² He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

So how did Jesus make it through His suffering? 12:2 who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus kept his eyes on the joy that He would receive after he would be raised and ascend back to the Father to be restored to the glory that He had with the Father before he became flesh. John 17:⁴ I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.” So Jesus kept his eyes on that future glory and those who are suffering should keep their eyes on Jesus, their example of suffering. Of course, they could also contemplate their future glory when they would be glorifed and given immortality. Romans 8:¹⁶ The Spirit himself doth testify with our spirit, that we are children of God; ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs, heirs, indeed, of God, and heirs together of Christ — if, indeed, we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together. ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be revealed in us. A lot of Bible sholars think this glorification of the sons of God is still in our future as of today, but notice that it was “about to be” revealed in the lifetime of those reading Romans. The Greek word is mello and it always in the New Testament refers to something about to happen or about to be at a certain place. So this glorification of the sons of God had to be something soon in the lifetime of the readers. It could only refer to 70 AD and the destruction of. the temple and of Jerusalem. In 70 AD it was revealed by God that the true sons of God were the Christians and followers of Jesus and not the rebellious unbelieving Jews whom God sent the Romans to punish and kill. Josephus said that a million Jewish non-believers died in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. That glorification of the Jewish Christians in 70 AD might not some visible bright light that we might expect, but it was a glorification of the sons of God nevertheless. The rest of Romans 8:19 ff describes the new creation to be revealed in 70 AD which is a spiritual new creation and not a physical restoration of the earth to the Garden of Eden state, which is what many say that it is. It is something that also was “about to happen” and a restored earth did not happen soon after writing Romans. A spiritual new heavens and earth did happen in 70 AD (2 Peter 3) which refers to the new Messianic order of things after the old heavens and earth, i.e. the Jewish system, were destroyed in 70 AD. A new spiritual heavens and earth, the Messianic system, the new covenant church system, would indeed be a re-creation of the old earth (Judaism) in a spiritual sense.

The Hebrews writer follows with 11:⁴ You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; ⁵ and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are punished by Him; ⁶ for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He punishes every son whom He accepts.” The Hebrews writer consider their suffering to be “discipline” from the Lord. The Greek word is paideia: Discipline, instruction, training, education. Instruction that trains someone to reach full development (maturity). AI: “In every setting it points to the formative process by which character, faith, and obedience are shaped through purposeful training that may include corrective measures.” The word is used of the the whole training and education of children.

The Hebrews writer almost sarcastically says that they haven’t even shed blood yet (like Jesus did) so they should put their suffering in perspective. It could be worse and would be worse for many Christians in the Roman Empire in the first 300 years with many Christians shedding blood in the collosseum, eaten by lions or killed with the Roman sword. But apparently many of the readers dif not see their suffering as the discipline of the Lord. Now that doesn’t mean that God is punishing them for their sins by their suffering, although God’s discipline could include punishment for sin just as the discipline a father gives his son can include punishment. But God’s discipline is often just allowing us to suffer and we should take that suffering as a sign that God loves us and is training and perfecting our character and faith just as Jesus was perfected by his suffering.

The writer adds, Hebrews 11:⁹ Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. ¹¹ For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Earthly fathers can only discipline and train their children the best they know how and their discipline will be full of mistakes, but the Father’s discipline is perfect, just what we need. It might be painful but it will produce holiness in us if we accept it with faith, trusting God that it can make us stronger.

Hebrews 12:¹² Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” We have a responsibility to help those who are struggling with their faith, who are growing weary and losing heart. They are compared to someone with weak hands and feeble knees, unable to stand and walk properly (spiritually the same). Or to someone who has an injured leg, maybe a dislocated joint, and who can’t walk straight (spiritually the same). Go to them, encourage them, rebuke them if necessary, try to show them that their suffering is discipline of a loving Father who wants to make them stronger spiritually.

The writer closes this section with 12:¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶ that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” Apparently there were a lot of Jews who were trying get their Jewish Christian brethren to leave the Chrisitan faith and return to Judaism. Some might have been bitter toward Christianity, complaining that Jesus hadn’t come soon like He predicted, complaining that Jesus hadn’t restored the Jewish kingdom to its former power like in the days of King David, freeing the Jews from Roman oppression and establishing a free Jewish state like in the Maccabean period (1st century BC). Those troublemakers were probably sexually immoral and godless like Esau who no longer listened to Jesus. Jesus had indeed predicted that He was coming soon (Mt 10:23; 16:27,.28; 24:30-34; 26:64) in the lifetime of His listeners and He would still do so with His 2nd coming in 70 AD to judge the Jews and send the Romans to destroy the temple and Jerusalem. He never intended to establish a physical kingdom (John 18:36 “my kingdom is not of this world), but instead did establish a spiritual kingdom, the church. Most Jews expected a restoration of the Jewish physical kingdom and totally missed the spiritual kingdom. The Hebrews writer warns the readers to not let any such bitter person corrupt the other Jewish Chrisitians.

I hope this hasn’t been too long, but these verses are all connected. If you are suffering in any way, I hope that this section encourages you and helps you to “not grow weary and lose heart (get discouraged)”.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. (NASB). 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV) 11:1 And faith is of things hoped for a confidence, of matters not seen a conviction. (YOUNG’S YLT) 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Using the NASB, “certainty” in Greek is hupostasis: Substance, assurance, confidence, essence, reality. standing under a guaranteed agreement (“title-deed”); (figuratively) “title” to a promise or property, i.e. a legitimate claim (because it literally is, “under a legal-standing“) – entitling someone to what is guaranteed under the particular agreement. hypóstasis (“title of possession”) is the Lord’s guarantee to fulfill the faith. AI: “ὑπόστασις (hypostasis), denotes the underlying reality that gives something its concrete existence (thus “substance” KJV). In Scripture the term reaches beyond philosophical abstraction and speaks to what is solid, reliable, and enduring—whether the very being of God (used in Hebrews 1:3 of the Son being the same nature as the Father which led the fourth-century theologians to adopt hypostasis to speak of the three divine Persons) ,or the settled confidence of believers.” In other words, faith is not just your belief or wish or hope that God will give you the eternal life that He guaranteed by the death of Jesus to all believers: it is the very nature of God that makes that guarantee and thus the guarantee is “certain” or sure.

Using the NASB, “Hoped” in the Greek is elpizó: To hope, to expect, to trust. ἐλπίζω presents hope not as a tentative wish but as a confident, forward-looking trust grounded in the character and promises of God. It is not just “I hope I win the lottery” without any real expectation of winning. It is a confident expectation of receiving the eternal life that God has guaranteed.

Using the NASB, “proof” in the Greek elegchos: Reproof, conviction, evidence, proof. AI: “The word denotes a demonstrative proof that exposes error and brings something to the light so that its true character is unmistakable. It functions both negatively (showing a fault) and positively (establishing what is real and sure).” Thus the word can be a negative “reproof” (2 Timothy 3:16 where the term highlights Scripture’s capacity to confront false belief or behavior and establish what is right:early Christian teachers cherished the term because it protected the church from error), or it can be a positive proof that you will for sure receive what you don’t have right now (Hebrews 11:1).

That’s a lot of Greek words and AI comments (which all come from biblehub.com “Greek text analysis”), but I think it gives a much richer meaning to Hebrews 11:1 and what faith is. Faith is trusting and believing that the promise of eternal life that God has guaranteed us by the death of Jesus is a sure thing that has solid proof b/c it is based on the very nature of God. It is believing and trusting that God will do what He has promised.

The Hebrews writer starts out with a current (for them) example of faith that uses the definition and description of faith that he gave in 11:1. Hebrews 11:³ By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.” The Greek word for “world” is actually aión: Age, eternity, world, forever, everlasting (not cosmos, the physical world or earth). Young’s translates it more correctly: Hebrews 1:³ by faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing.” (YLT) The word might include the worldly things in each age, but really refers to the past ages themselves. Here it seems to refer to the age in which God created all things by simply speaking them into existence. He spoke and something became visible that was did not exist before that. You can see how this the description of faith in 11:1. You believe God will give you something that you can’t visibly see right now, but it will become a visible reality in the future.

Then begins the great “hall of faith”. We have the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York with 350 honorees such as Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige, “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Nellie Fox, Ted Williams and many, many more. The Ken Burns documentary Baseball is an 18.5 hours miniseries that is dear to baseball lovers like myself (that was my sport in my younger years). Of course there are hall of fames for football and every other sport. But the Hebrews writer gives us the greatest hall of fame ever in this hall of faith b/c faith is eternal while sports is not.
Hebrews 11:2  For by it (i.e faith) the people of old gained approval.” “BY FAITH”: (this is just a summary: go back and read the entire chapter).
Abel: Offered a more acceptable sacrifice to God.
Enoch: Was taken up so that he would not see death.
Noah: Built an ark to save his family.
Abraham: Obeyed when called to a new land and offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Sojourned in that land 75 years without ever possessing it but never considered going back to Ur.
Sarah: Was able to have a child in her old age.
Isaac: Blessed his sons, Jacob and Esau, with faith that God would bless them.
Jacob: Blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh while in his last days before death in Egypt.
Joseph: Made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and made plans for it. Moses’ parents: Hid him when he was born at the risk of death.
Moses: Refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, left Egypt, and kept the Passover.
Joshua: Led the Israelites into the promised land.
Rahab: Helped the Israelite spies escape.
Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah: These judges performed great acts of faith.
David: Slew Goliath.
Samuel: Led the people as a prophet and judge.  Other examples
The walls of Jericho: Fell down after the Israelites marched around them.
The people who passed through the Red Sea: Crossed the sea on dry land.
Kings, prophets, and martyrs: The chapter concludes by mentioning these groups as well, who lived by faith: 11:32 the prophets,³³ who through faith did subdue kingdoms (Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah), wrought righteousness (Samuel?), obtained promises, stopped mouths of lions (Daniel), ³⁴ quenched the power of fire (the 3 Hebrew children in Daniel), escaped the mouth of the sword, were made powerful out of infirmities, became strong in battle, caused to give way camps of the aliens. ³⁵ Women received by a rising again their dead (the widow of Zarephath who had her son raised by Elijah and the Shunammite woman whose son was raised by Elisha), and others were tortured (Jeremiah, Ezekiel), not accepting the redemption, that a better rising again they might receive,³⁶ and others of mockings and scourgings did receive trial, and yet of bonds and imprisonment;³⁷ they were stoned, they were sawn asunder (the apocryphal book  The Martyrdom of Isaiah elaborate on how Isaiah was martyred in this way by King Manasseh) , they were tried; in the killing of the sword they died; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins — being destitute, afflicted, injuriously treated,³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy; in deserts wandering, and [in] mountains, and [in] caves, and [in] the holes of the earth.”

The Hebrews writer concludes this hall of faith with a curious statement: 11:³⁹ And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” God promised eternal life before the ages began, but only officially defeated death and gave immortality to believers in 70 AD. So the OT hall of faith people were approved by God to be given eternal life and were waiting in hades but did not receive immortality until they were raised (Dan 12:1-2) at the endof the age in 70 AD. They would join the 1st century believers in receiving immortality (1 Cor 15:50-55) at 70 AD. So they would not get their immortality “apart from” or before the readers of the Hebrews letter would receive their immortality in 70 AD. They would not be made perfect or complete without the inclusion of New Testament believers. They would all get their immortality together in 70 AD whether they were dead or alive (1 Cor 15:50-55).

Having researched all this, now the question is “How solid and strong is my faith?” That faith might be accomplishing great things for God or just enduring suffering or just having an assurance off eternal life in an age of atheism and skepticism.

As Paul said, 2 Corinthians 13:⁵ Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” “The faith” here would be that body of doctrine that is essential to Christianity (the Deity of Jesus, salvation by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, etc.). But it would also include examining your personal faith. That is what I need to do!

Hebrews 3:¹⁸ And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.” The Israelites who came out of Egypt did not enter the Promised Land Rest b/c of their disobedience and their disobedience was b/c of their lack of faith.

Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith.” The Jewish Christians that the Hebrews writer was addressing were in danger of not entering the Messianic Rest (Matthew 11:28-30) at the end of the age in 70 AD. Some of them were leaving their faith in Jesus and returning to Judaism. They had the gospel (good news) preached to them with the promise of eternal life and immortality if they would endure to the end, but many were falling away.

Hebrews 10:²⁶ For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will (the Greek word is mello, “about to”) consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” There was a judgment. of unbelieving and rebellious Jews that was “about to” happen in just a few years in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the temple and Jerusalem, killing over a million evil Jews. But these verses refer to Jewish Christians who were once “sanctified” or saved. If they leave the faith and return to Judaism, they will meet the same fate as the unbelieving Jews in 70 AD.

Hebrews 4:¹¹ Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.” AI: “A double-edged sword cuts both ways, and the word of God is seen as cutting through falsehoods and revealing truth. It penetrates deeper than any physical tool, reaching into the “division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow” to separate the innermost parts of a person. Like a two-edged sword, it cuts through superficiality and deception, distinguishing between the soul (mind and emotions) and the spirit (inner being), and exposing the truth of the heart’s motives. This means it exposes hidden motives and beliefs, helping individuals to see their true selves.”

Many people “go to church” but what’s really going on inside them? Secret sins like greed and lust that are invisible to others but fully “open and laid bare” to God? Hypocrisy: being a part of a church for impure or ulterior motives? Worldliness: preoccupied with worries, riches, and pleasures that cause one to be unfruitful and useless for the Master? So we listen to a sermon and hear the Word preached to us. But are we really letting that Word penetrate into our inner being, judging. our thoughts and intentions? Are we listening just to be entertained, to critique the speaker? How often do you really get deep into the Word so that the Word can get deep into you? That should be a daily thing, not a Sunday church service thing.

Don’t miss eternal llife and immortality b/c of unbelief. God speaks in a lot of ways providentially, but I know He speak through the Word. The Word was written so that we don’t have to rely on oral tradition. We don’t have the originals of the Bible books, but we have totally trustworthy copies. The Word is not a “dead letter”. It is living and active. The Spirit of God who inspred both the old and new testaments is speaking through every word. My mom has been dead since 2010. She left some long letters before she died, expressing her wishes and concerns. I have read them occasionally to see how I think she would want me to think and act. Her spirit is still speaking to me through those letters written 20 years ago. The Spirit of God is still speaking through His Word, both old and new testaments, that was completed 2,000 years ago. It is stll living and active. Will you allow it to come alive and act within you to accomplish God’s purposes for leaving us His Word in writing?

This is a great slide from ClaimingJoy.yolasite.com taken from Hebrews 10:19-25.

It begins with “therefore” which I was taught means “based on what went before”. The Hebrew author has presented point after point to show that Jesus is “better” than the angels, better than Moses as deliverer, better than Aaron as High Priest, and that Jesus has a better covenant with better sacrifices.

So “therefore” based on what went before (his points in 1:1-10:18) he gives a “since”. The Greek word for since is echó: To have, to hold, to possess, so it just means “having”. Having what? 2 things. 1) “Having” the ability to enter the presence of God, the Most Holy Place in heaven, by the blood of Jesus. We can draw near to the the throne of God. Hebrews 4:¹⁶ Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” 2) “Having” such a great high priest over the house of God, which is the church. A high priest who will never die, who offered his own blood as the sacrifice to forgive sins permanently “once for all time”. A high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. A high priest who is merciful to forgive us of our sins.

So, “since” or we “have” those 2 things, what does the Hebrews writer encourage us to do as believers in this new covenant church of the firstborn? He gives 3 things. Each begins in the various translations with “let us” (NASB, NIV), or “may we” (Young’s Literal Translation). Then there are 3 action verbs that he encourages us to do.

1) Let us draw near (proserchomai: To come to, to approach, to draw near) to that throne of grace for forgiveness and help in time of need. What a shame to have this privelege and opportunity and not take advantage of it. The Old Testament saints did not have that privilege. Draw near with a true or sincere heart in full assurance that you can come to the very presence of God. After all, you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and are now the “sanctified” or set apart for God. Our bodies have been washed with pure water. Is that figurative of our spiritual cleansing from sin or does it refer to water baptism which was “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Perhaps both. Our water baptism alone does not save us. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus’ death. But they were commanded by the apostle Peter to be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Ananias told Saul to “arise and be baptzed and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). The same apostle Peter who told them to be baptized for he remission of sins in Acts 2:38 also said in Acts 10:⁴⁷ “Surely no one can refuse the water for these (Cornelius’ and his household) to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” The apostle Peter went on in his first letter to compare water baptism to the water saving of the 8 people on the ark. In the context those 8 people (Noah and his family) were not saved “from” the water (although they were but that is not Peter’s point) but instead they were saved “by” the water (saved from the human sinful filth that had filled the earth, that surrounded them). 1 Peter 3:20 eight persons, were brought safely through (or by) the water. ²¹ Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Those are some pretty strong verses that show the importance of water baptism, which was practiced by the apostles and the church in the book of Acts. So “our bodies washed with pure water” could refer to water baptism in Hebrews 10:22 but it would also be figurative of the cleansing of our sinful flesh by the blood of Jesus when we are baptized. Water baptism is part of saving faith. It is not a work to earn salvation. 

2) Let us “hold firmly (Greek: katechó: To hold fast, to restrain, to possess, to keep)
to the confession of our hope” without wavering. AI: “The verb (hold fast) encompasses two chief actions: positive retention of what is good and active restraint of what is harmful.” The writer already encouraged this to the readers in 3:6 and 3:14. “We are His house if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast” (Hebrews 3:6); “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first” (Hebrews 3:14). The theme of the whole Hebrew letter has been to warn Jewish Christians about leaving the faith and going back to Judaism, showing them the old covenant was “about to disappear” (Hebrews 8:13), showing them the superiority of the new covenant that could forgive sins permanently once for all time. Indeed the readers of the letter were persecuted (Hebrews 10:32-36) and many “wavered” in their faith and began to have doubts if this new way was really worth leaving their honored traditions under the Law. Over and over he begs them to “endure” and not quit, to stay faithful and not be like the Israelites in the wilderness who failed to enter their Promised Land “rest” due to lack of faith and obedience. These Jewish Christians had made the great “confession” (that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God) when they were baptized. That confession was their “hope” of eternal llfe. Don’t waver from that. The writer adds, “He who promised (eternal life) is faithful.” God will be faithful and give eternal life to those who endure. You don’t have to worry about Him keeping His promise, but will you be faithful to your confession? The same question could be asked of us believers today. We are surrounded with people denying the deity of Jesus (even in a lot of the churches). Jesus said, Matthew 10:³² “Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before people, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

3) Let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good deeds. The Greek word for “encourage” is paroxusmos: Provocation, Stirring up, Sharp Disagreement. AI: “The Greek word marks a sudden surge of emotion that moves people to action. The noun can carry either a constructive or a destructive sense, describing a stimulus that provokes, stirs, or irritates. The direction—toward unity or toward division—is determined by the moral and spiritual context in which the stimulus is received.” It was the word used of the sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:39). But the word can also be “stirring up” believers to love and good works. Synonyms for “stimulate” include arouse, energize, provoke, encourage, excite, and motivate. A “stimulus package” is to stir up a slow economy. Light is a physical stimulus that activates photoreceptors in the eye. In other words, when we see Christians wavering or becoming complacent in their faith, we need to stimulate them to get back to love and good works. That could even be harsh warnings such as given several times by the Hebrews writer.

When do we have he opportunity to do this? When we “meet together” (episunagógé: Gathering together, assembly)(10:25). Did you notice the “synagogue” in that word, the Jewish assembly place in the first century? No doubt this refers to the gathering of Christians in their various house churches in the first century. 1 Corinthians 14:26 had instructions on the use of miraculous gifts when they would “assemble” (sunerchomai: To come together, to assemble, to gather). The early church assembled often from its first inception, the first 3,000 baptized believers in Acts 2:⁴⁶ Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.” They met in house churches; they did not have “church buildings”.

When did they meet? Obviously their meetings were not restricted to just one day, but it does appear that they met on the first day of the week (Sunday) as a regular practice. 1 Corinthians 16:² On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper, so that no collections need to be made when I come.” Paul believes that the Corinthian Christians are meeting every Sunday and therefore encourages them to make this collection for the saints in Jerusalem who are suffering from a famine. Some misuse this command to make it one of the “5 acts of worship” that are mandatory for acceptable Christian worship today. This was a command that would have ended once Paul came to Corinth and when the Corinthians gave him the money collected so he could carry it to Jerusalem. How can someone make that a command that applies to us today? The principle of giving or our means is there, but that’s all. The Hebrews writer adds: “not neglecting to meet together”, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (KJV), “not abandoning our own meeting together” (NASB). The Greek word here is egkataleipó: To forsake, abandon, leave behind, desert. AI: “The verb ἐγκαταλείπω conveys a deeply personal form of forsaking: deserting someone who reasonably expected ongoing presence, help, or protection. The compound intensifies the ordinary “leave,” stressing an abandonment that wounds, exposes, or isolates.” It is the word used by Jesus, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Demas had deserted and forsaken Paul (2 Timothy 4:10). A misuse of this verse in Hebrews 10:25 might be saying that a believer is going to hell if he misses any of the regular church services, which is kinda what my church taught when I was little. A “faithful church member and Christian was one who attended all 3 services (Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night). A believer might have several ways of gathering with other believers that do not involve Sunday “going to church” (which is a misnomer since we are the church). On the other hand, you can see the value in gathering with other Christians whenever possible to encourage one another to love and good works. Even if you don’t think that you need any encouragement, there is someone there who does need encouragement and you might be the one to give it to them. Covid really disrupted that, and many have just chosen not to return to such church gatherings, which is sad. Many believers are very disgusted with the “big church business” which spends 80% of the money collected on buildings and staff instead of feeding the poor, drilling clean water wells overseas, and printing and distributing Bibles in the many languages to the unreached masses in the world. That’s me actually. I would almost prefer to listen to a good sermon online from my favorite Bible teacher, do my own personal studies in the Word, pray my daily prayer list, and then maybe encourage a believer in need with a text or email. I’m sure that is okay with God, but it would still be good for me to attend the church this Sunday morning and encourage those gathered there. There will be many Christians there that need encouragement that I would not have the opportunity to encourage otherwise. So, I guess I will “go to church” Sunday! In the meantime, we have a house church every Wednesday in our house and a Sunday night small group gathering. So I do encourage you to gather with other believers whenever and wherever you can. There was a special incentive for the readers of the Hebrews letter: “all the more as you see the day drawing near”. My church taught that day was Sunday, the day of meeting. I disagree. I believe it refers to the day of judgment coming on the Jews in 70 AD. The next verse following 10:25 is Hebrews 10:²⁶ For we — willfully sinning after the receiving the full knowledge of the truth — no more for sins doth there remain a sacrifice, ²⁷ but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery zeal, about to devour the opposers” (Young’s Literal). Notice that Young’s correctly translates it as a judgment “about to” devour the Jews in 70 AD.

Hebrews 10:20 we have a “new and living way”. A new covenant superior to the old about to disappear covenant. A living way, the sacrifice of Jesus that provide forgiveness and eternal life. Hebrews 10:²⁰ by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh. It took Jesus’ death, by His sacrifice in the “flesh” to provide access to the very throne of God. There was a veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies and only the high priest could go through that veil and only on the Day of Atonement. Jesus’ flesh is the removal of that veil that allows us to enter the very presence of God.

Jesus is your Savior, Redeemer, King, Lord, etc. But in the Hebrews letter, He is the new covenant High Priest. Now that would mean a lot to a Jewish Christian. The first high priest was Aaron. His role was to act as a mediator between God and the Israelites, offering sacrifices and performing rituals, most notably entering the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). On the holiest day of the year, he would enter the Holy of Holies (only he was ever allowed to enter there and only on this one day) for two trips: one to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant for his own sins and then a 2nd trip to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people to cover (atone) for their sins for the entire past year. You can imagine the relief of the people if and as he came out of the tabernacle after that 2nd trip! He then would place his hands on a goat, putting the sins of the people on the goat, and send the goat off into the wilderness to never return. Thus, the “scapegoat”.

The Law was about to “disappear” (Hebrews 8:13) in just a few years after the time of writing of Hebrews in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed by the Romans. After that there would be no more temple, no more sacrifices, no more day of Atonement, no more High Priest going into the Holy of Holies. That would be quite a shock to Jewish Christians, even hard to believe that God would send the Romans to destroy His own temple! Some Jewish Christians were even leaving faith in Christ and the church to return to Judaism, probably enticed to do so by the non-Christian Jews who were rebelling against Rome.

But the Hebrews writer gave the assurance that there is a much greater High Priest, Jesus, for the greater new covenant that would be replacing the old covenant. This new High Priest, Jesus, would enter the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of God, in heaven, not on earth, in a spiritual tabernacle in heaven. The Aaronic old covenant high priests died physically and would have to be replaced, but not Jesus as he was eternal. The old high priests had to make a trip into the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood for their own sins, but not Jesus since he was sinless. Jesus would only make one trip in to the Most Holy Place in heaven to offer, not the blood of animals which could not forgive sins permanently, but to offer his own blood to forgive sins once for all time (Hebrews 10). The Aaronic high priests had to enter to enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement every year, but Jesus only had to enter the Most Holy Place in heaven one time, once for all time. After making that offering of his blood, he would come out of the Most Holy Place in heaven to make his 2nd coming, but the 2nd coming was not to make an offering for sin but to provide salvation and immortality to believers. 9:²⁸ so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Jesus’ high priesthood was after the order of Melchizadek and not Aaron (Hebrews 7). Melchizadek was a mysterious figure to whom Abraham offered tithes and who blessed Abraham, showing his superiority over Abraham. Abraham was greater than Levi, his great grandson Levi. So if a>b and b>c then a>c (the transitive property of inequality). Melchizadek is greater than Abraham and Abraham is greater than Levi so Melchizadek is greater than Levi. The high priesthood of Melchizadek is greater than that of Levi. Also Melchizadek is described with no genealogy as if he is eternal, which is a type of the eternal high priesthood of Jesus, his antitype.

This discussion of the new greater high priesthood of Jesus being superior to Aaron should have helped Jewish Christians who might have been struggling in their faith. Their non-Christian Jewish brethren are telling them that there is no way God would allow His temple to be destroyed by the Romans and certainly no way that sacrifices, the Most Holy Place, the High Priesthood of Aaron, etc. would totally disappear in just a few years. They expected Jesus to make his 2nd coming (which he predicted would be within their lifetime) to be soon to rescue them from the Romans, defeat the Romans, and restore the Jewish kingdom to the power it had in the days of David. No doubt many Jewish Christians had that same false expectation. Fortunately, they trusted what Jesus had told them to do (Matthew 24), which was to get out of Jerusalem when they could before the final siege of the city began in the spring of 70 AD. Eusebius, the 3rd century AD church historian, tells us that the Jewish Christians did escape Jerusalem and fled to Pella before that final siege. After the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, maybe they finally realized that the new kingdom (that Jesus said was “at hand”) was a spiritual kingdom, not of this world (John 18:36), that would not defeat the Romans and restore the physical power of the kingdom of the old covenant. Jesus had predicted that some of those he was speaking to would still be alive to see “him coming in His kingdom” (Mark 9:1) and that’s what happened in 70 AD. Thus, Hebrews was a valuable letter for the Jewish Christians at the time of writing as the temple was about to be destroyed. It certainly would mean more to them than to us Gentile Christians living 2,000 years later.

So what is the lasting message from the book of Hebrews for us Gentile Christians about this new high priest. Since Jesus is an eternal High Priest of the new covenant, then He is our High Priest. What does that mean for us today? Why do we need a high priest? Obviously we need the sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins and the analogy of Jesus our High Priest entering the Most Holy Place in heaven to offer his blood for the forgiveness of sins once for all time. That’s a beautiful analogy that reassures our faith as we struggle with sin. To know that He is at the right hand of the Father as our “Advocate” (1 John 2:1-2), making “intercession” for us to the Father (Romans 8:26,27) when we sin.

But there is more to the high priesthood of Jesus than just that. Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; ² he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is clothed in weakness.” Jesus did not have to offer blood for his own sins, but he did undergo suffering to enable him to be able to “deal gently with the ignorant and misguided” (i.e. sinners). His suffering perfected Him to be able to do that. Hebrew 5:⁸ Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him.” This makes it more personal than just a high priest who maybe sacrifices for our sins but doesn’t really relate to us b/c he is a sinless high priest who really isn’t sympathetic to our sins. He did not sin, but His own weakness showed how the Father prepared him for the role of sympatizer. 5:⁷ In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears (i.e. in the Garden of Gethsemane) to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior.” In the Garden He was to the point of depression (not clinical depression but depression). He began to feel “sorrow and distress, sorrowful to the point of death” (Mt 26:37,38). His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). On the cross He cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

The Jewish Christians were suffering. 10:³² But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, ³³ partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated. ³⁴ For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.” Their new high priest Jesus was not just the forgiver of their sins, but He could sympathize with their sufferings and weaknesses b/c he also experienced suffering and weakness. That would be comforting to know. That might help them “endure their suffering to the end” (i.e. 70 AD and the end of the Jewish Age and the end of the last days of the Jewish Age). 12:1b let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Thus the Hebrews writer says this of the new high priest Jesus: 2:¹⁷ Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brothers so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” 4:¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Was he tempted to quit when things got rough as in the Garden He faced the thoughts of being crucified? Yes. He had seen many victims of crucifixion hanging on crosses by the roads, suffering for 2 or 3 days usually before they died. How would you feel if you knew you had to go through that in the next 24 hours. I mean we have great dread just knowing we are going to have to go through a painful surgery in the next 24 hours. I can’t imagine the dread that martyrs of the faith like Polycarp went through. Polycarp died as a martyr in 155 AD at the age of 86, refusing to renounce his Christian faith. He was first burned at the stake, but when the fire failed to consume his body, he was stabbed to death with a dagger. John Huss died by being burned at the stake on July 6, 1415, after being declared a heretic by the Council of Constance. BTW Huss’s “heresy” was that he believed the same fundamentalist beliefs that I hold and that the Reformation movement held, i.e. Jesus, not the pope, is the head of the chruch and we are all priests (not Catholic priest system). I can’t imagine the dread of knowing that in 24 hours I will be burned at the stake.

So this new high priesthood of Jesus meant more to a Jewish Christian in a way, but it presents a picture of Jesus that the terms Redeemer, King, and Lord do not give. Yes, Jesus makes “propitiation” (2:17) for our sins, once for all time, and intercedes for our sins daily. The Greek word is hilaskomai: To propitiate, to appease, to atone for: appeasement/satisfaction of divine wrath on sin. This is the equivalent of the Hebrew word for “atonement” and the mercy seat on the ark where blood would be sprinkled to make atonement or covering of the sins of the people of the past year. But he is more than just the propitation for our sins. He is not just an impersonal high priest. He can sympathize with any sin, temptation, or struggle that you face. You know what it means to have someone you can talk to when you struggle, someone you trust, someone who can sympathize with what you are going through. You have that in Jesus 24/7. But you must feel the need for that spiritually. If you just face trials on your own strength, you will eventually fall.

So right now, look up into heaven (wherever that is!). Can you see Jesus your high priest sitting at the right hand of the Father? When you sin today (and you will), can you look up and see Jesus asking the Father to forgive you b/c He died for you? When you struggle with problems, spiritual or physical, today can you look up and hear Jesus talking to you, sympathizing with you encouraging you to stay strong? To me, that’s what the Hebrews writer is saying in 4:16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” You want mercy and grace for your sins, but you need “help in the time of your need”. When faced with danger, we cry out “help me”. We should be asking for Jesus’ help 24/7, especially in the midst of a spiritual crisis. He will “come to our aid” (2:18) when we need it. The Greek for “aid” and “help” is the same Greek word: boétheó: To help, to come to the aid of, to assist: a brand of help, especially critical assistance that meets an urgent situation (delivering very needed aid). 

You have a great High Priest Jesus. Try turning to Him all day today in every circumstance you face. You are not alone in your struggles.

In Hebrews 3-4 there are 4 “rests” and then an application that gives us a 5th rest:

1. God rested on the 7th day of the creation week. 4:3 although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. ⁴ For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”. This rest of God is the basis for all the other rests. The idea is that if believers can endure to the end then they will rest from their labors and be rewarded. 4:¹⁰ For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”
2. The Promised Land was rest for the Israelites in the Old Testament. The Promised Land would be a land of milk and honey, cities already built for them, vineyards already planted, victory over their enemies and peace, a place of rest after 400 years of slavery in Egypt and several months of harsh travel in the wilderness and desert on the way to Canaan. Unfortunately, that first generation that came out of Egypt rebelled and missed entering that rest and were all sentenced to die (those 20 and older) in the wilderness wandering for 40 years. The next generation was able to enter the Canaan rest under the leadership of Joshua.
3. The rest that was offered by King David in Psalm 95, which the author of Hebrews quotes in Hebrews 3:7-11. In Hebrews 4:⁷ He (i.e. God) again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,”Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts”. 8 For if Joshua had given them rest (the Canaan rest that Joshua led the people into), He would not have spoken of another day after that.” In other words, if entering Canaan rest under Joshua was the last rest offered, then another rest would not have been offered to the people in David’s day. David even makes the plea to enter God’s rest as a current offer, “Today”..
4. The rest that the Hebrew author was warning them not to miss. What rest were they in danger of not entering? It had to be a rest they could or could not enter in their lifetime. Here is the full preterist view of that rest for the Jewish Christians that Hebrews was written to. “According to the full preterist interpretation, the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the subsequent end of the Old Covenant system fulfilled a key prophetic and theological event that brought “rest” to believers. The end of ritual labor: The Old Covenant required continual sacrifices and ritualistic works from the Levitical priesthood. In the preterist view, the destruction of the temple ended the need for this priestly labor, fulfilling the “resting from his own works” mentioned in Hebrews 4:10.
   A new era of worship: With the Temple’s destruction, worship shifted permanently from a physical location and ceremonial system to a new, spiritual reality centered on Christ, the superior High Priest. This inaugurated the final spiritual rest for the people of God.
   Warning to Jewish Christians: The original audience of Hebrews was composed of Jewish Christians facing persecution and tempted to return to the security of Judaism. The author’s warning in Hebrews 4 to “strive to enter that rest” would have been a timely encouragement for them to persevere in Christ and not revert to a system that was about to be destroyed.
   So this sabbath rest they could enter in 70 AD would be a Messianic rest for all believers from 70 AD onward. It would be especially significant for Jews who were burdened with the legalistic requirements of the Law and yet no eternal hope provided by the Law. You are constantly working to keep a Law that can’t even save you. You become wearied with your sins and your inability to keep the Law perfectly.” I believe that the 40 years in the wilderness is parallel to the 40 years of the transition period of the early church from 30-70 AD and the transition from the old to the new covenant. We trend to read Hebrews 4 as if the author is writing to us, but he isn’t. He is writing to those Christians living in the transition period trying to remain faithful till the judgment and end of the transition period in 70 AD.
5. What is the rest for believers after 70 AD? It would be the rest Jesus offered in Mt 11:28-30. ²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” Most of us are not Jewish Christians so this rest might not look the same it would to them trying to hold on till 70 AD. But it is a rest that we all should strive for. It is a “spiritual rest” while on earth. AI: Trust and reliance: True Christian rest involves trusting God with life’s burdens, knowing He is sufficient and will provide. It’s a choice to let go of the need to control everything. Peace and security: It is the peace and security that comes from a right relationship with God, found in entrusting your life to Him.
   Connection with God: Resting in God involves spending time in His presence, being still, and allowing His peace to fill your mind, body, and spirit. A deeper fulfillment: This spiritual rest is not just a pause but a profound strategy for spiritual health and a way to find strength and focus on God Himself, not just on the tasks of life. Most people, even Christians, live their entire lives without finding God’s rest. I, for one, am always striving, working, thinking, controlling, being frustrated, worrying, etc. Seldom do I just sit back and enjoy Jesus’ rest and be at total piece. Are you like that? I wish I could just fly away and find rest, like David said in Psalm 55:6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” One day, I hope to enter a final phase of rest that God has prepared for believers. Revelation 14:¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” It will be nice just to enjoy being around throne and being freed from this weary, burdensome life on earth. Revelation 7 paints that picture of eternity: ¹³ Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. ¹⁶ They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Hebrews 3:7-19 is the 2nd warning the author gives to those Jewish Christians who were leaving faith in Christ Jesus to return to Judaism. 3:7b Today, if you will hear His voice,
⁸ Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
As on the day of Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ “When your fathers put Me to the test,
They tested Me, though they had seen My work.
¹⁰ For forty years I was disgusted with that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
¹¹ Therefore I swore in My anger,
They certainly shall not enter My rest.”

The incident at Massah and Meribah is from Exodus 17 as Israel was on the way to Mt. Sinai after being freed from slavery in Egypt. They came to Rephidim and complained about having no water and tested God. Moses struck the rock and provided water. Exodus 17:⁷ Then he named the place Massah (from the Hebrew word meaning “to test”) and Meribah (from the Hebrew word meaning “quarreling or contention”) because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” Deuteronomy 6:16; 9:22 and Psalm 95:8-9 refer to that incident. The Israelites did not have the faith that God would provide, so complaining and testing God are symptoms of a lack of faith and an evil heart of unbelief, refusing to submit to God’s protection and guidance.

Hebrews 3:12-19 goes to encourage the Jewish Christians to not have an evil, unbelieving heart like that of the Israelites in the wilderness. David used Massah and Meribah as a warning to the Israelites living in his day. The phrase ““Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me” becomes applicable to the “today” of David’s time, and also to the “today” of the Hebrew author’s time. It becomes the today of our time also. The warning applies to all of God’s people of all times: 3:¹² Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

That’s the message for me and you today. Sin will try to deceive you today. Materialism, riches, worries, and pleasures will try to distract you from your faith in God. Bad things might happen today that will cause you to complain instead of trusting God. You might begin to quarrel and argue with others about why God allows bad things to happen. Israel’s lack of faith persisted and that generation was not allowed to enter God’s “rest”, i.e. Canaan, the Promised Land. The Hebrew writer was warning his readers that they might miss entering their “rest” due to lack of faith and obedience. Their “rest” would be the final gift of immortality that God would give faithful believers in the first century generation at 70 AD. The 40 years of Israel being tested in the wilderness is a parallel to the 40 years from 30-70 AD that the 1st century church was being tested. Those who endured to the end (70 AD) would receive immortality (1 Corinthians 15) and those who fell from grace would be judged in the great destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD where one million Jews were killed by the Romans.  

The warning is clear to the readers of the Hebrews letter: 3:¹² Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” We need to encourage one another “today” and “every day”. There are many believers who face trials, temptations, tests, difficulties, tragedies, etc. who need to be encouraged by other believers. The strongest of us in our faith need encouragement at times. We need a lot of believers like Barnabas, whose name meant “son of encouragment”. He encouraged the new Christians at the new Gentile church in Antioch. He encouraged the Christians in Jerusalem to accept Paul into fellowship. He encouraged John Mark after John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. Later Paul accepted John Mark favorably, probably due to Barnabas’ encouragement of John Mark.

We all get wrapped up in daily troubles and problems. We worry about things instead of trusting God. Make it a priority “today” to look around you and find someone who needs encouragement, and then go encourage them. It will get your mind off your own problems. Be a Barnabas today!

By the way, Psalm 95 is a great psalm. Here are the verses in Psalm 95 leading up to the ones that the Hebrew author quoted in Hebrews 3.

95:1 Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord,
Let’s shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
² Let’s come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving,
Let’s shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments.
³ For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
⁴ In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are also His.
⁵ The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Come, let’s worship and bow down,
Let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
⁷ For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

These verses tell us that singing with joy and thanksgiving to the Lord and reverent worship are important in building up our faith so that we don’t fall due to unbelief like the Israelites did. You are probably familiar with the song “Come let us worship and bow down”. I encourage you to stop right now and listen to this song and then take a moment to worship and bow down.

Hebrews 2:1  For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift (pararreó: To drift away, to slip away, to flow past) away from it.”
The verb conveys the picture of a boat whose moorings have loosened so that it glides past a safe harbor.Patristic writers such as Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom drew on Hebrews 2:1 to exhort congregations against cultural assimilation. Chrysostom’s Homilies on Hebrews likened inattentive believers to men lounging in a boat while currents sweep them away.”

The Hebrews author was warning Jewish Christians who were leaving their faith in Christ to return to Judaism. Perhaps they had become discouraged with the fact that Jesus had not returned as soon as they thought he would. He did predict that his 2nd coming would be within the lifetime of those listening to him, but that was still a few years after the writing of Hebrews (in 70 AD it would still be within that generation as Jesus predicted). There was a lot of Jewish nationalism just before the Jews revolted against the Romans which led to the Wars of the Jews in 67 AD that led to the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Perhaps the Jewish non-Christians rebels had convinced some Jewish Christians that faith in Jesus was not producing the desired results of restoring the Jewish nation to former glory, dispelling the Romans. That is what many Jewish Christians expected even though Jesus said that he did not come to set up an earthly kingdom (John 18:36). Apparently many were leaving their faith and returning to Judaism.

Let’s be clear. In 2:1 the author warns against drifting from faith in Christ, but later in the book he clearly states that a saved believer could completely fall from grace. 6:⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” That sounds like a saved believer can fall from grace, right? I am amazed when I read the comments on these verses by a Calvinist commentator. One said that these verses presented a hypothetical situation that could not really happen because, in Calvinism, a saved believer cannot fall from grace. It would be like warning a child, “The Boogey-man is going to get you if you don’t eat your food.”

Another clear section that shows that a saved believer can fall from grace is 10:²⁶ For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which is “about to” consume the adversaries (the judgment on the Jews would be just a few years later in 70 AD). ²⁸ Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Is that not a clear prediction of punishment of those Jewish Christians who leave the faith?

Sometime a saved believer will make some instant renouncement of his/her faith. Charles Templeton was Billy Graham’s right hand man in preaching and evangelism for many years. But he had inner questions about his faith. The existence of evil and suffering bothered him a lot. One day, he just packed his bags and walked off, declaring that he no longer believed in God. He wrote his book, “Farewell to God” and died as an atheist.

But usually we just drift off, slowly, carried off like the tide will pull a boat away from the dock. AI: “Signs of drifting from faith include neglecting spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible reading, a lack of joy or passion for religious activities, and a shift in priorities away from faith towards worldly desires or comfort. Other indicators are compromising on values, finding excuses to avoid community, and being emotionally disconnected during worship or prayer.”

Can you imagine being in a small boat right next to the dock. You doze off and then wake up an hour later only to find that you are 100 yards away from the dock. Look at your spiritual habits and priorities in your life right now. Are you far off from the dock? Take your paddle and paddle back to the dock before you drift so far away that you can’t get back. Examine your spiritual life. Can you tell when you are drifting from your faith? Does it even bother you if you have lost your first love, your zeal for the Lord. Are you content just to be far away from the dock, enjoying the good life, eating and drinking and having a good time? Maybe your drifting has been so slow that you just haven’t realized how far away you are from the dock.

Something to think about!

Here is a good slide I found with a simple outline of the book of Hebrews:

The author is writing to Jewish Chrsitians in Palestine probably, some of whom are leaving faith in Christ and returning to follow the Law of Moses. He shows rhem the several ways that Jesus is superior to Moses and the Levitical High Priests. He shows them that His offering of his blood is superior to animal sacrifices. He shows them that his new covenant is superior to the old covenant. He shows them that the new and living way of faith in Christ is superior to the legalism of the Law.

He begins with a most interesting part that Jesus is better than the angels. Why would the author need to argue that point? AI: “In the first century CE, a diverse range of Jewish communities showed a significant interest in angels, particularly within apocalyptic and mystical traditions. Angels served as divine intermediaries, providing guidance and carrying out God’s will, with named figures like Michael and Gabriel being popular. This “preoccupation” wasn’t monolithic, however; it varied by group and included ideas from Hellenistic thought, with different groups holding unique traditions, from the desire to achieve angelic status to the invocation of angels in ritual texts and amulets for aid and protection. ” Then there was the Book of Enoch speaks of the origin of demons and fallen angels. It said that the fallen angels had sex with the godly daughters of Seth’s line and produced giants. The book names the fallen angels, the “watchers”. AI: “the Book of Enoch was widely read and held in high regard by many 1st-century Jewish Christians, although it was not considered canonical scripture by all. It was very popular during the Second Temple period and influenced early Christian thought, as evidenced by its presence in the Dead Sea Scrolls and its direct quotation in the New Testament book of Jude.”

Colossians 2 even mentions the “worship of angels”. 2:¹⁶ Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷ things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.” The false teachers in context seem to be Jewish, perhaps the Judaizers who tried to force Gentile Christians to keep the Law. What was the “worship of angels”? AI: “the “worship of angels” refers to a heretical practice in the early church where false teachers insisted that believers should worship or revere angels as mediators to get closer to God. This false teaching, often linked to Gnosticism and syncretic Jewish practices, is condemned by Paul because it detracts from Christ’s supremacy and suggests He is not sufficient for salvation. The practice was associated with a system of asceticism and claims of special angelic visions, which Paul refutes by reminding the Colossians that Christ is the head of all powers.”

In the book of Hebrews, the emphasis on angels is connected to the Jewish Christians leaving the faiath to go back to following the Law. The Law was ordained by angels (Acts 7:52) and “ordered through angels” (Galatians 3:19). Hebrews 2:2 For if the word spoken through angels (i.e. the Law) proved unalterable.” So it is easy to see these apostate Jewish Christians elevating the role of angels since the giving of the Law to Moses at Mt. Sinai was somehow “ordained” by angels.

Having said all that, the Hebrews writer gives several arguments to show that Jesus is “better than the angels” in chapter 1.

1. To which of the angels did the Father ever say “You are my Son” (Psalm 2:7). He said that to Jesus.
2. God commanded the angels to worship Jesus when he came into the world.
3. The angels are just “ministering spirits” but the Son Jesus is called “God” in Psalm 45.
4. The heavens will wear out but the Son Jesus will be eternal.
5. To which of the angels did the Father say, “Sit at my right hand”, but He told Jesus that (Psalm 110).
6. In 2:5 he adds one more argument: the Father subjected the world to come (the Messianic Age) to the Son Jesus, not the angels.

Christianity condemns the worship of angels. Some Catholic parish recite the prayer to St. Michael the archangel, but they do not worship any angels. AI: “Catholic veneration of angels is a form of respect and is a way to ask for their intercession and help from God. This is a practice of venerating them as God’s messengers and servants who assist in the divine plan (but not the worship of angels).”

It is interesting that the discussion of angels in Hebrews chapters 1 and 2 ends with this comment: 2:¹⁶ For clearly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham.” He took on human form, lower than the angels, but He did not do so to save fallen angels. He did that to save fallen mankind.

I don’t know if we can really relate to all the arguments about Jesus being “better than the angels”. It obviously was something that the Hebrew writer felt was needed to be discussed. I don’t even know what the role of angels is today. I assume that they still are God’s “ministering spirits” that He uses in some way. In the Bible there are a lot of times when angels appear and speak directly to people. Do angels still do that? Many claim that they do. Do children have a guardian angel (Matthew 18:10)? Do angels do many unseen things in our lives? Perhaps, but certainly the focus is on Jesus, not angels.