One of the most memorable sermon illustrations that I’ve heard is about someone who is driving a car. If their eyes are on the road, they can direct the car wherever they choose (as long as the road and traffic patterns allow). But, how often have we been driving and our eyes drift from the road to something else? Maybe it’s something on the side of the road or a passenger in the back asking a question. Maybe we need to grab something from our purse or check our phone (even though that’s illegal in most states).
When you take your eyes off the road, you begin to veer off course. This can lead to destruction and harm.
This is true literally when we are driving a car, but it is also spiritually true when we are thinking about our walk with God. The Bible often speaks of where our eyes are fixed to describe the spiritual health of our hearts. If our eyes are turned to God, we will be walking towards him. But, all too often, our eyes get focused on other things – jobs, pleasures, stresses, idols – and when this happens, we begin to veer off course.
Isaiah 17:7-8 says, “In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made.”
At the time, Israel had their gaze fixed off-course. They had turned towards idols, with their Asherah poles and incense altars. That focus led their hearts away from God and ultimately ended in destruction. They were headed towards a spiritual crash.
God spoke off a day in the future when the Israelites course would be righted. Instead of turning to their false gods, they would look to their creator God. They would be headed on the right and good path.
When this happens, the ultimate destination is one that is filled with hope for the good things of God. Isaiah 16:4-5 describes, “The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness, a man will sit on it— one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.”
We know that this is our hope too. We have a glorious hope in the kingdom, when Jesus is seated on the throne. There will be justice, righteousness, love, and faithfulness. We wait for that day. We long for it.
So where are your eyes fixed? Are they fixed on idols, pleasures, or cares of this world? Or are they turned towards your Maker?
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What are some of the things that lead to ‘distracted driving’ in your spiritual walk? How do your eyes get taken off of God?
Where are you currently looking now? Are you looking to God? Or somewhere else?
How does Jesus fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 16:4-5? How does this fill you with hope for the future?
Growing up, I was one of the youngest out of both my family and all my cousins. I changed my first diaper when I was in college when my oldest niece was born. To say I was inexperienced around kids is probably an understatement. Because of this, parenthood has also meant lots of research about what it to actually do. Sleep routines, bathtimes, mealtimes, and independent play. There’s a lot that you need to learn even if it seems like it would be common sense.
As you read through the Bible, it can be easy to gloss over passages that reference parenthood when you are a teen and young adult. It’s not until you are a parenthood constantly trying to keep your two-year-old out of harm’s way that the significance of the passage “an infant will put its hand in a cobra’s den” really makes sense (Is. 11:8).
Today, we read a passage that also really only starts to show its true significance when you’ve been around children during their baby years. Every child is born helpless, needing constant love, care, and literal physical support. When they are born, they can only eat milk. In fact, if you tried to give your newborn an apple or even a banana they may very well choke. Their baby tummies may not be able to digest it, and they may end up having poor nutrition because they get more calories without the rich nutrients delivered by milk.
You only start feeding solids after several months of development so that babies can grow bit by bit into the food that they eat. There’s lots of different (and conflicting) advice about the methods and timing for introducing solids, but to keep it simple if you’ve never been around young kids going through this transition, the move from milk to solids is momentous and requires thought and care. Some parents I’ve talked to have even put it off into the child’s seventh or eighth month because of the lifestyle change it requires. However, it is a very necessary step towards a mature adult.
Today, we read in Hebrews 5:11-14, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
In our Christian walk, we want to strive for holiness and righteousness. We want to be mature in our faith. In James 1:4, we read that we want to be ‘mature and complete’ in our faith, not lacking anything.
The writer of Hebrews was pretty critical of the letter’s recipients. Instead of calling them mature, they were called newborns in the faith who lived on milk, not solid food. What is the milk of the faith?
The beginning of Hebrews 6 tells us: “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.”
When we read the judgments in the books of prophecy of the Old Testament, we can often feel a little overwhelmed. But, we want to grow and become mature in faith. This only happens if we are consistent and diligent in our study of God’s word and live out the things that we read. We have to move beyond the basics and move towards solid food. This means dealing with difficult passages, theological concepts, and ethical questions.
This solid food will help us to become wise. It will help us to have discernment as we deal with an increasingly difficult, complex, and uncertain cultural moment. It will help us to be able to distinguish good from evil and choose the right paths for our lives.
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Read through the list of teachings that is the milk of the Christian faith. Does this list surprise you? Would you add anything to this list?
Do you think you are currently needing spiritual milk or solid food?
What steps can you take to grow and mature in your faith?
A skill that I picked up from my teaching days was the complement sandwich. Whenever you needed to email a parent or correct a student, you nestled your criticism between two things that were good. It was a way of taking ‘a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.’ There have been studies that it takes 5 positive interactions to overcome 1 negative interaction. From marriage to parenting to work relationships, we have to fight to notice the good so that we don’t become too negative with our words.
Interestingly, as I read through the first few chapters of Isaiah, I noticed that God does the same thing with his prophecies. The people of Israel and Judah were told in no uncertain terms that they needed to repent and turn back to God, or they would face destruction. As we’ve read, this is a pretty bleak picture.
Isaiah 10:16-18 says, “The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields, it will completely destroyed, as when a sick person wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.”
When we read this, it’s easy to think of God just as the vengeful and wrathful God that sometimes culture depicts him as. And, it’s true that God is a just God; this destruction happened in the past and will happen again in the last days.
But, to just describe God in this way misses the full picture of who he is. With all of our readings this week, we haven’t been left with destruction. In the midst of these prophecies, there is always hope. God may not give his criticisms in a compliment sandwich, but he does serve up a solid dish of hope.
Right after God describes the destruction coming in Isaiah 10:18, he then describes how a remnant will be left that will be led by the shoot from the stump of Jesse (Is. 11). We then have this beautiful picture of what the coming kingdom looks like.
Some of the descriptions of the kingdom that we get:
A king who is righteous, faithful, and good
Characterized by peace and nonviolence, not just between the nations but also between predator and prey
An Earth that is full of the knowledge of the Lord
Nations that have left between jealousy and strife and are full of brotherly love towards each other
As we read through Isaiah, we should feel convicted to look deeply at our lives and be sure that we are living them righteously. But, we should also be reminded of the ever-lasting faithfulness and love of our Father. Yes, God is a holy, just God, but he also is a loving God who has good things in store for us.
With each picture of hope, we are moved to praise just like Isaiah. We say along with him, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is. 12:2-3).
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
A common theme throughout Isaiah is the tendency of the people to oppress the poor, widow, and fatherless. James 1:27 says that pure religion is to take care of these people. Describe God’s heart for those who are oppressed. How are you serving them in your life?
Do you view God as a wrathful judge or a loving Father (or a little of both)? How do you think the world views God? What is the correct view of God?
How do the prophecies of the kingdom that we read in Isaiah move you to praise?
If you’ve ever gone on a road trip, you know the dance that you start whenever mealtime approaches. If you haven’t packed a lunch to bring with you, you turn to the passengers and start asking if they’re hungry. Then, you begin to think about what type of fast food you’re in the mood for. Finally, you start to look at the signs on the road for what you could actually it.
Growing up, we always gravitated towards the Holy Grail of Southern Fast Food, Chick-fil-A. If we were on a road trip, we would probably eat there. We even had the Chick-fil-A locations memorized on the way to Atlanta or the beach. We knew the easiest ones to get to and how far it was to get to them and would plan our departure time to arrive at said Chick-fil-A around lunch.
For road trips a little further out or off the beaten path – especially for those desolate places where Chick-fil-A has not reached yet – the dinnertime dance grew a little more tedious. On one particularly long trip, we passed through one of those places that said ‘50 miles to your next gas station.’ I remember watching the signs on the road, my stomach starting to growl as I waited in anticipation for the next place to eat to appear.
Even in the age of GPS and Google Maps, we have a tendency to rely on signs to direct us to the next location. Signs move us along. They tell us where to go to order food, where to drive our cars, and where to place our paperwork. As a teacher, one of the key pedagogical points we were taught was to make sure that we had appropriate signage in our classrooms so that kids were never lost or confused about what to do or where to go.
Isaiah’s calling required him to be a sign as well. Isaiah 8:18 says, “Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.” Even the name of his son, “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz” which means ‘quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil’, was a sign to the Israelites. Isaiah 8:4 tells us, “For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
Imagine the fear that Isaiah must have felt as he looked into an uncertain future where kingdoms were failing and being taken over by pagan lands. He looks at his child and thinks about their tumultuous existence in a land that is about to be ravaged by war.
This is why in Isaiah 8:12-17 we see God comforting Isaiah with ‘a strong hand.’ God tells us Isaiah that the only thing he should fear is God himself. Isaiah resolves, “I will wait for the Lord. I will trust in him.”
God’s chosen people were often called to be a sign to the surrounding nations. Israel was supposed to be a light to the world. When they failed, Jesus came into the world and was also the light (Is. 9:2). Now, we are taking up the mantle to be a ‘city on a hill, a light to the world.’
Our lives are our testimony that shows Christ to the world. We are not called today to name our sons and daughters interesting, long names to speak of future peril. But, we are called to be a sign to the surrounding nations to tell them of God’s faithfulness, his plan, and his redemption.
How is your life pointing others towards Christ?
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How is your life pointing others towards Christ? What kind of ‘sign and symbol’ is your life to others?
The beginning of Isaiah 9 is an important prophecy that is read often during Christmastime. Who is this prophecy about? What has already been fulfilled in this prophecy, and what will be fulfilled in the future?
Hebrews 3:12-15 speaks to the temptation to fall away from the truths that we have received. How can you better encourage one another to stay faithful in the midst of trials and persecutions?
Have you ever been the bearer of bad news? Or had to confront someone for a wrong that they did – either to you or to someone else?
It never feels good to deal with confrontation, though some of us handle it better than others. Your hands may get clammy, your stomach may be tied up in knots, and your heart may be racing. The worst is when you’ve said what you’ve wanted to say, but instead of the other person accepting it, they try to respond with a retort or an argument telling you why you’re wrong.
At that point, what do you do? Turn your tail and run? Forget about it? Give up on the conversation?
Isaiah had his fair share of confrontations over the years he spent prophesying to Judah. Already we’ve read some pretty harsh words that he had for the people. Today, we got a glimpse of the Lord’s calling of Isaiah.
Some people you should know:
Isaiah: Prophet to Judah for 40 years, who may have also been a priest.
King Uzziah (also called Azariah): A good king of Judah who was prideful in his final years. After attempting to offer incense in the temple, he got leprosy and died in disgrace.
King Jotham: The son of Uzziah. Another good king who led battles and won with the help of God. However, during his reign, the people acted corruptly.
King Ahaz: The son of Jotham. A wicked king of Judah. He destroyed the temple bit by bit and acted sacrilegiously.
After King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord while he was working in the temple. God calls him to go and tell the people this message in Isaiah 6:9-10: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Talk about a message of confrontation! Isaiah has the response that most of us would have: “But, how long do I need to keep saying this?” To which, God responds, ‘Until destruction is brought upon Judah.’
Isaiah had a hard mission. Not only did he have to communicate a difficult message, but he was also often called to a difficult lifestyle (at one point he had to walk around naked and barefoot as a sign to the people). He had to bear the weight of the message of destruction that he was called to. Still, Isaiah walked ready and willing to the calling that he had received.
We also have been commanded to live on mission. Ephesians 4:1 says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Our calling may not have not been through visions of grandeur like Isaiah, but we have been called to Christ for a purpose.
Sometimes, living on mission will require us to get a little uncomfortable. We may have to live differently than those around us. We may have to speak about the truth that we have received. We may also have to fight against temptations and stumbling blocks that appear in our paths.
Our goal should be to walk worthy. What does a worthy life look like? It is a life that is committed. A life that is holy and set apart. A life that is bold and confident. A life that recognizes the great gift we have been given.
The next time you face some confrontation because of your faith just remember, God is with you. We can stand firm in the calling that we have received.
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How is God described in Isaiah 6? This is one of the most descriptive pictures of him sitting on his throne. How does this picture change the way you view God?
How would you describe your calling? What is your purpose or mission?
How would you describe ‘walking in a manner worthy of the calling you received?’ Do you walk worthy now? What might you need to change about your life to make it more worthy?
How many of you feel like we are living in a backward world today? What we think should be happening doesn’t happen. We see injustices abound. Regardless of your political party or worldview, there is something clearly not right about our current world, something broken.
Think in your mind of one instance that shows this backwardness, this brokenness. It may have to do with the upcoming presidential election, health scares, social problems, or wars and rumors of wars. But, the thing in your mind is indicative to you that the world isn’t as it should be. And, it’s a reason why we wait for the kingdom when everything that is wrong will be made right.
Isaiah is doing something similar in this section of his prophecy. Isaiah 3 details several instances where someone who should be paying honor to someone more deserving instead is receiving honor. This happens in three different ways:
Isaiah 3:4-5 – “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them. The young will rise up against the old”
Isaiah 3:6 – “The nobody against the honored.”
Isaiah 3:12 – “ Women rule over them.”
Now, before these verses start to offend anyone, let’s just think about what they are saying (and be sure to read the full chapter for context). In this time of destruction, there is a genuine lack of leadership. It gets so bad that anyone with a cloak is being grabbed and made the leader of the people (an honor to which that cloak-wearing brother says ‘No thanks’).
As the people bicker and fight with one another and inept leaders try to make something out of the ‘heap of ruins,’ God sits on his throne. The true sovereign leader of the people still reigns, and the destruction is coming because he is issuing judgments from his throne.
He says in Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
God makes proclamations against the people who oppress his people, those who harm the poor, and the proud. After his judgments are passed, he gives a hopeful picture of the ‘branch that will be beautiful and glorious’ that will be left for those who are still faithful to him. The sins are washed away and fortunes are restored. Israel is brought back to life.
We often look to our earthly leaders to make this current world right. We know that there is brokenness in the world, so we are quick to grab anyone who seems like a remotely good fit for a leader and put them in power. Meanwhile, there are plenty of power-hungry leaders around, who pass laws and oppress people. Who perpetuates injustice. People who should not be in charge and yet they are.
What should we do in this backward world?
Well, we can rest in the truth that the true leader of the world is not one that we elect or put in charge. The true leader of the world is God. He is reigning now, and he will also put everything that is wrong to right in the future age when the kingdom is brought to Earth.
So the next time you feel afraid or lost, you can trust in God. He is the one who is really in charge, and he is the perfect leader.
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What is the significance of the child being the leader? Do you think the child is the leader of our current society?
What is the danger of being haughty or prideful? Why would this be something God would punish?
Reread Isaiah 5:20. How have you seen people call evil good and good evil? How can you guard against doing this yourself?
I absolutely love to read. When I get a night alone – which doesn’t happen often with two littles running around, my favorite way to spend it is reading snuggled up on my couch under a blanket with a nice cup of coffee by my side. As an English major, I had to read pretty voraciously in college and that habit didn’t stop when I graduated.
Though I love a good mystery novel and there is no better book for the beach than a sappy chick-lit romance, I also love to learn about the history of things. Currently, I’m on a Classical Education kick. I’m reading everything that I can get my hands on about what classical education is. Before that, I read about the history of the doctrine of the Trinity, homesteading, and Irish history. It’s really just whatever hits my fancy at the moment (which is probably why I have a pile of unfinished books towering by my bedside).
As I read about all of these topics, the authors do similar things. Before they ever jump to any conclusions, they always begin with the history of a topic. Starting wherever it makes sense, they detail step-by-step why something is the way it is based on how it was formed over the slow marching of years.
As a writer myself, I can sense why someone feels the need to do this. You don’t really understand something unless you know and understand its past.
Reading through Psalm 106, we get a clear picture of Israel’s story. It begins with how Israel was rescued out of Egypt and brought through the wilderness. They faced their fair share of trials, but still, some Israelites remained faithful and made the right decisions.
After entering Canaan, the Israelites ‘mingled with the nations and adopted their customs’ (Ps. 106:35). God had commanded them to be a set-apart people, but they refused to follow his instructions. The ending of Psalm 106 describes how the Israelites were exiled to the nations (whether during David’s wandering as he fled from Saul as some commentators think or during the Babylonian captivity). The author pleads with God to save them.
Knowing Israel’s history helps us to make sense of the context of Isaiah 1-2. God had shown his everlasting faithfulness to Israel, making them into a mighty nation. Still, the people chose something else. They always followed after idols and rejected God in the process.
Isaiah 1 describes this bleak picture: “7 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. 8 Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege. 9 Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”
The Israelites always had a choice about how they were going to live. They could follow God, or they could follow their sinful hearts. When they rejected God, they ended up destroying their lives.
We have the same choice today. We can choose to follow God or choose to follow the world. I believe the best way to remind ourselves that following God is the best option is to look at God’s past episodes of faithfulness in our lives. We tell the story of his ‘mighty acts’ (Ps. 106:1), and in doing so, we remind ourselves why God is just so good.
What has God done in your past that helps inspire you to faithfulness to him today? Write your own Psalm of praise, and recommit to your love, praise, and loyalty to God today.
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Read through Psalm 106 today and count the different historical stories referenced throughout the psalm. If you have the time, find the reference for each of the stories, and write those references down beside the Psalm in your Bible.
Take some time today to answer the last question in this post. What is your testimony of God’s faithfulness in your life? Writing it down can clarify it in your mind.
Isaiah 1:16-17 are popular verses for good reason. The people of Judah had begun to go through the motions of sacrifices and traditions, but their hearts were far from God. Read through these verses, and journal about how you can learn to ‘stop doing wrong and learn to do’ the right that God loves.
I believe that many readers of these devotions are currently students, while for some of you your school days are long in the past. Well, please adjust your memory as necessary and imagine the following situation: you’ve written a research paper with a required word count, and you run out of things to say (at least in the amount of time you gave yourself to write it). Your imagination is tapped. The letter of the law tells you the requirement, but you just can’t get your brain to produce any more useful ideas on the subject. What might you do? Perhaps you make one of your quotations longer to get the paper to reach the limit. If you were being a bit more cautious you might find spots to put in two or three shorter quotations so that your teacher won’t think that was what you did, instead of having one long quotation.
Well Hebrews is the New Testament book which depends the most on quotations, it has the most quotations and draws on them steadily to make its points about God’s intentions. Much of its argument about high priests uses Psalm 110 (which is itself the most quoted text in the New Testament, with Psalm 110:1 the most quoted individual verse in the Bible). And starting in Hebrews 8:8 we have the longest quotation in the New Testament, but I guarantee that it isn’t there for padding. For one thing the average length of a Greek letter at the time was only 90 words – more philosophical letters ran to 250 words. But even the short book of Philemon is 355 words. The book of Hebrews is nearly 5,000 words. Padding was not required. This information may be treated only as trivia, or we may think about why Hebrews depended so much on the Old Testament, as foundation for what it tells us. Consider the possibility that for some Christians this was one of the first “New Testament” works they had contact with – they may have known stories of Jesus by word of mouth, but their Bible may have been almost entirely the Old Testament, and this letter was attempting to guide how they viewed it by careful argument. On the off chance that you have been skipping over the quotations all this time because you assume they don’t add anything to the main story, do please read today’s text in full (and you probably should go back over the earlier ones too).
Hebrews 8:1 begins by restating some facts about Jesus: that he became our high priest and is at God’s right hand. Hebrews seven had discussed these facts, but alongside many other issues, now the author (who you may recall I choose to call Herb, for simplicity) refocuses our attention on these core points from Psalm 110:1, 4. Going from that foundation verse two makes the additional point that in heaven Jesus ministers in “the sanctuary,” that is “the true tabernacle” or sacred tent, pitched by God rather than man. Moses was given very specific instructions about what the tabernacle on earth should be like, and he was told that the tabernacle reflected the greater reality which exists in heaven. Several of the Psalms also refer to the heavens as a tent set up by God. The comparison might not seem as smooth if it were drawn between the heavens and the Temple which Solomon spent years building in Jerusalem, but the book of Hebrews doesn’t discuss the Temple worship, it emphasizes the worship that took place in the wilderness.
Having brought his audience back to first principles, Herb says in the next few verses some things that will be expanded on in chapters nine and ten. That doesn’t mean he is saying things that his audience wasn’t aware of. For example, in 8:3 he says that it is necessary for Jesus to have “something to offer” as a high priest. Herb says this only a few verses after having stated in 7:27 that Jesus “offered himself.” I think this fact was familiar to everyone involved in Christianity. But Herb is walking his readers through his argument, making the case he set out to make.
The quote beginning in Hebrews 8:8, from Jeremiah 31:31-34, will also be part of the discussion in the next two chapters of the book. It shows that during the time of the first covenant a need was stated – by God – for an improvement in the relationship of God and the people. All along the way God recognized needs and took steps to fill them. The same God brought about the first covenant and the second covenant. It was not some error in the first that resulted in the second, God planned for the developments that took place. While Jeremiah 31:31-34 says that the time is coming when no one would need to teach anyone the Laws (v. 10) it does not say that the content provided in the Law would be changing. Jeremiah simply said a new way was coming for God’s law to be given to God’s people, and that a way will come for sins to be forgiven. But we know that these changes involved more, and that the content of what people are meant to take in has changed between the first and second covenants. The law of love is a simpler message than the hundreds of laws contained in Leviticus, and through the Holy Spirit what God desires will be written “on our hearts” (v. 10). There is a different kind of relationship possible with God now than before.
Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, that he did not come “to abolish the Law” but to “fulfill” the Law (Matthew 5:17). Perhaps some scholar of the Law could have anticipated that for the Law, which no one had ever successfully kept, to be fulfilled might be just what was required to bring change. Maybe Jesus’ words would have disturbed that scholar. Then again, a scholar of the Law who could anticipate such matters may also have foreseen that this was in God’s plan. Ultimately it was the ministry of Jesus at the true tabernacle, in heaven, which allowed the first covenant to be obsolete and disappear.
Lord, thank you for writing your will on my heart to let me understand you better. I don’t understand you as well now as I someday will be able to, but I am glad to know you more than I once did. It is good to love you, and to feel your love. Merciful Lord, help us to offer your mercy in your great strength. Amen.
Reflection Questions
We might sometimes think of the second covenant as very different from the first, but both covenants come from the God who took the people “by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt” (v. 9) – God loved and cared for the people of the first covenant, it is God who was rejected. What does the history of Israel show us about how God handles human rejection?
It seems likely that the first audience of the book of Hebrews knew the Old Testament better than most of us do, which may have helped them to understand the book of Hebrews better than we do. When you run into an Old Testament quotation you do not understand well, do you try to follow up on its context in the Old Testament?
How do you see the “law of love,” for God and neighbor, as differing from the law expressed in the first covenant? Is the issue that people are being freed from ceremonial issues? Are Christians being given more trust and leeway?
In Hebrews 7 the author of Hebrews (who for simplicity I’ll call “Herb”) describes Jesus’ greatness, particularly as a high priest. Herb is following a pattern we recognize, he has compared Jesus to angels, Moses, Joshua, and now Levitical high priests and says ‘that was good, but he is greater.’ The style of argument he is using was one employed by rabbis, it emphasized moving from a lesser thing (never a thing without value) to a greater thing. In the case of the priesthood connected to the Levites Herb compares it with a priesthood connected to Melchizedek, who has almost no known history (see Genesis 14:18-20, Psalm 110), and ties that to Jesus’ High Priesthood.
When Melchizedek and Abraham met it was several hundred years before the Levitical priesthood began with Aaron’s family, and before the Law which records instructions for those priests. There was no Ark of the Covenant then, and no Tabernacle to house it. It is difficult to imagine what form Melchizedek’s service toward God took, and for whose benefit it was provided. Should we suppose that Melchizedek and Abraham met often, and that the first frequently ministered to the second? We are told that Melchizedek was not only a priest but also the king of Salem (that city seems to have been at or near the site of Jerusalem, Psalm 76:2). Might Salem, under Melchizedek’s leadership, have been faithful to God?
We may find Melchizedek mysterious, rather like Balaam who operated as a prophet separately from the Hebrew people in Moses’ day (and ended up turning away from God). But Herb’s description in Hebrews 7:3 makes Melchizedek’s life sound even less clear, getting into whether we know who this priest-king’s parents were, or when he was born or died, as though Melchizedek had no birth or death. Herb’s point really is that Melchizedek was never stated to have become a priest based on inheriting the position, and that it is never mentioned that anyone took up his role as a priest after him. This is following a second style of reasoning accepted among rabbis, one in which you didn’t need to assume the reality of things which scripture left unstated. This allowed Herb to draw connections to Jesus, as one who did not inherit a priestly role from a parent, and who would never stop serving in his role as high priest. That was in contrast with the carefully kept genealogies of the Levitical system – there were tens of thousands of priests living in the New Testament period, each of whom gained their title through their father, and each of whom was to retire at age 50 (Numbers 8:25) – the order of Melchizedek was not joined based on birth records and was not temporary, but was through the permanent oath of God declaring membership (v. 21, 28; Psalm 110:4). So Herb’s statement “made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually” (3b), paired with him saying that Melchizedek “lives on,” (8) may not just involve the rabbinical argument about an unstated death being assumed not to have occurred – it may refer to Melchizedek retaining his status as priest when he is resurrected. Melchizedek will continue to serve alongside the high priest of his order.
Hebrews repeatedly points to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plans and calls believers to follow Jesus to gain perfection / maturity / completion (the Greek term doesn’t translate simply). We are told in 7:19 that “the Law made nothing perfect,” but 7:28 says that “the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.” Now of course when Herb tells us to join with Jesus he doesn’t mean that believers will stop sinning in this life, after all in 7:25 he describes Jesus as “able also to save forever [completely] those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (you see the point, people don’t need intercession unless they are still doing wrong; by the way, where 7:25 says “forever” and I note the Greek was more like “completely” that wasn’t the same Greek term as I was mentioning Herb used related to “perfection” and “completion.” I am sort of in the habit by now of noting with translations that say things like “forever” or “eternal” what word they should have said, though, because – say it with me – there was no New Testament word for eternal). As chapter six reminded us, a high priest never took the task on for himself, God made the choice, and when God provided us with Jesus we got the best (and only) high priest possible for the purpose of bringing us fully into contact with God.
I’m not sure if people in the church today think very often about how salvation works, but Herb felt it needed clarification and provided some in his book. We have read about Jews who were concerned over the idea of the Law continuing to be followed in the Church, a meeting was held at Jerusalem with apostles and other leaders to discuss that. At one point Paul addressed the issue by pointing to how God interacted with faithful Abraham, centuries before the Law. Paul showed that obedience to the Law was not required to please God, God was more interested in faith. Herb describes something similar with the priesthood, showing that it existed in Abraham’s time well before Aaron or Levi’s line and so the Levitical priesthood was not required for making connections to God. Herb also showed that Levi effectively tithed to Melchizedek when Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils of battle, which Herb said meant that the earlier line of priesthood was greater than the later one.
Such interpretations as Paul and Herb wrote, or the many statements interpreting prophecies in the Bible, do not result from authors ‘putting together the pieces’ for what they wanted to support. I don’t think they could have been so fortunate in locating such details anyway. Rather we are talking about a God who shaped event, prophecy, and interpretation. Just as God chose Abram, by His own will, from whom to make a great nation, God also determined that He would use Abram as the starting point to reach the world. God’s choice involved setting up a whole imperfect system to put the Hebrew people on their path, creating a nation and a history and a culture that prepared the way for Jesus. Jesus then opened the way for people from the world; Jesus also provided for better things than the Hebrew people had been experiencing. It can be mindboggling to think about all the steps of the plan God put in place. I tend to wonder if some of those steps along the way were interchangeable, based upon whether certain people would follow through or fail in what they were called upon to do. What I am certain about is that God’s plan was never going to fail.
Thank you, Lord, for your plan, which you have been preparing for so very long. Thank you that we do not have to depend upon who gave us birth in this world to determine if we may enter your kingdom, but that you allow us to become inheritors of your kingdom through a relationship with your son Jesus. I may come into the relationship fallen, but he can lift me up. However dirty I seemed to myself, he was able to wash me clean. However useless I have felt, he can make me useful. As inheritors with him please help us each to joyfully work in your plan, caring and serving as he does for the will of his Father. And please help me be eager to serve him, let me help in ways I have not yet even been of help. Thank you, Amen.
~ Daniel Smead
Reflection Questions
Do you find it encouraging to think that your future is not based on your past, but on your connection to Jesus?
Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus is able to save completely “those who draw near to God through” Jesus – do you see this more as part of the cautionary language in the book, saying salvation calls for drawing near to God, or as part of the promissory language of the book, pledging that we are able to draw near to God? How might a difference in outlook on that point affect someone’s life? How have you drawn nearer to God in the last few months?
Perhaps it will seem to be a side issue, but we are told we will be priests in the coming age (Revelation 5:10). If the offer had existed through the Levitical order almost no Christians would be eligible – they are not Levites, they are not male, they are the wrong age, etc. But as members of the Melchizedite order alongside Jesus we are not subject to those restrictions, and we can serve with our High Priest Jesus for centuries. How can you honor God today?
Is it possible to lose your salvation? The author of Hebrews thinks that this is a real possibility. It can happen. In Hebrews 3:12, he wrote, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” In Hebrews 6:5, he writes about those who “…. have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance…” Truly, these are very troubling words to read and to contemplate. We might wonder to ourselves, “I have gone too far? Have I sinned too much? Have I ruined my chances with God?” For each one of us are sinners. We are imperfect. We are prone to sin. We get distracted. We get discouraged. We get apathetic. Each of us can think of people who, at one time, sincerely followed Christ. They attended church. They lived good lives. Their faith seemed genuine. However, now things are different. They live as though they had never known the Lord. In some cases, they have openly embraced evil. The way of Christ has been rejected by them. Has their salvation been lost?
What is it to be saved? It may be helpful to think of salvation in terms of past, present and future. In the past tense, you have been saved. Christ died on the cross for your sins some 2000 years ago. The work is done. His blood covers all who come to Him in faith. Each one of you fondly remembers the day when you came to Christ. On that day, whether decades ago or only days ago, you were justified before God by the blood of Christ. So, you have been saved. In the future tense, you will be saved. Salvation, life eternal, is not yet in your possession. You are saved now only in hope and in promise. The resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ is when salvation will become yours. You will be saved. That is the past and future of salvation. What about the present? You are now being saved. You have been saved in the past. You are being saved in the present. You will be saved in the future. So, you are being saved. The present work of salvation in us has been called “sanctification.” It is a process. It is to grow into the image of Christ. God, by His Spirit, is working in you to change you and transform you. However, the Apostle Paul recognized that there is an ongoing struggle within each Christian. While we hope in the age to come, we still live in this present evil age. Paul in Romans 12:2 urged Christians “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Another common theme in the writings of Paul is the encouragement to live by the “Spirit” and not by the “flesh.” It is no wonder that Paul looked at the Christian life as a contest that must be won, a race that must be completed, a journey that must be finished, and a battle that must be waged. To be a Christian is to be actively engaged against sin and evil in your life. The book of Hebrews draws from the rich history of Israel to make the point. The people of Israel were saved from slavery in Egypt by God’s mighty works. The people of Israel left Egypt with the goal of entering the Promised Land. However, between the past and the future, between Egypt and the Promised Land was the wilderness. The wilderness wanderings are what tested the people of Israel for 40 years. The wilderness tried their faith and challenged their hope. Then, the people of Israel lived in the shadow of God’s presence. They had seen the mighty works of God. God fed them daily with the manna. He gave them water out of the rock to drink. However, as incredible as it may seem, many of them remained disobedient. They grumbled and complained. They wanted to go back to Egypt! Hebrews 4:1,2 comments, “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may have come short of it. For indeed we have had the good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” In the same way, we Christians find ourselves in a “wilderness” of sorts. Behind us lay our sins and our old way of life. Before us lay the Promised Land, the kingdom of God, eternal life. However, you are now walking through the wilderness of this present evil age. The wilderness is what can make you or break you. The wilderness experience will reveal who and what you really are. You have to keep your eyes upon the distant Promised Land.
Hebrews 6:4,5 observes, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them to repentance, since they again crucify the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” This verse is not declaring a penalty against those who have fallen away. Rather, it is simply describing the reality of the human heart. Some of the Israelites of old were apparently untouched by the wonders that they had seen. They had short memories. They were easily discouraged by obstacles. They didn’t trust the God who had saved them. They returned to their old ways. In the same way, some Christians after tasting “the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” have fallen away. They were unimpressed by what God had done in them. They were no longer moved by the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. After God had revealed His glory to them, what further could God do to convince them now? If you have seen miracles and all you can do is yawn, what more can God do with you? I believe God, in His grace, would allow repentance in these cases. However, can such a hardened heart be able to repent? If you have already proven yourself resistant to the Holy Spirit, you have rendered yourself blind and deaf to the saving gospel message. It is a though God has cooked you a wonderful gourmet meal with the best ingredients. However, you have no taste for what God is serving. So, you won’t be back because you have no appetite for what God is serving. Hebrews reads, “…it is impossible to renew them to repentance….” You have headed back to Egypt and have forsaken the Promised Land. What could convince you change your course now? God had given you his best and you didn’t want it.
However, it is not the intent of Hebrews to discourage, but to encourage. Hebrews 6:9 reads, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you….” Hebrews 6:11 adds, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end…” The book of Hebrews, taken as a whole, is a word of encouragement. Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be overcome by sin. Have hope. Have faith in the promise of God. For God is faithful. For you will find troubles and challenges in the wilderness. So, brothers and sisters, if you are reading these words, you have not yet given up. You are not lost. You are still seeking the Promised Land. Hebrews 10:35,36,39 sums up this message: “Therefore don’t throw away your confidence which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised….but we are not those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” So, the wilderness road may have beaten up a bit. You may have wandered in the wrong direction at times. Perhaps you had temporarily lost your way. You might have encountered obstacles. However, you are still on the road with your eyes focused on the Promised Land. Keep going and don’t give up.
-Scott Deane
Reflection Questions
Why is it important to know what you believe about salvation?
Have you accepted Jesus and been baptized? Are you assured of your salvation?
What are some reminders you can put into your everyday routine to point you to living a gospel-centered life so that you don’t forget your primary calling?
Seek Grow Love 