Tag: Juliet Taylor

More of God’s Wisdom

James 3-5

Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)

The wisdom James is giving his readers sounds a lot like the wisdom given in the law of Moses (Leviticus 19), from the book of Proverbs, and from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7). I can’t think of a better devotional than to review it and what I believe it means so I can apply it:  

Let not many of you be teachers, because teachers will be more harshly judged. Teachers have a responsibility to seek God’s wisdom about what they are teaching others so that they will not lead others astray. They are influencers. If you’re going to influence someone to follow God’s word, take care that you are seeking God’s wisdom about how to interpret it so that you can lead by example, like Jesus did. 

We all stumble in many ways. But if we can learn to control our tongue, we can be a perfect person, able to control how we behave. Jesus did this. He only spoke what the father told him, and then did what his father said to do.

Like a ship’s rudder directs the whole ship, or a bit in a horse’s mouth directs the whole horse, so the tongue bridled can direct the person’s behavior. The tongue speaks what’s in the heart of the person; the person’s own will. If the tongue can be tamed, by seeking God for his wisdom about what to speak and then do, the person is letting God lead, or letting God’s will direct her, or walking by the spirit.

Practice using caution when you speak, seeking God’s wisdom about what you should say and what you should do like Jesus did, so that what you say is what you do, and what you do is what God says is good.    

Again, just as a small flame can set a whole forest on fire, so the tongue is a small thing, that can send a person to the grave. If what you speak is not of God, you’re speaking of your own wisdom and doing your own will. When you do this, death is the end result if you do not get back on the right path.

Man has tamed all of God’s creation, and yet he cannot tame his own tongue. With it he blesses his father but then curses men who were made in the likeness of God. Let’s not let it be this way, friends.

Who among you is wise and understanding? If you are, prove it through your good deeds. Notice that it doesn’t say the wise and understanding should become a teacher, though that should be a prerequisite, I think.

If you are wise and understanding, it will be evidenced by your bridled tongue. You will be a gentle person, who does the will of God.

Deeds that are not good, or not wisdom from above, include bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. The behaviors involved with these characteristics are earthly, or demonic, and they create disorder and evil. They are deeds done with the motivation of loving oneself without a care for others.

Deeds that are good, from above, will be produced from people who are first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. These are deeds that are done for the good of others, for love’s sake.  

The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. In other words, our goal is to sow the word of God in others peacefully, so that they too will bear righteous fruit; they’ll become people who also become righteous and are peaceful.

How many times do you see the opposite happen, especially online? I work from home, with fewer opportunities to spread the gospel face to face, but I enjoy doing it online. Others use this tool as well. Unfortunately, I think many keyboard warriors have missed the mark on this one. There seems to be a motivation of pride – to win an argument, with much quarrelling and name calling, rather than peaceful planting for love’s sake. If someone doesn’t want to hear your argument, shake the dust off and move on peacefully.

Chapter 4.

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? It’s your desire to please yourself, or for your own will to be done. For example, you lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain what someone else has, so you fight and quarrel.

You do not have what you want because you do not ask. If you do ask, you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you can spend it on your own pleasures.

You are supposed to ask to receive things for your own good and for the good of others, that is, God’s wisdom about whatever God says is good for you.

If you don’t, you’re like an adulteress, envious of something not meant for you, but you take it anyway to please yourself. When you do this, you’re a friend of the world, and an enemy of God, because you do the things opposed to his will and will therefore hurt yourself or others in the process with your own will/judgment. 

He jealously desires his spirit to dwell in us, which prompts us to desire to do his will, not our own. Therefore, he gives greater grace to the humble, that is, to those who seek God’s help in making decisions (and then act on his wisdom about what to do).

So, submit to God for his wisdom. Resist the devil by resisting the urge to walk by the flesh (your own will) rather than the spirit’s urging, and the devil will flee. Remember that he fled from Jesus after his temptation because Jesus met him with this resistance. He told him he will do God’s will. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Be humble people. Humble people cleanse their hands (stop sinning). They aren’t double-minded, they are seekers of one will, God’s. If they were sinning or seeking to please both God and man, they need to mourn and weep their sin and circumstance. Humble people will be exalted.

Don’t speak evil about your neighbor. This means do not slander; don’t charge someone falsely with malicious intent by attacking their reputation. When you do this, you have judged your neighbor as unworthy of receiving the royal treatment of love. When you do this, you have spoken against the law (of Moses (Exodus 20:16), but as it should be applied  under the law of liberty) and become a judge of it, rather than a doer of it.

Instead of seeking God’s wisdom about your neighbor and what to do, you used your own wisdom to judge him falsely according to your own will. You will be put to shame, for there is only one judge, who is able to save and destroy.  

We do this when we rely on our own will to make a profit as well. When you make your own decisions about what you’ll do to make a profit, or an abundance beyond what you need, and succeed, you become boastful. When you boast in relying on your own wisdom and will to make a profit, rather than relying on God for your provision and what to do with it, you’re being arrogant. Instead, seek God’s will in the matter, and do it. You don’t know what tomorrow holds for you.

If you know the right thing to do according to God’s will but do not do it, that is sin.

Chapter 5.

If you’re rich and store up treasures for yourself on earth without regard for reliance on God for your provision, nor using your abundant excess for those in need, your wasted rotting possessions will testify against you in the end (because you’ve decided to be the judge of how you’ll behave instead of relying on God’s wisdom to teach you what to do in various matters of this life).

The context here is about the rich who have been wicked, withholding the pay to those who served them in making their abundance. Like Abel crying out to God, the cries of those you’ve mistreated will reach the ears of the Lord, whom God appointed judge.

While you were enjoying your luxuries, those who worked hard but were treated badly were dying. You didn’t save them with your wealth by helping them with it. Instead, you condemned the righteous to death by withholding what could have helped them. They died without fighting against you for help.

Instead of being like this rich man, be like the righteous laborers. Be patient until the coming of the Lord, just as the farmer is patient in waiting for the precious produce of the soil to be ready. If you can be patient in thinking on the coming of the Lord whose time is near, it can strengthen your heart, and you can endure.

Don’t complain against brothers and sisters in Christ, so that you won’t be judged. The judge is standing at the door! I tie much of what I read about unrighteous complaining to the Israelite children in Massah and Meribah. They were judged for grumbling against Moses (and in turn, God) for bringing them out of slavery only to suffer in the wilderness, with no regard for the good God had done for them. They looked back at their life as a slave and thought it better than being free in the wilderness. This showed a lack of faith/trust and disobedience to God, as it was testing God.

As examples, this wisdom from God mentions the prophets of old, how they endured suffering for doing what was right in God’s eyes with patience and were counted blessed, especially the prophet Job. Those closest to him urged him to grumble against God for his poor circumstances. He never did. We know how it turned out for him in the end, full of God’s mercy and compassion. Take him as an example to follow if you are suffering.  

Above all, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgement. I think this comes from Matthew 6:33. The Law of Moses says, “Do not make false vows, fulfill them to the Lord.” But Jesus says don’t make a vow at all. Let your word be good enough.

So why would this be above all? Because oaths in Jesus’s time were used to manipulate or test God. People would use vows or oaths in the name of God to get someone to do what they wanted them to do because they’d swear by God’s name. Don’t do this!!! I believe it is also part of taking God’s name in vain (e.g., “I swear to God I’ll do what I say”).

What’s in the heart of the person who swears by God’s name? It’s not to honor their commitment but to get what they want using God. Just let your word be good enough. Don’t test/use/manipulate God. He can’t be tempted anyway so you’re just condemning yourself.

If you are suffering, pray.

If you are cheerful, sing praises to God.

If you are sick, call for the elders of the church and they will pray for you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up.

Notice that if you are suffering, you are to pray, but if you are sick, you are to have someone else pray for you. I think this is because the sick person may not be able to pray as he would when well. But what follows should follow all who are righteous who pray; it should be a prayer like the Lord’s prayer, including asking for forgiveness of sins.

Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. I don’t think this is strictly in context with someone who is sick needing prayers for sin. It should be a part of our everyday life as Christians, as we pray the Lord’s prayer together. The prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought before God, can accomplish much, just like it did for Elijah when he earnestly prayed for no rain.

If anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Turning someone from sin is loving them. But be sure to be gentle when you do it. And be sure you don’t have a log in your own eye first (Prov 10:12; Matt 18:15-17; 1 Peter 4:8).

Our daily lives should involve helping each other be the people God wants us to be, working together to know and do God’s will. It will involve praising God together, serving each other, praying for one another, and helping each other abstain from sin or turning away from it. Lives are at stake.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Chapter 3 places a lot of emphasis on taming the tongue. I think this has to do with stopping ourselves to seek God’s wisdom before we speak and proceed to act on our own wisdom/with our own will. What do you think?

2. Chapter 4 seems to lump things we do that don’t seem too harmful (like quarreling) with things we deem very harmful, like murder. Jesus seems to do this too when he applies the New Covenant command of love to Old Covenant laws (i.e., don’t just refrain from murder, refrain from being angry with your brother). I think he does this to show us how to stop sin from “growing”. If you can cut off anger and love your brother, you won’t murder him. What do you think?

3. Chapter 5 made me think a lot. God is for the protection of his people. His laws are for our good and the good of others, yet he calls us to sacrifice our rights in order to save others. Others in turn are to sacrifice for us. How do you decipher when to speak up and act for justices’ sake verses staying silent and suffering unrighteousness done to you by others, knowing God will judge through Jesus in the end?

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God’s Wisdom

James 1-2

Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)

How do you want to be known? James calls himself, “a slave to God and to the Lord Jesus the Christ.” Though we’re no longer slaves, but friends of Christ, it is a great grand opening to talking about how to be perfect, which is in doing the will of God until the end of our lives (because we’ve become people who really want to)!

James is writing to the 12 tribes dispersed abroad, so in other words, he’s writing to Jewish Christians in various lands. I’m not sure what persecution was going on at the time of James’s writing, but we have seen in other books of the Bible that spreading the Gospel put a target on Christians. James gives his brethren what they need to endure whatever happens to them to the end of their lives. He gives them God’s wisdom.

James encourages his brethren to consider various trials with joy, as a testing of their faith, as it produces endurance, which results in perfection. These words point my thoughts to Jesus in the garden. What was about to happen to him was happening because others hated him for what he spoke and did, and they wanted his influence to stop. They were jealous.

Jesus was in agony thinking about the cross and thinking about the disciples and early Christians who were about to be scattered for his sake, that James may be writing to now. He endured the cross by thinking about what would be accomplished because of this final trial.

This is how you endure hardships for the Lord; you think about all of the people you will influence by following Jesus’s example so that they too can desire to love like Jesus and be saved. This perspective can bring you joy. Changing your mind to have this perspective during various trials is wisdom from God.

But if we lack wisdom about what to do, especially during hardships, all we need do is ask and God will be generous to teach us his ways. But we must ask in faith, without doubting.

We shouldn’t doubt that he’ll give us wisdom about what to do when we ask because he’s proven that he’s a good God and father, who teaches us his ways for our own good. A good father won’t give his children something that’s going to harm them when they ask for something they desire, right (Luke 11:11-13)? Of course not. He’s going to give them what they need (though it may not always seem like it, such as in the case of Jesus going to the cross).

If you doubt that God is going to give you wisdom for your own good, and instead will give you wisdom that will harm you or make your situation worse (e.g., Massah & Meribah), you’re showing him that you don’t trust him. You’re like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. You’re not going to get anything from him if you don’t trust him.  

James goes on to teach the dispersed brethren a bit of wisdom that we can all heed. I think it is the wisdom of God that’s of utmost importance for us to follow as his disciples. We’re not given a set of laws we must follow in the New Covenant, but we are given wisdom. Let’s desire it like Solomon did and do it like Jesus did:  

A poor man knows that God is his provider. He can glory in his humility (glory in that he seeks God’s wisdom for his survival). But a rich man that does not rely on God for his means and pursues what he wants for his own personal gain can glory in his humiliation. He’s not going to make it to the Kingdom of God without seeking the father’s wisdom about his provisions (or his abundance).

Know that this life comes with trials. Trust in God’s wisdom to get through it and let it shape you into the kingdom citizen God wants you to be, so that you won’t be a person that desires harm to come to anyone, rather, you’ll be a person who loves like his son. In the end, your crown of life will be waiting.

Understand that when temptation comes, it didn’t come from God. It came because our world has been shaped by people who didn’t always choose God’s will. It came because there is a devil lurking about, persuading people to choose to eat of the tree that’s choosing their own wisdom about what’s good and evil, and then they do evil, which affects everyone. It came because we ourselves don’t always choose God’s will. Our own lust breeds sin that will always lead to death. But choosing God’s wisdom about what we should do to overcome our lust (our own will) approves us as one who wants God as our judge when we do what God says is good.

Every good and perfect gift given comes down from the father above (meaning, it was given by God, and it was his will). It was his will that he brought us forth by the word of truth (his wisdom about creating us new in Christ), that we would be a kind of first fruits among his creation. So be the first fruits you were meant to be, as lights to the world like his son.

You already know God’s word, so put away what remains of filthiness in your life that will prevent you from seeking God’s wisdom and doing his will. Be quick to hear from God, slow to speak, and slow to anger so that you will be a person prepared to receive the word implanted, which is his wisdom about what you should do to save your soul (and your neighbor’s soul).

If you hear the word of God (God’s wisdom about what you should do) but then fail to do it, you’re like someone who looks at himself in a mirror (hearing the word only), but then walks away, forgetting what he looks like. I equate this with going to church, getting filled with the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, then forgetting that you are a child of God throughout the week, and that you were meant to shine for others to see through your works. We need to actually do what we hear. That’s the word implanted. It’s continually being filled by the holy spirit so that we can walk by it (action).

Instead of looking at yourself in the mirror, look intently at the perfect law of liberty, to love as Jesus loved, so that you won’t be an effectual hearer only of the word, but a doer. Notice in this example that there’s no walking away, in contrast to the mirror. You look intently at it so that you won’t walk away and forget. Your eyes are continually fixed upon the law that says to do something, for loves sake, to save others, just like Jesus did.

Bridle your tongue to let God’s wisdom about what you should do prevail and guide you (by being quick to hear when you ask, slow to speak so that you’re sure you’re speaking God’s will and not your own, and slow to anger – God’s will about what you should do isn’t going to be to tell you to get angry, for the most part, because anger does not bring about the righteousness of God). Your own tongue can deceive you into thinking that you’re doing God’s will, but it’s just lip service if you’re not doing what God says to do.

Pure and undefiled religion is in the doing of God’s will continually, instead of our own (which is sinning). Doing God’s will will keep us unstained by the world. For Jesus, pure and undefiled religion was laying down his life for us. For us, it may be to love orphans and widows in their distress by visiting them and giving them what they need. It can be loving anyone in distress by visiting them to help them, especially the brethren.   

Don’t just do good for those who society favors. If you do, you’ve chosen to be the judge of who’s deserving of God’s royal treatment, rather than relying on his wisdom about it. God favors those who favor him, who are generally the poor, because they’re humble (they rely on God for his wisdom instead of the rich, who generally rely on their wealth).

If you show partiality by way of how you treat the poor compared to the rich, then you’ve dishonored the poor. And for what? The favor you show to the rich goes to people who oppress you. They are those who have no problem dragging you into court when an issue arises, and will there blaspheme your name to win a case against you.

If you are fulfilling the royal law from scripture (Lev 19:18), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well, because that’s God’s will (and in so doing, you fulfill all the Law of Moses and the prophets (Mat. 7:12; 22:40 with the Shema)).

If you show partiality however, that is sin. It is sin because you’re using your own wisdom/being the judge of who’s deserving of God’s royal treatment (who gets your love and who doesn’t?). It is better to be merciful to the poor than to judge them unworthy of your mercy by way of how you treat them.

And if you sin in this way, you are guilty of sin and are convicted as a violator of the Law (of Moses, I think; but also of the law of liberty). Not showing partiality is a moral law we should still “follow” under the law of liberty because we want all people to enter the kingdom of God. Treating the poor as well as we treat the rich just may show them the love of Christ, planting a seed of faith/trust that will bring them to the kingdom.

Jesus explained how to do this with some of the laws from the Law of Moses in his Sermon on the Mount. Here it looks like James is doing it with the law against showing partiality. The wisdom from God then, is the same wisdom from God under the New Covenant regarding how to fulfill this commandment. It’s in loving your neighbor as yourself – not just the rich and influential.  

Under the New Covenant, we are to speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty, serving all with God’s royal treatment (treat them how you’d want to be treated because you are motivated by love to get them into the kingdom).

If you committed the sin of showing partiality under the Old Covenant, you would have to repent by making a sacrifice to cover the sin. Under the New Covenant, you need to repent to your high priest Jesus (a much easier yoke), and stop showing partiality because you realize that you want the poor to know the love of Jesus and enter the Kingdom of God as much as you want to. If you don’t show them mercy, God will not show mercy to you on the day of judgment.

You can’t rightly say you have faith without works that are evident of your faith. Your works are how you treat people based on whose will you decide to follow. If someone says he has faith but no works, it is like telling the cold and hungry person who asked you for food to, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” without actually giving him anything. This is worthless if you don’t give him what he needs when you are able.

Belief that something is true is not enough for justification’s sake. Take the belief that God is one for example. The demons believe this to be true, but shudder. They know the truth, but their actions reveal that they follow their own will and oppose the preaching of faith in Jesus. They shudder because they know they are guilty before a powerful God and will face destruction soon.

Abraham (a Jew) had faith, and so did Rahab (a Gentile). They believed that God was able to fulfill his promises to them for their good (or that God’s people would fulfill their promise because of who their God was in Rahab’s case), and so they acted based on their belief. They are included in the promises of God because of this. Likewise, let’s prove that we have faith by our works, which are acts of love, proving that we are becoming a person like Jesus, who chooses to do God’s will for the good of all; for loves sake.

QUESTIONS

1. Do you think that the sins of others in times past have affected your walk with God? If so, how can you change that so that you will affect others with the good you do?

2. Do you think the Royal law is the same as the law of liberty/freedom?

3. If we are guilty of a sin (like showing partiality) under the law of liberty/freedom, how does our high priest Jesus differ in how our sin is handled from the high priest under the Old Covenant?

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Spirit Led to Do God’s Will

Acts 13-14 

Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)

Acts chapters 13 and 14 are about the people of God continuing to do what Christ followers are supposed to do; to be led by the spirit to do God’s will.  

The prophets and teachers in Antioch were ministering to the Lord and fasting. Because of this, they were given revelation by the spirit to “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” They confirmed this revelation by fasting and praying. They then laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them on their way to do the Lord’s bidding.  

They started their proclamation of the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and spread the word of God throughout the whole island. The proconsul (similar to a governor) wanted to hear the word but his magician/false prophet companion opposed the word, attempting to keep the proconsul from the faith.  

Paul, full of the holy spirit, rebuked the false prophet saying, “you who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.”  

The consequence for opposing the spreading of the word to the leader of the region was blindness for a time! The proconsul believed after witnessing this miracle, but it was the teaching of the Lord that had him amazed. 

They continued their journey to Pisidian Antioch and on the Sabbath day, they were given the floor to preach the Gospel to the Jews in the synagogue. Read Paul’s words carefully, as the preaching of the gospel seems to highlight different aspects of it depending on Paul’s audience.   

To the Jews, he begins with God’s choosing of their fathers to be his people and ends with the good news of the fulfillment of the promise to their fathers, by raising Jesus from the dead so that he wouldn’t undergo decay. And because of this fulfillment, through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. And through Jesus, everyone who believes is freed from all things, which they could not be freed from through the Law of Moses.  

The response to this was to beg them to return the next Sabbath day to preach about these things. When they did, an even bigger audience gathered to hear the word. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they became jealous and tried to persecute them. Take note that this may happen when you’re doing God’s will. Be prepared and do what the early Christians who did better did; pray, fast, preach, keep seeking the Lord’s guidance to do God’s will.  

To them Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, 

‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, 
That You may [ab]bring salvation to the end of the earth.’” 

* I take note that these words were first spoken in the Old Testament, prophesying about Jesus. Here, the same words are applied to Paul and Barnabas. We should become comfortable understanding that this happens a lot in the Bible. It helps to cut through confusion. 

The Gentiles responded to this by rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and it was spread throughout the whole region. But the jealous Jews incited the prominent women and men to persecute Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the district.  

The disciples shook off the dust of their feet and went to another city, continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. 

In the next region, both Jews and Greeks heard the word and believed. And as it happened in other cities, unbelieving Jews caused trouble. Here they “stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brothers.” Instead of dusting off their feet and moving on, they relied on the Lord to speak boldly, remaining there for a long time. Here they were granted signs and wonders to be performed by their hands.    

It’s interesting to note, that even though we know they were filled with the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, here the Lord granted them the ability to do signs and wonders, indicating to me that just having the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean we can do signs and wonders whenever we think we should. It is for when the Lord has need of it.  

Some believed, some did not. Some persecuted them. When they tried to kill them (by stoning), they moved on to another region to preach the gospel.   

While preaching the gospel in the next place, Paul saw that a disabled man had faith to be made well so he healed him. Because of this, the Gentiles called Paul and Barnabas gods and attempted to make sacrifices to them. They tore their clothing and Paul preached the gospel, beginning with parts of the gospel that they could relate to from their culture. Paul told them that there was only one God, the God who created the heavens and earth, and everything in them, and that they must turn from their other gods to the one true God.  

He said that God permitted all the nations to go their own ways; yet he did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. Even so, it was hard for those stuck in their tradition to refrain from offering sacrifices to them.   

Again, the Jews became jealous. They stoned Paul nearly to death and dragged him out of the city. He got up and went to another city to preach, continuing God’s work. He made many disciples. He was able to revisit a church to encourage them to keep the faith, saying that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” They ended back in Antioch and remained there awhile, reporting on what joyous events happened. They were primarily excited about the new revelation, how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.  

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

Fasting and praying seem to be great starters for hearing from the Lord so that you can be led by him in the spirit. Have you heard from the Lord after fasting and praying? 

When Paul preached the Gospel to the Jews, he talked about the fulfillment of the promise to their fathers, which was in raising Jesus from the dead so that he wouldn’t undergo decay. And because of this fulfillment, through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. And through Jesus, everyone who believes is freed from all things, which they could not be freed from through the Law of Moses. Gentiles weren’t freed from the Law of Moses because they weren’t a part of that covenant with God. What did Jesus accomplish on the cross for Jews vs. both Jew and Gentile? 

I love how Paul talks to the Gentiles about God’s goodness as a witness to them, even when they didn’t know him. How can we relate things like this to our friends who don’t know God? 

Jealousy seems to be a primary driver of opposition to the word. How can we guard our hearts from becoming jealous of others preaching what they believe to be true who may be gaining followers? 

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The Struggle With New Revelation

Acts 11-12 

Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)

It is good to change your beliefs based on revelation you’ve received about God’s word and what it means as it applies to your life, though it can bring on emotions you may not be prepared for. The first revelation I changed my mind about regarding the word of God was hard to handle, as it was a deeply held belief I was taught to accept and defend as truth by trusted individuals (with good intentions). But it was wrong.  

I learned it was wrong by way of other trusted individuals who had studied and changed their minds. They were able to present a good case for the error originally taught. I accepted that I believed something in error, however I didn’t fully understand the new revelation. I was confused. My confusion made me rethink what I had been taught about God and his thoughts about me. Be careful, this can happen to you. 

Thank God for his constant workings in me. The process I went through to cut through the confusion taught me how to not fear being wrong. It taught me to seek God for his wisdom about truth instead of holding on to pride. Pride does come before the fall, but it was good, as I was humbled. I can now handle being wrong. 

What I love most about the things I learned from the reading for this week’s devotional is that God’s wisdom is blaring through the pages. We get to read about how the early Christians struggled with new revelation and what they did about it.  We read about those who fell, those who were humbled, and the approach of those who did better. The better approach was rewarded with more work and a more intimate relationship with God. He gave the humble more of what they sought – his wisdom and power about what to do to spread the Gospel. 

In Acts chapter 11, some Jewish Christians took issue with Peter for eating with uncircumcised men. To convince them that this was God’s will, Peter explained his vision and experience with Cornelius. They listened and responded with the right responses, “When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18). What a response. 

After Stephen’s persecution however, fear took hold of some, to the point of stifling the spreading of the Gospel to Jews only. But there were some who took it to the Gentiles in Antioch. To those who didn’t let fear lead them, “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21).  

Barnabas was sent to witness the workings of God with the Gentiles by those in Jerusalem. When he witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them to remain true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He brought Paul to them and together they taught the new Christians for an entire year.  

Doing God’s will (preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, teaching them for a year, rejoicing, etc.) brought on many good things for those who were faithful to the news. They received a prophecy that there would be a famine so they behaved like Kingdom bound citizens and gave money to those in need. 

But we know that doing God’s will can also make us targets. King Herod killed the disciple James. This pleased the non-Christian Jews, so he also sought Peter’s life. The church used their powerful weapon of fervent prayer, leading to an angelic rescue of Peter from prison and death. 

Most in these chapters took the news of the new revelation from Peter very well. They rejoiced and accepted the news straight away. They got to work for the Lord, preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles and remaining with them for a time to help them grow.  

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

There were many things the disciples did right when they heard the new revelation from Peter. What are some good actions you can take to help someone so that they don’t fall when learning something new? 

What do you think Barnabas and Paul taught the new Christians in Antioch for the year they stayed with them? 

Herod was eaten by worms and died after an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory when the people he fed cried out, “the voice of a god and not of a man!” Why do you think he was met with this immediate consequence? 

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Exhortation

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 34 & 35

POETRY: Song of Songs 7

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 13

The end of the book of Hebrews gives an exhortation to them to listen to what was likely just read. Exhortation is a pleading with someone to act. I hope they did. I’ve been persuaded to. 

What they, and by extension we, should have understood by the end of this portion of the letter was that Jesus is a better high priest than the Levitical priests because his sacrifice was perfect. We learned that he was chosen by God. We learned that to be chosen means that you choose God back. Jesus chose God back by being faithful to his part in God’s plan of salvation, which was to shed his sinless blood on the cross to save us. This inaugurated the New Covenant through him, with better promises so that we can all partake in the Kingdom of God.

What he saved us from was being slaves to sin that kills. We learned that we are saved from sin because his sinless sacrifice takes away sins (makes people perfect). We learned that the Old Covenant sacrifices of animal blood couldn’t take away sins, but they did remind the people of God of their sin (to help them stop sinning and live well).

The Old Covenant sacrifices could never take away sins because those animal sacrifices, and the priests offering them, were not perfect. They could cleanse the body of sin, but not the conscience. But God’s plan of salvation through Jesus included those under the Old Covenant who were people of faith. Being a person of faith means you believe that God will do what he promised he’d do, compelling you to act according to his promises. Those under the Old Covenant who finished their race faithfully and had faith that God was faithful to make them perfect one day, will be saved (they are saved)

God is perfect because he is always faithful to do what he says he’ll do according to his promises, which are always for our good. Jesus was made perfect as a result of his faith, causing him to always do what his father asked of him, for his good, and for the good of the world. We were made perfect when we entered into the New Covenant with God through Jesus.

Remaining perfect happens by being faithful to do what we said we’d do until our race is finished, just like the people of old were required to do whatever was required of them under their covenant. What God required of them, of Jesus, and of us, is to do his will; to be faithful.  

The will of God for us is to love as Jesus loved, which is the new commandment in the New Covenant. The way Jesus loved was through self-sacrifice to save the world. Self-sacrifice saves because it demonstrates one’s love for others. Those who love others are those who will be in God’s Kingdom for all eternity. Self-sacrifice for us is doing whatever it takes (according to God’s will) to save someone; to bring them into the covenant so that they too can be made perfect. If we are doing this, we are freed from sin. We are freed from sin because we chose to do the will of God.

We read however that we can get sluggish in doing God’s will. We can even get entangled back in sin. We heard that to get out of being sluggish, sinning, and to get back to doing God’s will, that we need endurance. We learned that endurance comes through discipline.

The last chapter in Hebrews gives us a few more practical examples of how to be disciplined. We were taught that being disciplined by our father who loves us is for our good. Being disciplined helps us to adhere to our part in God’s plan of salvation. It helps us to be faithful, with endurance to the end of our race.

The Hebrews were given a grand letter reminding them of how awe-inspiring Jesus is, how much better God’s work is through him than any work he’s done before, and that it’s available to everyone who comes through Jesus. They tasted of it, but they got sluggish, and were in need of some exhortation to finish their race faithfully.

The children of God, including us, have a high calling. We’re being exhorted to endure this life race with faith all the way to the end through discipline. The stakes are high, we can’t faint back into our old ways. Said more with the desire written on my heart, we’re being exhorted to be Jesus to the world to save it.

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions

1. If this exhortation has persuaded you to act, what are you going to do (how will you discipline yourself)? You can find many examples in the chapter.

2. God is pleased with what 3 sacrifices according to Hebrews chapter 13?

3. The Hebrews were exhorted to imitate the faith of the ones who taught them the word. What action stands out the most that you’d like to imitate from someone who taught you?

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Endurance

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 32-33

POETRY: Song of Songs 6

*NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 12

If you’re feeling sluggish, tired of enduring the hardships that come with choosing to be faithful to the end of your race in this age, caught in sin that’s hard to get disentangled from, then think on all of those faithful chosen of God from chapter 11. They made it! They’re going to the Kingdom!

We have to have the endurance to make it to the end to, for our own good. If that great cloud of witness doesn’t move you, consider Jesus’s faith, by which he endured the cross for you. God’s will for him involved the shedding of his blood to resist the sin of others against him and to free us from it. Has God asked you to shed blood to resist sin? That’s probably not God’s will for you, thank God, though many of his children have. I pray it never comes to that.

What’s it going to take to finish your faith race? This writer says endurance, and it comes through discipline (he may even be referencing the letter he’s penning as part of that discipline). He is reproving the Hebrews, but discipline involves more than reproof. It involves scourging (I think the definition of scourging here is “suffering”), and it takes training.

The Hebrews seem to have forgotten that they are heirs to the Most High; they are sons of God. If you’re a son, then you will be disciplined (if not, you’re illegitimate). God’s discipline is like that of a father to his child. It is like the training up of the child in the way he should go so that when he is old, he will not depart from it. The child who was disciplined experienced how to endure as an adult.

The discipline was for the child’s good, though it was sorrowful in the moment. As adults, the discipline will be sorrowful in the moment, but remember, the discipline of the Lord happens because he loves his children, so welcome it. If you’re not disciplined, you’re going to hurt yourself or others with sin. You might forfeit your entrance into the kingdom.

Discipline removes sin. It shapes us into holy people – sharing in the holiness with God (because we are transformed into people who want good for others and therefore do the will of God). It yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (it turns you into a person who is faithful to do God’s will).

With the Lord’s leading, we can take steps to discipline ourselves to resist sin with endurance, for a whole lifetime. Here are some examples from this chapter:

Serve those in need – strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.

Pursue peace with all men.

Don’t let any root of bitterness spring up causing you trouble.

Don’t refuse the one who is disciplining you.

Don’t trade your birth right for food (like Esau did); God didn’t forgive that sin.

Remember, you didn’t endure what God’s firstborn son (the children of Israel) did. They were not allowed to be where God was like you are through Jesus. Through their mediator Moses, they had to stay away from the mountain where God was. And they were terrified because if they touched the mountain, they’d die. They were terrified of hearing God’s voice, sounding like thunder and lightning.

Instead, you’ve come to the church of the firstborn (Jesus). You have approached the throne room of God, with his angels, with your brothers and sisters who have all been made perfect by Jesus’s sacrifice, and you can do it without being terrified. You’re not going to die if you approach the throne room of God through Jesus.

Oh, and by the way, Jesus’s sprinkled blood as our living sacrifice speaks better than Abel’s blood that cried out for vengeance. Jesus’s blood cries out for love/sacrifice for others. Our job is to follow the cries of the one who’s better, who’s blood lets us into the throne room of God now to be in his presence. God will oblige both, but he says vengeance belongs to him.

God once shook the earth when he spoke from earth. In the end, he’ll speak from heaven, and shake both heaven and earth, so that the things that can be shaken will be removed, leaving only those things that are unshakable. What’s unshakeable is the Kingdom of God. Let’s praise God that we can be a part of that Kingdom now, showing him reverence and awe for what he’s doing. It’s a new thing, and it’s better. 

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions

1. Can you think of something you endured faithfully through discipline?

2. Do you have a routine of discipline that helps you stay on track?

3. Abel’s blood cries out for vengeance. Jesus’s blood cries out for love/sacrifice to save others. God will oblige both cries, but vengeance belongs to God, not to those under the New Covenant. Our responsibility is to love, as Jesus loved because it can change hearts and allows us in God’s presence now (in spirit as we draw near). Our job is to love even those who have hurt us. How can you love someone who has hurt you?

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Faithful

*OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 30 & 31

POETRY: Song of Songs 5

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 11

By faith, everything is made better. Faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen that were promised or spoken of by God. By faith, the people of old gained approval by God.

Throughout scripture, we have examples of God’s people who lived by faith, fulfilling their role in the covenant that God made with them, because they believed that God was faithful to fulfil his promises. There were some promises that were fulfilled in their time, according to the specific covenant God made with them (e.g., the Abrahamic covenant, the creation covenant, covenants of blessings, or children, or land, etc..), but all the faithful examples listed in this chapter died in faith, without receiving the promises of the New Covenant, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance.

They were people who knew that this world (the current age) is not their home. They knew they were strangers, looking for a better home, a heavenly one (that will come down to earth), whose maker was God.

By faith, Abraham offered up Isaac. He knew his God was faithful to his promise that through Isaac, the promised seed (Jesus) would be born. That can’t happen if his son is dead. So Abraham had faith that God was able to raise people from the dead.

By faith, Moses chose to suffer with his people, rather than to indulge in the temporary pleasures of sin that came with the territory of being a grandson to a rich Pharoah. He considered the shame of Messiah greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking to the reward.

There are so many examples of faithful people of God mentioned in this chapter. If you’re lacking in faith, read about them, you won’t be disappointed! The point in reminding the Hebrew readers of this I believe, was to teach them, or to remind them, that the people of old were faithful to the end of their lives, to a God they believed was faithful in keeping his promises—even the ones they had not yet received prior to dying, and thus became pleasing to God. They were chosen because of their faith, enduring until their end.

Yet, God wasn’t willing to establish his kingdom with them in their time, because he wanted them to be with the Hebrews in this letter. By extension, he wanted them to be with us. He didn’t want them without also having you! That’s the God you chose to serve!

The promise of a better hope, the one obtained now through the New Covenant, spoken of in the law and the prophets of old, is for those pleasing to God – the faithful; the chosen. It’s for those who have gained approval through their faith (their obedience to whatever covenant God made with them because they believed he was faithful), who are made perfect with those of us who chose to enter the New Covenant with God through Jesus. The better promises are all through Jesus, and they’re available for everyone who seeks God through him, choosing God back through their faith.

“6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is (exists) and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions

1. It is common for people to say, “Have faith,” but I don’t think people should have faith in something that God never promised them. The examples in this chapter seem to reflect that. What do you think?

2. Whose faith recorded in this chapter do you admire most, and why?

3. We are to have faith in promises not yet received in this age too. How will you keep your faith until the end?

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Draw Near

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 28-29

POETRY: Song of Songs 4

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 10

I used to think that Hebrews chapter 10 was the scariest chapter in the whole Bible because it contains the scariest verses—about those willful sins that are committed. I missed the whole point of this beautiful chapter.

I missed that Jesus doesn’t have to make a sacrifice for us yearly like the priests of old did to cleanse the flesh of sin committed that year. His one-time sacrifice takes away sins for all time, cleansing the flesh and the conscience. That’s perfection that the old law could never do. Through Jesus, God’s children no longer needed that reminder that we’re slaves to sin, because we’re not anymore. We are free in Christ. We are perfect, but we have to choose to remain perfect by doing God’s will.

I missed that where there is forgiveness of sin (because of Jesus’s obedience to always do God’s will), an offering for sin is no longer required to enter the holy place of God. His role as high priest of the New Covenant is different than that of the Levitical high priests. He’s always available to save if you draw near to him; to intercede on our behalf when we sin, as opposed to sacrificing himself by dying again and again and again when we sin.

An animal sacrifice for sin is no longer required under the New Covenant law, but drawing near to Christ is required when dealing with my sin. I still need to bring a sacrifice, but it’s of repentance; a contrite heart. And I don’t have to wait outside a tent or a veil, I go right into the heavenly tabernacle where Jesus is and ask for forgiveness in his name. God will be faithful to me when I draw near to him through his son in this way. This is required of me if I entered the New Covenant with God through Jesus. I did, when I was baptized into the name of Jesus. Praise God.

The word says that by one offering (Jesus’s literal sinless body), he perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Those who are sanctified are those who have put the laws of God in their minds and have written them on their hearts because they chose to do God’s will out of love for God and others (just like Jesus did).  

Now for those scary verses:

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 consume the adversaries (read through verse 31 if you want to see how scary this section is).

There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but what does remain is something better – drawing near to Christ through repentance when we sin. I think this is true for most sins, even willful sins IF we desire to repent of them because we know how much better God’s ways are for us and desire to get back on track.

If we don’t have that desire and don’t enter the holy place through Jesus’s torn body veil, what should we expect? If we don’t, we should expect just judgment. If we don’t, it means we are choosing to willfully bind ourselves to sin again and remain in it. It means we aren’t looking for forgiveness, because we think it was better when in slavery to sin than being freed from it (and slavesto serving God by doing his will that is good for us).

This reminds me of the children of Israel in Massah and Meribah, complaining in the wilderness, wishing they were back in Egypt. They were slaves there, and perhaps they’d die, but at least they weren’t going to die of hunger or of thirst like they would in the wilderness serving God, so they grumbled. They tested Yahweh God, as they had no faith that God would provide for them as he promised (“Is the LORD among us or not?”). This willful sin, this lack of faith that God would be faithful to do what he said he’d do for them in a time when they were enduring trials and hardship, eventually got them destroyed. The reality was that though God was faithful to uphold his end of the covenant he made with them, they weren’t willing to uphold theirs because they didn’t trust him.  

The testing of God’s faith is what I believe the scary section in Chapter 10 is referencing. If we sin because we don’t believe God is faithful to do all he promised for us, especially when times get tough, and we think it was better living the old way when slaves to sin as opposed to being slaves to God, then our entrance into the Kingdom of God is in jeopardy. It’s like saying to ourselves, “We’re slaves to sin, but at least we won’t die hungry or thirsty living in sin.”

Unfortunately, choosing to live like Christ now does come with pain and suffering, because of the consequences of the past and present sins of all people. Not everyone chooses to do what God says is good for us, so our world becomes more and more corrupt. So do our bodies. It’s hard to live for Christ in a world like that. There’s also so much confusion about what’s right and wrong, even among his followers, and so we get hurt. And of course, there is Satan, walking around like a roaring lion, trying to get us off track.  

The Hebrews were reminded of their former sufferings for Christ and commended for enduring it with joy because they once knew they had something better awaiting them. Though I’ve been through trials, I’ve never had to go through the trials that the Hebrews here had to go through for Christ. It says that they “32 …endured a great conflict of sufferings, 33 partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers 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 possession and a lasting one.” The Hebrews were being exhorted. The writer is pleading with them to behave how they once did, and to stop looking back at their old way of life.

If the people of God who went through this type of hardship needed an exhortation to get back on track, what of us? What of me?

Now that we’ve got the kick in the pants we needed to stop being babies, we can apply this information to do better with some application from the writer:

“19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions

1. Notice that we draw near to Jesus in the throne room of God, which is God’s throne room in heaven. We do this in spirit. The bible uses figurative language like this a lot. What other figurative language do you notice in this chapter?  

2. How can you encourage one another in love and good deeds through their hardships?

3. How do you live by faith as it says in Hebrews 10:38 (quoted from the old; applied to us in the new)?

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The Best High Priest

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 25-27

POETRY: Song of Songs 3

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 9

No one talks about the sins committed by God’s people in ignorance. But it’s these sins that the Levitical high priest offers a sacrifice for yearly. If that’s the case, then what of the sins of the people that are committed willfully? I think we’ll find out about them in Hebrews Chapter 10.

The more I read, the more I have to change my mind about what God’s will for me actually is. There’s so much confusion that’s been passed on from generation to generation that gets stuck in our minds and in our hearts. Confusion is not good, because if we continue in it, someone’s going to get hurt. This studying of the book of Hebrews has helped me tremendously in that regard.

The Old Covenant had a high priest who sacrificed for sins with regulations that had to do with food, drink, and regulations for the body UNTIL the reformation of the covenant. An example of this is in washing hands and feet prior to entering the tabernacle or making a sacrifice. God told them that if they didn’t do this, they’d die. The priest would do this to make sure they didn’t die (literally), for the purpose of cleansing the flesh (the body) of the sin that was committed that year. But it could not cleanse the conscience. It, along with the various gifts and sacrifices offered amongst the people of God under the Old Covenant, could never make the worshiper perfect in conscience. Why?

The Holy Spirit (God) had not yet revealed the way into the holy place while the outer tabernacle was standing, separating the people from God. Nothing offered could compel the person to desire to flee dead works and serve the living God out of self-sacrificial love (God’s will for us all) because Jesus hadn’t demonstrated this kind of love yet. Jesus’s love is what changes the heart, soul, mind—the conscience, if you will. It causes us to desire to repent when we miss the mark and strive to do God’s will out of love.

The New Covenant, with its better high priest, better promises, and better tabernacle, will help the chosen people of God live well for his kingdom. They (we) can start living that way now because the Kingdom of God is at hand. Our great high priest Jesus is working for us (in us), from heaven for our own good, and for the good of others to do God’s will out of love. We’ll desire this with a clean conscience because of what our savior did for us.

The Levitical high priest was only able to make a sacrifice on behalf of his own and the people’s sin once a year. He was only able to cleanse sin once a year. But Jesus’s one time love sacrifice makes it available to cleanse our conscience of sin at any time, as he is available to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession.

It makes sense that if Jesus is always available to make intercession for us that we can become entangled in sin again that kills. When that is the case, we can draw near to God through our high priest and repent because he’s always available to save. I think this is what the writer to the Hebrews is trying to get across. They needed to draw near to God through their new, better high priest with repentance. And they can do that without dying because Jesus already did that.

The new, better high priest has the job role of cleansing our conscience from dead works to serving the living God once we enter the holy place of God. We are the people who desire that because of what Jesus did for us. He demonstrated for us that love conquers sin and sets people free (to serve God). We must choose to follow in Jesus’s footsteps to remain cleansed, repenting when we miss the mark.

God’s desire for his people isn’t new. This has always been God’s will for his people. That’s why he brought his firstborn son Israel out of slavery to Egypt, to serve him, with a clean conscience (the heart) so that it would be well with them. But most of them chose not to.

How the people would be reconciled back to God is new. It was revealed by the Holy Spirit after the veil was torn. Jesus’s body was torn so that we could be in God’s presence to offer sacrifices, just like the Levitical Priests could, but without a chance of dying when we enter (Jesus already did that). The sacrifices we bring in are repentance, praise, thanksgiving, humility, brokenness, contriteness, etc.  

People can now have hope of resurrection from the dead to everlasting life by entering the New Covenant, made available through Jesus’s love sacrifice. We are called to do the same, Jesus showed us how. Jesus was able to do this through the eternal spirit working in him. We can do it through Jesus’s spirit working in us.

Jesus tells us what is required of us. It’s the better requirement than the Old Covenant stipulations because it can make us perfect in conscience. Our requirement is to love, as Jesus loved. How has he loved? Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay our lives down for our brothers and sisters. Hopefully not literally, but we will be willing to if it comes to that. We can do this through the spirit of Jesus working in us. We can desire this because of Jesus’s demonstration of love. If we don’t, Jesus is always able to save when we draw near to him (repent) with our better sacrifices.

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions

1. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Those under the Old Covenant were forgiven for their sins through the blood of animal sacrifice that year, but it didn’t save them (they had no hope of resurrection). With the shedding of Jesus’s blood, there is forgiveness of sins that saves us. What do you think is the difference between forgiveness under the old law and forgiveness under the new law?   

2. Hebrews 9:26 says, “Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” This does not mean that people don’t sin anymore. We can clearly see that that’s not the case. What do you think it means to “put away sin”?

3. Christ loved us by dying for us. How do you think God wants you to demonstrate his love to someone today who is in need of some love from you?

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“Jesus is Better” Continued

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 22-24

POETRY: Song of Songs 2

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 8

“Jesus is better” talk continued…

Jesus is a better high priest because the Lord set it up, not man. He was chosen. The Lord (Yahweh) chose Jesus to be high priest of his New Covenant due to his loving obedience, as opposed to being appointed by men after their predecessor in lineage died (like in the Levitical priesthood). Jesus’s place as high priest is in heaven itself, not on earth as it was under the law of Moses, where there could only be a mere copy of the sanctuary.

Jesus wasn’t in the priestly line of Levi, he was in the line of Judah – whose line was chosen to be the king-ly line (after Saul (Benjamin’s line) screwed up and another (David) was found who chose God). It was after this chosen man (David) set his heart on choosing God that God swore his oath regarding the new priesthood that was to come in Psalm 110:4. God was going to make his new forever priest one who chose him, after the order of Melchizedek (chosen to be both king and priest; no lineage that made him so). And through him (the new high priest Jesus), he made a New Covenant with people who chose him from their hearts and had God’s laws in their minds.

The Old Covenant promised Israel that they would be God’s people – a kingdom of priests and a holy nation among all the inhabitants of the earth (Exodus 19:6). To serve God in this way, they had to know God’s will in how to live rightly, or at least better than how the rest of the world had been living (and hurting each other). God gave them laws to help them become holy, for their own good and the good of the world. But not all of them were faithful to uphold their end of the deal.

Although God chose them, some didn’t choose God back based on their actions. The law was not in their hearts. If it was, they would have trained themselves to distinguish between good and evil (to stop the evil and do good). They didn’t, hence, the need for a new covenant made with chosen people, through a perfect high priest.

The New Covenant through Jesus is written on the minds and hearts of God’s chosen people. To be chosen means that God chooses us because we choose God. We choose God by obeying him from the heart because we know that he loves us and sets up his commandments for our good, and for the good of the world through us. He’s a good father who establishes our ways for us so that it will be well with not only us, but those whom we affect by following God. We are the people who want that. We want it so badly, that we train for it. 

I understand that God set up the Old Covenant for the people’s own good – because they needed it to live well in their time – to be the people that God wanted them to be for their own good, to affect the lives of those around them positively as God’s holy people. But they didn’t want it (based on their behavior). God says of them, “For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care for them, says the Lord.” We know that God cared for his firstborn son Israel. He showed them mercy time and time again. But eventually, their continuously evil actions caused God to cease from his pleading with them to be faithful – until the better man Jesus inaugurated the better covenant based on his faithfulness.  

In this better covenant, all will know God, because they are people who choose to know him. In this better covenant, God will be merciful to them, because they will choose to repent. In this better covenant, God will not remember their sins, because they will choose to ask for forgiveness and do better, in the name of their high priest Jesus, because God’s laws are in their minds and written on their hearts (because they chose to put God’s laws in their minds, and on their hearts for their own good, and for the good of those around them). Don’t let Calvin persuade you otherwise.

There is usually a good reason people are chosen. They aren’t generally going to be randomly selected when it comes to matters of importance. And if they were chosen, they generally have to maintain the qualities that got them chosen in the first place to remain chosen. Throughout our bible history, some did, some didn’t. When God chooses someone, it almost always has to do with that someone choosing him. If God is choosing you, I pray you choose him back.

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you think God cared for the Children of Israel, even though he’s quoted from an Old Testament statement that he did not (Hebrews 8:9)?

2. Do you think God puts his laws into our minds and writes them on our hearts under the New Covenant (which would take away our autonomy) or do you think action on our part is involved?

3. Hebrews 9:13 says, “When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. What does obsolete mean here?

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