Tag: new covenant

The Mediator

Job 8-9

Psalm 95

Hebrews 9

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)                

            We begin our reading today with Job again arguing with his “friends”.  His buddy Bildad leads (in chapter 8) with “2′How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?‘”, which seems to be a less-than-gracious approach at best (and pretty rude at worst) from someone who’s supposed to be your friend when you’ve hit rock bottom.  He then goes on to say that God rewards the righteous, and offers a number of helpful suggestions to Job on how to regain his righteousness, assuming that Job has become unrighteous in some way.

            Job steadfastly insists on his innocence, but points out the futility of arguing with God.  In Chapter 9 he says “5God is the One who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger; 6The One who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; 7The One who says for the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars; 8Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;” to highlight the futility of arguing with such a powerful being, and then comes a key understanding later on in this same chapter.  This is the heart of his argument, the point of pain in his disagreement with his treatment.

            Job understands that he is just a man, a mortal human being, and that God is the creator and master of the universe.  What argument can you offer?   Job feels hard done by, and it boils down to this: “32For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,That we may go to court for judgment together. 33There is no adjudicator between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.“.  He feels as if he has no recourse, there’s no one to stand between him and God and offer up a defense.

            David also, even though his tone and approach are different at the time, acknowledges this simple fact in Psalms 95: “3For Yahweh is a great God And a great King above all gods, 4In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. 6Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before Yahweh our Maker 7For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand...”.  All of this is true, God is the Creator of all, the ruler of all, a great King above all, who owns the very earth we live on because He created it.  The very level of His power can be, to a tiny insignificant human, a little bit intimidating.  Enraging the Most High God is generally just not considered to be a good career plan. 

            Throughout scriptural history though, there are a few very special men who pleaded with God on behalf of others, insanely brave men who placed themself in the gap and risked their own selves for the compassion of others.  Abraham pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 18:23. If Moses had not interceded with God on behalf of the Israelites after the events of the golden calf in Exodus 32, we might have had a very different account in scriptures.  Very rarely, historically, a man would stand in the breach and plead with God for the sake of others.  Then Jesus came.

            So here’s a quick age test: did you ever watch an older black and white episode of Perry Mason?  What would have happened to any of his innocent clients if Perry had not taken their case?  Our reading today in Hebrews 9 explains to us fully that now we have a mediator, that we now have a new covenant, and that our mediator is the Christ: “15And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the trespasses that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”.  Hebrews 9 goes on to list a number of the differences between the old and the new covenants, and explain how and why the new covenant is better.  A very good portion of Hebrews is written for the express purpose of showing that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, whom God had chosen from among the people (see Heb 5) to become the high priest and mediator of the new covenant.  He’s representing us as a mediator right now, in the Courts of Heaven (see Aug 5 devotion for a better understanding of the Courts).

            Think about this for a moment.  If Jesus had succumbed to temptation in the wilderness, would we be reading about Jesus today in scripture?  Jesus became our mediator specifically because of his complete devotion and utter obedience to God.  We know that sin and death entered the world through the actions and disobedience of one man (Adam), and we also know that through the actions and obedience of one man (Jesus) that God grants us grace and life (Romans 5).  It specifically says that in Romans 5, “through one man”, go read it.  I have some friends of a more “complex” interpretation of scripture that this is a hugely difficult text for, because they say “how could a mere man atone for the sins of the world?“, and they will usually offer the rationalization of “oh, well that was because when he died it was as a man…” as an argument (implying that after the resurrection and ascension, Jesus wasn’t a man any longer).

            That argument doesn’t hold water though.  Scripture is very clear, that there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5).  This was written by Paul in @62-65 AD.  That’s about 30 years after Jesus died and was raised again by God, well after the ascension of the Christ.  What’s the holdup?  What’s wrong with Paul, doesn’t he understand who Jesus was?  The answer is clearly yes, Paul has a very clear understanding of who Jesus was but today’s modern orthodox understanding has become greatly confused except by a very lucky few:  Jesus was born as a man, died as a man, and sits now even still at the right hand of the Ancient of days as a man (see Dan 7:13-14).  A man glorified by God, but a man nonetheless.

            That is the reason Jesus is qualified to act as our high priest (for every high priest is taken from among men, Heb 5:1), and being a man is the only reason he is qualified to act as a mediator between God and the other humans, because he went through the exact same trials and temptations that we go through every day.  The difference is, our mediator, our high priest…he passed every test.  He was obedient, even unto death (and beyond).  He is the perfect role model of humanity, and teaches us the way of complete love and obedience to the Father, while acting on our behalf as a compassionate and understanding intercessor between us and God.  God is an ultimately fair and righteous judge, but I am still very thankful to have Jesus to plead my case before the Father.  I can only speak for myself, but I need all the help I can get.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

Have you ever had to go to court  (or seen a court trial taking place on tv)?  Do the defendants usually fare better or worse without representation?

We have a great big God, and God is loving and fair, but have you ever considered how blessed we are that we have a mediator who speaks to God on our behalf when we fall short?

PRAYER

Father God, you are just and fair.  You have created us, and loved us, and we have been rebellious and proud.  Please forgive us.  Thank you for sending us Jesus, help us to follow his instructions, please grant us your spirit and teach us wisdom.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Walk in Wisdom – in Christ

2 Chronicles 9-10

Psalm 78

Colossians 2

-Devotion by Juliet Taylor (TN)

Listen to the beautiful words from the Queen of Sheba, regarding the wisdom of Solomon, which God had given him when he asked. Though a gentile, she knew that it was God who gave such wisdom to men, and that those who heard it were cherished by God. For it is God who gives such blessings – to place a ruler on his throne over his people, who will judge rightly:

2 Chronicles 9:7-8

7“How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. 8“Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

Having someone judge over us rightly for God so that it will be well with us, because his wisdom about what’s right for us is what we can expect and hope for in the Kingdom age, and to an extent now, if we are allegiant to the King now. That is love. I yearn for all of Christianity to get this right – to know that it is so good for us to desire to be ruled – but only by a just king, who gets his wisdom from our just loving father.

For now, we wait hopefully for that day when God gives us such a gift, when our Lord Jesus returns to rule justly from the throne of David. In the meantime, I see myself like all of the other children of God who have been saved (think of “being saved” like the Israelites were from slavery to Egypt, to serve God, or how all of humanity under Christ are saved from slavery to sin, to serve God like Jesus did, yet we must finish the race to enter the kingdom of God at the end of our lives). I’m in a race to the finish line of this life, aiming to do well and to please my father God, because he’s so good, just like the people of God of old were supposed to. 

It is surprising to me that the man who had nothing hidden from him in terms of wisdom from God, could not pass on such wisdom just one generation later. Though I should not be surprised, as the Bible foretells an ongoing story of his people succeeding and failing, ultimately failing until Christ.

When crowned King, not only did Solomon’s son Rehoboam fail to make wise choices based on seeking God’s wisdom about how he should rule, he also made a decision based on the will of his young friends that split the kingdom of Israel in two!

The wisdom from God remains the same for us to adhere to or neglect today. Our destruction will be great when we choose our own way without his wisdom about what we should do. That has always and will always be the case. It is a wonder in our day and age too that we don’t get this right, even after Jesus had to die (lest we forget).

This is why I believe Paul is struggling with the Colossians in his letter to them. Paul is well versed in the Old Testament. He knows how easy it is to forget what God has done for his people and go astray, especially when there are others out there trying to persuade Christians to make subtle changes in their thinking because of wisdom from men, which results in following a different gospel.

Paul sees an urgency for the Colossians to continue in their faith. Yes, they were God’s children. Yes, they loved greatly, yes, it sounds like they were even praised for their faith. And yet, Paul is still distressed, as someone could still teach them a gospel that was contrary to the true gospel, which could cause great demise for anyone carried away by it.

Paul does with Jesus regarding the New Covenant what God taught the Israelites to do with him regarding the Old Covenant. He beautifully lays out how important Jesus is for those who have entered the New Covenant with God through him. He gives them wisdom from God to follow and reminds them who they are in Christ.

All the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Jesus. To obtain it, you must walk this life as he walked it. Even though you’ve received Christ Jesus as Lord, having been firmly rooted, you must continually be built up in Christ to establish your faith (your trust in God), with gratitude, because you know the cost (and the reward). If you can do this, then no one will be able to take you captive with another gospel (through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, the world, rather than according to Christ) as it seems someone(s) was trying to do to the Colossians.

Let Christ take you captive, because the fullness of the godhead bodily dwells in Jesus, meaning, all that there is to know about God, including his ways, can be found in Jesus. Jesus was made God’s wisdom for us, so that we would know God’s will and keep his commandments. In Jesus you were circumcised (you belong to Christ/identify in him, if you’ve entered the New Covenant of God through him), you were buried with him in baptism (you died to your old self and following your own will), and raised with him, to live a life of one who’s been forgiven (made alive through the working of God to raise Jesus from the dead, so that you will live like Jesus now and stop sinning). Jesus is now our ruler and authority, if we make ongoing plans to give him our allegiance daily.  

If someone is teaching you to do something contrary to Christ, look at what Jesus did to see how he handled those trying to teach God’s people a different gospel (like the Pharisees). If we can do that, we’ll be able to stand against someone trying to be our judge regarding the keeping of festivals, new moons, the Sabbath, or in regards to what we can eat or drink, or whatever it is that’s trying to get into our way of thinking that’s contrary to Christ.

These things are a shadow of what’s to come in the Kingdom, but Christ is the substance. I take this to mean that they can be good things to keep to help you remember God’s plan of salvation through Christ, but Christ is the Lord of them all. The Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around. And Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. So if you want to keep the Sabbath, talk to your Lord about it, but don’t get carried away by those telling you you must keep it, or even worse, being someone else’s judge telling them they must keep it if they are Christ’s. These types of teachings, though they can be subtle changes to the true gospel, can lead you astray, so be on guard.

If you’re ever struggling about what to do, seek God’s wisdom in Christ. Follow the urging of the spirit about what you should do. Pray often about it. Remember who your Lord is and what he did for you often. Make ongoing plans so that you will not forget. For it is in him that we are all held together. Emphasis remembering that latter part too – we’re held together in the body—we’re supposed to work as a team, (team body!!), with Christ our head who leads us together.

God, please help us to grow together with the growth that comes from you. Let us be diligent to do as the wisdom from Psalm 78 advises today in our walk, but in regards to our God through our Lord Jesus:

Tell your children and your children’s children of the praises of Yahweh and his strength and his wonderous works. Tell them to put their confidence in God, and not forget his works, especially those now fulfilled in Jesus, and keep his commandments. Don’t be like those who did not prepare their hearts, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

QUESTIONS:

1.      Why do you think Rehoboam didn’t seek God’s wisdom like his father Solomon did, who was the wisest in the world (he had to have known about his father’s wisdom, right?!?)?

2.      What other gospel(s) do you think Paul was warning the Colossians against? Following the Law of Moses? Following the laws created by the Pharisees as they interpreted the Law of Moses? Gentile laws? All or some of the above? 

3.      What do you think Paul means when he says this in Colossians 1:16-17, “…no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”?

PRAYER

Dear God, I pray that today and always I will seek You and Your wisdom. Help me to receive and act upon Your wisdom and pass along a deep desire for Your wisdom to the next generation. Thank You for Jesus and Your wisdom he has brought and will bring as ruler. Help me to recognize and turn my back on any different gospel. May I be guided by Your Spirit, to be a fruitful member of the true body of Christ which brings glory to You.

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Not Just Clean on the Outside

Hebrews 7-9

Devotion by John Tullis (OH)

When I was a kid, I often had to do the dishes.  I was not a fan of having to take time to soak the dishes and scrub them, inside and out.  One time, I decided to save time and only cleaned the outside of the cups.  They looked super clean!  I put the cups away and everything looked clean and ready for the next meal.  Later, when my Mom pulled a cup from the cabinet, it looked nice and clean.  But the inside was a mess.  Milk had spoiled in the cup and was caked along the bottom.  She was not very happy and found the cup to be completely unusable.  I had to pull all the cups out and get the job done the right way!

In the Old Testament, God’s people were instructed to offer sacrifices to God.  These sacrifices of animals, grain, and oil were expressions of devotion to God, addressed sin, and maintained covenant relationship between God and Israel.  Animals were burned on an altar symbolizing total surrender to God.  Sometimes, animal blood was applied to the altar.  In this case, the offering was a sin offering – usually a lamb.

The writer of Hebrews compares the offerings of the Old Testament with the new offering through the death of Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 9:11-14 tells us that “the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean”.  They became sanctified – set apart for God’s special use – because of the spilled blood of an animal.  However, people were only ceremonially clean on the outside of their body.  They were now clean to worship God and come before Him, but on the inside sin would return.  Again and again, people would have to continually offer animals in sacrifice to God to maintain their ceremonial purity before Him. 

Jesus, as the sinless, perfect, lamb of God is clean on the inside as well as the outside.  In other words, after His resurrection, He was able to ascend to Heaven and sit at the right hand of God because of His perfect, redeeming blood.  Since He died and was resurrected in perfection (because He was always perfect), he could now spend eternity with His Father in Heaven!  Jesus had no sin, so He did not need to be “saved from sin” like you and me.  The very blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for you and for me, is the blood that makes us clean on the inside (Hebrews 9:14).  No longer do we have to make sacrifices repeatedly.  He died for us, once and for all (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 6:10, 1 John 2:2).  Hebrews 9:15 teaches us that Jesus is the perfect mediator of a NEW covenant (not like the Old Testament…).  Those who put their faith in Him may “receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” (Hebrews 9:15).  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  We are now “clean” on the outside and inside.  Like one of my cups  – finally spotless and useful for the Kingdom of God.

Questions for Discussion:

  1. Why did God want blood as payment for sin? (Hebrews 9:22)
  2. Why does Jesus appear for us in God’s presence? (Hebrews 9:24)
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Old Covenant Law or New Covenant Wisdom

Galatians 1-3

Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)

When I began reading Paul’s letter to the Galatians, I noticed that this bold man had doubts and fear that he wasn’t preaching correctly at times after his initial conversion. It took him 14 years (after an initial 3 + years to talk to Peter for 15 days) to talk to those of repute about the Gospel. I can relate.  

We are called to preach the Gospel, but we don’t want to teach something that’s inaccurate if it leads others down the wrong path because lives are at stake. But that’s exactly what was happening with the Galatians.

The once fearful Paul boldly asks the Galatians who bewitched them, attempting to enslave them to a different gospel, which was a distorted gospel of Christ. The distortion was in teaching others to follow certain laws from the Law of Moses (commandments they must follow to be identified as righteous), instead of having the freedom in Christ to follow Jesus through the urging of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will. Paul goes so far as to say that the ones doing this should be accursed!

*Note, I believe the issue is not about salvation. You were saved (rescued) from sin and death and placed on the path of righteousness for the purpose of serving God through Jesus when you first believed. And you can’t “lose” your salvation. Said another way, no one can stop what was already done for you when Jesus rescued you (when you believed). But you can decide if you’ll remain on that path of righteousness (doing what Jesus says is right to do under the New Covenant terms) or not before you reach the Kingdom of God, when you’ll be saved from this present evil age.

Someone(s) was trying to lead the Galatians to look back to what was already fulfilled in Christ by teaching the Galatians to follow the Law of Moses, particularly to follow the law to be circumcised for the purpose of being made righteous, or as a member of the Jewish community. Though some may have been teaching this practice to save the Gentiles from Roman persecution that Jews were exempt from, Paul teaches them that it’s better to be persecuted for the sake of Christ than to be enslaved to the Law of Moses or to look back at our former life before Christ. We should all do well to remember Lot’s wife.

Aside from the issue dealing with circumcision, Paul recounts a similar issue when Peter was hypocritical, separating himself from eating with Gentile Christians in the presence of other prominent Jews (called “from the circumcision”). I believe this all happened after the record we read in Acts when Peter boldly recounted his experience with Cornelius, proclaiming that he was not to call any person unholy or unclean, and that God is not one to show partiality (Acts 10). This was really bad, as the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, which led others astray.

Paul goes on to help clarify why the distorted version of the gospel was so devastating to the true gospel.

Jews by birth who now identify in Christ understand that they are not justified by the works of the law, but by faith (trusting) in Jesus the Christ (i.e., they do things that Christ says to do because they put their trust in him to tell them how to do what is good, not in Moses/the Law of Moses). But if the Jews sin under Christ, they are just as guilty as the “sinning Gentiles,” as such they defined them when under the Law of Moses (this statement makes me think that the main motive for teaching the Gentiles to become like Jews was pride).

When you entered the New Covenant with God through Jesus, you died to your old man/old ways of living (sinning). If you rebuild what you destroyed (the sinning person), you are quite the wrongdoer indeed! For Jews wanting to rebuild who they identify in via following laws from the Law of Moses, they’re sinning! They’re nullifying the work of Jesus, and even worse, teaching new Gentile Christians to do the same.

Through the Law of Moses, Paul died to the Law, so that he could live by letting Christ lead him via the Holy Spirit instead of the old man he was, who followed Moses.

The Law of Moses was beautiful, just read about what David says about it. But it should not be forced on anyone as necessary to be righteous or a child of God. If you are a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian who would like to engage in behaviors commanded from the Law of Moses (those that weren’t meant to separate Jew from Gentile regarding your identity in Christ) because you think if applied, they can help you live well in this age, you can, because they will, if you apply them as you would under the law of liberty/the New Covenant, like Jesus taught. But part of how to do that would be to first ask God for wisdom about them so that you’ll be led by the Spirit, and not your own will in doing them (especially so that in so doing, you won’t lead others astray with your behavior).

For example, under the New Covenant, Jesus applies a new way of thinking to many of the laws from the Law of Moses using the new commandment of love (as he loved) as motivation for all that a Christ follower should do. So, instead of abiding by a law that says don’t murder from the Old Covenant, Jesus teaches his followers not to have contempt in their hearts for their brother in the first place. If they can do that, they won’t even come close to murdering their brother.

But how does one really do that? Did Jesus just make a new law for us to follow that’s even harder to do than refraining from murder? No, he gave us wisdom about how not to murder, and that’s by not allowing contempt to be in your heart in the first place. You read about how to keep contempt out from the word, such as by acts of love towards your brother before contempt can grow, by prayer, by turning the other cheek, by gently correcting your brother, etc. Seek wisdom from God about how to keep contempt out by reading the Bible and asking him. Then don’t be surprised when you get an urging from the Holy Spirit to do what God wants you to do to keep contempt out. He is a good and faithful God who will give you the wisdom you desire when you ask.

Through Jesus, God always gets at the heart of the issues that led to the Law of Moses, to shape people into those who do good because of love for God and others. But doing good for love’s sake even under the New Covenant doesn’t save you. Christ’s works saved you. Doing good once saved keeps you on the path of righteousness.

So, we must be careful not to enslave someone with our preaching of a law from the Law of Moses that we must keep to be identified as righteous since we are under the New Covenant. We are righteous when we do what is right. What is right is what Jesus says is right to do (1 John 3:7), as opposed to what Moses said is right to do for his time, or what the other gods who the Gentiles formally served said was right to do, or what our own will desires for us to do. If you want to know what Jesus wants you to do, read his words and ask via the Holy Spirit.

A good question to ask someone who tries to enslave others to keep the Law of Moses for the purpose of identification as righteous is to ask them what Paul asks the Galatians, “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” If the answer is the latter, don’t force a yoke on someone that Jesus carried for us.

Or ask them this, “Does he who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you do it by works of the Law or by hearing with faith?” The latter of course is the answer. The righteous one will live by faith, like Abraham did. Abraham did what God told him to do without a law to tell him.   

The point of this letter is to overemphasize to the Galatians that identification as righteous comes by way of faith (trust) in Jesus, not by faith in Moses (via works from the Law of Moses).

*Note, under the Law of Moses, before Jesus came and inaugurated the New Covenant, the Law of Moses did keep an Israelite on the path of righteousness, because that was God’s will at the time. But it could never save. Belief in Jesus’s work on the cross saves.

We mustn’t confuse faith in Jesus with hearing only either. We know what Abraham did to receive his title as faithful, with promises to his faithful seed. He did all that God commanded him (Genesis 26:5). Jesus is that promised seed, who did all that God commanded him. God made him both Lord and Christ. If we identify as “in Christ,” because of the works he did, it follows that we who have made Jesus our Lord by definition, will do what he says. Those are the terms we entered into under the New Covenant.

Why the Law of Moses then if what God promised to Abraham was what would last forever, as opposed to what God gave to Moses? The Law of Moses was added on account of the violations of God’s commands by the Israelites, until the seed would come to whom the promise was made.

I take this to mean that the Israelites weren’t living by faith (i.e., they didn’t trust God to be faithful to them, so they weren’t faithful to do what he said). They were sinning. They needed help to get on the path of righteousness. They needed something to guide them so that they’d live in such a way that it would be well with them and they’d stop sinning. They needed God’s wisdom about how to represent him well as his children, as lights to the world, rather than allowing them to continue to rely on their own wisdom about how to live (which never ended well). Even so, they still failed to be who God wanted them to be by doing their own will, and the Law of Moses came with a heavy yoke.

But since the promised seed has come, they are no longer in need of a guide (or a guardian to keep them on track) that separates them from the rest of the world who have decided to do God’s will. Instead, both Jew and Gentile under the New Covenant receive a guide inside them, guided by Jesus via the Holy Spirit. And it’s a much easier yoke to bear.

We have something in us that urges us to do the will of God. It urges us to do God’s will when we seek wisdom about it. We seek God’s wisdom about what to do because we’ve read his book and witnessed that what God says is good for us is good. We’ve witnessed that when people chose to follow the urging of their flesh to do their own will, their fall was great.  

We’ve witnessed that God’s wisdom is found in the man Jesus, not Moses, because Jesus always did our father’s will, because of his great love for everyone (even his enemies). We’ve learned that everyone who desires to be like Jesus, a person who desires God to be judge over our lives so that no harm will come to anyone, will be saved. We’ve learned that God made that man Jesus our Lord who will do the judging in the end. We learned that no one can enter who desires to do their own will because it will affect us all. See this current age as example.    

We don’t want to preach something that’s inaccurate, and we don’t want to fear preaching because we may lead others astray. Let’s start by asking God for his wisdom about what we should do, look at Jesus’s words, and do the things that the word says to do to be filled with the spirit so that we can walk by it/let it lead us, just like our Lord Jesus, because we desire life for all. But don’t enslave someone with laws they must do to be righteous. Show them how to love through your good works. To do that, seek God’s wisdom (it’s found in Jesus) and follow the urging of the Holy Spirit to do his will.

Reflection Questions

1.      Do you think those preaching a distorted gospel should be accursed?

2.      What is right is what Jesus says is right. What is wrong?

3.      How did Abraham know what was right to do without a law to tell him?

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Wisdom not Law

Acts 15-16

Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)

Acts chapter 14 ended with teaching us that God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. In chapter 15, the disciples are met with a conundrum because some men from Judea were teaching that, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 

I think it is good to remember that post Jesus’s accomplishments on the cross, most of the Jewish Christians were still behaving like Jews – they were still going to synagogues on the Sabbath, they were still preaching from the Old Testament (because that’s the scripture they had), and were still engaging in many of the activities that they learned from their culture that were good.

I don’t think that the Jewish Christians were ever told to stop “being Jewish.” But they were told to follow Christ, not Moses, when it came to doing God’s will. In the book of James, we read that they were instructed to follow the law of liberty, which I believe is in applying (doing) the New Covenant commandment to ‘love as Jesus loved’ to all aspects of our lives. He taught us how using several Old Covenant commandments in light of the New Covenant command of love. He learned how to do this from Jesus. Jesus taught in this way in his Sermon on the Mount (e.g., instead of murdering your brother, don’t even get angry with him).

I don’t think this means that we are to keep the Old Covenant commandments, nor even to do the things Jesus said to do (hear me out), AS LAW, that we must keep in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Rather, we are to seek God’s wisdom about a matter (such as with being angry with a brother), with the motivation that Jesus had to love the brother, in order to do what God wants us to do in the situation (God’s will) to save him.

Jesus’s words are wisdom for us, not law. 

For example, there will be times when we are angry with our brother, and it will be righteous anger. We need to seek God’s wisdom to know when that is the case and what to do about it to save the brother (or the enemy). There’s much wisdom throughout the Bible on this topic. But there’s no specific law outlined for us to do under the New Covenant. We have the freedom/liberty to seek God’s wisdom in the matter to know what to do to help, and then are commanded to do it. For the most part, it will be what Jesus said to do.

Jesus says that, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) – but we must understand what they mean and how they will apply to the situations we get in in order to do them according to God’s will. We do this by reading scripture (OT) and the word (the gospel; NT) for God’s wisdom, and then by doing what he says by way of the urging of the Holy Spirit. You’ll see this in action throughout the book of Acts.

Read the rest of John 14 and remember from John 6 that the Spirit gives life. “If anyone loves me (Jesus), he will keep my word; and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26).

There’s no law in the New Covenant about what commandments we must keep from the Old Covenant, as we’re not under it, but there is much wisdom we can learn about why God wants us to obey many of them (look at Jesus’s words to understand what he wants us to know and do). They (the commandments God wants us to know and do) are the things we should know about Yahweh God, his son Jesus, and how to love like Jesus in order to compel others to want what we want – God’s will to be done for our own good, because it will save us. It’s the Gospel.

The new knowledge the early Jewish Christians were learning (that they were no longer to separate themselves from Gentiles) was unfolding in many of the books of the New Testament for us to gain wisdom about. We get to see how they worked out this new revelation. We also get to refer to scripture from the Old Testament that prophesied about this.

*The wisdom of God will be found in the Bible, but the understanding of it, wisdom, we must seek by asking, by way of the Holy Spirit, so that we can do God’s will and not our own, for the good of all to save them.  

Paul and Barnabas had a heated argument and debate with the teachers of the “circumcision to be saved” message (meaning it is okay, and good for us to debate to get to the truth). It was determined that they should go to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles and elders concerning this issue. On their way, they witnessed Gentile Christians who were doing well and bringing great joy to all of the brethren.

However, when they arrived in Jerusalem, some of the apostles and elders who were Pharisees but believed in Jesus, also said that the new Gentile converts must follow the Law of Moses and be circumcised to be saved. All the apostles and elders then came together to discuss the matter. After much debate, Peter gave a speech that I think reiterates what is needed to be a Christ follower. He said that God wanted the Gentiles to hear the word of the gospel and believe.

Whoever does God’s will according to the gospel will get a heart cleanse and receive the Holy Spirit (a connection with God through Christ, urging us to do God’s will (life) instead of following the urges of our flesh’s desire to do our own will (sin)). The receiving of the Holy Spirit was a great witness to the Jewish Christians of the truth in this matter.

Peter told those who would teach the Gentiles that salvation came by way of the Law of Moses that they were testing God. Don’t do this! We saw how it ended in Massah and Meribah when they tested God. Teaching the Gentiles to follow Moses via the Law of Moses was placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither their fathers, nor they were able to bear. Instead, believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus – all of us who enter the New Covenant through him.

Everyone listened silently as Barnabas and Paul relayed all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James, the brother of Jesus, and now head of the council in Jerusalem, confirmed what Peter said, drawing on Peter’s revelation from what God had foretold his people in scripture long ago (Acts 15:16-18; Amos 9:11-12). Therefore, it is his judgement that they should not trouble the Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses, but to abstain from things contaminated by idols, from acts of sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood. For Moses has been preached since ancient times in every city every Sabbath.

What does that mean? I think it means that James’s judgement is not to force the Gentile converts to keep the Law of Moses. But they should give the Gentiles some ordinances to help them live well among their new Jewish brethren in peace and in love.

These seemingly strange to us ordinances he gave were about the Gentile eating habits that could cause tension with Jews who would find it hard to eat with someone who ate meat they historically thought dishonored God. Gentiles were in the habit of eating meat sacrificed to idols, in horrific ways (involving sexual immorality and inhumane animal killing). Jews who heard the Law of Moses prohibiting such practices preached every Sabbath would find it hard to accept eating with a person engaging in that eating habit, though they are no longer yoked to separating themselves from Gentiles.

The church council is not creating laws that the Gentiles must follow in order to be saved. They are creating guidelines for them to follow to love their Jewish brethren, who may find it hard to stop segregating because of the Gentile eating habits.  

After becoming of one mind on the matter, Paul and Barnabus were sent to the Antioch church with a letter to tell them about their judgement, along with select men who had risked their lives for the name of the Lord to reiterate these things by word of mouth. They were taking great care to help the new converts and Jewish brethren to understand why they came up with this judgement, which is also said to have come about by way of the Holy Spirit’s urging (Acts 15:28). It’s about loving God and loving people, helping them to live well with this change of lifestyle to stop segregation between Jew and Gentile under the New Covenant. The people in Antioch rejoiced because of the letter’s encouragement.

Chapter 16

In chapter 16, we find Paul’s missionary journey continuing. He and his companions were letting their journey to spread the gospel be led by the Holy Spirit. He did something seemingly contradictory to Timothy, but I think it was done with the same intention that the council had when providing Gentiles with ordinances to keep the peace in love at mealtime without segregation.

Paul circumcised Timothy so that the Jews would initially accept him as the word of the Lord was preached, particularly the part of the good news that the council came up with to be sure the Jews wouldn’t put a heavy yoke on the Gentiles, while also helping the Gentiles to be loving with their eating practices to help the Jews stop segregation. It was likely a wise, loving thing to do to aid in the spreading of the gospel, urged by the spirit. As they did this, the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were growing daily.

They continued to let the Holy Spirit lead them on their journey. It prohibited them from speaking the word in Asia and a few other places. It led them through a night vision to Macedonia. As a result of doing this, they met a worshipper of God who opened her heart to respond to the things taught. Her response was to pay for their journey to continue spreading the gospel.

They ran into some hiccups along the way, like being beaten and thrown into prison in chains, but this unjust trial was a blessing in disguise. While in prison, they prayed and sang hymns of praise to God while all of the other prisoners listened. An earthquake threatened the life of a jailer, as it unchained all of the prisoners. He was about to commit suicide, assuming he had failed his job by allowing prisoners to escape, but none tried (likely urged to stay put by way of the Holy Spirit). Instead of committing suicide, he asked them how to be saved (I’m sure all of the other prisoners were saved that day too!).

This is what our lives should be about; Saving lives, no matter our circumstance, by following the urging of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will instead of our own, because we desire for them to enter the Kingdom of God.  

Paul told the jailer that to be saved, he must believe in the Lord Jesus. He spoke the word of God to him and all who were in his house, and they were baptized. The jailer’s response was to take care of his new Christian brethren, inviting them into his home, washing their wounds, giving them food, and rejoicing because he and his whole household were now believers in God by way of Jesus. What a response!

When day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers to release Paul and his companions secretly. But Paul told them no because they were unlawfully beaten in public without due process, and they were Roman citizens, which frightened the magistrates (because they would have consequences for doing that to Roman citizens). They agreed to being led out of jail and followed their urging to leave the city. They went to Lydia’s home, where they were encouraged (likely with money for their journey), and then went on their way. I think all of this was orchestrated by the leading of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will. What do you think?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1.      Are Jesus’s words wisdom or law? What are Jesus’s commandments that we must keep?

2.      When the church was planted in Antioch, the disciples went to great lengths to help them succeed. How can we be as proactive with the churches we plant?

3.      How do you think the Holy Spirit led Paul and his companions? We know it was through a night vision to find Lydia. How else do you think the Holy Spirit led them?

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Our Faithful God’s Big Promises and Plans

Isaiah 54-58

Isaiah 54-58 paints a beautiful picture of God’s mercy, restoration, and covenant faithfulness. While written in the context of Israel’s exile and return, these words convey God’s love and faithfulness for all generations and people. They offer hope of the New Covenant, which is fulfilled in Christ and graciously extended to all who call upon His name.

In Isaiah 54, God speaks to a people who feel forgotten and barren. They have lost trust in God, and betrayed him numerous times. Yet, He invites them to sing with joy and promises to enlarge their tents! Why? Because He is about to fulfill His promise of restoration. Though they had strayed, His covenant of peace stands firm:

“With everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:8)

“My unfailing love for you will not be shaken.” (Isaiah 54:10)

God knows exactly what He intends his people to become. He knows exactly what circumstances, both good and bad, are necessary to produce that result in our life. Will we trust him through it all, with greater faith and obedience than the Israelites?

God himself grants an invitation to the weary and empty in Isaiah 55.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” (Isaiah 55:1)

It’s important to note, that this is not a transaction but a gift. The gift of life, of forgiveness, and of purpose. Isaiah points us to a “Davidic covenant” made new: an everlasting covenant for all who will listen and obey God’s Word. His promises are not vague hopes, rather they are declarations backed by His unchanging character.

In the New Covenant, Jesus is the Living Water and the Bread of Life. The “free” offer in Isaiah 55 becomes the gospel invitation: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s thoughts and ways are far above our own. This doesn’t mean He is indifferent to our suffering, rather that His plan is bigger than what we can see or understand. In our limited perspective, we often can’t fully understand what God is doing. But Isaiah assures us that God is always at work, even when we can’t fathom his ways.

In Isaiah 56, God declares that the foreigner and the eunuch (those who were once excluded), now have a place in His house. The New Covenant throws the doors wide open! No one is too far gone, too broken, or too different. In Christ, all are welcomed and made new. That is excellent news for us, as Gentiles!

Isaiah 57 declares that God dwells in two places: the high and holy place, and with the contrite and lowly in spirit. That’s the mystery of grace. He’s not looking for spiritual perfection, but for hearts that are humble and honest. The New Covenant brings God near, not because we’ve earned it, but because Christ has made the way.

The New Covenant doesn’t reward the proud or the religious elite. It finds its home in the hearts of those who know their need and bow before God in humility, repentance, and dependence.

Religion says, “I messed up, my Dad is going to kill me!”, whereas Sonship says, “I messed up, I need my Dad’s help!”

Isaiah 58 makes it clear that God isn’t impressed with hypocritical, half-hearted religion. He desires hearts that reflect His justice and compassion. Fasting, prayer, and worship are empty if they’re disconnected from love for the Father and love for others. Proper fasting humbles us, blesses others, and honors God. This echoes the heart of Jesus’ ministry. The New Covenant reshapes our worship, not just as acts of ritual and obedience, but as a life poured out for others, empowered by the Spirit of God, and rewarded with blessings of salvation and the Messiah’s kingdom!

Let us live as grateful recipients of the New Covenant. Set apart and motivated not by religious performance, but by a relationship with our loving Creator. May we display trust, obedience, and confident hope in the one true God, our loving and merciful Father, who always keeps His promises.

Prayer:

Father in heaven, let me receive Your grace freely and trust that Your Word will bear fruit in my life. Come and dwell in me, not because I am worthy, but because You are full of mercy. Father, teach me to worship You in truth, not just with words, but with action. May my life reflect the love, kindness, and action that You desire. In your son, Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life have you doubted God’s faithfulness?

• Is your faith more about ritual (religion) or relationship (sonship) ?

• Do you believe that God’s ways are better than yours, even when life hurts?

• What areas of life do you need to surrender to God, allowing Him to turn your brokenness into beauty, for his glory?

• How can you practice “true fasting” this week? 

-Beth Osborn

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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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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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“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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Able to Save Completely

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 19-21

POETRY: Song of Songs 1

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 7

The whole point of the letter to the Hebrews, it seems, was to show them how much better Jesus and the New Covenant were than anyone, or anything, that God used or worked through to fulfill his plan of salvation in the past. I think the writer is doing this because the Hebrews needed to hear it. In chapters 5 and 6, they were just scolded because they had become poor listeners, in need of milk like infants, instead of solid food.

I have a hunch that meant that they had heard the gospel, took it to heart, maybe applied it for a time when they were still excited about it, then slumped back into their old ways over time. They didn’t train themselves in it to distinguish between good and evil for the sake of endurance. I think they were getting sluggish and therefore falling back into their old habits/ways of life, because it’s so much easier to continue what you are used to, especially if there’s persecution for doing it God’s way. For them, their old habits were those pertaining to the law of Moses.

It’s hard for me to be too harsh however, as we’ll soon read about what they had already endured for the gospel’s sake (e.g., having their homes taken away and enduring it with joy). If people like that were in need of some rebuke and encouragement, I can only imagine what I need.

To make the point (about Jesus being better) in chapter 7, the writer applies these “better” characteristics and principles of Melchizedek to Jesus and the New Covenant, to help explain why Jesus’s priesthood in the New Covenant is far superior to the Levitical priesthood under the Old Covenant.

The writer is quick to point out that Melchizedek’s name means something that can easily be applied to, and understood of, Jesus. Melchizedek means “King of Righteousness” and he’s the king over Salem (now Jerusalem). That makes him the righteous king over the land of peace. That can easily be applied to Jesus (but he’s better). Jesus is THE king of righteousness (always doing his father’s will). He is not only going to rule over the land of peace from his father David’s throne, in Jerusalem, he’ll rule the entire world from there in peace in the kingdom age.  

Oh, and the Levitical priests served Melchizedek, so Melchizedek’s priesthood is the better priesthood (and Jesus is a priest after his order, so he’s better yet). The Levitical priests paid Melchizedek a tithe because Levi was in the loins of his father Abraham when Abraham paid it (I’ve come to expect the writers of the New Testament to talk like this; we all should). The point is—the one after Melchizedek’s priesthood is far superior to the priests after the Levitical priesthood the infant acting Hebrews were following.

Like Melchizedek’s priesthood, Jesus’s priesthood was made by God (after his exaltation). He was chosen, or made perfect by God, because he fulfilled his role in his father’s plan of salvation through his suffering. That’s much better than obtaining the priesthood based on genealogy like the Levitical priesthood.

Better still, God swore an oath, that if another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek, his priesthood would never die. That oath is fulfilled in Jesus, by the power of an indestructible life. That means that he always lives to make intercession for those who come to God through him. He’s always available to save someone. That’s much better than being after the order of Aaron, where there’s continuous turnover as each predecessor dies. And they can’t save.  

It seems like the writer to the Hebrews had some pretty profound words to share with them to get them out of their sluggish state of life. Thankfully, we have a great high priest to help us out of our sluggish state of life too. He set up a system where brothers and sisters in the body exhort each other to do good works and discipline each other when we are falling short (by training each other to distinguish between good and evil). If you’ve become sluggish, consider how great a high priest you’ve got, and get going by following him. Train yourselves as a body, with Christ as your head, to distinguish between good and evil, and then do good.   

-Juliet Taylor

Reflection Questions

1. New Testament writers often apply characteristics of people or things from the Old Testament to the New to help in their apologetics. One of these examples is that of Melchizedek. Some have interpreted that Jesus is Melchizedek incarnate. It’s nonsense, but unfortunately, we’re reading someone else’s mail over 2,000 years after it was written. We’re going to lack in some understanding as they would have understood things 2,000 + years ago. What is something you notice in this chapter that needs a little more exploration in understanding?

2. Jesus’s priesthood was made perfect by God, the Levitical priesthood was not. Perfection for a priest came after the sinless man Jesus chose to suffer and die for us, always being faithful to God’s will. Levitical priests were made priests because of their genealogy. What do you think perfection means in this chapter?

3. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” What do you think this means?

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