Tag: psalm

The Law of Love

OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 8-9

POETRY: PSALM 63

NEW TESTAMENT: HEBREWS 8

I believe that many readers of these devotions are currently students, while for some of you your school days are long in the past. Well, please adjust your memory as necessary and imagine the following situation: you’ve written a research paper with a required word count, and you run out of things to say (at least in the amount of time you gave yourself to write it). Your imagination is tapped. The letter of the law tells you the requirement, but you just can’t get your brain to produce any more useful ideas on the subject. What might you do? Perhaps you make one of your quotations longer to get the paper to reach the limit. If you were being a bit more cautious you might find spots to put in two or three shorter quotations so that your teacher won’t think that was what you did, instead of having one long quotation. 

Well Hebrews is the New Testament book which depends the most on quotations, it has the most quotations and draws on them steadily to make its points about God’s intentions. Much of its argument about high priests uses Psalm 110 (which is itself the most quoted text in the New Testament, with Psalm 110:1 the most quoted individual verse in the Bible). And starting in Hebrews 8:8 we have the longest quotation in the New Testament, but I guarantee that it isn’t there for padding. For one thing the average length of a Greek letter at the time was only 90 words – more philosophical letters ran to 250 words. But even the short book of Philemon is 355 words. The book of Hebrews is nearly 5,000 words. Padding was not required. This information may be treated only as trivia, or we may think about why Hebrews depended so much on the Old Testament, as foundation for what it tells us. Consider the possibility that for some Christians this was one of the first “New Testament” works they had contact with – they may have known stories of Jesus by word of mouth, but their Bible may have been almost entirely the Old Testament, and this letter was attempting to guide how they viewed it by careful argument. On the off chance that you have been skipping over the quotations all this time because you assume they don’t add anything to the main story, do please read today’s text in full (and you probably should go back over the earlier ones too).

Hebrews 8:1 begins by restating some facts about Jesus: that he became our high priest and is at God’s right hand. Hebrews seven had discussed these facts, but alongside many other issues, now the author (who you may recall I choose to call Herb, for simplicity) refocuses our attention on these core points from Psalm 110:1, 4. Going from that foundation verse two makes the additional point that in heaven Jesus ministers in “the sanctuary,” that is “the true tabernacle” or sacred tent, pitched by God rather than man. Moses was given very specific instructions about what the tabernacle on earth should be like, and he was told that the tabernacle reflected the greater reality which exists in heaven. Several of the Psalms also refer to the heavens as a tent set up by God. The comparison might not seem as smooth if it were drawn between the heavens and the Temple which Solomon spent years building in Jerusalem, but the book of Hebrews doesn’t discuss the Temple worship, it emphasizes the worship that took place in the wilderness.

Having brought his audience back to first principles, Herb says in the next few verses some things that will be expanded on in chapters nine and ten. That doesn’t mean he is saying things that his audience wasn’t aware of. For example, in 8:3 he says that it is necessary for Jesus to have “something to offer” as a high priest. Herb says this only a few verses after having stated in 7:27 that Jesus “offered himself.” I think this fact was familiar to everyone involved in Christianity. But Herb is walking his readers through his argument, making the case he set out to make. 

The quote beginning in Hebrews 8:8, from Jeremiah 31:31-34, will also be part of the discussion in the next two chapters of the book. It shows that during the time of the first covenant a need was stated – by God – for an improvement in the relationship of God and the people. All along the way God recognized needs and took steps to fill them. The same God brought about the first covenant and the second covenant. It was not some error in the first that resulted in the second, God planned for the developments that took place. While Jeremiah 31:31-34 says that the time is coming when no one would need to teach anyone the Laws (v. 10) it does not say that the content provided in the Law would be changing. Jeremiah simply said a new way was coming for God’s law to be given to God’s people, and that a way will come for sins to be forgiven. But we know that these changes involved more, and that the content of what people are meant to take in has changed between the first and second covenants. The law of love is a simpler message than the hundreds of laws contained in Leviticus, and through the Holy Spirit what God desires will be written “on our hearts” (v. 10). There is a different kind of relationship possible with God now than before.

Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, that he did not come “to abolish the Law” but to “fulfill” the Law (Matthew 5:17). Perhaps some scholar of the Law could have anticipated that for the Law, which no one had ever successfully kept, to be fulfilled might be just what was required to bring change. Maybe Jesus’ words would have disturbed that scholar. Then again, a scholar of the Law who could anticipate such matters may also have foreseen that this was in God’s plan. Ultimately it was the ministry of Jesus at the true tabernacle, in heaven, which allowed the first covenant to be obsolete and disappear.

Lord, thank you for writing your will on my heart to let me understand you better. I don’t understand you as well now as I someday will be able to, but I am glad to know you more than I once did. It is good to love you, and to feel your love. Merciful Lord, help us to offer your mercy in your great strength. Amen. 

Reflection Questions

  1. We might sometimes think of the second covenant as very different from the first, but both covenants come from the God who took the people “by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt” (v. 9) – God loved and cared for the people of the first covenant, it is God who was rejected. What does the history of Israel show us about how God handles human rejection? 
  2. It seems likely that the first audience of the book of Hebrews knew the Old Testament better than most of us do, which may have helped them to understand the book of Hebrews better than we do. When you run into an Old Testament quotation you do not understand well, do you try to follow up on its context in the Old Testament?
  3. How do you see the “law of love,” for God and neighbor, as differing from the law expressed in the first covenant? Is the issue that people are being freed from ceremonial issues? Are Christians being given more trust and leeway?

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Take Care

Old Testament: Isaiah 5 & 6

Poetry: Psalm 61

New Testament: Hebrews 6

Is it possible to lose your salvation?  The author of Hebrews thinks that this is a real possibility.  It can happen.  In Hebrews 3:12, he wrote, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”  In Hebrews 6:5, he writes about those who “…. have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance…”  Truly, these are very troubling words to read and to contemplate.  We might wonder to ourselves, “I have gone too far?  Have I sinned too much?  Have I ruined my chances with God?”  For each one of us are sinners.  We are imperfect.  We are prone to sin.  We get distracted.  We get discouraged.  We get apathetic.  Each of us can think of people who, at one time, sincerely followed Christ.  They attended church.  They lived good lives.  Their faith seemed genuine.  However, now things are different.  They live as though they had never known the Lord.  In some cases, they have openly embraced evil.  The way of Christ has been rejected by them.  Has their salvation been lost?

      What is it to be saved?  It may be helpful to think of salvation in terms of past, present and future.  In the past tense, you have been saved.  Christ died on the cross for your sins some 2000 years ago.  The work is done.  His blood covers all who come to Him in faith.  Each one of you fondly remembers the day when you came to Christ.  On that day, whether decades ago or only days ago, you were justified before God by the blood of Christ.  So, you have been saved.  In the future tense, you will be saved.  Salvation, life eternal, is not yet in your possession.  You are saved now only in hope and in promise.  The resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ is when salvation will become yours.  You will be saved.  That is the past and future of salvation.  What about the present?  You are now being saved.  You have been saved in the past.  You are being saved in the present. You will be saved in the future.  So, you are being saved.  The present work of salvation in us has been called “sanctification.”  It is a process.  It is to grow into the image of Christ.  God, by His Spirit, is working in you to change you and transform you.  However, the Apostle Paul recognized that there is an ongoing struggle within each Christian.  While we hope in the age to come, we still live in this present evil age.  Paul in Romans 12:2 urged Christians “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”  Another common theme in the writings of Paul is the encouragement to live by the “Spirit” and not by the “flesh.”  It is no wonder that Paul looked at the Christian life as a contest that must be won, a race that must be completed, a journey that must be finished, and a battle that must be waged.  To be a Christian is to be actively engaged against sin and evil in your life. The book of Hebrews draws from the rich history of Israel to make the point.  The people of Israel were saved from slavery in Egypt by God’s mighty works.  The people of Israel left Egypt with the goal of entering the Promised Land.  However, between the past and the future, between Egypt and the Promised Land was the wilderness.  The wilderness wanderings are what tested the people of Israel for 40 years.  The wilderness tried their faith and challenged their hope.  Then, the people of Israel lived in the shadow of God’s presence.  They had seen the mighty works of God.  God fed them daily with the manna.  He gave them water out of the rock to drink.  However, as incredible as it may seem, many of them remained disobedient.  They grumbled and complained.  They wanted to go back to Egypt!  Hebrews 4:1,2 comments, “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may have come short of it. For indeed we have had the good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”  In the same way, we Christians find ourselves in a “wilderness” of sorts.  Behind us lay our sins and our old way of life.  Before us lay the Promised Land, the kingdom of God, eternal life.  However, you are now walking through the wilderness of this present evil age.  The wilderness is what can make you or break you.  The wilderness experience will reveal who and what you really are.  You have to keep your eyes upon the distant Promised Land.

     Hebrews 6:4,5 observes, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them to repentance, since they again crucify the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”  This verse is not declaring a penalty against those who have fallen away.  Rather, it is simply describing the reality of the human heart.  Some of the Israelites of old were apparently untouched by the wonders that they had seen.  They had short memories.  They were easily discouraged by obstacles.  They didn’t trust the God who had saved them.  They returned to their old ways.  In the same way, some Christians after tasting “the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” have fallen away.  They were unimpressed by what God had done in them.  They were no longer moved by the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.  After God had revealed His glory to them, what further could God do to convince them now?  If you have seen miracles and all you can do is yawn, what more can God do with you?  I believe God, in His grace, would allow repentance in these cases.  However, can such a hardened heart be able to repent?  If you have already proven yourself resistant to the Holy Spirit, you have rendered yourself blind and deaf to the saving gospel message.  It is a though God has cooked you a wonderful gourmet meal with the best ingredients.  However, you have no taste for what God is serving.  So, you won’t be back because you have no appetite for what God is serving.  Hebrews reads, “…it is impossible to renew them to repentance….”  You have headed back to Egypt and have forsaken the Promised Land.  What could convince you change your course now?  God had given you his best and you didn’t want it.

      However, it is not the intent of Hebrews to discourage, but to encourage.  Hebrews 6:9 reads, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you….”  Hebrews 6:11 adds, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end…”  The book of Hebrews, taken as a whole, is a word of encouragement.  Don’t give up.  Don’t quit.  Don’t be discouraged.  Don’t be overcome by sin.  Have hope.  Have faith in the promise of God.  For God is faithful.  For you will find troubles and challenges in the wilderness.  So, brothers and sisters, if you are reading these words, you have not yet given up. You are not lost.  You are still seeking the Promised Land.  Hebrews 10:35,36,39 sums up this message: “Therefore don’t throw away your confidence which has great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised….but we are not those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”  So, the wilderness road may have beaten up a bit.  You may have wandered in the wrong direction at times.  Perhaps you had temporarily lost your way.  You might have encountered obstacles.  However, you are still on the road with your eyes focused on the Promised Land.  Keep going and don’t give up.

-Scott Deane

Reflection Questions

  1. Why is it important to know what you believe about salvation?
  2. Have you accepted Jesus and been baptized? Are you assured of your salvation?
  3. What are some reminders you can put into your everyday routine to point you to living a gospel-centered life so that you don’t forget your primary calling?
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E.R.

Psalm 119

emoyer-ER

 

E.R. debuted in 1994.  Each week, episodes were filled with exciting, heart wrenching and dramatic events based in a Chicago hospital emergency room.  The show often portrayed incredible measures taken as residents applied their medical school backgrounds to treat and save patients.   
Well, there are times we all find other things that we might put first in our day to day lives.  We may need some “healing” or “revival” in our own relationship with God.  Eleven times in Psalm 119 it mentions some sort of revival.  Terms like preserve, restore, spare, give, are mentioned throughout this chapter.  In the darkest of hours you may not feel like His Word is enough.  You may not feel like it is relevant to what you are going through or that God is near. You may have filled your time, your actions and your mind with everything but time in His word.  If this feels somewhat familiar to you consider this:  “Feelings follow correct behaviors and not the other way around”.  God’s word is a foundation for us all.  We need to turn to him and be in His word.  Don’t expect a quick fix. Instead, prepare to be transformed by him being more present in our life. So when we stumble, we need to get back up again, be dedicated to reading his word and trust on his strength for a full recovery in our lives.

-Emily Moyer

Our Provider

Psalms 19-24: God is our provider.

sheep

There are so many nuggets of truth in these Psalms that I couldn’t touch on here. Today, when I sat down to open my Bible and try to sift through it all to find what I wanted to write about, I happened upon a very familiar scripture. Psalms 23 is a Psalm that many people know, even those who aren’t Christians. Even through this Psalm, which contemplates death, shadow, and sorrow, the hope that it communicates draws people to it and to God. As I read through this Psalm in the context of those that surround it I was struck.

In Psalm 21 and 22, we see David crying out in praise and pain to God for his provision. In both emotional states, David knew that God was his provider, his savior. God was the person who could save him from his enemies. In Psalm 22, even when David could not see God acting in that moment, he prayed and praised God from the faith that didn’t come from the physical evidence around him.

What does provision mean? When we talk about provision, a word which literally means ‘something, like food or drink, that is supplied, especially for a journey,’ we think about the material thing that we are eating or drinking. But, David says that the LORD is his provision. I recently got a new puppy (and if you are my friend on Facebook you’ve probably seen plenty of pictures of him). This dog lives inside and does not have access to food or water, unless I provide those things for him. So, even though the food or drink is the literal provision, I am his provider. I am the one that sustains him. God is the same. He does grant us the things that we need, but most importantly, God is the one sustaining us. Without him, we have nothing, just like without me, my puppy would not have what it needed. When we rely on God to be our provider, we can say with assurance, as David does, “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.”

As we think through these psalms, let’s remember to look to the LORD, our shepherd, in both the difficult times and the good, because he is our provision.

– Cayce Ballard

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Meet Finnegan! 

 

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David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 14-16)

Saturday, November 19

1chron16-8

In 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, we see a Psalm that David dedicated before the ark of the covenant after it was brought to Jerusalem.  Having the ark back where it belonged was a huge deal for Israel, and David wanted something to show Israel’s thanks to God for this.  Here is a small section, verses 8-10

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Now this is retold after returning from Exile.  Once again there is a great reason to give thanks to God, and to praise his name.

Skipping to the end of this Psalm we see the following in verses 34-36

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Cry out, “Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise.”

Praise be to the LORD our God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Again, this would have been very appropriate after returning from exile.  They were at risk of attacks from enemy nations, and this Psalm includes a request for deliverance from the nations.  They ask for deliverance so that they may praise God even more.

We also have many reasons to give things and praise the name of God.  We need deliverance from our spiritual enemies that attack us, so that we may continue to praise God.  What do you have to be thankful for today?  Let’s remember to praise God for all he has done, and the promises we know he will continue to keep.

-Andrew Hamilton