Breakdown of Books Series: Hebrews Pt 2
Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and took time to rejoice in our savior! Today we are going to talk about the second half of Hebrews that I did not get to in my previous post about Hebrews. If you did not read Hebrews part 1 or would like a refresher, you can check that out here: https://prayeronthemountain.blogspot.com/2022/08/breakdown-of-books-series-hebrews-pt-1.html. Today's post is a lengthy one but it is worth the read!
To begin, we are going to start where we left off in Hebrews chapter 7. This chapter begins by introducing Melchizedek, who was a high priest that blessed Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20). In biblical times, the greater always blessed the lesser. This means that Melchizedek had a lot of power and was said to remain a priest forever because there was no recorded beginning or ending to his priesthood. Melchizedek was so powerful that he even blessed the descendants of Abraham, including Levi and Aaron. So Melchizedek was priest over the tribe of Levi. Therefore, in the Levites point of view, they needed no other priest because Melchizedek was already able to save and bless people. However, under this priesthood, animal sacrifices had to be made in order for sins to be forgiven and this had to be repeated...a lot. So, God sent Jesus to become priest for the tribe of Judah, which had no priests at the time. When Jesus sacrificed himself once, (as the most perfect sacrifice because he did not sin) he replaced the need for animal sacrifices in the previous priesthood under Melchizedek. This continues the theme of this book that Jesus is supreme. He is supreme over Melchizedek. In verse 21, God establishes Jesus as the great high priest forever, which emphasizes His supremacy.
The end of chapter 7 goes on to talk about the new priesthood under Christ. Beginning in verse 18, the reason for the law (or the word) is given, which is to point out sin and point towards Christ. Salvation does not come through the word, but only through Christ. Also, with Christ replacing Melchizedek, a new covenant is in place, which is also called the new law (or the new testament as we know it). The new law is better because it allows us to go to God through Christ and not through animal sacrifices. The old law also required many priests that could save for a short time. With the new law, Christ reigns forever and there is no need for all human priests.
I am going to ask you to put yourself in the perspective of the old law. Imagine that every time you sinned you had to sacrifice an animal to be clean again. Think about how many times you sin a day now. It would become exhausting. I am challenging you to think about Christ when you sin and His sacrifice. Think about how wonderful the new law is; you now have access to Christ. He is available to you. Do you go to Him with your every need and care?
The book continues, with chapter 8, to talk about how Christ is the great high priest and sits at the right hand of the throne of God. After establishing this fact, the chapter goes on to talk about why the new covenant (testament) is better than the old. Beginning in verse 7, it is explained that if there was nothing wrong with the old covenant (testament), then there would have been no need for the new covenant. It then goes on to reference Jeremiah 31:31-34, which talks about how we are saved through faith and it is written on our hearts and minds. God's will becomes something we want to do. It is also new because it goes to cover all the Gentile nations and not just Israel. When God spoke about the new covenant in Jeremiah, the old was ready to disappear and the plan for salvation through Jesus was already in place.
In chapter nine, the new and old covenant are further compared and contrasted, starting with regulations of divine worship and earthly sanctuary. In the old covenant, the priests could enter into the outer room of tabernacle freely, but could enter the inner room for only 1 day a year for forgiveness of their nation. The room was called the Holy of Holies and was considered the most sacred place on earth (in Jewish culture). In the new covenant, the tabernacle is not a man made tabernacle, but instead through Jesus' blood, which is a more perfect and greater tabernacle than the man-made one. With the new covenant, there is no longer a need for sacrificing; there for there is no longer a need for a physical tabernacle. If the blood of animals could cleanse from sin, think about how much more Jesus' blood can cleanse us. That is why Jesus' blood is so powerful to cleanse the sin of everyone forever! How amazing is that!? What does Jesus' sacrifice mean to you? Does is cleanse your mind and ease your guilt?
The same chapter goes on to talk about how Jesus' blood even covered the sins of those living during the old testament law. If they continually made sacrifices of animals to cover their sins, then they showed their faith in Jesus and His coming, even though He had not come to earth yet at that time. Covenants are only valid if there is blood sacrifice. For example, verse 20 references Moses using blood for a covenant between God and the Israelites showing their obedience to Him after He delivered them from Egypt. Blood is also necessary because all things are cleansed with blood so that there may be forgiveness. Now to clear some things up: God is not blood thirsty or murderous. Blood is required because it is the perfect representation of life. Jesus gave his life and his blood so that we might live eternally. This is why the wine or juice in communion represents his blood. Blood does not represent death, but instead how Jesus defeated death by rising from the grave. The chapter ends by saying He will appear a second time, without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await him. Do you eagerly await His second coming? What is holding you back?
Chapter 10 begins by discussing how under the old covenant, you were constantly reminded of your sin and felt guilty. Under the new covenant, all you need to do is confess your sins to God and never think of it again because He forgives you and your sin is gone. You may be asking: why even have the old laws of animal sacrifices anyway? The purpose of the old laws are to point to Christ and His fulfillment of the old laws. In the new covenant, God doesn't just want us to follow the laws by just going through the motions or "doing good deeds" because that's not what saves you. God wants you to confess, ask for forgiveness, and follow him by doing good deeds through faith. Also, when the old covenant was replaced by the new, only the ceremonial laws disappeared but the moral laws, such as the 10 commandments, still remained.
After explaining the reasoning for the new covenant and Jesus sacrifice, the author goes on to say that because Jesus died for us, we can have confidence to come before God and confess our sins directly to him for forgiveness. In the new covenant, we are able to develop a direct relationship with God. Having a living and active relationship with God should be your priority over all other relationships. Do you set time aside to spend with God? Is your prayer life active? In addition, in the new covenant we should encourage each other and love one another through good deeds, as Christ loved us enough to die on the cross. On the topic of forgiveness: forgiveness will always be available to us, but if we use forgiveness and God's grace as an excuse to continue sinning, then Jesus' sacrifice no longer saves you. If you sin willfully, then judgement day will come and there will be no mercy for you. God has given you the instruction and the sacrifice of Christ. If you choose to ignore that, then there is no other way; that's just the blunt truth. For those of you who have accepted salvation and choose to follow Christ, there is no need to worry about physical death or judgement day. Following Christ is not easy, but the reward is great. If you are struggling, lean on your Christian brothers and sisters or talk to someone you trust. Or feel free to chat with me:)
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Chapter 11 begins by defining faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. In other words, it is seeing the promises God has fulfilled and believing in His promises to come. Do you hope and look forward to God's future promises? Verse 3 continues to say that it is only by faith that we can believe that God created the heavens and the earth. I'm frequently asked by non believers: "How do you know that God even made the earth anyway? How do you know He exists?" I use Hebrews 11: 3 in my response. We can never scientifically KNOW, but we can see how intricately-made everything in nature is. Reference how I mentioned in my last post about how tree cones are so detailed to be made from just a big bang of two rocks. Or how natural systems work in a way that is so complex beyond even our current scientific understanding. That's how I know of God's existence, by turning to nature. Our faith is shown in our actions. If we truly do have faith in God and His word, we will show it through our actions. Verse 6 goes on to talk about the importance of faith. It says that we must have faith in order to please God, meaning that we cannot just perform good deeds to please God. We must have faith in all He has done and will do in order to please Him. The chapter goes on to give examples of people showing faith in the old testament, such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob. All those examples died without seeing the promises of God, but died with believing in the future promises of God. Furthermore, the chapter says that by faith they conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, and put foreign armies to flight ( 33-34). Where is your faith lacking? Think about what you can do with a greater faith in Him!
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Chapter 12 begins by offering encouragement:
" Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3).
Other people have run the race of life and know your pain and struggles, so they understand what you are going through. How encouraging is that?! In this metaphor, the race is life and you will need endurance to finish the race. You will need to set your eyes on Jesus for that endurance that only He can give. This reminds me of the phrase "eyes on the prize" and eternal life with Jesus is our prize. We must set our eyes on Jesus because He is the author and perfecter of faith, so no one else could be a better example for us in our walk of faith. The scripture goes on to say that He endured the suffering and hostility with joy knowing what was coming. Look to Him for the perfect example of great faith. What does His death on the cross mean to you? Do you take any encouragement from it?
The chapter goes on to talk about why God disciplines us. He disciplines us because He loves us, wants us to learn, and wants us to share in His holiness. If we respond to His discipline, then we can share in His holiness! How crazy is that?! I challenge you to change the way you view discipline and how God disciplines us. I also want you to see the righteousness and beauty it can bring you. Later in the chapter, the author ends with discussing life in God's unshakable kingdom. We can take encouragement from this and know that no matter what happens on earth, our heavenly kingdom is unshakable. The last verse is simple: "for our God is a consuming fire". This means that He cannot be controlled. Man cannot control Him. The devil cannot control Him. But don't have fear in this statement. He is a God of compassion and will protect and do what is best for you. Instead, take encouragement from this statement.
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Lastly we come to chapter 13. It begins by talking about love for the brethren. This is shown through actions such as hospitality to strangers, remembering prisoners or those who have been mistreated, honoring your marriage vows, being free from love of vain things and being content in what you have because God will never leave us and will always take care of us. It goes on to tell us to remember those who taught us the word and introduced it to us. Who introduced the word to you? Have you expressed your gratitude? Verse 14 further reiterates how life on earth is not a lasting city, but we are seeking the city that is to come (heaven). Verses 15-16 talk about sacrifices now acceptable to God in the New testament, since animal offerings are no longer existent. Sacrifices include singing praises to God and giving thanks, as well as doing good and sharing. The author closes out the letter with news that Timothy has been released from prison at the time of the letter. The author then closes by giving them directions to greet others, which is a big step in the Christian walk. And that's all!
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Thank you for reading to this point. I know this was a lengthy one, but I felt that all I included was worth including. As always, feel free to come to me with any comments and questions!
-Abby :)
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