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Hebrews 12:12-17: “Strengthen Your Weak Knees”

By
Blaize
– November 3, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 12:12-17

The author of Hebrews has just encouraged his readers to shed sin and focus on Jesus. Coming off of this, he gives a great “therefore” talking about the implication of what he has just said concerning the cloud, race, and fatherly discipline metaphors. First, he encourages his readers to be “healed” rather than have what is “lame” be put out of joint. In the context, the author here is probably talking metaphorically again about the weak areas of one’s life, encouraging them to strengthen these areas so theses areas will not become problem areas later on. Second, he encourages his readers to strive for peace with everyone and holiness. The implication here is that without holiness no one will see the Lord. The author here seems to have a concern for the outsiders looking in, namely those who are not believers yet. For this reason, he wants those who are believers to be at peace with nonbelievers and to live in a way that his holy so the outsiders can see the Lord in through the believers. In regards to holiness, the author lists three things he wants his readers to do: see to that no one fails to receive the grace of God, that there be no “root of bitterness” among them that would “defile” them, and that there be no sexual immorality or “godlessness” (“godlessness” Gk: “bébēlos” here isn’t talking about lack of belief, rather lack of piety – the antithesis of respect for God.)

In regards to this, the author of Hebrews draws from the Old Testament concerning Esau, the eldest son of Isaac and brother of Jacob. Esau notoriously and foolishly sold his birthright – that is his blessing from his father as the oldest son – for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25:29-34). In doing so, Jacob received the blessing instead. When Esau realized what he had done, it was too late. His actions couldn’t be undone. He wanted to turn back his decision (that is “repent”) but he couldn’t. The relationships here were not damaged beyond repair. Jacob and Esau eventually reconciled (Genesis 33), but nevertheless what had been done could not be undone.

The admonitions to strengthen weak areas and to be found blameless speak to the importance of holy living. Many Christians are just one sin away from a something that could forever damage their witness as a follower of Jesus. Just about everyone could name some high profile minister whose moral failure sent his ministry into a tailspin. But being low profile doesn’t make one immune. A fit of rage at the wrong could cost one a job. One too many drinks could be the difference between the life and death of another person. But even so, the slow fade caused by the cancerous effects of a single, seemingly small sin could have last effects. Trading the blessings of Christ for short lived satisfaction is foolish and it is most certainly a hindrance rather than a help to the gospel.  Christians would be wise to identify areas of weakness and strengthen these areas before the weakness turns into a debilitating sin.

Lord, Help me to know where I am weak so that by your help I may be made strong.

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Hebrews 12:1-11: Don’t Give Up!

By
Blaize
– November 2, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 12:1-11

Faith is momentous and the quintessential trait of every person listed in or alluded to in Hebrews chapter 11. Having made his case for faith, the author of Hebrews breaks away from making a theological point to making some points of application, and he does so with the use of three different metaphors.

First, the author of Hebrews says that a “cloud” of witnesses surrounds believers.  The imagery here suggests a fog so thick fog such that one cannot tell which way he is going. In a manner of speaking, the author is trying to show his readers that the witness of God working in the lives of the faithful is undeniable – there’s no escaping it. This thick cloud of witnesses serves as a point of encouragement to the readers, knowing that God is faithful to those with faith.

Second, the author of Hebrews follows the cloud metaphor with a metaphor from racing. He likens the Christian life to a long distance race. First, runners should lighten themselves. He says to his reader that they should shed their sin that gets in the way perusing Jesus as a runner discards excess baggage before running a race. Second, he calls Jesus the “author” and “perferter” of the faith. In keeping with the race metaphor, Jesus is the “leader” and “finisher” of the race of faith. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus as enduring the cross and its shame for the Joy set before him and he is now seated, high and exalted. The author is encouraging his readers to look to Jesus as the exemplar runner. But even so, his readers have not shed blood in their struggle against sin as Jesus did. The Apostle Paul uses the race metaphor elsewhere in scripture in a similar manner. He says that runners run to receive a prize and they do so by maintaining a since of self control so that they would not become disqualified from the race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). At the end of his life, he says that he has run the race such that he will receive a prize when he departs from the earth to be with God (2 Timothy 4:6-8). The manner in which one runs the race is important so that one can be as the exemplar runner, namely Jesus.

Third, the author of Hebrews likens the hardship that his readers are enduring to the sort of discipline a father gives his children. He draws on an Old Testament quotation from Proverbs 3:11-12. Proverbs 3 is part of a larger pericope of scripture exonerating the value of wisdom, particularly from one’s father and mother. The author of Hebrews is invoking this passage to show that God does indeed use the difficulties in life to hone one’s faith, and it is a blessing to receive such discipline. The author notes that it results in a “fruit” of righteousness, and even more so what Paul called a “crown of righteousness” that one receives as a reward from God.

The question for Christians is not if hardship will come, rather when hardship will come. When it does, Christians are often tempted to retreat back into sin and give up. But rather than give up, Christians can be reminded of the cloud of testimonies of so many others who have remained faithful. In doing so, this can help Christians not to give up, rather to continuously fix their eyes on Jesus, not the problems of life and look on hardship as an opportunity to be blessed by God rather than feel cursed by God. In the end, a reward of righteousness will be the prize!

Lord, rather than giving up, I want to be encouraged to run with endurance so I might be blessed!

Help me to do just this!

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Hebrews 11:31-38: Faith in the Good Times and the Bad Times

By
Blaize
– October 30, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:31-38

“Time will fail” if the author of Hebrews took the time to recount all the deeds of the faithful throughout the generations. Rather than list their deeds, he hastily records half a dozen names then makes some generalized remarks concerning these deeds. It appears though that the deeds he lists are exclusive to the names and summaries that he gave, rather some of the deeds were probably the deeds of his contemporaries such as Stephen, Peter, John, and Paul who all experienced intense persecution and some even martyred because of their faith.

Interestingly, the author divides these verses into two types of faith. The first type of faith is the the victorious faith of those who conquered kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, and received back their dead among a host of others victorious deeds. The second type of faith is seemingly not-so-victorious faith of those who received intense persecution through beatings, imprisonments, and even martyrdom. The author of Hebrews is intentional for his inclusion of both to encourage his readers that faith is not contingent upon the outcome in the world. The recipients of the letter were being pressured because of their faith, and some had abandoned it (Hebrews 10:25-26) and were perhaps looking for some sort of miraculous deliverance. But even so, author reminds his readers that they haven’t suffered to the point of death yet (Hebrews 12:4). Regardless of what happens, their faith is in something better – more eternal and lasting than what the world has to offer. The author even goes as far to say that those who received the intense persecution were men “of whom the world was not worthy”. Their faith was of far greater value than anything the world could offer.

Whether one is celebrating victories in the faith or one is facing troubled times where there seems to be no end in sight, one can be faithful. Job, in spite of his affliction, makes one of the greatest statements of faith in the whole of Scripture when he acknowledges, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) Regardless of what he was experience, he remained faithful to God. In the same manner, Christians too can bless God!

Lord, help my faith be steadfast in the good times and the bad!

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Hebrews 11:29-30: A Community of Faith

By
Blaize
– October 29, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:29-30

Israel was a fickle nation in many regards, but when Israel as a community of faith trusted God, they witnessed some amazingly spectacular feats. The author of Hebrews names two events when Israel was trusting God as a faith community and these events hallmarks of the books that contain them: the crossing of the Red Sea in the book of Exodus (Exodus 14) and the capture of Jericho in the book of Joshua (Joshua 6).

The crossing of the Red Sea exhibited faith on a grand scale. Israel had just left Egypt and was facing annihilation because they were trapped between an advancing army and an impassable body of water. God opened a way through the Red Sea and they crossed on dry land. God then used the sea to destroy the advancing armies of Egypt. Exodus 14:30 notes that it was God who did the fighting on their behalf. When Israel crossed over the Jordan into Canaan, they marched on Jericho using a rather unorthodox military strategy. They simply marched and shouted according to the instructions God had given them rather than laying siege with siege engines and an encampment. After they followed God’s instructions, the city fell. The capture of Jericho was intended to be the pattern by which Israel would follow to conquer Canaan. The final shout was an accolade to God because it was God who gave them the city (Joshua 6:16).

When the nation of Israel turned their hearts to God, he did amazing things on their behalf. The amazing thing is that God hasn’t stopped doing this either. The New Testament community of faith is manifested through local churches and the church universal comprised of all believers. Throughout the history of the church, there have been times when Christians would turn their hearts to God and the people of God would see him doing amazing things in the lives of people. One such revival was the First Great Awakening in America that was catalyzed by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. The population of the New England at the time was around 250,000 and from 1730’s and 40’s there were around 80,000 new converts as a result of this.

Amazing things can happen when God’s people communally will turn to him in faith, but it starts with an individual. God is calling all peoples to turn from their sins and believe. Christians should pray for a revival in their own hearts as well as work to unite with other believers to boldly proclaim their dependence on God. In doing so, perhaps God will pour out his blessing like he did at the first Pentecost (Acts 2) and some many other times when his people believed!

Lord, help me and your church to come to you in faith!

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Hebrews 11:23-29: The Faith of Moses and Other Messy People

By
Blaize
– October 29, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:23-29

Moses, although he is commended for his faith, was not without problems. He was a timid man, wanting someone else to take on the responsibility of leading the people (Exodus 3:1-22). He was a fugitive on the run after he killed a man for abusing a Hebrew slave (Exodus 1:11-25). He struggled with obeying God at times, which cost him the ability to partake in the Promised Land (Numbers 20:10-13).  Despite these shortcomings, Moses became the intrepid leader of Israel during the exodus and wandering in the desert. The author of recounts the remarkable acts of faith surrounding his family and Moses. He tells how Moses became the son of the Egyptian princess, yet scorned the wealth of Egypt for his people’s sake, encountered God at the burning bush and followed God’s commands concerning the first Passover.

Moses is but one example of how God takes people and their mishaps and uses them for his purposes and glory. The Bible is chock-full of stories of people who, although they had shortcomings and faltered, God used them. People such as Samson, David, Rahab, Solomon, Peter, Paul and Thomas are a few. Every challenge that Moses and these other men and women of God overcame was done so by faith in spite of whatever shortcomings they had.

Make no mistake: God wants his people to live according to righteousness and does God take sin lightly. The author of Hebrews already gave a staunch warning about those who willfully and deliberately keep on sinning after receiving knowledge of the truth (Hebrews 10:26-31). Nevertheless, God can still use sinful people even today to accomplish his will. The difference is what one does with his or her sin. When those who do believe confess their sin, God is faithful and just and forgives and cleanses one from sin (1 John 1:9). Keeping a contrite heart focused on God in faith and acting according to his plan will accomplish much.

Lord, I’m messy, but with your help I believe you can use me for your glory!

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Hebrews 12:20-22: Faith for Future Generations

By
Blaize
– October 13, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:20-22

The predictions of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all contend with the future, principally the time when the nation of Israel would come into the land of Canaan (The Promised Land) and possess it. God had spoken to Abraham concerning the Promised Land (Genesis 17:8, Genesis 17:19) and his descendants had undoubtedly heard these promises and had received from God their own promises. Here, the author of Hebrews makes mention of the prophetic promises given to each by the one generation to the next: Isaac to Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27:27-40), Jacob to the Sons of Joseph (Genesis 48:5-22), and Joseph to the nation of Israel (Genesis 50:24-25). The things spoken by the patriarchs to their descendants came to pass in the manner in which the spoke each building on the promises they had been given.

The ultimate fulfillment of the promises of Abraham came through Christ (Genesis 12:1-3, Galatians 3:7-9, Galatians 3:16-19, Galatians 3:23-29). Abraham’s biological offspring was Isaac and Jacob through whom Christ came. Christ was both the Son of God and the descendant of Abraham through whom the world would be blessed. Salvation comes to all who hear and believe the gospel, regardless of their nationality, race, gender, family heritage, or social status. It is available to all who believe.

The promises of Christ are based track record of fulfilled promises spanning all of history and are vindicated by the historical fact of his resurrection. When Jesus says that he would return in the way that he went away and grant life to all those who believe he wasn’t speaking in uncertain terms, rather as his biological ancestors did concerning the promises they gave to their progeny. Christians nowadays can claim these promises and teach them to the next generation whether they be their own children or those who they share the gospel with and believe. The principle of instilling faith from one generation to the next is to help each successive generation look forward to the fulfillment of promises and live according to them.

Lord, I’ve received the promise! Help me give it to the next generation!

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Hebrews 11:9-19 The Faith of Abraham

By
Blaize
– July 10, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:9-19

Abraham has been called the “father of faith” and is the patriarch to the Hebrew people – it is from Abraham that most every Hebrew would have traced his or her lineage The author of Hebrews takes a large chunk of his accolade to pay tribute to the faith of Abraham – more than any other figure and makes several remarks concerning the faith of Abraham:

  • Abraham left his homeland of Ur and moved because God told him to do so (Genesis 12:1-4). God didn’t tell him were to go, rather he just left and God lead the way.
  • Abraham lived in Canaan – the land that was promised to him — as a foreigner in that land. God promised the land to Abraham (Genesis 17:8), but he did not get to claim it, rather it wasn’t until Joshua’s time that the land was conquered (Joshua 24:3).
  • Abraham and Sarah had a son in their old age (Genesis 17:17-19, Genesis 18:11-14, Genesis 21:1-2). God had promised a great nation to them (Genesis 12:1-4), but this wouldn’t be possible without a son. God made it possible by giving them Isaac.
  • After Isaac was born, God wanted him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-22) even though God had promised to specifically bless Abraham through Isaac (Genesis 17:19, Genesis 22:12). The author of Hebrews reckons that Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead.

Abraham believed God, but he himself really never got to see the promises himself, save the promise of his son, Isaac. The author of Hebrews notes that while Abraham was living in a tent, he was looking forward to a permanent city built by God. This forward looking faith was what made it all possible, and indeed Abraham was faithful. Not only is Abraham the faith of many nations biologically, he is considered the father of faith for all those who believe. Galatians 3 explains how Christ is the “seed” of Abraham which was spoken to in Genesis 22:17-18. For this reason, all who have faith in Jesus are descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). One day, there will be people from every tribe, tongue and nation worshiping God (Revelation 7:9-10). It is here when the promise to Abraham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him will truly be fulfilled. While life on earth may not be full of blessings, believers can look forward to the permanent city of God where people from all over the globe will worship the one who brings blessing to everyone. Believers are like sojourners passing through this life with great expectations about what God is going to do (2 Corinthians 5:1-6)!

Lord, I am a descendant of Abraham!

Help me to know I’m part of the promise you made so long ago!

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Hebrews 11:4-7: The Faith of Abel, Enoch, and Noah

By
Blaize
– June 27, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:4-7

The first eleven chapters of Genesis tell the story of God from creation up to Abraham, setting the stage for the rest of the Bible. These chapters tell of the creation and fall of man, and then talk about two lineages that came from Adam. One of these lineages was a godly lineage and the other was an ungodly lineage. Abel was the father of the godly lineage in which Enoch and Noah both came from. Each of these men have a story that talk about how they related to God:

  • Abel: The story of Cain and Abel is one of the better known stories from Genesis 4. It tells how Abel offered a sacrifice of animals that was pleasing to God while Cain offered one of fruits. The issue here was not that one sacrifice was better than the other, rather that Cain had some sort of contempt in his heart, so God did not accept his sacrifice. Driven by jealousy, he killed his brother Abel. Cain’s line became the unrighteous line while Abel’s line became the righteous line.  When Abel died, Genesis speaks of his blood calling out, making him the archetype for martyrs to come (Genesis 4:10). Abel’s faith gave him a “good report” as spoken to in Hebrews 11:2.
  • Enoch: There are two Enochs mentioned in scripture, but the one referred to in Hebrews is Genesis 5:21-24. He did not experience death; rather he was taken to heaven by God. The author of Hebrews makes note of Enoch’s life, saying that one must believe that God “is” or “exists” and believe that God rewards those to seek him. It is not merely enough to believe that God exists, rather one must trust in the promises of God as well. Without such faith, it is impossible to please God.
  • Noah: The story of Noah, like the story of Cain and Abel, is one the more well-known stories in the Bible. The story tells of Noah being the only faithful man on the planet who prepared an Ark to save his family from God’s judgment. God forewarned Noah, and he trusted that God would do what he said was going to do. Noah is commended for receiving salvation from the flood because of his faith. Likewise, he was counted righteous because of faith too.

These three men were from the line of the righteous in Genesis, and are all noted because of their faith and righteousness. At the end of their days, they all received a “good report” that is testified to in Hebrews 11. Those living today ought to do likewise, having faith in Jesus and looking forward to the revelation of his promises. In doing so, when such people die, they will be remembered as one having a “good report” too.

Lord, help me live by faith so that I may have a good report!

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Hebrews 11:3: Faith and Creation

By
Blaize
– June 18, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:3: Faith and Creation

When the author of Hebrews writes about faith as it relates to creation – he says that by faith we understand that the world was called into existence by God’s word and from things “not seen” it has its being. The author of Hebrews is recalling the creation account from Genesis 1. Genesis 1:1 asserts that God created the heavens and the earth, and then continues to give the account of creation through the end of the chapter. Genesis 1:2 asserts that the earth is “formless” and “void”. Psalm 33:6 says that God made the universe by a word – that is he spoke it into existence out of nothingness. The traditional understanding of this is called “ex nihilo” creation – creation out of nothing rather than out of some sort of pre-existing matter.

Perhaps the reason the author of Hebrews asserts that believers understand creation as an act of God is because people were not present during the act of creation. But the act of creation is evident in the created on many counts. The act of creation from nothing is evident from cause and purpose. Any number of things exhibit cause. Children are a result of their parents, who are a result of their parents and so on. A table made of wood is derived from a tree, which owes its existence to growth from the ground, rain, and sunshine, and other elements and so on. These causal chains, however, are not circular nor are they infinite and thereby require an ultimate first cause, which is God. These arguments form a class of arguments called “cosmological arguments”. Purpose is exhibited in creation as well in the form of design, morality, and ascetics. The arguments here reason that such things are not the product of natural processes, rather the product of a being, who is God. These arguments form a class of arguments called “teleological arguments”.

Paul argues in Romans 1:18-20 that the creator is evidence in the created, such that men are “without excuse”. In a similar fashion, Paul argues that God created man such that man is not far from God. And for some time, God overlooked ignorance and is calling men to repent (Acts 17:22-31). Creation testifies to the glory of God, and should spur men towards repentance. But this is not enough to result in salvation. Believing that God exists is not enough – one needs Jesus for salvation. For this reason, Paul closes the letter to the Romans, he declaring his intent to go to Spain so he can declare Jesus where Jesus was not known (Romans 15:18-25). While the creator is evident in the created, the creator has given believers the task of declaring Jesus to the world (Matthew 28:19-20). People cannot believe in something they have never heard about, and for this reason it is the responsibility of Christians to take the gospel to the nations so they may have a complete faith resulting in salvation (Romans 10:4-17).

Lord, creation declares your splendor!

Help me to declare Jesus!

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Hebrews 11:1-2,39-40: Faith Defined

By
Blaize
– June 14, 2012Posted in: Devotions

Read: Hebrews 11:1-2, Hebrews 11:39-40

The English word “faith” can be confusing at times. Often times, atheists and skeptics define faith as believing things without evidence or proof. Such “faith” merely accepts what it sees, credulously and regardless of its actual truth. There is also the notion of faith though: allegiance to a person. One may assert that they have faith in their spouse or faith in their friends, expressing their loyalty and fidelity to these individuals. Hebrews 11 has been called the “Hall of Fame of Faith” because it contains a list of people who had faith in God. But the author of Hebrews launches into this list and closes this list explaining the nature of faith. He defines faith using two phrases that have been translated any number of different ways such as “the assurance of things hoped for” and “the conviction of things unseen”. There are several key words in the Greek:

  • υποστασις (hupostasis) – this is the word is translated “assurance”. It carries the idea of something being placed under another object as a foundation is placed under a house. In the abstract sense, it is firm trust or confidence in something.
  • “ελπιζω” (elpizo) – this is the world translated “hoped” and carries very much the same meaning. For this reason, most all English translation all translate this word the same.
  • “ἐλεγχος” (elegchos) – this word is translated “conviction”. It could be translated as “proof” or “evidence”. The idea here is that something is being tested to be true.
  • “βλεπω” (blepo) – This word is the general Greek verb that means to “see”, both metaphorically and literally.

The author asserts before he launches into the list in verse 2 and closes the list in verse 39 that through faith the people in the list obtained a “testimony”, “good report” or “approval” from God. The object of the faith of the people in this list is a person, not some set of facts. Rather, Hebrews 12:2 tells its readers to fix their eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of the faith. In other words, he is the beginning and the end of faith. The faith of believers is forward looking with confidence and conviction to what is “hoped” for and what is “unseen”, namely the promises and works of the Person of the faith.

Given this, faith does not merely believe that God exists. But even so, believing that God exists is not without good reason either. Paul says that the nature of God is revealed through the created world (Romans 1:20). He also basis his faith in the person of Jesus based on the facts of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-14). Without the facts of the resurrection, the faith of Christians is void. James carries this a bit further when he differentiates between merely asserting that God exists and trusting in the person of God. He says that even demons believe that God exists, but they do not trust him (James 2:19). Faith, then, is more than merely believing that God exists – it is trusting in God with assurance and confidence.

The author of Hebrews is trying to spur his readers on to confident faith in Jesus. He has already shown them from their own lives that faith is of great value (Hebrews 10:32-36) and he is showing them through the lives of their ancestors the value of faith. Christians today are still living between Jesus’ first coming and his return. Attacks come on every side and for any number of reasons Christians can be tempted and begin to falter in the confidence they have in Jesus. They may begin to trust only in themselves or in things other than Jesus. Ultimately, anything other than Jesus will disappoint, because Jesus offers a real hope. Trust in that, because it is of great value!

Lord, help me to be confident in you!

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