Good Morning, Siblings!
Today’s readings are Hebrews 1-6
Read today’s Bible readings at BibleGateway by clicking here.
Rabbit Trails
- We’ve been reading letters that were written to mixed audiences of Jews and Gentiles but most believe that this was written to a group of Jews (more accurately referred to as Hebrews) who were well known to the author.
- Speaking of the author, while some assume it is Paul, there is enough evidence to the contrary that many scholars today do not believe he wrote it. Some even think it could have been written by Priscilla, Aquila’s wife. There are other possible candidates as well and there remains a slim possibility that Paul was, in fact, the author.
Moving on…
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4
WOW what a beginning!
One of the purposes of this letter is to explain that Yeshua is the Messiah and how the Father has used Him to bring about salvation. Keep in mind that this was written primarily to our Jewish brethren and so it is understandable why the author would spend so much time explaining the role of Yeshua.
Hebrews 1:9 is a favorite
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. Hebrews 1:9
Let us strive to love what is lovely and hate what is evil, knowing that the Father wants all his children to walk in His ways and therefore be anointed with the oil of gladness!
If you were raised on the “Once Saved, Always Saved” doctrine, there are some tough verses in our reading today. A key theme we will read in this book is that of repetitive warnings to hold tight to our salvation and what we know is true lest we fall away from YHWH. If you think about it, this is an ongoing theme from the very beginning of time and is a ribbon that is woven throughout Scriptures from start to finish. This popular doctrine stands in direct contradiction to the Bible in this. We will read several verses in our reading today that back this up.
Let’s look at a few of those verses now but I don’t want you to neglect reading them in context, too. Remember, whenever someone gives you a verse, take a chapter.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12
For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 3:14
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. Hebrews 6:4-7
Now, don’t panic and think that we can’t have assurance of salvation as that is not the case. For more info, you may want to check out the paper I wrote on this topic, which can be read here.
I love Hebrews 4:9. No matter how the world changes. No matter what may befall us. There remains a Sabbath rest of the people of YHWH. That sentence soothes my soul and it just deepens in meaning the longer I follow Him.
Hebrews 5:10 Oh Melchizedek – I do not have the hours in the day to lead you on this trail because it is a doozy! There are entire websites and books dedicated to speculation about the Melchizedek priesthood. We see but a brief mention of it in our reading today but I’m going to leave the Melchizedek rabbit trails up to y’all and let me tell you something, I have read a bit on it and I put it on the back burner until a day when the Father allows me the time to dig into it. I’ve just got too many other things to learn right now. It’s right up there with the Nephelim. Some people get so caught up in Melchizedek that it takes them away from reading the Bible for a great deal of time as they fall into worm holes that lead to more worm holes. So if you choose to take it, make sure you come back here tomorrow because we’d miss ya!
The author stopped short on explaining Melchizedek, why was that? Directly following the first mention of Melchizedek, we read this:
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:11-14
The audience of this letter was spiritually immature, or spiritually malnourished as I think of it. The food was available to them but they chose milk over solid food for so long that they came to only want milk. It was easiest to digest and didn’t require any real commitment to obtain. Had they chosen to strive to be spiritually mature, we may have more of an explanation in this letter. I wonder how their heart dropped when this was read. Did they hear these words and lower their heads as they absorbed the truth of them? Or did they stiffen their necks in offense? Those who lowered their heads were in a far better position to move on to solid foods so that they would not be found wanting in future letters. I’ve been both of these so I won’t be throwing any stones.
Tomorrow, we’ll hear more of Melchizedek though. I’m still not going too deeply into it so y’all can nose around if you would like and leave your findings and speculation in the group comments. I look forward to them!
I learn more and more each time I read through the Word and this go around, as we come to a close, I’m feeling drawn to spend more time studying and contemplating the life of our precious Messiah. We have so few recorded words of him during His time on earth yet every sentence speaks eternal volumes. Only the Word made life can put so much life into so few words.
He walked it out. As a loving Shepherd would do. As if to say, “I’m not just gonna tell you. I’m gonna show you. So watch me. Watch and learn. Watch and do.” He is the good Shepherd who we can trust to show us how to walk this path. How He loves us!
So as we near the end of this wonderful Bible, my heart is set on our Messiah. I want to live as He lived and love as He loved. I’m praying we all come closer to that goal each and every day.
Test everything, hold tight to what is good.~ 1 Thess 5:21
We are saved by Grace alone: Obedience is not the root of our salvation, it is the fruit!
May YHWH bless the reading of His Word!