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Hebrews 7:1-2, Isaiah 9:6-7, Romans 5:1

Jesus: King of Peace!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 4, 2019

At the end of Chapter 6, the author of Hebrews shifts gears from warning his readers about missing out on the rest available to believers through faith, to presenting to us Jesus, the King of Peace, as seen in the person of Melchizedek. To our writer this is spiritual meat. Milk is essential in the nourishment of babies, but there comes a time in everyone’s life where milk just isn’t going to satisfy. We need meat. Much of the meat of spiritual food according to the book of Hebrews are the morsels from the Old Testament that illuminate the person and work of Jesus in ways that strengthen and nourish our faith in Him. The writer of Hebrews considers the Biblical record concerning Melchizedek and identifies at least six ways in which he previews for us the Messiah.

It might seem the writer is taking liberties in making these connections between Melchizedek and Jesus, but he substantiates each connection with other Old Testament passages to show that the story of Melchizedek is really about Jesus. In Hebrews 7:1-2, he asserts that Melchizedek is both priest and king. He says, “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.” Fruchtenbaum catches this significance and notes the first of the six ways. He says, “Not only was he the King of Salem, but he was also the priest of God Most High; therefore, he was both king and priest. His name and title characterized two things about his reign: he ruled in righteousness, which is what his name means; and he ruled in peace, which is what Salem means.” But how does our author leap from Melchizedek to Jesus? Fruchtenbaum concludes, “These two characteristics are also mentioned of the future reign of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6–7. The first similarity, then, is that Melchizedek was both king and priest as is Jesus the Messiah.”[1]

The Messiah was the king of righteousness and the king of peace. As king of righteousness, He atones for our sins as any good priest, and as king of peace His sacrifice on our behalf gives us rest from all our labors. Psalm 85 has a beautiful allusion to these two characteristics as they will manifest themselves in the Messiah. The Psalmist writes, “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” Sinful man is totally incapable of making himself righteous through his own efforts; by either good deeds or abstaining from sin. As he flounders in the various religions of the world which teach various ways of how to measure up to God’s standards, there is nothing but failure and regret and guilt and shame. But the King of Righteousness deposits in our account His perfect righteousness. He shares with us His own righteousness which, like Abraham’s, is appropriated by faith.  God’s rest, or peace with God, can never be earned or deserved. It can only be received as a free gift from God by faith. In Romans 5:1, Paul expresses it this way, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 96.

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Hebrews 6:20

Jesus is our forerunner!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 31, 2019

The writer of Hebrews uses the image of an anchor to illustrate the secure position of believers in Jesus. Our anchor is solidly seated with God in the most holy of all holy places. We can relax now knowing that the sacrifice made for our sin has been fully accepted by God and we are hooked securely to our anchor. Now in Hebrews 6:20, the writer changes the metaphor from an anchor to the idea of a “forerunner.” Jesus is not only in the presence of God on our behalf, but He has saved a place for us as promised in John 14:3. Jesus says, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” The writer of Hebrews affirms this truth to us by calling Jesus our “forerunner.”

Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong was our “forerunner.” He was the first man to take a step on the surface of the moon. His quote is famous. He said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” He understood that he was the one taking the step but he was taking it for all mankind. Spurgeon said that when Jesus entered into the holiest of all places in heaven He said, “I take possession of all these in the name of my redeemed. I am their representative and claim the heavenly places in their name.” Regarding Jesus as our forerunner, Brown observes, “This term (prodromos) was used in Greek literature to describe the function of a small party of soldiers sent fully to explore the way ahead prior to the advance of an army. Christ is our prodromos. He has gone ahead of us.  He prepares our way to glory (2:10). With such a leader who has opened the way through His own sacrificial death (10:20), there is no room for anxiety regarding His future purposes or doubt concerning His former promises.”[1]

Hebrews 6:20 ends the chapter by picking up on the earlier discussion about Melchizedek. It reads, “…where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek is meat that will help a Christian mature. The writer considers the only two places that this priest shows up in the Scriptures and explains How even this obscure character is a reference to Jesus. According to Fruchtenbaum, Melchizedek, “…suddenly appears on the scene and quickly disappears from the scene. There is no record of his origin, birth, life, death, or anything else.”[2] This is all about Jesus according to the writer of Hebrews. Then Melchizedek is mentioned in Psalm 110:4, where Jesus is clearly identified as the priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Chapter 7 picks up on these lessons and applies them to Jesus to assure us of our heavenly destiny. Truly, there is rest for our souls in Jesus.

[1] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 122.

[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 95.

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Hebrews 6:19

Jesus is our Anchor

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 31, 2019

Jesus is the guarantee of God’s love for us. Even while we are sinners, God demonstrated His love for us on the cross of Calvary. The cities of refuge were spread out across Israel so that any sinner could make it to a city of refuge in a day or less. This was so designed so that every citizen would have within reach a place where they could find protection and safety.  At the time of the writing of the letter to the Hebrews, the cities of refuge no longer existed in Israel.  But their illustrative value to Bible readers cannot be missed. Jesus took the place of the cities of refuge. Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses on our behalf. Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system. No more blood sacrifices need be made. The Priesthood of Aaron has been superseded by the Priesthood of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek. You see, everything in the Old Testament is about Jesus! The Bible is still relevant today because it all offers mature insights into the person and work of Jesus which nourishes our faith.

In Hebrews 6:19, the writer talks about the most sacred of places in the Old Testament as a picture of where Jesus went on our behalf. He’s talking about the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant rested upon which the mercy seat lay. He writes, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain…” As any good seaman knows, anchors don’t always hold. It depends upon what it takes hold of and on the stability of that object. Jesus is our anchor! Jesus is the subject of the whole Bible. He is the physical embodiment of God’s promises from Genesis to Revelation. He is the Lamb of God that makes atonement for sin. He is the true king, priest and prophet. He is the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham and the seed of David. He is the full and complete demonstration of God’s love for us all. Priscilla J. Owens wrote the beautiful little hymn that captures this verse’s truth. One of the stanzas goes like this,

“We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”

Once the anchor has dropped, we can no longer physically see it. But we know it’s there and when it finds a stable hold we can rest knowing that the ship is not going anywhere. Lenski writes, “As the anchor is out of sight, so the hope, promised and sworn to us, is out of sight. It is in the heavenly Sanctuary. It is the promised salvation through the all-atoning blood of Jesus.”[1] In the early church three images arose as acceptable symbols of the Christian faith. Clement of Alexandria around 200 AD acknowledges these three symbols as the Dove, the Fish and the Anchor. Brown observes, “Clement of Alexandria, an outstanding teacher in the early church, mentions the anchor as an appropriate device for a Christian’s ring: And let our seals be either a dove or a fish … or a ship’s anchor. It is sometimes found on early Christian epitaphs as a symbol of secure hope.”[2]

[1] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938), 205.

[2] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 121–122.

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Hebrews 6:18

Jesus is a sure thing!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2019

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews said that there are two unchangeable things. The first is God’s promise of deliverance from our sin through the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, and the seed of David. Is there anything God can’t do? Yes, He cannot lie. He can never fail to keep a promise. The second thing is the clear and undeniable demonstration of His love for us as a guarantee that He will keep His promises as seen in the blood sacrifice of His son on Calvary. These two things, the promise and the blood oath, guarantee our eternal destiny. And God cannot lie. This is what the writer says in Hebrews 6:18. It reads, “So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” Steadman says, “So by these two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, the readers of this letter, and we who share it with them, are greatly encouraged to take hold of the hope offered. Since God cannot lie to us, and actually confirmed His promise with an oath, let us, as the writer says, be greatly encouraged”.[1]

In the history of Israel, God instructed Moses and then Joshua to set up cities of refuge. These are cities where someone could flee from the “avenger of blood” and find protection. Fruchtenbaum says “The word refuge is a reminder of the concept of the cities of refuge. The Old Testament concept of refuge is the background for this verse. Just as a man flees to a city of refuge, the believers have fled to the Messiah for refuge because that is where the hope [is] set before us, the Messianic Hope.”[2] Kent summarizes this issue for us. He writes, “So Christian believers, having trusted in the promise made first to Abraham regarding his seed—a promise which culminated in Christ, the unique Seed—have fled from the prospect of coming judgment to grasp as their own the refuge provided in the Christian hope.”[3]

The writer of Hebrews uses every allusion to the Old Testament to point to Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Adam & Eve, Abraham, and David. Just as surely as God kept His promises to His people in the Old Testament, we too can be sure He will keep His promises to us and even more so, because Jesus, the promised one, was also the blood oath that guarantees those promises. There is so much uncertainty and insecurity in the world in which we live that God wants us to know that there is something we can hold on to which will never change. His love for us demonstrated on the cross of Calvary is something that will never change. That’s why Jeremiah refers to it as “everlasting love.” Just as the cities of refuge gave sinners a place to run for protection from the blood avenger, so too does Jesus give sinners a place to run from the one who has the power of sin and death. “Come to me,” Jesus says, “I’ll give you rest for your souls.” Jesus is the only sure thing!

[1] Ray C. Stedman, Hebrews, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1992), Heb 6:16.

[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 94.

[3] Homer A. Kent Jr., The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1983), 121–122.

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Galatians 3:28-29, Hebrews 6:17, Matthew 26:26-28

Jesus is the oath of God’s Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2019

All of God’s promises in the Old Testament are promises concerning Christ. In Genesis 3:15, the promised seed of the woman was Jesus. In Galatians 3:16, the seed of Abraham was Jesus. It says, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.” According to 2 Timothy 2:8, the seed of David is Jesus. It reads, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised out of the dead, of the seed of David, according to my good news.”  The Messiah has always been understood to be a descendant of David.  Jesus is unquestionably the heir of all the promises of the Bible. Paul makes sure that his readers in Galatia and all his readers since, understand what this means to those who believe in Jesus. In Galatians 3:28-29 he writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

This was God’s purpose from the beginning of time. He always intended to deliver all mankind through the sacrifice He would make for us in the person of His son, Jesus. He did this because it was the best and probably the only way to send us the undeniable message of His love for us. The ultimate demonstration of how God feels about you and me is seen in the cross on Calvary. God’s love for us never changes. It was that way from the beginning and is so today and will be forever. Just as He gave Abraham a promise accompanied by an oath to assure the fulfillment, so too does He give us, Abraham’s heirs, a promise sealed with a blood oath. I think this is what the author of Hebrews means in Hebrews 6:17 when he says, “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.”

The Teacher’s Commentary says, “The blood of Jesus not only won our salvation. That blood confirmed in an unmistakable way God’s oath, promising forgiveness to all who would believe in Jesus.”[1] Jesus used bread and wine as symbols for us to use to remind us of the blood covenant He made with us. In Matthew 26:26-28 says, “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” When God desired to show “more convincingly” His love for us, He demonstrated it on the cross of Calvary. Jesus is the “Word” of God. What is God saying to us through Jesus? As Jeremiah says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

[1] Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 419.

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Hebrews 6:16, Jeremiah 31:3

Jesus: The Promise of God’s Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2019

As a young boy, I remember learning to say “I swear to God!” I don’t remember where I got it but it was going around among a lot of the kids in the north Omaha neighborhood where I grew up. I would say it so often that eventually my parents told me to stop saying it and even began to punish me when I did. I learned that to use this phrase loosely like I did, was to violate the commandment “do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” I would add it to the end of a fishing story to convince my friends of its truth. I’d add it to my claim to have done my homework to my parents. This might have been what got me in trouble. My friends would use it all the time in making promises to each other. It was supposed to settle the matter. We understood the idea of swearing by something greater than ourselves in order to arouse confidence from others. We still use the phrase “so help me God” in wedding ceremonies and in swearing-in rituals. People will often put their hands on a Bible and swear to the truth of the testimony they are about to give.  To lie under oath is a felony! This is what Hebrews 6:16 is all about. It says, “For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.”

It’s interesting to me that these words are no longer used in the United States Congress. The New York Times reports, “The witness rose from her seat, raised her right hand and swore to tell the truth before Congress. But four words were missing: ‘So help me God.’ In the House of Representatives, to the winner go the spoils, and Democrats, the new decision makers, control everything, including what legislation gets a vote and the minutiae of procedural choices, such as whether witnesses must utter the traditional plea for divine aid. Democratic chairmen and chairwomen of several key committees have deemed no such entreaty is necessary.” [1]

Fruchtenbaum explains the importance of this verse in his commentary. He writes, “It is the nature of swearing to appeal to a higher authority. God is the highest authority, so His Word settles and confirms. God made the same affirmation men make. Yet, God could not appeal to a higher authority; there is nothing higher or greater than God Himself. He is the greatest authority, and His Word confirms all. There is no argument against His Word.”[2] It’s important to note that Jesus is “The Word of God.” He is the embodiment of God’s message to man. That message involves God’s love for all mankind (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). God took an oath on Himself to impress upon us the validity of His love for us. Jeremiah 31:3, God said, “I love you with an everlasting love.” In Christ that oath was consummated in blood.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/11/us/politics/democrats-house-oath.html

[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 93.

 

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Hebrews 6:15, Galatians 3:6, Romans 3:21

We must see Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2019

As God did with Abraham, God bound Himself with us in a unilateral, unchangeable, and irrevocable covenant. He did that on the cross of Calvary. The Old Testament story of Abraham and his journey of faith in God’s promises is only a prelude to Jesus and how through faith, we too inherit the promises of God. The writer of Hebrews simply says that God did what He said He was going to do. In Hebrews 6:15 he says, “And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.” Abraham’s faith was counted as “righteousness” before God. It wasn’t his life choices. It wasn’t his strict obedience. It wasn’t his sacrifices and religious rituals. It was one thing only, faith! Paul actually said that in Galatians 3:6. He writes, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Jesus said on several occasions that the Scripture, the Old Testament, was about Him. From Genesis to Revelation we find Jesus foretold, explained, illustrated, and even specifically mentioned.

Alex Early writes, “Consider the implications of these statements. Jesus says the whole Bible is about Him. He is not asking us to hijack the text and force Him into the pages of the Old Testament. As a Jew, He would never think of such a thing. Rather, He simply, humbly, and truthfully says in effect, ‘Look and see me there! No pressure necessary. You don’t have to read me into the text. Merely read the text and I emerge.’ But even after we meet Jesus in the Bible and are converted, we are not finished with His book. Instead, our conversion marks the beginning of a lifetime of going deeper and deeper into the Word of God.”  (visit: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/jesus-really-is-the-point-of-the-whole-bible.html) This is how the writer of Hebrews deals with the Old Testament. He sees Jesus!

Moses wrote the story of Abraham. It makes perfectly clear that his relationship with God was by grace through faith. After Abraham’s death, the prophets continued to talk about salvation by grace through faith alone. In Romans 3:21, Paul said, “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.” Like the author of Hebrews, we need to see the Scriptures for what they are. They are all about Jesus. More from Early: “If we fail to see a text in terms of its being planted at the feet of Jesus and His mission for the world, we have missed the point. Soon the Bible is reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts. Heroes and villains. Good guys and bad guys. Winners and losers. The good news of the gospel, when seen in this light, is reduced to good advice at best. And those who supposedly know Jesus will relate to Him in such a manner that it’s as if they don’t know Him. Like when Ned Flanders on The Simpsons told his boys, ‘Okay boys, when you meet Jesus, make sure you call him Mr. Christ.’”

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Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 6:13-15, 7:22, Galatians 3:22, Genesis 15

Jesus is God’s blood oath!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 23, 2019

When Jesus said “Come to me and I will give you rest,” He did not add a condition to it. If you quit smoking and come to me I will give you rest. I’ve often said that smoking won’t send you to hell, but it might make you smell like you’ve already been there. Drinking won’t send you to hell. No sin will send you to hell. The only thing that will send you to hell is the rejection of God’s free gift of eternal life offered in Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchased for us a place in heaven which He offers as a free gift. That free gift comes to us through faith. The “rest” that Jesus offers sinners like you and me comes through faith alone. As Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28, it is “rest for our souls.” It sets everything right with God. The Good News for sinners is the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said it this way in Galatians 3:22, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

God always keeps His promises. The writer of Hebrews reminds all of his readers, those he personally addressed and even us today, of this truth. In Hebrews 6:13-14 he says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’” The author is reminding us that Abraham’s faith rested on two things; the promise of God and the oath or covenant of God. God’s promise to Abraham was unconditional. There were no strings attached. To assure Abraham, God took a blood oath in Genesis 15. Instead of both parties walking between the blood sacrifices, God signed the contract on His own. Pentecost says, “To show that this covenant was dependent on God alone, God rendered Abraham incapable of participating in the ritual of ratification. While Abraham slept (15:12), he saw the Shekinah of God pass between the pieces of the sacrificed animals (15:17). In this way, God showed Abraham that He was binding Himself in a unilateral, unchangeable, irrevocable covenant.” [1]

The author gives his readers meat from the Scriptures here. You see, Abraham and God’s promise and oath to him, is about Jesus and His promises to us. Just as the blood offered to guarantee the promise to Abraham, Jesus is the blood sacrifice that becomes the oath that guarantees His promise. The writer of Hebrews is about to launch into a long lesson about the priesthood of Melchizedek and its superiority to the Jewish priesthood. Jesus is the greater priest and Jesus is the greater sacrifice. The blood in Genesis 15 guarantees the reliability of God’s promise to Abraham, but the greater guarantee is the blood of Jesus which guarantees God’s promise to those who believe. The author will say this directly in Hebrews 7:22. It reads, “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.” The writer once again wants his readers to understand that the whole bible is about Jesus. If you let yourself become sluggish about Jesus, you will drift away and slip back into religion. There is no rest in religion. But Jesus promises us with a blood oath that we’ll have rest for our souls through faith in Him. God is showing us from the cross of Calvary the He was binding himself in a unilateral, unchangeable, irrevocable covenant!

[1] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 112.

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