Hebrews – Page 5 – Be Still…

Hebrews 8:1-13 – Jesus Ushers in the New Covenant

Read Hebrews 8:1-13

The Preacher is making a big deal out of the fact Jesus is our High Priest. It truly is an honor to have Jesus ministering to us from his heavenly home. Jesus’ purposes on earth were many, but this is his destiny. We can be thankful Jesus “is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.”

A covenant is a special kind of promise. In the covenant made between God and Israel at Sinai, the people vowed they would be obedient to God’s laws. God knew this old covenant was flawed and needed to be updated. The people had abused God’s promise by turning from him and relying on other gods. Sin is chronic, and the people were stuck in a pattern of disobedience. Yet God remained faithful.

Hebrews 7:15-28 – Perfect Forever

Read Hebrews 7:15-28

With these words, the Preacher would have rocked the world of those trying so hard to be true to God’s law, given by Moses. “For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” The people had to know the old system was flawed, and that’s why our hope is now in Jesus. He came to be our perfect sacrifice, acting as our high priest forever. As the Preacher concludes this thought, “But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”

There’s a lot packed into this passage. The references to Melchizedek have foreshadowed Jesus, anticipating that he will be the perfect high priest who will reign forever. The righteousness, peace, and timelessness we see in Melchizedek point directly to Jesus. It is Jesus’s role as high priest that grants us access to God.

Hebrews 7:1-14 – Let’s Talk About Melchizedek

Read Hebrews 7:1-14

The Preacher introduces us to Melchizedek in this reading comparing him to Abraham, who was still named Abram at the time he encountered Melchizedek. I had an “a-ha moment today” while reading this text and I just wanted to share this with you.

You’ll recall we first heard about Melchizedek back in Chapter 5 when the Preacher was rebuking his readers for not digging deeper. They were stuck in a place of complacency in their faith where it was “comfortable” and surface level. To see some of the rich connections involving Melchizedek, those hearing the Preacher’s sermon would need to be open to deep truth and significance. It appears the time has come to share a deeper revelation about the individuals God has used.

Hebrews 6:13-20 – Rely on God’s Promises

Read Hebrews 6:13-20

It might help to recall verse 12 from our last reading to “follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.” Now it makes sense why the Preacher called out Abraham. You’ll recall Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years from the time God promised to multiply his descendants to the birth of Isaac. That was obedience we can learn from, too!

God is in the business of keeping his promises. We can be sure of that. The Preacher reminds us God sealed his promise to Abraham with an oath. In ancient times, when people wanted to guarantee their promise or give value to their word, they might swear by the divine name. Putting God’s name on your promise was intended to give it more authority. To break an oath would be extremely dishonoring to God. God cannot lie!

Hebrews 5:11-6:12 – Going Deeper

Read Hebrews 5:11-6:12

These Christians had so much to learn, even though they had “been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others.” However, it seems they were stuck in the basics. They knew what it meant to be Jews, but to be followers of Christ changed their faith journey dramatically. Here we see the Preacher rebuking them. “You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” It was time for them to stop being lazy Christians, and the Preacher uses a bit of “shock and awe” in this reading.

When people first come to faith in Jesus, we need to be careful not to overwhelm them with knowledge they aren’t ready for. Just like you wouldn’t give a newborn a piece of steak. However, the Preacher warns that it’s too easy to stay with “milk” and not move on to a deeper faith and understanding of what it means to be a Christ follower. I’ve seen many churches struggle with this very thing, and as a result, the congregation never goes deeper than the what the “newbies” can handle.