Year 3, Day 110: Hebrews 6

A Difficult Passage

When I write the blog posts, I don’t often consult too many commentaries.  Occasionally when I am struggling to get into a text I will turn to a commentary for inspiration.  When I come across a difficult passage, I will survey a bunch of commentaries just to make sure I’m not butchering the passage.  But in general, I don’t use too many commentaries.  I like to let the Spirit percolate within and see what comes out.

Today, however, is a day when I have done some serious research.  These first 8 verses of this chapter are difficult – especially in the context of “fear” that was present in Hebrews 4 and the context of “not maturing” that we had at the close of Hebrews 5.  There is every reason to take this chapter seriously.

In my research, I found that there are a myriad of opinions on what the author is actually saying in this passage.  In the end, I’m going to present what I believe to be accurate and know that there are plenty of people who both agree and disagree with the position that I am going to take.  There are good theologians on every side it appears.

First things first.  I do believe that these first 8 verses are speaking about salvation.  The thrust of the past two chapters has been on Christ and finding ourselves in Christ.  Since we’re talking about salvation, I believe that scripture is clear that the presence of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of salvation.  Ephesians 1:13-14 says as much.  As far as I understand scripture, if the Holy Spirit is within you then you have the absolute assurance of salvation.

Furthermore, I also believe that a person who truly has the Holy Spirit within them will never leave God.  Once one knows personally the abundance of life that is found in God, the person will not turn away.  I’m not saying it is impossible to lose one’s salvation.  What I am saying is that nobody who is truly saved and who truly has the Holy Spirit as their guarantor of salvation would ever want to lose it.

However, I must also acknowledge that the Holy Spirit works in our life from positions within as well as without.  It has to be this way.  The Lord calls each of us to Him prior to our receiving His grace.  The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart externally, calling us to repent and embrace the grace of God.  Once we embrace God, then the Holy Spirit enters within and speaks to us from within.  So I also think it is important to discern whether we are experiencing the external call of the Holy Spirit or the internal movement of the Holy Spirit.  I believe it is only the internal movement of the Holy Spirit – what some people call the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – that is the guarantor of our salvation.  God calls all people; He desires all to be saved.  {See 1 Timothy 2:3-4 for example.}  But that doesn’t mean that all people receive that salvation.

So, where does that leave us with respect to Hebrews 6?  Remember that in Hebrews 4 the author showed great concern that some of the recipients would have “failed to attain the desired condition.”  At the end of Hebrews 5 the author had concern that the Hebrew people had not matured to a place of desiring spiritual meat and instead were still desiring spiritual milk.

In Hebrews 6 we hear that there are people who have:

• Been Enlightened – Literally: illuminated by an exterior source of light
• Tasted – Literally: experienced through personal involvement
• Shared – Literally: to participate as an associate, companion, or partner

These are people who have experienced community with God and His people.  But these are not necessarily people who have “drank the Kool-Aid.”  These are people who became involved, were influenced externally and associated with people of the faith.  But these are not necessarily people who have fully and completely submitted to Christ.  These are people who have encountered God, perhaps even believe He exists {as though that changes His existence} and who occasionally try to do things His way; but they are not people who have forsaken the world, picked up their cross, and followed Him.

So then we get to verse 6 and we hear that people in this condition who fall away are not easily restored.  In truth, what the author says is that it is impossible to restore them.  Yes, that’s right, you heard me: impossible.  It is impossible to restore a person who is actively falling away and actively doing harm to Christ and holding Him in contempt.

I think this is really the author’s point for the last three chapters.  This is why it is so important to teach people from the very beginning about submitting to God and following Him.  This is why it is so important to move people beyond “consumer” faith and actually get them into “producer” faith.  People need to become leaders and teachers who are practicing their faith and teaching it to others.  People need to receive and embrace the Holy Spirit and know the full joy of being with God before they fall away.

As the author of Hebrews says, all land will drink the rain that comes from God.  Some of that land will bear a good harvest.  But some of the land will instead bear thorns and thistles.  We need to be active in promoting a spiritual harvest and getting people into a place in their life where they are indeed promoting the lifestyle of following God.

Guarantee

I think it is important to now turn to the closing section of this chapter.  The opening verses are enough to scare a person.  It is good to cause people to think through these things for themselves.  But we should not want to leave people in a place of wondering any longer than necessary.  People need to know that we can move beyond such concern into a place of surety.

We can have the Holy Spirit.  As I said before, He is the guarantor of our salvation.  If we have the Holy Spirit genuinely within us, we can be confident.  The author of Hebrews also reminds us that we have Jesus Christ as a mediator between us and God.  If we are genuinely in Christ, then we can have assurance that what God has done in Christ He will do in us.  If we are in Christ, we can have assurance in the resurrection of the dead and life eternal in the presence of God.   We who are ready for spiritual meat can live confident under God’s promise.

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Year 3, Day 109: Hebrews 5

Earthly Spiritual Leaders

I think that Hebrews 5 is one of my favorite passages of scripture with respect to spiritual leadership.  I like it because it is so naturally humbling and honest.  The author is crystal clear about the nature of sin in our human spiritual leaders.

You see, spiritual leaders all go through some kind of vetting process.  Whether it is an ordination board, a candidacy committee, a graduate degree panel, a board of elders within a church, etc – every single spiritual leader goes through some kind of process.  We are appointed, elected, and charged with relating to God on behalf of the people.  It is a mighty charge and an incredible calling.

Yet, it is not a calling that takes away our sinfulness.  Every single one of us is guilty of the very things we preach against.  Every single one of us has to begin each and every day with a humble look at our own sinfulness.  Before any spiritual leader can offer any kind of help to a fellow human being we must first repent of their own sinfulness and make our relationship with the Lord right.  Every single spiritual leader must do this – preferably every single day.

It forces us to be humble.  That’s what I love about this passage.  You cannot read this passage as a spiritual leader and not come face to face with a need to be humble before God.

Christ is No Different, But for Entirely Different Reasons

The author makes a great point here that Christ is absolutely no different.  Jesus did not seek to become a spiritual leader out of His own ego.  Jesus did not appoint Himself to be Messiah.  Rather, God appointed Him to be the Messiah in His Sonship.  Jesus did not seek to become a priest, but through the order of Melchizedek He becomes a priest.  Since Jesus was of the line of David – and King through the line of David – it makes sense to understand Him as a priest through the order of Melchizedek.  {For more information on this, see the footnote for my blog post on 2 Samuel 6 as well as my blog post for Psalm 110.}

Therefore, we can say that Christ is no different in that He displayed great humbleness in taking on the role that God asked of Him.  He did not seek to become a king, but became the greatest king for whom any of us could ever ask.  He did not seek to become a priest, but He became the greatest priest for whom any of us could ever ask.  He did not seek it from God; He took on the mantle that God asked of Him.  Spiritual leadership always begins in humbleness before God.  In this respect, Christ is no different.

However, we can also say that Christ is entirely different.  Those spiritual leaders who are fully human – such as myself – are humble before God because of our sinful nature.  Our flesh is corrupt.  We come to God in humble approach not just because it is the right thing to do but because it is the necessary thing to do on account of our sinful nature.  Christ has no sinful nature.  Christ does not need to begin His service to God by offering up a sacrifice for His own nature.  Christ is perfect in every way.

Christ as Our Example

Through this understanding of Christ’s perfection as well as His humbleness, we arrive now at our need to look at Him as our example.  Of course this makes sense to us.  Christ should be our example.  He was perfect in every way.  He displayed the greatest relationship with God that a person could have.

However, there is another reason to look to Christ as an example.  While He was alive, He got to know the human process.  He knows what growth and maturity are like.  He knows what sickness and infirmity are like.  He knows what temptation is like.  He knows what it is like to experience hunger, thirst, and weariness.  Yet through it all He continued in faith towards God.

Learning Obedience

One does have to ask, just how does the Son of God learn anything?  After all, is He not God?  Does He not “know” everything?

The word used here really means “to learn through experience.”  This is different than academic knowledge.  This is more like learning muscle memory.  Jesus knew how to be obedient.  In fact, as His nature of being God would mandate, He could not be anything but obedient.  However, Jesus could learn the human process of obedience.  He could learn how obedience feels.  He could learn how the world rejects those who are obedient to God.  Again, this isn’t a learning in an academic sense but rather more like a “feeling through the process.”  This is what allows Jesus to truly be our mediator.  He knows God’s perspective, but He also very much knows our perspective as well.

Learning Obedience

As we conclude this passage, the author of Hebrews is rather blunt.  In Hebrews 5:11 he makes a bold proclamation: “You have become dull of hearing.”  I actually prefer the translation of “lazy” to “dull.”  It isn’t that the recipients of this letter are incapable of learning.  It isn’t that the material is all that hard.  It is that the recipients have come to a place in their life where this faith stuff just doesn’t matter as much in their life as it should.

The author tells them that they should be teachers in the faith by now.  This is a really challenging point – one that I don’t think many Christians really enjoy.  I think many people are content coming and letting other people lead.  Many people are content telling themselves that “they aren’t skilled enough” or “they aren’t smart enough” to actually lead and teach.  Personally, I think that is a lie.  God doesn’t equip us to just work.  God equips us to work as well as to disciple the next generation of workers!

I’ve heard it said that Jesus’ goal on this earth was not to make disciples.  After all, if we don’t cry out to God then the rocks will!  Instead, Jesus’ goal was to make disciples who could make disciples.  The goal isn’t producing the next generation of faith.  The goal is producing a next generation of faith that is capable of producing another generation of faith beyond them.  {Forgive me if this sounds too works-based righteousness.  I acknowledge that it is God who instills faith.}

So the author of Hebrews lays down the smack a little.  He tells his audience that they are under performing.  They are under-achieving.  How long have they been in a relationship with God?  Why aren’t they in a place of spiritual leadership by now?

These are deep questions I think we can all benefit from pondering.  If the goal is to make disciples who can make disciples – where do you {and where do I} fit in that goal?  Am I living out God’s calling for me?

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Year 3, Day 108: Hebrews 4

Let Us Fear

Hebrews 4:1 contains an expression that I’m not sure is accurately present in modern American Christianity – especially in the Western Church.  The author of Hebrews 4 expresses the position that we should fear lest some may not have made it.  For the author of Hebrews, this is the absolute and fundamental point of life.  To live a whole life only to realize when it is too late that one has “failed to attain the desired state” is the worst fate possible.

In the Greek, this expression “having failed to reach it” is a single word.  It is husterew (ὑστερέω).  The word literally means “to fail to attain a state or condition.”  It can also mean “to be behind in some condition” or “to lack in some condition.”  You can see this word elsewhere in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 1:7.

The author of Hebrews expresses genuine fear that a person should hear about Christ but not embrace Him.  There is fear that a person would hear the good news but not be united with it.  There is reason to fear for those who genuinely feel the external call of the Holy Spirit but who do not ever make the transition to genuinely receiving the Holy Spirit within you.

We have reason to fear.  As the quote from Psalm 95:11 indicates, those who remain in the wrath of God shall not enter into the rest of God.  It is important for us to move from a position of being in God’s wrath to being in a position of forgiveness and peace with God.

God’s Rest

It can be genuinely said that God’s work has been finished.  God’s work was finished as the foundations of the world were laid.  That is why God rested.  God’s work was fulfilled when Christ came to earth and died for our sake.  God’s work was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came and dwelled among us.  But God’s work is undoubtedly finished.  There is no more work left to do.  It is up to us to respond to God’s work and embrace the eternal rest and peace that comes through Him.

I need to be a little careful here.  I do not mean to say that God is no longer at work.  God is at work in each of our lives.  The presence of the Holy Spirit is proof of that.  But the work of God from a salvation and eternal perspective is complete.  We are not waiting for God to bring about another piece to salvation.  God created the world and promised a redeemer.  That redeemer came in Jesus Christ and God’s Word was fulfilled.  The work of salvation is complete.

This is an important distinction to make because what it means is that we can enter into God’s rest today.  Through Christ, we can know God’s rest.  The people of the Old Testament awaited that redeemer and awaited the time when they could know God’s rest for certain.  But those of us who live after Christ can know that rest now.  We can know fully what it is like to walk with the Lord and no longer walk with the world.

Our Response

In a sense, this brings us back to the opening comment for today.  We should be fearful for those around us – even ourselves.  We do not want to miss this opportunity!  We can know what it is like to enter rest with God.  We can know what it is like to walk with God and to follow our Lord.  We can know what it is like to live with the agenda of Christ and not the agenda of the world.

The author then talks about the Word of the Lord being sharper than any two-edged sword.  The Word of the Lord is capable of dividing us.  It is capable of pointing out those places in life where we are being disobedient.  It is capable of convicting us.  It is capable of bringing the very intentions of our heart to light.  It is capable of separating the worldly human being within us from the spiritual being that God desires us to be.

Yet, how often do we ignore the Word of the Lord?  How often do we give it lip-service without actually listening to it?  How often do we go through the motions without actually allowing the Word of the Lord to divide soul and spirit or joints and marrow?  We will give account to Him, we should pay attention now.

Our High Priest

For those who are divided by the Word of the Lord, we can approach the throne of God with confidence.  We know that we have a mediator between us and God who knows our struggles and our temptations.  We have a high priest before God who is without sin.  We can be washed in His blood and be forgiven of all of our trespasses.  We can hold fast to our confession in faith, knowing that Jesus Christ is capable of fulfilling the Word of God.

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Year 3, Day 107: Hebrews 3

Our Status in Christ

While certainly the opening verses of this chapter revolve around Jesus Christ, I’d like to explore what they say about the Christian first.  We hear that the author of Hebrews calls the followers of Christ a holy brotherhood.  The word holy means separate.  It means different.  Those in Christ are not like the rest of the world.

We hear that those who follow Christ share in the heavenly calling.  We are a companion to Christ in His work.  That doesn’t mean He can’t do it without us.  Rather, it means that He has graciously included us in it!

Third, we hear that we have a confession.  The word confession literally means “to speak like words.”  A confession is something that many people say in agreement.  Think of a creed.  Or think of a statement of faith.  Think of Jesus when He says, “those who confess me before men I will also confess before the Father.”  {Matthew 10:32}  Through the grace that Christ brought, we share a common confession of a common faith.

Christ Is Greater than Moses

Once more the author of Hebrews is making a comparison between Jesus Christ and the Law.  This time, however, the author goes for the jugular.  This time the comparison is between Christ and Moses.

Certainly there would be none greater than Moses with respect to the Law.  In fact, the only one more revered in all of Judaism is Abraham.  The people were chosen through Abraham; the people were given the Law through Moses.

It is important to make sure that we understand that the author of Hebrews is not trying to diminish the testimony of Moses in the slightest.  Moses was indeed faithful in the tabernacle.  Moses was indeed faithful with respect to the Law and justice.  Moses was indeed faithful in leading the rebellious generation through the wilderness.

However, as faithful as Moses is Christ is even more.  Christ is the Son of God.  Christ fulfilled what Moses spoke.  Christ took the Law and brought the Holy Spirit to us so that not only can the Law be written upon our hearts but also so that we may collectively and individually be the temple of God.  Jesus Christ has taken what is great about Moses and ratcheted it up several levels!

Our Response

The author of Hebrews exhorts us to not let our hearts grow hardened.  At first, this might think like an impossible thing.  Who would walk away from God once they’ve experienced Him?

But think about that faithless generation in the wilderness.  They literally saw the Lord lead them out through the Red Sea.  They literally saw all of the Ten Plagues.  The saw water come from a rock.  The saw manna come from heaven.  They saw the mountain when Moses ascended to obtain the Law.  They saw incredible witnesses to God’s nature and His power.

But what was the end result?  The generation was forced to wander the wilderness on account of the hardness of their hearts.  They all died in the wilderness in order to prevent all but two of them from seeing the Promised Land.  They saw so much of God at work, yet they were not obedient.

If they saw everything and still were disobedient, then it makes sense that the author of Hebrews warns us as well.  We must be careful to not fall away from God with hard hearts.  Sin is a tricky and evil master.  It will pull us away before we even realize what is going on.  We must exhort one another out of sinful behavior.

Entering the Promised Land

The last sentence of this chapter is so powerful yet so subtle.  “They were not able to enter because of their unbelief.”  It is belief that is the key.  Obedience without faith is nothing.  Anyone can go through the motions and appear externally as though they are truly a follower.  But if it is not real and true belief within our heart, what good is it?

What good is charity if it does not portray God?  What good is obedience if it does not acknowledge the Creator?  What good is justice if it does not truly depend on God’s ways?  Without belief, all of these seemingly good things simply turn into human works and crumble away.

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Year 3, Day 106: Hebrews 2

True Salvation

Here in this chapter we receive likely confirmation that the author is referring to the Hebrew tradition of the angels being a part of the Law-giving process.  The message given by the angels was absolutely proven reliable.  Human beings are guilty of sin.  We cannot obey the Law.  We deserve condemnation.  There is nobody who is righteous on his own merit.

However, the message that the angels gave about the coming of the Messiah was also true.  One would come and bring salvation to the world – to those who will receive it.  One would come and distribute the Holy Spirit to the people so that the Law of the Lord would be written on the hearts of mankind.

Therefore, if the witness of the angels was true and Christ is superior to the angels, then we must be absolutely diligent to not miss the witness of Christ!  We must not drift away from this superior message.  We must not drift back into former things before we received this superior message.

Reinterpreting a Psalm

Do you remember when we were studying Isaiah and I spoke often about double or even triple interpretation of a prophetic passage?  We get to see a writer in the New Testament do that very thing here.

You see, verses 6-8 are a quotation from Psalm 8:4-6.  In that psalm, David is marveling at God’s incredible grace bestowed upon humanity.  Human beings are created a little lower than the angels.  Yet, in the Garden of Eden God gave dominion over creation to mankind.  To what angel has God ever given dominion over creation?

However, the author of Hebrews notices a problem.  Human beings do not truly have dominion over creation.  Who among us can command the rain to fall or the wind to cease?  Who among mankind can create food out of nothing?  Who among mankind can force disease and illness out of a living being?

Thus, the author of Hebrews does a second interpretation of the psalm.  It is in Christ that we see the complete and utter understanding of this psalm.  Creation is under the dominion of Christ – and it was completely under Him even while He walked upon this earth.    Christ can command the wind, the rain, disease, sickness, and even make food out of nothing.  In Christ, everything is subject beneath Him.

Suffering

Yet, we search for the reason why.  Why would God need to do this?  Was not creation brought about through Christ?  If creation was made through Christ, why did it need to be subject under Him as a living breathing human being?

The answer is that in Christ’s humanity creation is brought into redemption.  Through His suffering, mankind is restored.  Through the fall of Adam we were lost; through the death of Christ we are gained.  In fact, it is through His suffering that we can know that we have been united with Him.  He suffered for our sake; now we live for Him.  In this the work of God is made complete through Christ.

High Priest

In Christ’s suffering, He disarmed Satan.  Through Christ’s suffering, He took away the power of death.  Through Christ’s suffering, He removed the power that death has over life: fear.  Through Christ’s suffering, we can know the promise of life eternal on the other side of death.

We need no longer to be slaves to death.  We need no longer to fear death.  We need not live in fear of that moment.  We can live for God knowing that whenever the moment of death should come that God can overcome it!  Death has lost its sting.  The power of the Devil has been vastly neutered.

Thus we can see that it is not the angels that Christ helps, for God’s Messiah did not become like an angel.  The angels either serve God or fall completely from Him.  Rather, Christ became as a human beings so that we might become more like God.  He came so that we might know salvation and strive towards a faithful response to the salvation that comes through Him.

Of course, we know that we as human beings are not perfect.  We get things wrong.  Even after we come into relationship with Christ we get things wrong.  We are tempted.  The power of the Devil is not annihilated, simply neutered.  For now.  One day it shall be annihilated completely.

Thanks be to God that Christ is there to help us in the midst of our temptation.  He is faithful and merciful.  He is the only priest that we shall ever need.  We have a priest who not only knows what it is like to be tempted, He knows what it is like to succeed!

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Year 3, Day 105: Hebrews 1

The Goal of Hebrews

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most profound books of the Bible because of the incredible praise and honor it lifts up to Christ.  John is often lifted up as the Gospel that speaks to the divinity of Christ.  Romans is often lifted up as the book that speaks about the path to Christ.  But the book of Hebrews is the quintessential book about the nature of Christ.  In this book we will see Christ lifted up, praised, glorified, and revealed in His proper place with God and over the whole world.

Nature of Christ

Jesus Christ is the last and final voice of God.  God spoke creation into existence at the beginning of the world.  God revealed Himself to the people of this world – especially to the patriarchs and those who followed after them – through the prophets.  But now God has sent the last, final, and ultimate voice into the world.  He sent Jesus Christ to be the final word.  He sent Jesus to be the true unveiling of God.  He sent Jesus to speak final words of repentance, justice, grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  Jesus Christ is the greatest voice to come to mankind.

Jesus Christ is also the Heir.  This really makes sense.  After all, if the world was created through Him, why shouldn’t all things ultimately be His inheritance?  What this means, of course, is that if Jesus Christ is the heir, then everything of the Father will be the Son’s.  Everything will be under the dominion of Christ.

We know Christ because the glory of God radiates from Him.  This Greek word for “radiates” is a neat word.  If used actively, it can mean radiate: God’s glory is within Him and shining forth through Him.  If used passively, it can mean reflect: God’s glory is being reflected off of Christ and shone to the whole world.  I think both senses of this word can teach us something about how we interact with God.  Like Christ, at times we reflect God’s glory to the world and at times God’s glory shines through us.

We also see that Jesus is the one who sustains creation.  He upholds the universe by the word.  Again, this word for “uphold” is a neat word.  It can mean that Christ causes creation to continue.  The only reason creation continues and doesn’t literally tear itself apart is because Christ has become a part of it.  In this sense, then, Christ literally sustains us.  He is the only reason that we can continue to exist as we are.

Christ is the Redeemer.  He is the one who purifies creation from its sinful nature. He is the one who intercedes for us with God.  He is the one who laid down His life so that others might live.

Finally, we see that Christ is king.  Christ has sat down at the right hand of God.  Christ has ascended to be with the Father to the place that was prepared for Him.  He has proven His superiority – superiority over death and even the angels!  There is none like Him!

What a great way to start this study on Christ as we march through the book of Hebrews.

Superior to the Angels

At first glance, the rest of this opening chapter might seem strange.  After all, why so much focus on the angels?  Truth be told, other than a few chapters in the book of Revelation there is no other place in the Bible with as much concentrated focus on angelic beings.  So, what’s the big deal?

Our best guess is that the author of Hebrews is making a strong case for the salvation that comes through Christ as being greater than the Law.  You might wonder how it is that such a conclusion is even connected to the topic of angels.  Here’s how the logic goes.  Much of the book of Hebrews is about Christ being superior to the Law.  Jewish tradition holds that thousands upon thousands of angels were present and active in the giving of the Law to Moses at Sinai.  {Jewish tradition, not Jewish scripture.}  Therefore, in Hebrew tradition the glory and presence of angels are largely tied to both the Law and a person’s ability to keep the Law while not be sucked into temptation.  Therefore, if Jesus is superior to the angels, then Jesus is superior to the Law.  That’s the point that the author is going for in the rest of this first chapter.

How is Jesus superior to the angels?  Well, collectively the angels may be called “sons of God.”  But, the author argues, how many angels have ever been singled out and called the Son of God?  The author also argues that the angels will bow down and worship the Son.  What angel has been given a throne in heaven?  What angel has been given the scepter in order to rule?  What angel has been the same today as yesterday and tomorrow?  {I’ll confess, this thought was really new to me today and comes out of the comparison involving v. 12}  To what angels has God invited to sit at His right hand?

The angels are God’s servants.  Of course they are important!  Of course they have a great and noble place.  But they are not the Son!  The Son – God’s Messiah, the savior of the world – is above the angels.  In the author’s mind and according to Jewish tradition, then, the salvation that comes through the Son must therefore be greater than anything that can come through the Law.

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Year 3, Day 104: Jeremiah 52

Historical Note

In the opening verses of this chapter we have a recap of the fall of Jerusalem.  You might think that this is strange since these words are already contained within the book.  A little historical footnote might be important.

We know that some of the Hebrew people went to Egypt under Johanan.  Jeremiah was one of those.  We know that many of the Hebrew people were dragged off into Babylonian captivity.  We also know that Baruch was Jeremiah’s scribe, writing down all that Jeremiah told him to write down.  Chapter 52 seems to be a capstone – a summary – of the book so that it can fit within the story of the whole of the Hebrew people.  This chapter seems to try and unite the end of the book – the end of Jeremiah’s life – with the exiles in Babylon.

In such a light, it is likely that this chapter is written by Baruch or by a disciple of Jeremiah’s.  Clearly the author of this particular chapter had to live long enough and be familiar enough with Babylon to know about Jehoiachin’s release as reported later in the chapter.

Major Events To Recap

As we bring this book to a close, there are three events that are recapped.  The first one is the brutality with which Zedekiah was treated.  I understand that he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and deserved to be punished.  But he was forced to watch his sons be slaughtered in his presence right before his eyes were put out.  The last image he saw was the death of his own sons.  This is horribly cruel.  There is no doubt that this account is recapped so that the cruelty of the Babylonians would be remembered.

The second event to be recounted is the burning of the temple of the Lord.  In the closing chapters of Jeremiah, this event takes a prominent place.  This event demonstrates an attack against the Lord Himself.  This event shows that the Babylonians were not God’s faithful servants; they were just tools in His hand.  This event is no doubt included so that the people would remember God’s personal reason for judging the Babylonians.  Not only were the Babylonians cruel, they were utterly faithless from the perspective of God.

The third event to be recounted was the deportation.  I find this final event to be very sad.  When the people came into the Promised Land, they numbered in the hundreds of thousands – if not the millions.  When they are dragged into captivity, they number in the lower thousands.  Yes, I understand that Israel had already been deported by Assyria and much of Judah had already been deported by Babylon before Jerusalem fell.  But the numbers still show how far we fall when we no longer follow in obedience to God.  The mighty nation that God Himself brought forth from out of bondage was put back into bondage with nothing more than a slight whimper.

So much promise.  A disobedient heart and a desire to focus on their own desires destroyed every bit of that promise that Joshua once led into the Promised Land.

Grace

Lest we end such a profound book on a dark note, we have the final story about Jehoiachin’s release.  One captive is released from prison and allowed to recline at the king’s table.  We have a glimmer of hope.  One person becomes the first fruit of the hope to come.  If one person can be brought out of bondage, so can the nation.

I love this ending to Jeremiah.  It completely validates the fact that God begins with a few – a small demonstration – before moving into the fullness of His glory.  God started with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even his twelve sons before exploding into the promise of Abraham’s inheritance several generations later.  In the New Testament there was Jesus who started with a handful of disciples before exploding the church into the known world several generations later.  Finally, we know that Christ was raised from the dead and we can trust in the promise that He is the first fruit of our own resurrection.  God is indeed a God who works through the first fruits before bringing the abundance of His grace to all.

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Year 3, Day 103: Jeremiah 51

Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Once more as we look at the judgment of Babylon we see the prophetic voice mixed with a call to the Hebrew people to know their redemption is near.  I find it slightly unsettling, actually, to see at the end of Jeremiah just how much of this book ties one nation’s judgment to another nation’s redemption.

As we get towards the end of the first ten verses, I think we can find a nice twist on the perspective that I outlined above.  There is talk about desiring to heal Babylon’s pain or find a balm to use to comfort her, but she would not be comforted.  She would not be comforted.

You see, true healing can only come from the Lord.  True healing can only come when we are willing to acknowledge the problem with humanity.  When we acknowledge our sinfulness and embrace our need for God, then we can be healed.  Babylon was not willing to do this.

Out of this thought comes a change to the perspective that I offered up in the first paragraph.  You see, it isn’t about one nation finding redemption at the expense of a second nation.  Rather, it is about telling the story of human humbleness and repentance.  It is not about preferential treatment.  It is about having a contrite heart before God.

Babylon is not healed because she will not repent before God.  She is torn down – much like Jerusalem was – because there was no humbleness before God.  However, a remnant of the Hebrew people will repent and will come back into a relationship with their God.  In fact, remember from the last chapter that other nations were promised restoration as well.  This isn’t about preferential treatment at all.  It is about learning to be humble, to embrace our human problems, and to come before God to receive the healing that only he can offer.

Return To The Temple

I don’t want to dwell on it for very long, but notice in verse 11 that we have a comment that almost perfectly mirrors Jeremiah 50:28.  Again we see that the Babylonian destruction of the temple in Jerusalem will be avenged.  Again we see that the Babylonian refusal to be humble before God in spite of Him being the source of their rise to power is the chief grievance that God has against them.

God’s Sovereignty

In the middle of this chapter we have a profound description of God’s power.  Jeremiah reminds us that it is God who created the universe.  It is God who inserts wisdom into mankind.  It is God who forms everything.  It is God who is our chief inheritance.  It is God who puts any worth at all into the things we make with our own hands.

This is a very profound way to help bring the book of Jeremiah to a close.  As we’ve dealt with the fall of Jerusalem and now a look into the future {from Jeremiah’s perspective} about the fall of Babylon, it is exactly the right time to bring God’s sovereignty back into the discussion.

This book really is about the relationship between God and humanity and the often lack of relationship between humanity and God.  In Jeremiah we get a profound sense of what really goes wrong when we as human beings forget our place in the universe.  When we think ourselves to be great, things go catastrophically bad quite quickly!  The proper focus is not upon us as people but upon the greatness of God.  When we humble ourselves, acknowledge His greatness, and trust in the inheritance that comes from Him – then order is restored and things are right in the universe.

Behold.  We’ve come to the end of Jeremiah to find out that the greatest problem with humanity is our refusal to accept and submit to the sovereignty of God.

Seraiah

I’ll end my reflections on this chapter on a historical note.  These words were likely given to Seraiah – the brother to Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch – to read in Babylon when Zedekiah went to Babylon in his fourth year (594 BC).  Jerusalem fell in Zedekiah’s eleventh year.  That means that this prophecy was likely given seven years prior to the fall.  The question is, why would Zedekiah have traveled to Babylon?

It is likely that Nebuchadnezzar required all of his vassals to come to Babylon just to make sure of their loyalty.  This would have been during one of the few periods where Jerusalem wasn’t revolting against Babylon.  Remember that Zedekiah was put in leadership by Nebuchadnezzar after Jehoiachin was removed by Nebuchadnezzar.  So there would have likely been a short time of peace until Zedekiah was convinced to lead an uprising of his own.

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Year 3, Day 102: Jeremiah 50

Babylon

Having finished with the nations that Babylon will conquer, Jeremiah now turns upon Babylon itself.  There will come a time when Babylon herself shall be conquered.

You might be wondering why Babylon is to be punished when God is using them to punish all the other nations.  I’ve given part of the answer already in other posts in this blog.  Babylon was known for its cruelty in conquering other nations.  Although God appointed them as the tool of His judgment, they went about it in a way that was not pleasing to God.  This goes to teach us that just because God has called us to do something does not mean that we have free reign over how it gets done.  God’s will can be accomplished in a manner that brings displeasure to God.

The other reason is because of their worship.  Although God is using Babylon, they still continue to worship Bel and Marduk (Merodach).  God is the source of their rise to greatness, but they do not give Him their worship.  This is idolatry at its finest.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a part of God’s chosen people or not.  Idolatry is idolatry in any form.

Focus on the Hebrew People

I find it really interesting that as soon as Babylon’s judgment is announced, the subject turns to the release of the Hebrew people.  In the prior chapters, Jeremiah dwelled on how the destruction was going to happen.  But with Babylon, there are more pressing matters.  When Babylon is overthrown, what really matters is that the restoration of the Hebrew people is at hand.  The second exodus is about to begin.  The toppling of Babylon is the sign for the exiles that God gives through Jeremiah.

In the day of Babylon’s fall, the Hebrew people will be like sheep returning to the fold.  They will be like young herd animals playing out in the fields.  They will have a new sense of joy for life.  They will be released to be free once more.

Of course, there are questions that should haunt everyone in the back of their mind.  Will they return to the Lord?  For how long?  Will they learn the lesson that captivity was designed to teach them?  Will they live humbly before their God?

For the record, I think it is good for me to ask those questions about myself, too.

Do Unto Her

In verses 14-15 there are some haunting words.  “Shoot at her (Babylon).  Spare no arrows.  Take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done.”  The Lord will repay.  The Lord will do to Babylon as Babylon has done to others.  As Babylon has exerted its strength in subduing the nations, so shall God allow others to exert their strength as they subdue Babylon.

There is a really huge warning here.  Jesus tells us to “Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.”  We really need to take seriously the point that we treat other people the way we would desire to be treated.  When we wield power with an uncaring bent, we can expect to be treated back the same way.  When we assert ourselves and put our foot down in a manner that demonstrates no compassion whatsoever, we can expect to receive it back.

However, if we go about leading with grace we can hope that grace will return to us.  If we go about leading with love it can be returned to us.  If we lead by thinking of the other person and not our own accolades, people will mimic that behavior.  For good or for bad, how we live will usually return unto us.

Religious Atrocity

There’s one other dynamic that I would love to pull out of this lengthy chapter of destruction.  {There is much that could be said … I must limit myself to just one more piece.}  In verse 28 we understand that God is taking something very personally. 

It was one thing for the Babylonians to conquer Judah.  That was done at God’s request.

It was another thing for them do go about it cruelly.  For that they shall be punished.

Destroying the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem was utterly treacherous.  Tearing down the temple in Jerusalem was the one act that proved that even though the Babylonians were the rod and staff in God’s hand, they were not God’s people.  They had no respect for the very God who had empowered them.  When they tore down the worship place – the dwelling place – of God among the Hebrew people, they set God’s vengeance upon themselves.

This makes me think today.  In what ways have I torn down the temple of the Lord?  In what ways have I taken grasp of the authority that God has brought into my life and used that authority in ways that denies God the glory due to His name?  In what ways have I lived so that instead of pointing towards God I have pointed towards a god of my own making?

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Year 3, Day 101: Jeremiah 49

Ammon

The Ammonites were located east of the Jordan River and north of Moab.  They played an important role after the destruction of Jerusalem in that they were behind Ishmael’s assassination of Gedaliah.  They were also an ally of Israel during the revolt of Judah against Babylon – which ultimately ended in the utter destruction of Jerusalem.  There has been conflict throughout the history of Judah and Ammon.

Ammon’s Treachery

At the beginning of this chapter Jeremiah asks 4 questions.  Does Israel have no sons?  Does Israel have no heirs?  Why then has Molech (Milcom) dispossessed Gad?  Why have the Ammonite settled in the cities of Israel?

When Assyria conquered Israel, the northern kingdom was either killed or dragged into captivity.  This left the land largely bare, although the Assyrian policy was to relocate people from other parts of their empire to newly conquered regions.  However, the Ammonites also took advantage of the downfall of Israel.  The Ammonites moved in and claimed some of the territory for their own.

This display of greed and self-centeredness irritated God.  It was bad enough that they refused to acknowledge God’s presence.  But to take over His land and the land that He had set aside for His people was an act of war.  God may have caused His people to go into bondage, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t coming back!  When Ammon seized the land of Israel, they were making a claim that they didn’t care about God’s plans at all.  What is the saying?  Get while the getting’s good!

Ammon takes advantage of Israel in their moment of God’s correction.  Ammon takes advantage of people while they are down.  God doesn’t look highly upon those who in their power take advantage of those who are weak.  I think this is a lesson that all of us can learn.

Pride

Furthermore, Ammon was prideful.  They believed in the beauty of their spaces.  They believed in the strength of their own creations.  They believed that none could come against them.  Of course, they already forgot that they were a vassal of Babylon.  For the record, God doesn’t care much for arrogant pride, either.  They would fall.

But God displays mercy here.  Ammon will be restored.  They will have an opportunity to learn the lesson.

Edom

Edom was east of the Dead Sea and south of Moab.  The Edomites are the offspring of Esau.  They have had a history of conflict with the Hebrew people since Jacob and Esau.

In fact, it is this brotherly relationship for which Edom is judged the hardest.  If God was going to punish those unrelated to the Hebrew people for their crimes, how could God not punish those related to the Hebrew people?

The destruction of Edom is going to be thorough.  More than once God tells Edom that they will be laid bare.  God compares Edom to Sodom and Gomorrah – nobody shall live there again.  Only the orphans and the widows – the outcasts and uncared for – will have a chance of surviving under God’s provision.  And unlike Ammon, there is no promise of restoration.

Syria (Damascus, Arpad, Hamath)

Syria is to the north of Ammon.  Syria had a reputation for attacking Israel and occasionally making weak alliances with Israel to attack Judah.  They had their own share of trouble with Babylon as well.

God calls Damascus a city of His joy.  Yet, there was judgment due upon them for they also did not receive God and God’s ways.  God swears to kindle a fire in Damascus and destroy their strongholds.  When Nebuchadnezzar conquers Damascus, all of the soldiers of Damascus were killed and their strongholds were burned with fire.  There is no promise of redemption, although we do know that the country continues to exist to this day.

Kedar and Hazor

Kedar was a nomadic tribe of Ishmaelites (children of Abraham through Hagar).  They were known for their archery, warlike nature, ability to trade, and their care of sheep.  Hazor is an unknown nation that apparently existed in the Arabian peninsula.

Note that these verses read with God calling forth Babylon.  God Himself wills the destruction of Kedar and Hazor at the hand of the Babylonians.  Notice that Hazor felt so secure and prideful in their remote location that they didn’t even have fortifications!  Again, there is no promise of restoration after the Babylonians come.

Elam

Elam was a distant country from Judah.  They were actually located east of Babylon, beyond the Tigris and Euphrates rivers into what is known today as Iran.  They were known for their archery.

Notice that like the Israelites, the Elamites will be scattered throughout the whole of the known world.  Interestingly enough, although Nebuchadnezzar does subjugate the Elamites, it is actually the Persians and the Medes that take over Elam and make them a part of their empire.  Then, the Persians with the help of the Elamites conquer Babylon.  Through this process, though, the Elamite nation is lost among the Persians.  In effect, they are assimilated into Persia.  Their destruction is not ultimate, though.  Here God does promise restoration to Elam.

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Year 3, Day 100: Jeremiah 48

Moab

Moab is a land that lies east of the Dead Sea.  Edom is its southern neighbor.  Ammon is its neighbor to the north.  There is a fair amount of similarity between this chapter in Jeremiah and Isaiah 16:6-12

Specific Cities

All throughout this chapter Jeremiah lists specific cities that will be overthrown by the Babylonians.  This serves a very specific purpose.  This makes the prophecy personal and directed.

Jeremiah had years of experience telling the people of Judah that the Lord was going to come against them if they did not repent.  The people of Judah had years of experience saying, “Not us, we don’t believe you.”  These were people who knew Jeremiah and supposedly also knew Jeremiah’s God.  They were supposed to care, but didn’t.

On the other hand, The Moabites wouldn’t have particularly known Jeremiah and they certainly wouldn’t have cared about Jeremiah’s God.  So in order to get them to think about the words, Jeremiah includes references to specific cities.  Jeremiah points out those individual cities that will mourn as the Babylonians come through the land.  Jeremiah is just trying to get people’s attention.

Isn’t this true about human beings?  When someone comes around with blessings, everyone wants to hear.  Everyone assumes that the blessing is for them.  But when someone comes around with a warning, nobody wants to listen.  Everyone assumes that the warning is for someone else.  How interesting it is that human beings naturally hear the best and become deaf to the worst when in reality we would be prudent to have it be the other way around!

Idolatry

God makes it clear through Jeremiah that the reason for the judgment is idolatry.  The Moabites had plenty of time to inquire about the Lord of the Hebrew people – Creator of the universe – and build a relationship with Him.  But instead they worshipped Chemoth, their own national god.  Like human beings everywhere they worshipped the works of their own hands and the idols of their own creating.  They were self-mongers to the absolute core.

As I wrote this, I began to have an internal debate about what many Christians try and do when they come upon a culture that has not heard of God.  They try to look at the culture and identify where God is already present.  {Most recently I heard this through a discussion of the Great White Spirit among native American Indian tribes – especially the Cherokee.}  Many Christians try to find God in the already present cultural expressions.  This is all well and good, we see Paul do this frequently in the New Testament as he goes about the Roman Empire establishing churches.

However, at some point the worship of the culture expression must stop.  At some point the worship of God must begin.  God has indeed hidden Himself all throughout creation and people who do not know God will find Him subtly and in a way that they cannot know Him.  But when the truth comes, the relationship with the unknown must stop in favor of the relationship with the known!

This is the error of the Moabites.  Prior to Abraham – and especially prior to Joshua – the Moabites would have never heard about God.  So they would have worshipped whatever they found in creation that drew them to God.  But when the Hebrew people are brought by God out of Egypt, the Moabites had every opportunity to develop this relationship with God.  They don’t.  They continue to worship their own creations and their own perceptions.  This stubbornness is why they are going to be judged and put under the yoke of the Babylonians.

Complacency

God also makes it clear that Moab’s complacency is reason for judgment.  They had never been taken into captivity.  They had never been oppressed.  They had never been subjugated.  They took pride in this.  It had made them complacent.

It had made them arrogant.  They assumed that they were better than others.  The Moabites grew in an unhealthy pride.  It was time for them to face judgment and experience a little humbleness before God.

This is another dynamic that I loathe about human nature.  Complacency is addictive.  We all seek that time and that place where the work is done, we feel like champions, and we can just sit back and relax.  After all, isn’t that what retirement means in the American Dream?  Are we not all longing for that time in our life when we’ve made enough that we can just kick back and “enjoy life?”  Is that not synonymous with “Look at how I’ve provided for myself?”  Is that not really what one of God’s major problems with Moab is in this chapter?  Their complacency has drawn them into pride and arrogance.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying it is wrong to be successful.  I’m also not saying it is wrong to save up and “retire.”  What I am saying is that it is wrong to do those things so that we can become complacent.  Our work on this world is never done.  God has always called us to do something in this life.  To become complacent about what we could be doing with and for God is tragic.

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