Beautiful day yesterday-- I hope you all were able to get out and enjoy it. It brightens my day when I can see the blue clouds and bright sun!
The author starts this chapter (v 1) with "since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..." Surrounded by faith! It is almost as if these witnesses are looking down on us, encouraging us, cheering us on! If we have these examples, the author then challenges us "to run the race and never give up..." (sounds much like 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." NIV). the word "race" in Greek is translated "agona" meaning conflict, struggle, agony! Keep going and fight through all the conflict, struggle and agony we have in front of us. Don't give up- easy to say but tough to do sometimes! The author then challenges us to remove things that would cause us to sin, because that is what stops our faith. Some translations say "lay aside every weight..." Puts things into a different perspective when we think of them as weights that prevent us from attaining "perfection" or at least striving to it. What would you have to give up to satisfy this request?
Look to Jesus (v 2) as the solution; some translations (NIV et al.) say " fixing our eyes on Jesus,..." Lock your eyes on Jesus, our guide, our end point, what we strive for, our inspiration, our example. Look at the faith Jesus had! He went to death for us! He saw beyond the agony and horrific pain the cross would bring to see the joy and fulfillment of God's promise (v 2c). Jesus endured so much more than we ever will- and He endured it through to victory! Imagine what is in store for us!
The next set of words from the author really resonate with me (vv 4-11). About a parent disciplining their child for the child's good. That is how the author sees God, as a parent looking out for their children. In my view- I don't see God as a punishing God, but I see God letting things play out the way we decide, then using that to correct us. I don't think we ever really punished out two daughters, but we let them make decisions, some unwise,and then taught the lessons after. They did get some spankings (very rarely) when they were small, but they were for their protection. Maybe God does that to us? Maybe God gives us spankings occasionally to get us from making stupid mistakes? In the Hebrew Scriptures we read much about God's vindication and God's wrath- not so much in the Gospels. Your thoughts?? My parents never really "disciplined" us when we were kids; they were firm, they were fair, they were honest about the decisions we made. We respected our parents and didn't do anything (at least I didn't!) that would disappoint them!
One of my favorite sayings to my kids in school (and even my people at Little Meadows) was "Suck it up, buttercup!" This is what I hear the author saying in v 12. Deal with what you've done and start over again. If you turn around, you can still be saved. Remember, the audience is Jews that were following Christ that have become disillusioned and are now turning back to Judaism. The author's plea is to come back and be saved (v 13). Do we hear that plea sometimes: Come back!
Get right with people and with God (v 14); be selective in our relationships and stay away from those that will cause you to do bad (v 15-16). How easy is that- to stay away from certain people? Steer clear of unholy people. I see them as rocks barely submerged in a river that you have to navigate around as you are paddling a boat. If you hit one, you crash! The story of Esau here may be confusing. I think the author is saying- don't be so anxious to get something or be something that you sell yourself short on God. Don't do something foolish (sell your birthright) for the hope of something immediate.
The next set of verses (vv 18- 21) the author discusses Mount Sinai. In Exodus 19:10-25, we hear an explanation of what it was like when Israel came to Mount Sinai. The mountain was fenced off; there was no trespassing on pain of death. The Israelites were commanded to wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations. There was thunder, lightning and a thick cloud. There was the sound of a trumpet, calling forth the nation to meet with God. There was more smoke, like a furnace, and earthquakes; then the trumpet sounded long – until Moses spoke, and God Himself answered. God spoke to Israel from Sinai, but warned them in every way possible to stay away. This is the fear that the Jews had about their God. How does that settle with you? The author is saying God is not like that now, God is the God from Mount Zion (vv 22-24). Mount Zion is the location of Jerusalem. We are in a different place. Our relationship with God is not modeled after Israel’s experience on Mount Sinai. We come to God’s other mountain: Zion- a place of love and forgiveness, a place of the Living God, a place of perfection and heavenly things, a place of grace and forgiveness (see UMH#733- "Marching to Zion") . A new covenant! Zion is a place of refuge. What is your place of refuge?
But, the author warns (vv 25-29), listen to God! This cannot be emphasized enough! The people that this letter is for know the consequences of not listening to God. We should know the consequences of not listening to God- but do we? All he time? In all place? Do we??
Chapter 13 is a continuation of these ideas. About good and faithful living. We will read chapter 13 tomorrow and then move on to our next book Colossians.
Colossians is only 4 chapters. The book following is Luke. Most of us have (except Cindy I think) read Luke for the December reading challenge- so I propose that we skip Luke and move right into Acts- the next in the reading challenge sequence. Thoughts??
Have a great day. Enjoy the return of winter!!
Shalom+
Pastor Paul
It seems to me that the God portrayed in Hebrews is the God of the OT. In my translation KJV - it says that the spectators in 12: 1-3 are the heroes of the past that were just mentioned - those that did great things because of their faith - who encourage us on to run the race - no matter how difficult - to the finish line - everlasting life. I like that imagery. I think I would have to give up life in order to remove those things from my life that tempt me to sin (LOL) because it is all the things around me, all the people I interact with, all the temptations that I encounter everyday that cause me to sin. I wish it were as easy as cleaning out my cupboards and refrigerators of foods that tempt me to go off a diet. Tn commenting about vs. 4-11, you talk about disciplining your children mostly about things that will harm them, buts that's because they did not know that what they were doing harmed them. I disciplined my children to keep them safe but also when they were acting inappropriately (lying, hurting someone - stuff like that) - usually time outs or grounding as they got older. However, let's say that your children made those decisions you spoke about and you then taught them the lesson after the decision did the same thing again.....and then again...and then..... How would you discipline them then? The author not only tells us that God will punish us as our earthly parents did BUT ALSO that if you KNOW and then continue to do what is wrong, you are punished MORE! And that makes sense - just by going by what you said you did as a parent and what I did as a parent. You, as a young person, tried not to disappoint your parents just as we, as Christians, try not to disappoint God. But we do when we sin and again and again. My God is a loving God, just as we are as parents, but also a God that does punish - to keep us on the straight and narrow. If He didn't, we would not be good Christians, just as our own children without any type of punishment, would be good people. I honestly don't think we should stay away from certain people (vs. 14-16). Jesus didn't and we are to emulate Him. Maybe better to have those "heroes" of faith around us to protect us when we do????d I don't want to live with the fear of God that the Jews did then, however, if God is my parent, then I feel we should live in some sort of fear - even if it is the fear of disappointing or having Him turn His back on us. As an adult I was in "fear" of disappointing my earthly parents and, therefore, curbed my actions so I wouldn't. I hope that's as clear as it is in my head - LOL. Vs 16 and 17 in KJV refers to Esau who for "one morsel of meat sold his birthright". But after, when he was to inherit his blessing, he was rejected because when Esau tried to repent he only did so because he wanted the blessing - not because he was really sorry for the way he acted! I think that goes to us asking forgiveness - we must REALLY mean it, REALLY be sorry, REALLY try not to do it again in order to be forgiven. If the Bible, in many places both OT and NT tells us to have some sort of fear of God, why wouldn't we? It is easy to think - why did these people that the author is writing to want to turn away from Christianity and back to Judaism. But I keep forgetting that they were living with prejudice, hatred, and even physical violence. I hope to "run with patience the race that is set before" me!
ReplyDeleteI am ok with skipping Luke if everyone else is. I will refresh myself by reading all the comments about Luke that are here!
Hmmm...isn't it the same God?? A good friend of mine, Al Bailey, and I used to have intense discussions about the God of the Hebrew Bible and the God of the New testament! But I see the argument!!
DeleteI also like the analogy of running a race. I have used the 2 Timothy passage at several funerals- especially when the person has had a tough long battle.
I like your comment about having the Heroes of Faith around us to guide us. I think of several people in my life that have been instrumental in my faith development and I think about how they would react/ respond in many situations. They are there to guide me.
Living in fear- even a small amount is tough for me. I look at living in respect...not sure if it is different, but that is how I feel. I hope my kids didn't fear me, I hope they respected me enough to make wiser decisions. That's how I look at my relationship with God. I don't fear God, but I respect God enough to hopefully make the right or wiser decision.
Great words Donna! Thanks!
The author wants us to train like we are training to win a race by keeping the weight(sin) from our body. I didn't like so much reading about God punishing us It sound so much like the OT and not the NT with the new covenant where Jesus is there and forgives us our sins if we ask and really mean it. But I can understand that we do the same with our children . The reference to Mt Sinai where even Moses trembles in God's presence compared to Mt Zion can change the fear and trembling to that of joy. If we have faith and do away with what is sinful,immoral etc and embrace what is good true and righteous. I think I got it halfway right anyhow.
ReplyDeleteGod's punishing is tough for me to get! But I understand! I am not a fan of reading about the Hebrew Bible God either!
DeleteYou say a good point... "Jesus is there and forgives us our sins if we ask and really mean it." If we really mean it!!
Yes, Mt Zion is joy and love...if we can live the way God desires of us!
Good comments Clara!
We use the word punishing when referring to these verses. I keep thinking guiding might be a better word. We certainly disciplined our children but it was also to keep them safe and to hopefully teach them to become good and kind adults. I was very lucky to have very kind and loving parents who I didn’t want to disappoint. As with god because of our faith we don’t want to disappoint. I think when teaching children about god I think we have to be careful about the fear of god. One of my daughters and a nephew both went through a period when they were young were they were so worried that if they were not perfect they would go to hell. Which may sound funny but it was truly frightening for them.
ReplyDeleteI am okay with skipping Luke because you have all read it and can read it on my own.
I like "guiding" too Cindy! That's a more comfortable way of looking at it! I too had great parents and would always strive to not disappoint them- as you mention. I remember saying to one of my kids in school "You disappointed me." and she was crushed and burst into tears saying that she wanted to be a disappointment to me! It hurt me to hear her say that I hurt her with my words too!
DeleteIn the Methodist tradition, we are all about a forgiving and grace-filled God. John Wesley (our founder) was not one to preach sin and hell. Some denominations, with the concept of pre-destination, may have a different philosophy on the fear of God.
Re: Luke- you can go back in this blog and read my (and others) comments if you decide to read Luke. I can also bounce ideas around with you via email of phone too!
Nice comments Cindy! Thanks
I agree with Donna that God in this book seems like the OT God. In all the letters that we’ve read, it just doesn’t seem like we hear much about God offering grace. That even though we don’t and can’t ever really deserve it, grace is offered to us. It seems to me that in the first 4 books we hear more about loving one another, salvation because God loves us so much, etc. but for me, all these letters emphasize judgement day, punishment, and rules to follow. Does anybody else see it that way?
ReplyDeleteI hear what you are saying! We do have a different view of the Hebrew Bible God than we do the NT God...but remember we look at the Hebrew Bible through the eyes of Jesus when we read them. And also, many of the Pauline letters were written before the Gospels and they were written to the beginning churches (many of who were Jewish converts).
DeleteI see the "struggle" you are having with the epistles!
Good points Cathy!
I agree, Cathy. I get that the new covenant says we are now given life everlasting with no more “sacrifices” because Jesus was sacrificed. But I can’t find where it says that God will not “punish” (I agree, Cindy, maybe not the best word) us anymore - in some way. It just says because of Jesus we will now be forgiven if we acknowledge our sins and really mean it. Even early Christians in this country felt God was someone to be a little feared. Have we, in modern times, made God too “soft’? Not too loving or too forgiving but too soft? I can tell you when I was down a path I should not have been down, my life was not happy or not peaceful. Because of my decisions? Or because of God doing a little punishing?
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that we are comparing God as a father to our earthly fathers. Mine wasn’t kind and loving. That puts a different spin on things. I wouldn’t look forward to a heavenly life with a God that compares to life with my earthly father.
ReplyDeleteAnd that, Cathy, is one huge reason why we (in ministry) try to talk about God as God-- not father, not mother. I have been called out a few times by some of my people about not referring to God as He...In fact, I can distinctly remember in a Mother's day message calling God "she" and "Mother" through the whole thing. At the end, there was a note handed to me emphatically stating that God is not a woman God is a man and that if I continued using the female reference to God, I wouldn't be at the church much longer! If I do reference God as father, I always add in mother.
DeleteGreat point Cathy!
Blue clouds? What has happened to New York since I left?
ReplyDeleteDue to my surgery and in spite of my good intentions, I did not complete the Luke challenge. I want to cover it at some point, but if everyone wants to move on, we can do it on our own.
Rhea and I were discussing the noises and earth shaking that were talked about in this chapter. It occurs to me that the loud noises and shaking in this chapter may have been caused by earthquakes and/or volcanoes. I cannot explain this easily the voice of God booming out over the earth in response to Moses. If this happened then, why doesn't it happen now?
Yes, I received my share (and more) of corporal punishment when I was a child. Then, suddenly it stopped. I found myself quite confused. I was told when I asked that "it was up to me", but I don't think I was ready for that step. I will aver to this day that God was telling me that it was time to put the beer down on that night that I have discussed here. His punishment was all the grief I put up with while I was drinking. I knew I was going astray, and I thank the good Lord that I didn't kill or hurt anybody physically. I know, however, that I did hurt the ones I love and the guilt will follow me forever. God is punishing me for those wrongs. There are many more things in my life that I am punishing myself for and I pray that God has forgiven me or will forgive me.
Re: Luke- you can go back and read the comments from earlier in this blog- or you can send email to me to bounce ideas around!
DeleteGood point about earthquakes and volcanoes! People had to explain these things somehow- and so potentially, when the earth shook- it was God's voice! How else could they explain it. They didn't know about tectonic plates!
Guilt is a really huge punishment! And I hear what you are saying Jack. I am sure God has forgiven what you've done, and there is grace there if you are ready to accept it.
Thanks for sharing Jack
We discipline our children, because we loved them, helped them on there way in life. God discipline us for our own good. We may not no it at the time, we do know the rules. It keeps us on the path to produce good fruits and Gods promises of joy in heaven. It scares me to think that God will shake heaven and earth and is a consuming fire. But he doesn't put anything before us that we can handle
ReplyDeleteYou are right- we do know the rules and we should follow them to stay on the right path! But do we always?! There may be some slight course correction needed!
DeleteGood point RoseMarie!
Yes it's alright with me to skip Luke.
ReplyDelete