Recap

So far in Hebrews, we've read through the comparison between Jesus and the angels, the Torah, Moses, and the promised land. Likely written in the 60s CE to Jewish Christians, the letter demonstrates how everything in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. The letter opened establishing the supremacy of Jesus in all things. Where previously God spoke to his people through his prophets, he now speaks through Jesus.

The author then started to compare Jesus to angels. While angels served as ministers and messengers, Jesus was the Son of God, the reflection of God’s glory, and the exact imprint of God’s being. Through Jesus, God created the world, and now he sustains all things. Angels served, but Jesus ruled as king.

Then the author issued a warning. The Torah was delivered by angels and was binding. It brought judgement to those who rejected it. Therefore, how much greater would the consequences be for rejecting the salvation brought by Jesus? Unlike the Torah, which emphasised law and judgment, Jesus’ message was confirmed by miracles, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the witness of those who had seen him. Jesus brought freedom and redemption, offering a far greater covenant than the one delivered through angels.

The author also explored the role of humanity in God’s plan. Humans were created to rule over creation. Jesus, by taking on humanity, fulfilled this role. He became temporarily lower than angels, suffering and dying to defeat death and the devil. Through his resurrection, Jesus led humanity into glory, making believers his brothers and sisters. 

Next up the author compared Jesus to Moses. While Moses faithfully served God’s house as a prophet and priest, Jesus is greater. Moses was a servant in the tabernacle, but Jesus is the Son over God’s house, the ultimate temple where people meet God. Believers who trust in Jesus become part of God’s household and share in his greater promise. The author warned against hardening hearts and rebelling against God, as the Israelites did in the wilderness. Despite witnessing miracles and being freed from slavery, their lack of faith kept them from the promised land’s rest.

Believers now have the hope of a greater rest in Jesus. A rest that begins now but will be fully realised in God’s eternal kingdom. They must encourage one another to remain faithful, knowing that God’s word reveals truth and holds all accountable. Believers are called to hold fast to their faith. They are to trust in Jesus’ greater promise of eternal rest, which far surpasses the temporary rest of the promised land.

Hebrews 5-6

Having described Jesus as a high priest a couple of times now, the author begins to unpack what that means. In the human, high priests are individuals chosen from among the people to be the one to stand before God on their behalf.

The high priest is the one who takes the people’s offerings before God, and who makes the sacrifices needed to cleanse them of their sins. He knows what it’s like to sin so he can have sympathy towards those who struggle, though he does have to make sacrifices for his own sin.

Someone can’t just decide they are the high priest. They’re not elected, but chosen and appointed by God.

In the same way, Jesus was appointed by God to be a high priest. He did not elect himself. The author quotes Psalm 2:7 and Psalm 110:4 to show that the plan was always for Jesus to fulfil this role. It describes Jesus as a priest in the ‘order of Melchizedek’ (Hebrews 5:6). The author is going to unpack this more later on in Hebrews 7.

So like normal high priests, Jesus was appointed by God. He prays and cries out to God on behalf of believers like a high priest. Jesus submitted to God in obedience like a servant, even though he had the rights of a son.

This obedience and suffering made Jesus perfect, unlike normal high priests who are sinful and have to make offerings for their own sin. Because of this perfection, Jesus was then able to become the source of eternal life for believers. In defeating sin, he empowers believers to defeat sin, as long as they are faithful and obedient to him.

Turning back to the original reader, the author then challenges them for their immaturity in the faith. They have failed to understand these ideas, which then makes it hard for the author to teach them deeper things, like Jesus’ priesthood, in the order of Melchizedek. They have become sluggish in the faith.

These believers have been around the faith long enough that they should be capable enough to teach others about these things. Instead, it feels like they have to be constantly taught and reminded of the basics. The author draws on the imagery of a baby unable to eat solid foods.

These believers can only be taught the basics because they are not able to digest deeper more complicated doctrine. This is a maturity issue. Those who are actively practising how to distinguish between good and evil then have the capacity to understand deeper things.

This leads to a warning and a challenge to grow and mature in the faith. Believers should be well established in the teachings of repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, and the final judgement. Being established in them, they can then put them to one side, confident in them. This then frees them up to wrestle through other topics.

The author is hopeful that this is possible for these believers, as long as God is willing. This shows a recognition that ultimately, maturity comes from God in a willing believer, not from the striving of a believer themselves.

This brings us to the strongest part of the warning. The author claims it is impossible for someone who has experienced the faith, the Holy Spirit and the transformative power of God, and then turned away to return to the faith. It would be like crucifying Jesus all over again and treating his sacrifice with contempt.

There are a couple of interpretations for this passage. Some argue this is clear evidence that if someone walks away from the faith, they can’t ever return. We don’t seem to see this elsewhere in the New Testament, though. For example, Peter willingly denied Jesus three times in the gospels and then in Acts went on to lead 3,000 to salvation.

We also have a couple of times where Paul recommends casting someone out of the church for their sin, and ‘handing them over to Satan’ with the hope that they will realise the error of their ways (see 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:19–20).

To get round this, some argue that those who walk away from the faith were never true Christians anyway, so if they return it’s okay because they didn’t properly experience it the first time round.

But looking at the context, the author is talking about maturity. It seems then that the author might not be talking about those who have believed, fully reject the faith and gone away, then realised the error of their ways and repent and come back.

Instead, they might be talking about those who claim to be believers, become part of the community, but never really let the gospel transform them. These people are immature and continue to indulge their sin, but because they continue to be around believers and in the church, they are calcifying themselves against its challenge.

These people have heard hundreds of preaches already and have not changed their ways. They clearly don’t appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus has made because they aren’t allowing it to impact their living.

The author of Hebrews uses the metaphor of crops vs weeds. If God’s power and the message of the gospel are like rain, saturating the ground of those who hear it, there will be those who are saturated and produce crops that are a blessing to God.

But there are others who are also saturated by the rain that produce weeds. They’ve had access to the same rain, but it has produced nothing valuable in them and will eventually be done away with and burnt.

The warning, then, is to pursue growth in faith. Don’t be a believer who hears and experiences the gospel but doesn’t grow in maturity in it. The author mentions that while they bring this warning, they are hopeful and confident that these believers won’t end up like this but will grow in maturity.

God is a God of justice and love. If there are those who are genuinely pursuing the gospel and showing love, but maybe are just struggling, God will acknowledge that. The author’s goal is just to see these believers diligent in the faith and the promises of God, not being sluggish, but faithful.

Picking up the language of promise, the author points to Abraham as an example of this. God made a promise to Abraham and Abraham was faithful in pursuing that promise because of the confidence he had.

On a human level, if someone makes a promise, then, typically, we take them at their word and trust they will do what they say. How much more so then, when God has given believers promises, and explained and taught about those promises through Jesus? God is not a liar. His promises are not false.

Therefore, believers have a confidence that what God has promised is true. This hope should lead to a faithfulness like Abraham’s. A hope that we can enter into God’s presence, which Jesus went before us as high priest. He will be our high priest forever.

Psalm 25

This psalm is attributed to king David and falls into the category of lament psalm. Biblical lament is whenever a person takes their pains, hurts, and frustrations before God. It tends to include four steps; turning to God, bringing the complaint, making a request of God, and then declaring trust in God. 

This psalm has some interesting things of note about its structure. The first is that it is an acrostic. Each verse starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The second is that it is a chiasm, where the passage reflects on itself.

a) Psalm 25:1 - God is my hope

b) Psalm 25:2 - Protect me from shame

c) Psalm 25:3 - But shame the treacherous

d) Psalm 25:4-5a - Be my salvation

e) Psalm 25:5b - I will wait 

f) Psalm 25:6 - Remember your mercy

g) Psalm 25:7 - Forget my sins

h) Psalm 25:8-9 - Instruct the meek

i) Psalm 25:10-12 - Be faithful and forgive me, Lord

h) Psalm 25:12-13 - Instruct the God-fearing

g) Psalm 25:14-15 - God’s friendship keeps me from sin

f) Psalm 25:16a - Be gracious to me

e) Psalm 25:16b - I will wait

d) Psalm 25:17-18 - Be my salvation

c) Psalm 25:19 - Take note of the violent

b) Psalm 25:20 - Protect me from shame

a) Psalm 25:21-22 - God is my hope

The various steps of lament are woven throughout this psalm, rather than having sections of their own. The psalmist opens by turning to God and declaring their trust in him. They ask that he protect them from shame and their enemies.

They focus inward and ask God to lead them and teach them, forgiving their sins. In this, they recognise their own failings and shortcomings. They appeal to God’s faithfulness and love. This combination of God’s faithfulness and love leading him to lead the psalmist and forgive their sins makes up a good section of the psalm (Psalm 25:4-15).

Next up is a clearer focus on the struggles the psalmist is facing. They feel lonely and troubled (Psalm 25:16-18). They have many enemies who seek them harm (Psalm 25:19). Having laid out their complaint, the psalmist ends with one more request for protection and a declaration of trust that God will intervene.