Monday, July 7, 2014

Morning Meditations 7/7/14

Hebrews 12:25-29

Continuing from yesterday, Hebrews 12:25 starts right off by telling the reader to not refuse Him who speaks.  As a christian, this is one of those passages that we hear/read and pass over quickly because why would we ever refuse Him who speaks?  The issue i think is that we refuse Him more than we would like to admit.  Maybe not every believer but certainly a large subset of them.  Essentially whenever I choose sin I refuse His voice. This passage though is speaking more to those who are contemplating turning away from Christ, which some days would be me I guess.  The writer again recalls those who rejected God at Mount Sinai as "they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth." (v. 25)  He likens those who turn away from Him who spoke on earth to us who turn away from Christ now, saying, "much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven." (v. 25) I think this is again drawing the parallel between old and new testament just as the previous passage had done.  This one is different though.  The last passage contrasted the foundations of two belief systems and how one was rooted on the earth and the other was rooted in heaven.  Here, the writer is exhorting the reader (I think) that though the foundations differ in wonderful ways, it is imperative that you still do not turn away from His voice.  He requires obedience regardless and to turn away would be at your own peril.

Verse 26 describes His voice as shaking the earth but adds, "now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." (v.26) Verse 27 and 28 elaborate, "Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."  I think this is again referring to the temporal nature of the earthly kingdom and contrasting it with the eternal nature of the Heavenly Kingdom.  I wonder after reading this passage and the last if this is a useful text in sharing Christ with Jewish people? I have no way of knowing, maybe one of yall can shed some light on that.  Anyway, the passage ends in verse 29 which says "For our God is a consuming fire."  This is a good meditation verse I think.  The human heart and spirit needs to understand the nature of our God in order to serve and love Him.  I invite anyone who happens to read this to think on Him being a consuming fire.  I think it is a beautiful description of Him in light of everything else He is, particularly when contrasted with our enemy.

Thanks for reading, this is of course all for His glory.  I hope this blessed someone today.

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