Hebrews. The Abrahamic Interpretation. Jay Snell

Transcription

1 Hebrews The Abrahamic Interpretation Jay Snell

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3 Hebrews The Abrahamic Interpretation Jay Snell Evangelistic Association PO Box 59 Livingston, TX Fax:

4 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Copyright 2001 by Jay Snell. Published by Jay Snell Evangelistic Association, P. O. Box 59, Livingston, Texas All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law. First Printing 2001 Printed in the United States of America ii

5 Table of Contents Introduction.7 Chapter One..15 Chapter Two..19 Chapter Three 25 Chapter Four.33 Chapter Five. 41 Chapter Six 55 Chapter Seven...65 Chapter Eight 75 Chapter Nine.79 Chapter Ten...87 Chapter Eleven..93 Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen. 107 Chapter Fourteen. 111 Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen..133 iii

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7 Abbreviations Rather than using footnotes in this work, we have selected to insert the following simple form of documentation right into the paragraph in which we allude to, refer to, or quote another authority: (JS3, P147) In the preceding parenthesis, the beginning capital letters, JS, stands for the name of the author quoted or alluded to. The 3 stands for the volume of his work referred to. The P147 stands for the page number where the quote or reference occurs. Consequently, the meaning of the above parenthesis is Jay Snell, Volume 3, Page 147. A glance below tells you the author is Jay Snell and the name of the work cited is The Unbroken Force of Abraham s Blessings. This is Volume 3 of his work and the quote occurs on page 147. (AC3, Romans to Revelation) = Adam Clarke, Vol 3, Romans to Revelation (ATR5, Hebrews) = A. T. Robertson, Vol 5. Word Pictures in the New Testament (BW) = Brooks and Winbery, Syntax of New Testament Greek (DM) = Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (GWB) = George W. Buchanan, To the Hebrews; Volume 36 in The Anchor Bible (JHT) = J. H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (JS1) = Jay Snell, What are Abraham s Blessings Anyway? (JS2) = Jay Snell, What ve They Done with Abraham s Blessings? (JS3) = Jay Snell, The Unbroken Force of Abraham s Blessings (JS4_ = Jay Snell, How to Obtain Abraham s Blessings (KW2) = Kenneth Wuest, Vol. 2, Hebrews, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament (MFU) = Merrill F. Unger, Unger s Bible Dictionary (RCHL) = R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Epistle of James (TDNT) = Theological Dictionary of New Testament Theology, One Volume Edition (UVW) = Unger, Vine and White, Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words iv

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9 Introduction How to Understand the Book of Hebrews Here s what we show you to make the Book of Hebrews crystal clear for you: 1. We show you to whom the Book of Hebrews was written. 2. We show you how the Abrahamic covenant works. 3. We show you the real purpose of Moses law. 4. We show you how Moses law worked in conjunction with Abraham s covenant. 5. We show you the Six Things Jesus did to Moses law that changed the Old Testament system forever. 6. We show you the skillful way the author used pronouns in the Book of Hebrews. 7. We give our outline of this book at the end of this introduction. In this Introduction, we briefly explain each of these seven items. They are not complicated. You do not have to remember them. Therefore, you don t have to memorize them. After the following brief explanation, we will use them and apply them for you in the balance of this commentary. As we use them, you will clearly see and understand how they work. Then, you will remember them. 1) To whom was Hebrews written? First, it was not written to Gentiles. It was not written to Gentile Christians. There is nothing in the Book of Hebrews that was written directly to Gentiles--Christian or otherwise. Lenski said it well. The recipients of this epistle were not Gentiles although such a view has been advocated. Nor were they a mixed group, partly Jewish, partly Gentile. Hebrews nowhere deals with or addresses Gentile Christian readers; and it is impossible to assume that Hebrews is addressed only to the Jewish members of a mixed group to the exclusion of the Gentile members. (RCHL, Hebrews, P14) Some things in Hebrews apply to Gentile Christians by grafting, but not one thing applies to Gentiles directly. You Gentile Christians cannot find yourself in Hebrews except those places that God grafted you into the Abrahamic covenant on an equal footing with the Hebrews themselves. (Of course, many practical, devotional, and faith building lessons exist for Gentile Christians in Hebrews.) Consequently, you Gentile Christians are grafted into most of the positives in Hebrews. But you are not in the negatives. Second, it was written to the Hebrew people. (The original audience might have been a house church.) Even though the original audience might have been a house church, the Author wrote its message to them as a people, a nation. (In this work, we always refer to the Author of Hebrews as our Author or the Author. ) Furthermore, he addressed certain groups within the Hebrew nation. Actually, he divided them into three distinct groups and addressed each group separately. Finally, he divided the third group below into three more, distinct groups. Group One: He addressed some of the Book to the Hebrews as a complete entity, that is, as a nation of people. Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 7

10 Introduction Group Two: He addressed some of it to the group (out of the nation) who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, Savior and final sacrifice for their sin under Moses law. Group Three: He addressed some of it to another group of them (out of the nation) who had not accepted Jesus as their Messiah, Savior and final sacrifice for their sin under Moses law. He also divided this group into three more distinct groups. Group 3A: This group had absolutely, finally and irrevocably rejected Jesus as the final sacrifice for their sin under Moses law. Group 3B: This group was considering accepting Jesus as the final sacrifice for their sin under Moses law, but were undecided. Group 3C: This group professed to have accepted Jesus as the final sacrifice for their sin under Moses law, but they had never actually done so. They were professors only. They professed but did not possess. We have Group 3C above in the churches today. How many members of the church do you know who talk the talk but do not walk the walk. How many of them profess but do not possess? 2) How the Abrahamic covenant works In Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham that was composed of Sixty Different Promises. Thirteen of these Sixty Promises pertained to Gentiles. See Chapter 1 in our book, What are Abraham s Blessings Anyway?. for a complete list of the Sixty Promises. (The book is free on the Internet-- The key term in these Sixty Promises is the word bless. This word contains four basic things that belonged to Abraham, to his physical descendants, and to us Gentile Christians by grafting. 1. Physical Healing for their body 2. Prosperity for their pocket book 3. Family Well Being 4. Salvation for their soul In addition to these four things contained in the term bless, this covenant also contained God s promise of the land. Remember this well: God gave the land in addition to the four things contained in the concept of bless that are listed above. The addition of the land, therefore, gave them these five things: healing, prosperity, family well being, salvation, and land. Later, we shall see that, in addition to these five, He gave them two more, wonderful blessings. The beauty of these four things, plus the land, was that the Hebrews were born with them. They did not have to get them. Because they were born into the Abrahamic covenant, they had them. These blessings were theirs by birthright. They did not have to earn them. They were the givens of the Abrahamic covenant blessing system. Page 8 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

11 Introduction Previously, we said that thirteen of these Sixty Promises pertained to Gentiles. As we shall see later, God grafts us Gentiles (who accept Jesus as our personal Savior) into the four blessings listed above, because of these thirteen Promises that pertain to us. The promise of land, however, is exclusively Hebrew. We Gentiles have absolutely no part in the Promise of the land. We do, however, share equally with the Hebrews, the Abrahamic Promise of blessing. Therefore, healing, prosperity, family well-being and salvation belongs to us Christian Gentiles as well as the Hebrews. Dear Reader, as you read through Hebrews, you will discover that its basic message is how to acquire the fulfillment of the promise God made with Abraham. (GWB P246) You will discover that the main purpose of the Book of Hebrews was that Jesus self-sacrifice was the perfect gift needed to motivate God to fulfill for them the promise he had made to Abraham. (GWB P266) 3) The real purpose of Moses law God neither gave Moses law to enable the Hebrews to work their way into heaven nor obtain by works any of the four things contained in the blessing covenant. In other words, they could not earn healing, prosperity, family well-being or salvation by the works of Moses law. This was never its purpose. This was never what God intended for it. Then what was its real purpose? To maintain the Abrahamic blessings for the Hebrew people-- even when they sinned--was its purpose. In other words, God gave the Law not only to deal with the Hebrews sin problem but also to deal with it in such a way that no Hebrew lost one thing promised him in the Sixty Promises. In other words, the Scriptures declare clearly that the Law of Moses was given to maintain the blessings in the Abrahamic covenant while dealing with the sin problem of these people. The Scriptures below trumpet this truth to us: God gave Moses law to maintain the Abrahamic blessings for them even when they sinned. Deut 7:11-12 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: (KJV) In verse 11 above, God commanded the Hebrews to keep the Law of Moses. Then, verse 12 He promised them that if they keep and do the commands of Moses law, then He would keep the blessings flowing for them without interruption. Of course, the uninterrupted blessings were those that He had already given to them in the Abrahamic covenant. See our book, What are Abraham s Blessings Anyway?. It s free on the Internet-- The expression, the covenant and mercy which he sware unto thy fathers, is synonymous with the Abrahamic covenant. Verse 9 below demonstrates this for us. Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 9

12 Introduction Deut 7:9 9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (KJV) In this context, the above Scripture shows that covenant and mercy and the Abrahamic covenant are one and the same thing. See also Luke I: and 72. These three verses also show us that covenant and mercy is in fact the Abrahamic covenant. Obviously the keeping of the Law caused God to maintain, or keep, the Abrahamic blessings flowing without interruption for them even when they sinned. Furthermore, He gave them a partial list of these blessings in verses 13 through 15 below. And, in verse 13 below, is emphatic and should be translated even, specifically, or namely. To put it differently, God promised in verse 12, to keep the Abrahamic blessings flowing for them because they kept the commands of the Law, which included making the proper sacrifice. Then, in verses 13 through 15, he lists specifically, by name, some of the Abrahamic blessings that He will continue flowing their way. Deut 7: And (even, namely or specifically,) he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. (Parentheses mine) 14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. 15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. (KJV) Dear Reader, you should make a list of these blessings on a separate sheet of paper and learn them. You should learn them because we Gentile Christians are grafted into them on an equal footing with the Hebrews. Consequently, they belong to us also. 4) How God Made the Abrahamic covenant and Moses law function as a unit. Here s how Abraham s covenant and Moses law worked together. God gave the Hebrews healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation in the Abrahamic covenant. About 430 years later, God determined to deal with their sins in such a way that none of them lost anything He promised them in the covenant. Here s how He did this. When a Hebrew sinned in the Old Testament, Moses law required him to make certain kinds of sacrifices to fit his sins. Keep in mind that the sacrifices were commanded in Moses law. It also Page 10 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

13 Introduction contained specific directions concerning what kind of sacrifice to make, when to make it, the manner in which it was to be made and where to make it. When a Hebrew sinned, all he had to do was just make the right sacrifice in the right manner. He just had to follow the directions in the Law about making the sacrifices. When he properly made the sacrifices described above, the blessings in the Abrahamic covenant kept flowing for him without interruption. God simply winked at his sin. He simply did not see it because it was temporarily covered by the sacrifice the sinning Hebrew made for his specific sin. Acts 17:30 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (KJV) If a Hebrew sinned and did not make the proper Mosaic sacrifice, he lost everything he had by birth in the Abrahamic covenant. He lost his blessings of healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation. This loss continued until the sinning Hebrew repented of his sin and demonstrated his repentance by making the proper sacrifice. In this way, God s covenant with Abraham worked in conjunction (as a unit) with Moses law. The Abrahamic covenant was God s promise to bless. The Mosaic sacrifices kept the blessings flowing. The Abrahamic covenant defined the blessings and the Mosaic sacrifices maintained them. As the sinning Hebrew sacrificed, God winked at his sin, because in the mind and plan of God, it was covered by the sacrifice. To put it differently, the sacrifice temporarily blotted the sin from God s view. See our book, What ve They Done with Abraham s Blessing? Again, this book is free on the Internet. Go to 5) Jesus did Six Things to Moses law that completely eliminated it and changed the entire Old Testament System forever This unit system the combination of the Abrahamic covenant and Moses law--continued until Jesus came. Upon His death, Jesus did Six Things to the Law of Moses that changed the Old Testament system forever. (See Ephesians 2:14-16 and Colossians 2:14 below.) These two Scriptures contain the Six Things Jesus did to the Law of Moses. Eph 2: For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (KJV) Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 11

14 Introduction Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (KJV) From the above Scriptures, we can readily see the Six Things Jesus did to Moses law to get it completely out of the way. 1. He broke it down. 2. He abolished it. 3. He slew it. 4. He blotted it out. 5. He took it out of the way. 6. He nailed it to his cross. Having done away with the Moses law, Jesus became God s final sacrifice for sin. Upon Jesus death, God no longer accepted the blood of bulls, goats, cows, and sheep. Now, He only accepts the blood of Jesus for the Hebrew sin problem. Therefore, beginning with Jesus death and continuing throughout this age, each individual Hebrew must make a choice. He can accept Jesus as God s final sacrifice for sin under Moses law and God will continue the flow of blessings He gave him in the Abrahamic covenant. He will continue for him (without interruption) the blessings of healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation. If he refuses to accept Jesus as God s final sacrifice for sin under the Mosaic system, he instantly loses what he had by birth in the Abrahamic covenant. He loses his healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation. Note this well! He lost the salvation he had by birth; he fell from the grace he was born into. Obviously, the Hebrew who rejected Jesus was as lost (unsaved) as any heathen who ever lived. Previously we said that Gentiles were included in thirteen of the Sixty Promises to Abraham. Those thirteen Promises could not and did not become valid until Jesus eliminated the Law of Moses. Since He eliminated it, Gentiles can be saved. They can accept Jesus as their personal Savior. When they do, they are grafted into the same salvation, healing, prosperity and family well being that the Hebrews have enjoyed since Abraham received the covenant from God, beginning in Genesis 12. See the first three volumes of our books on the Abrahamic covenant: What are Abraham s Blessings Anyway?; What ve They Done with Abraham s Blessings?; and The Unbroken Force of Abraham s Blessings. They are free on the Internet-- These Hebrews were born into these Abrahamic blessings. Gentiles were not. The Hebrews accept Christ to maintain the Abrahamic blessings. Gentiles accept Christ to obtain the Abrahamic blessings. They obtain them because, simultaneous with accepting Christ, God grafts them (Gentiles) into the Abrahamic blessing system on an absolute equal footing with the Hebrews. Page 12 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

15 Introduction Remember this! The Hebrews are born into the Abrahamic blessings. Gentiles are grafted into them. Hebrews accept Christ to maintain the blessings. Gentiles accept Christ and obtain them because God instantly grafts them into the blessings. 6) The Skillful Way the Author Used Pronouns You will be amazed as you see our Author skillfully use pronouns to keep himself out of Scriptures in which he does not belong. This Author was a master of Greek grammar. He directed much of what he said to the Hebrews as a people (nation.) When he addressed any of the groups within the nation, however, his change of pronoun coupled with the context itself, shows that he was not addressing the nation anymore. We shall not explain how he did it in this introduction. Nevertheless, we will show you that he did it as we move through this work. Then you will understand how he did it. Follow the pronouns closely and you will see that the Book of Hebrews does not, in any way, teach that a Christian--Jew or Gentile--can lose his/her healing, prosperity, family well being or salvation! 7) The Simple Outline of this Book 1. All seven Major Warnings in Hebrews are interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction. 2. All eleven Lest Warnings in Hebrews are interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction (see below). 3. The Single Most Important Verse in Hebrews interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction. 4. Proof interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction--that the people addressed in Hebrews are Hebrews and not Gentile Christians. 5. All thirteen Let Us Exhortations in Hebrews interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction. 6. Proof that one of the Groups addressed by our Author was continuously inheriting the same healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation that Abraham himself obtained and enjoyed. Furthermore, this group was continuously inheriting them for the same reason Abraham had them; they were born into the Abrahamic covenant. Again, this is interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction. (You Gentile Christians are grafted into the continuous inheriting in this section.) 7. The once for all aspect of the sacrifice, offering, blood, and Great High Priesthood of Jesus demonstrated why they will never be repeated. This, too, is interpreted for you by the guidelines in this Introduction. In the Lest Warnings lest translates the Greek negative particle ma (many times in combination with other Greek words). Translated into English, lest simply means for fear that. In other words, if you do (or don t do) such and such, then certain unpleasant things may (will) happen to you. Hence, a Lest Warning. Read this book and build your faith to a fever pitch. You will never again let anyone place you into Scriptures where you do not belong. You will never again believe it is possible for any Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 13

16 Introduction Christian to lose his/her healing, prosperity, family well being and/or salvation. This book should have been written hundreds of years ago! Page 14 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

17 Chapter One The First Two Major Warnings and the First Lest Warning Interpreted In this chapter, we interpret three warnings for you. They are Major Warning #1, Lest Warning #1, and Major Warning #2--in this order. We begin with the Major Warning #1 that concludes with the first of the thirteen Lest Warnings. Then, Lest Warning #1 introduces Major Warning #2. All three warnings are contained in the passage below. Verse 1 below contains both Major Warning #1 and Lest Warning #1 while verses 2-4 contain Major Warning #2. Yet, all three warnings are interrelated, as the following discussion will readily show. Remember, these interpretations follow the guidelines spelled out in the Introduction. Heb 2:1-4 1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (KJV) Major Warning #1 Interpreted Notice that our Author used the pronouns we and us in the passage above. We simply means any of us Hebrews. Us simply means all of us Hebrews. In some contexts, our Author will remove himself from the we or us groups. Here, however, he doesn t because he is addressing the nation as a whole. First, look at the word ought in verse one. This translates the Greek word dei. This word is a blockbuster. Our word ought doesn t do it justice. This word means, in everyday English, something like the following: Given my circumstances, what I do next must be both logical and necessary. In other words, I am in such a compelling set of circumstances that my next move is not left to choice. My next move is dictated by my circumstances. My circumstances are so forceful that, to be logical, I have only these necessary actions open to me. Anything else is insane. What I do next must be logical. What I do next is also necessary if I m to survive! We must illustrate the above. Suppose you wake up in the middle of the night and discover your house is on fire. Obviously you only have seconds to react. What you do next must be logical. You must get out of your burning house. Getting out of your burning house is not only logical, but also necessary for you. It is both logical and necessary if you want to live. Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 15

18 Chapter One From the above explanation, you can see what the Greek word dei in verse 1 above (translated by our English word ought ) actually means. Next, we will apply this word to the plight of these Hebrews. Here is the set of circumstances these Hebrews faced. They had heard the message that Jesus was the final sacrifice for their sins under Moses law. This was the most important message that they had ever heard. This importance, therefore, presented them with a logical necessity. Since Jesus was God s final sacrifice for sin, for them to maintain the Abrahamic blessings of salvation, healing, prosperity and salvation, they must--greek word dei--personally accept him as their very own sacrifice. This is the logical move dictated and demanded by their circumstances. (To refresh your memory concerning how the sacrifices maintain these four Abrahamic blessings, see the Introduction again.) Accepting Jesus as God s final sacrifice for their sins was not only logical, but it was also necessary. It was necessary if they wanted to maintain the salvation, healing, prosperity and family well being they had by birth. Since God no longer accepted the blood of bulls and goats, cows and sheep, they must accept Jesus blood or lose it all. Therefore, taking heed to the message that they had heard became very, very necessary for them. Nevertheless, they were slipping away from this vital message. They were flowing right by it. They were drifting past this vital truth just as driftwood flows with the current and is swept past everything on the shore. They seemed not to care about the life and death importance of this Jesus message. Next, we interpret for you the first of the eleven Lest Warnings in Hebrews. Lest Warning #1 Interpreted Remember verse 1 above: Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. (Italics mine.) Remember that lest translates the Greek negative particle ma (many times in combination with other Greek words), which (in English) simply means for fear that. In other words, if you do (or don t do) such and such, then certain unpleasant things may (will) happen to you--hence, a Lest Warning. Let them slip, in verse I above, translates the Greek word, parareo. This word combines two Greek words. It combines the word para, which means by the side of. Our English word parallel comes from this word. The second word in the combination is reo (to flow.) The combination, then, means to flow, slip or drift parallel to or to drift by the side of. In addition, slip is in the active voice, which means the Hebrews, like driftwood, had actually, deliberately, actively drifted past the message that Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin under Moses law. The message did not drift past the Hebrews as it indicates in the King James Version. The Hebrews flowed by or drifted past this great truth they had heard, namely, that Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin under Moses law. The Hebrews became as driftwood flowing downstream with the current. They actively, actually drifted past and away from this Jesus message. Furthermore, slip is in the Aorist tense. This tense in Greek views an action as a point. As such, it can describe a finished action. This is how it is used in this verse. In other words, these Hebrews had already finished their drift past the bombshell message that Jesus was the final sacrifice for their sins. They had already drifted by it and away from it. This deliberate drift was Page 16 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

19 Chapter One already complete. They had gone right by the most important message from God that they had ever heard. They had already drifted past it. To put it differently, they are being warned, to give the more earnest heed, to what they had heard. This expression, to give the more earnest heed, means to give the closest attention possible to the message that Jesus was the final sacrifice for their sins. They were being warned not to slip by this vital message at any time. This is another way of saying that they must never slip by and drift away from what they had heard so clearly; Jesus was the Christ, their Messiah, and God s final sacrifice for their sins. These were their circumstances. Jesus was their final sacrifice for sin. God would never again accept the blood of bulls, goats, cows, and sheep. It was Jesus sacrifice or damnation. There were no other avenues open for them. They had no other choices. They had no other options. No wonder their next move must be logical. It had to be logical because it was absolutely necessary. They had to get out of their burning house, as it were, or perish. They had no other means to maintain the Abrahamic blessings they had by birth. It was Jesus or burn. They must pay closer attention to the Jesus message that they had heard. They must reverse their slipping past and drifting by the message by accepting Him as their final sacrifice. No other choices were open to them. Major Warning #2 Interpreted The questions now are, Why did they not pay the very closest possible attention to such an earth-shattering message that they had plainly heard? Why did they flow past it and by it and drift away from such important information? Why! This information carried the same importance to them eternally that our burning house illustration carried temporally. Common sense demands that one logically and necessarily flees a burning house. Accepting Jesus is even more important, however, than getting out of a burning house. Why did they not instantly act on the information that God no longer accepted the blood of bulls and goats? Why did they not immediately turn to the blood of Jesus, since God only accepts His blood now? The answer to these astounding questions lies in the meaning of neglect in verse 4. Neglect translates ameleo. Ameleo combines two Greek words. The first word is a, the Greek negative. The Greek negative is the same as our English no, or not. The second word in this combination is melo, which means, to care. The combination, then, means no care, not caring, or just plain careless. In other words, some of these Hebrews just did not care about the Jesus message that they had heard. They did not care whether or not Jesus was their final sacrifice for sin under Moses law. They just did not care. Consequently, they actively and completely drifted by and away from this message without getting out of their burning house, as it were. In a nutshell, they placed no value upon what they had heard about Jesus. They made light of this information. The following scripture demonstrates this for us. Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 17

20 Matt 22:5 Chapter One 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: (KJV) (Italics Mine) In the preceding verse, made light of translates this same Greek word that is translated by neglect above. This is exactly how the Hebrews treated the message concerning Jesus final sacrifice. They made light of it. They placed no value upon it. They actively and completely drifted by it with no thought of alarm. They neglected it because it was of no value to them! They did not understand that they were surrounded by circumstances more compelling than being in a burning house. Our Author, however, used strong language to tip them off to the importance of Jesus sacrifice. He used the words of angels as an illustration of stedfastness. In other words, if what angels said could be depended upon to occur without exception, surely the things God said about Jesus could also be depended upon to occur without exception. Furthermore, if every transgression and disobedience was sure to receive its just reward, what God said about Jesus sacrifice was just as sure (Heb. 2:2). Although Jesus himself began to speak these things, other people heard him say them. Then, those people who heard Him say these things confirmed what they heard Him say to the rest of the Hebrews. This, however, is not all. God himself bore witness to the truth of what they had heard with signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost (verse 4). Here we have a Four Fold Witness: 1. Jesus said it. 2. Others heard Him say it. 3. Those who heard Jesus say it confirmed it to the other Hebrews. 4. God bore witness to the truth of it by signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost. Finally, our Author asks a sobering question, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? The way this question is asked requires no answer. A. T. Robertson says this is a Rhetorical Question. In this construction, the answer is built in. To say it differently, the built in answer here is this; they can t escape! Why can they not escape? To place no value upon Jesus sacrifice makes escape impossible. (Remember that the sacrifices were their escape hatch when they sinned under Moses law.) Escape is impossible for them now, because God no longer accepts the blood of bulls, goat s cows, and sheep. Now, he only accepts the blood of Jesus Christ. To place no value upon God s final sacrifice for sin means there is no escape hatch for them. They have lost the healing, prosperity, family well being, and salvation they were born with in the Abrahamic covenant. In the next chapter, we look at the impact Psalm 95 has upon the Book of Hebrews. This is one of many Old Testament quotes in Hebrews. The way our Author used this Psalm will startle you. He demonstrates parallels between those Hebrews in the wilderness, those in David s day and those in his own day. These parallels are unsettling. Page 18 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

21 Chapter Two Major Warning #3 Interpreted Hebrews draws heavily on Psalm 95. Actually, Major Warning #3 is based upon Psalms 95. In this Psalm, David compared the people to whom he was writing to the people who came out of the wilderness wanderings. Likewise, our Author compares his own audience to David s illustration of those people. The key words David used in the comparison of his audience with those of the wilderness experience are Today, hear, harden not, and unbelief. In using these key words, David pleads with them for three things: 1. He pleads for them to Hear the voice of God, Today. 2. He pleads for them to Harden not their hearts when they hear His voice, Today. 3. He pleads for them to believe the word of God and act upon what He said, Today. Unfortunately, they did not believe God (unbelief) when He told them that they could take the Abrahamic land away from the heathen. Because they did not believe what He said (unbelief), they did not act upon what He said. They did not even attempt to take the land and remove the heathen from it. Ps 95: For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (KJV) In Hebrews, our Author quotes this Psalm once and paraphrases it once to completely capture the meaning of it. Through these two uses of the same Psalm, like David of old, he gravely warns the Hebrews to whom he is writing. He warns them that the calamity of those in the wilderness is about to happen to them for the very same identical reason. In the wilderness, they did not believe what God said about their ability to take the land. In Hebrews, they do not believe God s message that Jesus is His final sacrifice for their sins. Here is his quote. Heb 3: Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) (KJV) Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 19

22 Chapter Two Here is his paraphrase: Heb 3: While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (KJV) In other words, in the wilderness wanderings, God had promised them a rest. (The rest in Moses day consisted of peacefully dwelling in the land promised to them in the Abrahamic covenant.) When the time came for them to possess the land, seven heathen nations occupied it and trespassed upon it. Because of unbelief, these Hebrews perceived these seven nations to be giants. God said they could overthrow them and take the land. They did not, however, believe what He said. Instead, they believed the opposite. They believed they could not overthrow the giants and take the land. Even in the face of Joshua and Caleb, these Hebrews did not believe God. They just did not believe that they could overthrow the present occupants (giants) of the land. Consequently, they refused to act upon God s message that they could conquer the giants and occupy their promised inheritance of a restful land. Because of their unbelief, they were forced to wander forty years in the wilderness until that entire generation of doubters died off. What a tragedy. God said it. They did not believe him. Consequently, they were forced to forfeit the rest God promised to them. Two amazing historic events 1. This was an amazing, historic event. In the Abrahamic covenant, God promised them a land. In Psalm 95, He attempted to lead them into it. They were about to see one of the most important pieces of the Abrahamic covenant fulfilled before their very eyes. But because they did not believe God and partner with him by following him into the land, their entire generation lost this promise. 2. In like manner, the generation of Hebrews, to whom our Author wrote, faced another momentous event. This event was the fulfillment of the most important piece of the Abrahamic covenant to that time in history. In the wilderness saga, the time to receive their Abrahamic land loomed in their face. But here they faced another historic event that was even more extra-ordinary. The Seed to whom the Abrahamic promises were made was upon the scene. He was Jesus, the Seed of the Sixtieth Promise God made to Abraham. This Promise #60 is stated in Gen. 22:18 below. Page 20 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

23 Chapter Two Gen 22:18 18 And in thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (KJV) The Author of Hebrews drew a parallel, just as David in Psalm 95, between the people in the wilderness and the people to whom he wrote. In the wilderness, they were at a crossroads. They were about to receive the fulfillment of that stunning promise of the Abrahamic land. Here, they experienced an even more important crossroads than they did in the wilderness. Here, they stared right into the face of the fulfillment of the Seed promise. Here they looked squarely at God s final sacrifice for sin under Moses law. Here they faced the supreme Seed of Abraham. Here they looked directly at the Person who, by His death, both terminated Moses law and confirmed the Abrahamic promises made to the fathers. Dear Reader, see the heartbreak here. The Author saw the Hebrews to whom he wrote, about to do the very same thing they did to the Land promise in the wilderness. Here, they were about to forfeit the realization and fulfillment of the Seed promise for the very same reason, unbelief. They had a promise from God, and they did not believe it. They did not partner with God and act upon his promise that Jesus was the Seed. They did not partner with God and act upon his promise that Jesus was the final sacrifice for their sins. Therefore, they must forfeit the Seed promise, here, just as they forfeited the Land promise in the wilderness. This forfeiture, however, carried far, far greater consequences. In the wilderness, they lost the historic fulfillment of their Land promise for a generation. Here, however, those who reject Jesus lost the spectacular fulfillment of their Seed promise for all eternity. They forfeited it for all eternity because they did not believe God. They just did not believe God s word. They did not partner with Him and act upon Jesus as the fulfillment of his Seed promise. They did not partner with God and act upon his promise that Jesus was His final sacrifice for their sins. Lest Warning #2 Interpreted Next, we interpret the second of the eleven Lest Warnings for you. See verse 12 below. Our Author commands (Greek imperative) them to Take heed. Heed translates the Greek word blepo (to see). Here, it means to give something an intense look, hence, to take heed. Notice, also, that our Author calls them brethren. Brethren was one of nearly one hundred names, terms and phrases that the Hebrews were called in the Old Testament. Since they are the same people in the New Testament, it was sensible and fitting that they be called by the same names, terms and phrases in the New Testament also. See our book, The Unbroken Force of Abraham s Blessings. It is free on the Internet-- Heb 3:12 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (KJV) (Italics mine) This second Lest Warning warned them against an evil heart of unbelief. The Author saw unbelief in the wilderness experience as the reason they forfeited the land rest. He saw the same Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 21

24 Chapter Two unbelieving heart as the reason his readers must forfeit their great salvation also. An evil heart of unbelief caused their rejection of Jesus as their final sacrifice for sin under Moses law. Consequently, this rejection of Jesus also caused them to depart from the living God. How did a Hebrew depart from the living God? This evil heart of unbelief resulted in their rejection of Jesus, and this rejection caused them to depart from the living God. Did this departing from the living God, mean that these were Christian Jews who lost their salvation? If not, how can it be said they departed from God unless they were first with him? No! This Scripture did not say that these Hebrews were Christians. Absolutely not! It said the very opposite! Nowhere did this Lest Warning even hint that they were Christians. Had they been, they could not have departed from God--in this manner--to the point of being irrevocably lost (unsaved.) We shall see this as we progress in this commentary. You remember what we have learned so far. When a Hebrew sinned in the Old Testament era during the time of Moses law, he just had to partner with God by making the proper sacrifice. By so doing, he maintained, even when he sinned, what he had by birth in the Abrahamic covenant. He maintained his salvation, healing, prosperity and family well being. Remember also that if he did not make the proper sacrifice in the proper manner, he lost it all. Dear Reader, get this down into the depths of your being! If the Hebrew did not sacrifice properly, according to Moses law, he lost his place in the Abrahamic covenant! Losing his place in the Abrahamic covenant was his departing from the living God. Apart from being in this covenant, no one had any part with God or in God! In this way, the Hebrew departed from the living God. This is how any and all Hebrews departed from the living God. Yes, these Hebrews were in fact with God by birth in the Abrahamic covenant. They had all the blessings going for them. They were his people and he was their God. They maintained this close relationship with God by sacrificing properly when they sinned. In this way, they stayed close with God. But they lost this position when they sinned and did not sacrifice properly. Now, in the context of Hebrews, our Author showed them that their rejection of Jesus, God s final sacrifice for their sins, caused their departure from the living God. Their rejection of Jesus caused their departure from the living God because apart from Jesus, they can no longer sacrifice properly. They rejected Him because they did not believe that he was their final sacrifice. In other words, they refused to partner with God in this matter. God provided the sacrifice but they refused it. To partner with God in this matter, they must accept Jesus, his final sacrifice for their sins. What a loss! What a tragedy! For these reasons, the Author isolates two more excerpts from Psalm 95. He uses these brief quotes to plead with the people to take advantage of Today! He challenges them, now (Today,) to exhort one another on a daily basis. He wants them to witness to one another, each and every day. Then he introduces Lest Warning #3 Page 22 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

25 Chapter Two Lest Warning #3 Interpreted Heb 3:13 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (KJV) (Italics Mine) In Lest Warning #3, the Author warns each of them to encourage one another daily, lest any of them be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. In what way did sin deceive these Hebrews that resulted in the hardening of their hearts? It deceived them in more ways than we can count. We shall only list three of the least obvious ways below. First, sin deceived them when it convinced them that it was socially acceptable to reject Jesus, their final sacrifice for sin. We see this effect of sin today. How many of our youth believe it is now socially acceptable to do things that the Bible plainly declares are wicked, heinous sins? Second, sin deceived them when it convinced them that their rejection of their final sacrifice was so very right that it did not affect their conscience at all. It does not bother a Hebrew s conscience to reject Jesus to this very hour. Again, we have this with us in our churches today also. How many of our youth and adults can sin right in the face of God and Scripture and never have a twinge of conscience? Third, sin deceived them when it convinced them to adopt this rejection of Jesus as their very lifestyle. Now they walk it out and never look back. When they adopted this rejection as their lifestyle, they became comfortable with it. The entire process just adds to the hardness of their hearts that lasts to this day. The Author warned them against this very thing. History has shown that he was right in his warning. Finally, our Author pleads with them, again, to harden not their hearts, against Jesus. This hardening results in rejection of Jesus. When they rejected him, they can no longer sacrifice properly when they sin. Consequently, by rejecting Jesus, they departed from the living God since He is God s last sacrifice for their sins. Therefore, no hope remains for them. They are lost. They without God and without hope in this world. Heb 4:7 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (KJV) In the next chapter, get ready to feel your heart swell with faith. You will see false, misleading and faith destroying views shattered. You will experience their total destruction. You will see Group 3C (those who professed Jesus but did not possess him) addressed. This will remove some faith paralyzing and faith destroying interpretations. Your faith will explode. Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 23

26 Chapter Two Page 24 Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation

27 Chapter Three Two Warnings to those who profess but do not possess: False and Misleading Interpretations Corrected The first verse listed below (Heb. 3:6) appears to show that it is possible for a Christian to lose his place in Christ s house. This supposedly occurs if he fails to firmly maintain his confidence and rejoicing in the hope firm unto the end. This is another way, however, of saying that he lost his salvation. The second verse below (Heb. 3:14) appears to show that it is possible for a Christian to cease being a partaker of Christ. This also supposedly occurs if he fails to steadfastly hold the beginning of his confidence unto the end. This is also just another way of saying he lost his salvation. Even more unfortunate, those who do not understand that the Book of Hebrew was written to the Hebrews make the sad mistake of teaching that these verses declare that a Gentile Christian can lose his salvation. As a matter of fact, neither of the above Scriptures teaches that a Christian (Hebrew or Gentile) can lose his salvation. Neither of these two verses have anything at all to do with any Christian (Hebrew or Gentile) losing his salvation. They deal with an entirely different subject. They ask, Did the Group 3A Hebrews in these two verses ever have salvation at all? (Remember, Group 3A are the undecided. Refer again to the Introduction.) Put differently, these two verses ask, Were these Group 3A Hebrews ever saved to start with? The following discussion will demonstrate this for you. You will be startled but your faith will be increased. Heb 3:6 Heb 3:14 6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (KJV) 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (KJV) Again, these verses have nothing to do with any Christian losing his salvation. There is no way on earth that anyone can accurately believe that these Scriptures teach one thing about any Christian losing his salvation. The reason is that the Greek construction used in these two verses prohibits it. Here s how. In Greek, there are Four Classes of Conditional Sentences. These Conditional Sentences are sentences that contain if-then constructions. That is, they contain a condition and a conclusion. The condition is the if clause, while the conclusion is the then clause. Hebrews: The Abrahamic Interpretation Page 25