"God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last
days spoken unto us by His Son"—Hebrews 1:1.

IN THIS first verse, the whole message of the book of Hebrews is summed up. This epistle has a 2-fold purpose: To demonstrate from the Hebrews' own Scriptures that the Law of Moses was a temporary and incomplete thing—that eternal completeness and perfection are found only in Christ, and—

Secondly, to impress not only the Hebrews but all believers of all ages with the tremendous and glorious holiness and responsibility of their high calling in Christ Jesus.

The first 3 verses express the supreme position of Christ in God's plan.

The rest of chapter 1 shows particularly his superiority to the angels. The Law of Moses, the "ministration of angels," was very rightly highly esteemed by the Jews; but Paul clearly shows that things were written of the promised Messiah that proved him to be of immeasurably greater authority and honor than the angels.

* * *

CHAPTER 2 begins with a warning. This characteristic appears throughout, as the apostle again and again pauses to try to impress his readers with the seriousness of their position as related to these holy and divine things. He constantly labors to awaken them to an active realization of the comforts of God's love to the faithful, and the terrors of His severity upon the careless, worldly and self-willed.

Lest they be fatally lulled by a wishful presumption on His mercy, he calls attention to the terrible reality of God's judgments in the past on those who blindly felt secure. And he points out that the law of Christ—rather than lessening the danger—INCREASES it to the careless, being such a more personal and intimate approach by God to man.

In the rest of chapter 2, Paul shows by Scripture (1) that it is not the angels (as under the Mosaic Law) but the pre-appointed Man of God who is to rule supreme in the future eternal order and (2) that it was essential to his mission as the overcomer and destroyer of sin that he pass through a phase of weakness, struggle and death.

The Jews looked only for a Messiah of vengeance, majesty and power. How sad and short-sighted! Paul points out that their first and greatest need (as ours) was not to be saved from outside enemies, but being saved from themselves—from their own sins, their own evil natures—from their helpless condition of alienation from God and their inevitable destiny of final death and oblivion. How insignificant a thing was their servitude to Rome, when compared to their servitude to Sin!

THE NEXT point, beginning chapter 3, is the great superiority of Christ over Moses. Only a greater than Moses could put away the Law of Moses.

Paul does not belittle Moses. Moses indeed was the one great outstanding servant: but Christ the very Son and Heir.

Again he diverts (v. 7 to end) to solemn warning. The whole nation honored Moses, but consider what happened to the very generation who lived in the immediate presence of Moses—they all perished in the wilderness for unbelief "Take heed," says the apostle (v. 12), "lest there be in you an evil heart of unbelief."

Is such a blunt warning—of UNBELIEF—applicable to professed BELIEVERS, as his hearers were? What IS an "evil heart of unbelief" that such could unknowingly possess it? It is a heart which—though witnessing and recognizing the works of God—is still not softened and transformed by them.

Israel were "in" Moses, but they had not the spirit of Moses. Paul calls it being "hardened"—made dull and unresponsive to spiritual things—"by the deceitfulness of sin."

* * *

CHAPTER 4 continues—

Not the fear of terror, but a healthy concern and constant awareness of the danger of failure—the deceitfulness of sin.

Out of this exhortation the apostle develops the demonstration that the inheritance under Joshua was by no means the Eternal Rest that God has planned. He is trying, point by point, to get them to comprehend that God's great purpose in Christ is immeasurably vaster than the shadowy limitations of the temporary Mosaic constitution.

Thought of the failure of Israel again turns him to exhortation (v. 11). He warns them that nothing is hid from the all-discerning eye of God, piercing to the very depths of the heart, unerringly dividing between soul and spirit—that is, between that which is fleshly and that which is spiritual.

In the final verse he reverts to encouragement. Knowing these things, let us come unreservedly ("boldly" is not a good word)—come unreservedly—come with the reverent confidence of true love—to the throne of grace, seeking help and mercy through an all-understanding Mediator that God Himself has lovingly provided. The fearful glory of divinity frightened many away from Christ, but the 12 disciples, though equally over-awed, said:

* * *

CHAPTER 5 speaks of high priests. They are taken from among men (vs. 1-2) so they may have compassion; as men they must offer for themselves (v. 3); and they must be appointed by God (v. 4).

He has already demonstrated the first two points concerning Christ, in explaining his weakness and death. He now introduces a very important scriptural link in his chain of proof—

"Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedec" (Psa. 110:4).

We know very little of Melchizedec. He appears but once, and very briefly. We have no record of anything he said, and only one thing he did. He is mentioned but once more, in the Psalm here quoted by Paul. But he is Paul's key witness to the limitations of the Mosaic Law.

Before considering Melchizedec, the apostle (vs. 7-9) again emphasizes that Christ had to learn by suffering and earn his exalted position by obedience. He was striking at two deeply-rooted Jewish misconceptions: (1) that weakness and suffering did not befit the Messiah and (2) that God's blessing comes by special favor and not personal effort.

Then (v. 10) he again takes up Melchizedec. But immediately (v. 11) he is constrained to another solemn exhortation. He has much to say about Melchizedec, but he finds it very hard to explain to them, because they are so undeveloped in spiritual understanding.

"By this time," he says, "you yourselves should be teachers, but instead you need to be constantly re-schooled in the first principles." Let each of us ask himself:

Do you spend your time on worldly matters, lightly brushing off these things by saying, "Oh, that's too deep for me!"—really meaning, "I AM TOO SHALLOW for that!"? What would Paul say to such?

* * *

"THEREFORE" (chapter 6) "let us leave the first principles and go on to perfection."

First principles and baptism are just the bare beginning. Only those who make every effort to "go on" toward perfection of knowledge and character have hope of life. Why is this so important? Vs. 4-6:

Where much is given, much will be expected. Where time and opportunity have been given for development, development will be called for.

"Falling away" does not necessarily mean open forsaking of the Truth, but—as he shows in vs. 7-8—"falling away" is failure to bring forth spiritual fruit after the labors and blessings of God and Christ have been freely expended upon us.

Then again encouragement—

"But we are persuaded BETTER things of YOU" (v. 9).

They had failed so far to grow in the Truth, and he feared for their stability, but they had manifested great care for the brethren, and for this God would have greater patience with their backwardness.

Vs. 13-19 emphasize the certainty of the promise, lest their faith should waver or grow dim. All their faith had once been in the Law. He was showing that the Law was waxing old and vanishing away.

What then was there secure and permanent in their Scriptures? He reminds them of the promise to Abraham, given long before the Law. Not only did God promise, but He confirmed the promise with an oath, making the ground of faith doubly sure.

Concluding this warning and exhortation on their dullness, in the last verse he leads back to Melchizedec.

* * *

BEGINNING chapter 7, he draws attention to Melchizedec's significant titles—FIRST, King of Righteousness and THEN, King of Peace. He stands in the record as a type of an everlasting Priest-King.

Here is a man obviously greater in position than their father Abraham, for he blessed Abraham in God's Name, and received tithes of him. He was greater than the Mosaic priesthood, for Levi—the father of that priesthood—paid tithes to the priest Melchizedec through Abraham.

But here is a point (v. 11) even more striking. These two priesthoods cannot exist together.

Under the Law, only Levites could be priests. But the Messiah was to be of Judah, and according to the Scriptures it is he who is to be supreme in the earth as a Melchizedec high priest. But he couldn't be a priest under the Mosaic Law. What then about the Law? IT MUST GO. There is no room for it.

In the rest of the chapter, he lists 5 proofs that Christ is greater than the Law:

(1) Verse 19, the Law made nothing perfect; it accomplished nothing eternal; it was just a marking-time arrangement;

(2) Verse 20, Christ's priesthood was confirmed by God with an oath in Psalm 110:4—there was no confirming oath in the Aaronic priesthood;

(3) Aaron's priesthood was a continual succession of dying men, each serving briefly, then dropping helplessly into the grave. This feature alone betrayed its powerlessness—but Christ's sacrifice brought him from the dead, and he lives eternally;

(4) The Mosaic priests must offer repeated sacrifices, showing that they accomplished nothing permanent—Christ made his offering but once, and by it forever destroyed sin's hold on him and opened the way of everlasting life;

(5) The Mosaic priests, as the Jews only too well knew, were frail, erring creatures—our High Priest has all power, knowledge and holiness, and is perfected forevermore.

When the eternal glory of Christ's priesthood is perceived, the shadowy ordinances of the Mosaic Law would be seen to drop down to their proper level.

* * *

THE NEXT point (chapter 8, v. 6 to end) concerns the covenant. God had said through Jeremiah (31:31-34)—

The conclusion is inescapable—if there is to be a new and different covenant, then the old MUST pass away. Point by point Paul proves from the Jews' own Scriptures that there must be a change.

* * *

CHAPTER 9: Verses 1-5 describes the Mosaic Tabernacle. Vs. 6-8 remind them that into the Most Holy part no one ever entered but the high priest, and he only once a year with elaborate ritual.

What did it all mean? It clearly meant that as long as the Mosaic service continued, access to the Holiest state was not open to man.

Is it never to be open? Can man never hope to get closer to God than allowed by the restrictions of the Mosaic ordinances? Thoughtful Jewish believers would see that in this restrictiveness, the Law testified to its own need for removal out of the way.

Vs. 9-15 point out that the sacrifices of the Law could only purify the flesh, while the sacrifice of Christ could purify the conscience or heart.

Just how can Christ's sacrifice purify the heart, while the Law could not? Did not a man who intelligently and faithfully offered the required sacrifices obtain thereby a clear conscience and sense of reconciliation to God?

But Paul is distinguishing between fleshly ordinances and spiritual principles. The Law did not originate sacrifice. That began in Eden and from the beginning is inseparably connected with faith in Christ.

But the Law did originate the system of fleshly, legal purification that Paul mentions in v. 10. The Jew must distinguish between the original, universal provision from Eden, and the later-added ritual of the Law.

The Law, however, in all its parts, did beautifully typify and portray the redemption in Christ. This Paul shows in the remainder of the chapter. The Law actually itself purified nothing; it simply proved the need for purification, enforced the principle of purification or making holy, and gave a representation of the way it would be done.

In vs. 22-23 is shown by the Law that it is a divine principle that all sin and defilement must be purified by blood. He has already proved the Law did not actually accomplish this, but just symbolized it—so Christ's sacrificial death is shown even by the Law itself to be essential to the purpose of God.

* * *

BEGINNING chapter 10, Paul reverts to purifying of the conscience, and the thought is carried deeper. This chapter draws the contrast between sacrificial ORDINANCES and sacrificial LIVING.

How many of Israel, down through the centuries, recognized what was necessary to give sacrifice any real meaning? We know there were some, but the vast majority were quite satisfied to go no deeper than the forms and externals.

But as Paul approaches the conclusion of his comparison of Christ with the Law, he shows clearly that the only acceptable sacrifice is doing the will of God; and that Christ, and he alone, has made the perfect offering.

God has no interest in ritual. He is concerned with reality. When He ordains ritual, it must be done with intelligent comprehension and a sincere inward fulfillment of that which the ritual symbolizes. God is not interested in sins just typically put away—they must be ACTUALLY put away.

The next point (vs. 19-31) is a related thought. The constant repetition of the Law dulled the sense of urgency and finality. There could always be another sacrifice made tomorrow.

But Christ's offering was once—and once ONLY. God is not mocked. Verse 26 is among the most serious warnings in all Scripture—

But we know God has never, and will never, tolerate being treated carelessly or presumed upon. He is very jealous for His Word. To uphold His holy Word He gave His own Son to terrible suffering and death. There is much plain instruction in that Word as to our way of life. LET US NOT TREAT ONE LETTER OF IT LIGHTLY!

After the very strong wording ending in verse 31, the apostle turns immediately again to encouragement. He reminds them of how joyfully and fearlessly they had served and suffered in their original zeal—

How many of US would do the same? Zeal makes all hardship easy, and gives inward joy and peace in the midst of outward suffering.

"Ye have need of patience," he continues. Their zeal has been so keen, but the slow, grinding, march of time is very hard on zeal, especially if there is not a deep, well-rooted understanding.

* * *

SO THE apostle spreads before them the great panorama of Faith that we find in chapter 11. This would be a very stirring picture to the Jew. The inspiring story of all their great national heroes—men and women of faith who resolutely overcame every form of hardship and obstacle. Compare the empty, fleshly heroes of any other nation with this noble list!

Truly the apostle well describes them all when he says, "Of whom the world was not worthy." Marvellous, exceptional, godly characters standing out from the great human mass of ignorance, selfishness and fear.

* * *

IN VIEW of this (chapter 12:1)—

Let us keep our mind's eye centered on this faithful group, and particularly on the greatest of them all—the one who gives meaning and value to their struggles, for without him all their noble self-sacrifice could have wrought no lasting benefit.

These people are the REAL inhabitants of the earth. They ever surround us as a cloud. The people that we meet in our natural course and see with our natural eyes are but passing, meaningless shadows. Nothing in the present matters very much. All natural flesh is only grass, but to God all these live, and will live, eternally.

Having put this picture vividly before them, he strengthens its effect with a gentle reminder of the divine purpose and necessity of their trials—

What useless and unlovely things are children who are not wisely disciplined! Paul says (v. 10) that the purpose of chastening is to develop holiness and (v. 14) that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. He tells them to examine themselves carefully as to this.

Holiness is spiritual-mindedness—BEING INTERESTED IN SPIRITUAL THINGS AND CONTROLLED BY SPIRITUAL MOTIVES.

He reminds them of Esau—a member of the chosen family, but unable to recognize spiritual values or rise above fleshly things. He sold his glorious, divine birthright for a mess of pottage, and then—so humanly—cried bitterly to get it back again when it was too late!

In the rest of the chapter, the apostle compares the Mosaic and Christian dispensations, showing how much more select and exalted is the latter—

Could they not PERCEIVE that they had come out of the Mosaic shadows into the glorious light of Christ?

* * *

CHAPTER 13 begins with miscellaneous admonitions—

That is the mind of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh tends to a strutting parade of self-adornment and self-gratification, selfish, unfaithful stewardship, destined for a bitter ending.

Verses 10-15 very gently present the climax of his message to the Jews—

Herein is shown, by the Law itself, that the Law and the priesthood must at last be left behind. This closing thought he leaves with them—going with Jesus, the great sanctuary-cleansing sacrifice, OUTSIDE THE CAMP.

It has a wider application to us all. We too must go out with him, leaving all else behind. For we have here no continuing city—nothing permanent, nothing of any value, nothing real—only the vain shadows of a tottering, dying order—"The fashion of this world passeth away." And he concludes—