He said, "If your offering is rejected, it is because sin is at the door of your tent. There is nothing more simple; at the same time it is just one of those questions that God has answered, and this so as to settle the mind perfectly, and fill the heart with praise. First, there is envy. The Jew never understood his law until the light of Christ on the cross and in glory shone upon it. The book As in Adam has this sentence: "The business of life, the way to life, consists in getting over fences, not in lying down and moaning on the hither side." And so he made them promise, "Now when you return to the land, I want you to take my bones out of Egypt and take them back to the land." Observe here, (1.) So as Jesus said to Martha grieving over her brother Lazarus, "If you live and believe in Me, you will never die." a man-child, a child of the promise, and comfort of his parents' advanced years, and the hope of future ages. When our fighting instincts say: "Go on," it takes a big and a brave man to wait. She gained entry into the presence of Holofernes and persuaded him that she was convinced of the defeat of her people as a punishment for their sins. To us all is given the tremendous task of helping God make his promises come true. ", The next point proved is the indisputable superiority of the Melchisedec priesthood to that of Aaron, of which the Jews naturally boasted. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. Alas! 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. The faith of the father, Abraham, passed on to Isaac, who by faith blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau, and prophesied of the things to come. It is a happy thing where yoke-fellows draw together in the yoke of faith, as heirs of the grace of God; and when they do this in a religious concern for the good of their children, to preserve them not only from those who would destroy their lives, but from those who would corrupt their minds. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left. The truth is, that the Holy Ghost is come down for the purpose of bearing His witness; and he that deserts this for Judaism, or anything else, is an apostate and lost man. The lamb dying instead of the firstborn, and there we get a very beautiful picture of the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who died in our place that we might have life.And so by faith he kept the Passover. The Egyptian tried to secure some sort of immortality. [3.] He owed his life to this princess; and to refuse such kindness from her would look not only like ingratitude to her, but a neglect of Providence, that seemed to intend his advancement and his brethren's advantage. 2. (iii) There came the day when Moses, because of his intervention on behalf of his people, had to withdraw from Egypt to Midian ( Exodus 2:14-22). How that Cain, being a farmer, brought the fruit of the ground unto the Lord. He demonstrates its vicarious nature and value from the sacrifices so familiar to all then, and to the Jew particularly, in connection with the covenant that required them Now his rapid mind seizes, under the Spirit's guidance, the other well-known sense of the word, namely, as a testamentary disposition, and shows the necessity of Christ's death to bring it into force. "Judas Maccabaeus (and his friends) withdrew himself into the wilderness and lived in the mountains, after the manner of beasts" ( 2Ma_5:27 ). True faith draws forth sincere and fervent desires; and the stronger faith is the more fervent those desires will be. They watch as those that shall give an account. (2.) He ordered the Jews to eat meats which were unclean and to sacrifice to the Greek gods. (2.) 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. The scripture would indicate that he's in his late twenties probably at this point. There we have those that compose the church, in allusion to Christ, contrasted with the position of Israel as a nation, because of the nearness which they possess by the grace of Christ known on high. Isaac, trusting God to fulfill His promises to Abraham and his descendants, pronounced blessings on his own two sons Jacob and Esau regarding their future. The blessed fruits and rewards of Noah's faith. Legend tells how Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Moses ( Exodus 6:20), were troubled by the decree of Pharaoh. Carefully observe that it is the tabernacle, never the temple. He was willing to do this for he reckoned that God was able to raise him even from the dead. He always keeps up the evidence of the utter inferiority of the Jewish priest, as well as of the accompanying state of things, to that of Christianity. It is not the hope which looks forward with wistful longing; it is the hope which looks forward with utter conviction. It was said that 80,000 Jews were killed and 10,000 sold into captivity. Christ has obtained redemption, and this is witnessed by the token of the veil rent from top to bottom. They are strangers as saints, whose home is heaven; they are pilgrims as they are travelling towards their home, though often meanly and slowly. Hallo Bestemming kiezen Alle. Nothing can be more admirable than this reserve of God. For without faith it is impossible to please God. Then we hear of the practical use of all. Through faith they believed to the point of not accepting deliverance. Thank You, Lord for the unchanging promises upon which our souls are anchored this evening through Jesus Christ. 4. Are they both true of you? First, they were to remember those that once ruled them. The God with whom we have to do is an invisible God: he is so to our senses, to the eye of the body; and this shows the folly of those who pretend to make images of God, whom no man hath seen, nor can see. So God took unseen things and made the material, seen universe in which we live, the worlds. (2.) Seeing Him. The writer to the Hebrews reads into the simple statement of the Old Testament passage the idea that Enoch did not die at all but that in some mystic way God took him to himself. (a) In Hebrews 11:13 he calls them xenoi ( G3581) . We do not know the steps of His work, until we come to the preparation of an abode for man. There is no sanction here, of course, of the vulgar and outrageous error that pastors give an account of the souls of their flock. He put himself into the hand of God, to send him whithersoever he pleased. "In the volume of the book it is written of me" a book which none ever saw but God and His Son. Pharaoh's daughter is said to have been his only child, and was herself childless; and having found Moses, and saved him as she did, she resolved to take him and bring him up as her son; and so he stood fair to be in time king of Egypt, and he might thereby have been serviceable to Israel. All these legends give us a vivid picture of Abraham searching after God and dissatisfied with the idolatry of his people. We have yet another instance of the faith of Moses, in keeping the passover and sprinkling of blood, Hebrews 11:28. (2.) But when the light broke he ran out crying, "Now I know! He is evidently gone into the holiest of all in His own person. 2. He dwelt in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. The faith of all three of these patriarchs affected their descendants. 3 by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of god, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. "You mean you're moving your whole family and you don't know where you are going?" By faith Moses, when he was come of age ( Hebrews 11:24 ). Abrahams faith caused him to set out for a promised, yet unknown, earthly inheritance. When Joseph was near to death he made the Israelites take an oath that they would not leave his bones in Egypt but would take them with them when they went out to possess the promised land, which in due time they did ( Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32). It is "the blood that speaketh better than Abel." But they voted to banish him. Men have called God The First Principle, The First Cause, The Creative Energy, The Life Force. This was the very thing that these Jewish Christians were shrinking, from, if not rebelling against. They never wearily gave up the journey; they lived in hope and died in expectation. God's summons meant that he had to leave home and family and business; yet he went. The reproaches of the church of God are. The trial of their faith in the imperfection of their present state. he had respect unto the recompense of the reward ( Hebrews 11:26 ). For, [1.] And why? He could not have exacted this oaths, nor could they have taken it, unless both he and they had a sure confidence that what God had spoken would be performed. Pharaoh's wise men were full of foreboding that this child would some day trample the royal power under foot. By faith, then, Jacob himself blessed his sons and the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. The Puritans used to emphasize the importance of dying well. The faith of Abraham, the friend of God, and father of the faithful, in whom the Hebrews boasted, and from whom they derived their pedigree and privileges; and therefore the apostle, that he might both please and profit them, enlarges more upon the heroic achievements of Abraham's faith than of that of any other of the patriarchs; and in the midst of his account of the faith of Abraham he inserts the story of Sarah's faith, whose daughters those women are that continue to do well. Earlier God had promised Abraham that his descendants would return to Canaan after the fourth generation: (1) Abraham, (2) Isaac, (3) Jacob, and (4) Joseph: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. In this passage the writer lets his mind's eye roam back over the history of his people; and out of it there springs to memory name after name of those who were heroic souls. One thing links these three examples of faith together. (Commentary) Constable - "With all three the significant thing was their firm conviction that death cannot frustrate God's purposes. there was on the throne of Syria a king called Antiochus Epiphanes. (i) This story teaches us that we must be ready to sacrifice what is dearest to us for the sake of loyalty to God. These are the things of which the writer to the Hebrews is thinking; and these are things which we do well to remember. He bore up with invincible courage under all danger, and endured all the fatigue of his employment, which was very great; and this by seeing the invisible God. But this essential difference separates between the city for which Abraham looked and the bride so symbolised in the Apocalypse. There is evidence for the existence of God, and it causes me to believe in God. He was said to be the first to put pen to paper and instruct men from books. Though only the mother of Moses is mentioned in the history, yet, by what is here said, it seems his father not only consented to it, but consulted about it. He promised and He'll send His Son. If, therefore, when you find the word "testament" anywhere else in the authorized version, you turn it into "covenant" in my opinion you will not do amiss. It was by faith that Joseph, as he came to the end, had his mind the days when the children of Israel would leave Egypt, and gave instructions concerning his bones. Hezekiah, the good king, died, and Manasseh came to the throne. They were prepared to believe that God could make their obvious weakness able for an incredible task. The means prescribed to God to bring down the walls of Jericho. 1. [3.] So Joseph died, being 110 years old. There is condemnation for the sinner; but there is still greater condemnation for the man who teaches another to sin. He necessarily completes all as the pattern for the Christian. "Whereupon neither the first [covenant] was dedicated without blood. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph were all certain that the promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. (8.) In my judgment it is correct to translate it both ways, never arbitrarily, but according to context. What mountain in the Old Testament so much speaks of grace, of God's merciful interference for His people when all was lost? Joseph, when he died , When he was dying, gave commandment concerning his bones. This leads to a further contrast with the action of the Aaronic priest. So wilt thou not have to bear the reproach of thy wandering. 3. A person who lives for their own pleasure is living out of sync with God. God calls his people to an inheritance: by his effectual call he makes them children, and so heirs. [2.] For that goodness, for the blessings, for the richness that is ours through Jesus Christ, for the promises and for the hope. This passage (Hebrews 9:11-22) also sheds light on the question of why Christ had to die. The point which the writer to the Hebrews wishes to make is that all three men died without having entered into the promise that God had made, the promise of the Promised Land and of greatness to the nation of Israel. Before Jesus came, there was no question of it among the Jews. Faith will venture all hazards in the cause of God and his people; a true believer will sooner expose his own person than God's interest and people. Their own Psalm, in its grand prophetic sweep, and looking back on the law, pointed to the place in which Christ is now seated above; and where it is of necessity He should be, in order to give Christianity its heavenly character. The apostle next proceeds to. The Lord said, "Go," and he said, "Where?" Apart from faith it is impossible to please God, for he who approaches God must believe that God is, and that he is the rewarder of those who spend their lives seeking him. Clement of Alexandria said: "We have no fatherland on earth." The only thing they would offer was a broken toy they could well do without. It remains. He now supports this statement with illustrations from the Old Testament. Death is a metamorphosis. But it may well be that the writer to the Hebrews is thinking not only of the story as it is in Genesis but also of the legends which gathered round it in Jewish folk-lore. What is the value, the import., of the sacrifice of Christ viewed according to God, and as bearing on His ways? He sits there continually, in contrast with the Jewish priest, who was always rising up in order to do fresh work, because there was fresh sin; for their sacrifices never could absolutely put away sin. They were not afraid of the king's commandment. The writer to the Hebrews uses three vivid Greek words about them. Were it a question of the mystery of Christ the Head, and of the church His body, this would not be proved from the Old Testament, which does not reveal it at all. God was pleased in this extraordinary manner to slight and dismantle it, in order to magnify himself, to terrify the Canaanites, to strengthen the faith of the Israelites, and to exclude all boasting. As far as the soul is concerned, Christ would not go up to heaven until sin was abrogated before God. But in chapter 8. When the writer to the Hebrews cites her, the point he desires to make is this--Rahab in face of all the facts believed in the God of Israel. So from one man, and he a man whose body had lost its vitality, there were born descendants, as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, as countless as the sand upon the seashore. , By faith Joseph, when dying, made mention of the departing. Clement of Rome quotes her as an outstanding example of one who was saved "by faith and hospitality.". And this heavy water blanket in the atmosphere no doubt accounted for the discoveries in the geological stratas of asparagus ferns sixty or seventy feet tall. It is easy to see how this passage can be read against the terrible happenings of these days. What it was that supported and strengthened the faith of Moses to such a degree as to enable him to gain such a victory over the world: that is, say some, the deliverance out of Egypt; but doubtless it means much morethe glorious reward of faith and fidelity in the other world. It ( ) means "testament" as well as "covenant." So that God did not recognize Abraham's work of the flesh. Now looking at that a little more closely, God made the world out of things that do not appear.We know that the universe, the worlds, are made up of atoms which are invisible. No act of sacrilege was omitted. The story is told in Exodus 2:11-14. A true believer will despise them when they are offered upon such terms. (ii) There are those who simply have seen in death the one inevitable thing in life. The verb means to finish or close, with life understood. But not the patriarchs. Abraham had faith to obey, believing that God could bring Isaac back to life. Basic fact of our existence--you were created for God's pleasure. He did refuse. [1.] In this place we are told that he obtained by his faith some special advantages; as, (1.) For I know that as long as I am living in this body, I am absent from the Lord; but I would choose rather to be absent from this body, and to be present with the Lord. I like the faith that brings me over the top, that brings me the victory, that subdues the aliens, and I like that. But it is the language for us to learn and speak, as we are called to rest on God and not on the creature. Their deliverance was very glorious. As the proof of this, God has prepared for them a city, a happiness suitable to the relation into which he has taken them. The whole list is of men who faced incredible odds for God. As they are companions, so do they test a walk with God; one is faith, the other is suffering. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. Nimrod sought to murder the infant but Abraham was concealed in a cave and his life saved. (1. In the isolation of his splendid strength again and again he faced the most amazing odds and emerged triumphant. And when Jesus came, He declared deliverance to the captive. THE MAN WHO BELIEVED IN GOD'S MESSAGE ( Hebrews 11:7 ). When God judges, he will overcome; and it is plain that the destruction of sinners is of themselves. One of the tragedies of life is the number of people who turn back just a little too soon. 123.]. These things are grievous to a man of understanding: Upbraiding concerning sojourning, and the reproach of a. Now accordingly, by virtue of His death which rent the veil, God and man stand face to face. None but the Old Testament saints, as a class, can all be in the separate state: not the church, or New Testament saints, for we shall not all sleep; nor the millennial saints, for none of them will die. She engaged them to covenant with her to show favour to her and hers, when God should show kindness to them, and that they would give her a sign, which they did, a line of scarlet, which she was to hang forth out of the window; she sent them away with prudent and friendly advice. "For every high priest is constituted to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. We'll get out of here. But how? The supports of his faith. At that moment Moses might have gone on but his people were not ready. The method prescribed seemed very improbable to answer such an end, and would doubtless expose them to the daily contempt of their enemies; the ark of God would seem to be in danger. There is no indication why God preferred the gift of Abel to the gift of Cain. It may well be that the only offering which a man can properly bring to God is his most precious possession. Joseph had attained to greatness but it was the greatness of a stranger in a strange land; and yet they never doubted that the promise would come true. This, however, only by the way. He was changed by repentance from the life that is apart from God to the life that walks with God. Many Samaritans are believing, being baptized, being filled with the Holy Spirit. Than sumptuous fare in the house of strangers. Can there be a doubt that Christianity is meant? (Verses 8-22.). This is a different way of looking at His session there. Jehovah sees. 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Brought the fruit of the king 's commandment thank you, Lord for the sinner ; there...
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