Hebrews 12
12
1For that reason, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of people who gave evidence of their trust in God, let's get rid of everything that holds us back, the seductive sins that trip us up, and let's keep on running the race placed before us. 2We should keep on looking to Jesus, the one who begins and completes our trust in God. Because of the joy ahead of him Jesus endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God's throne. 3Think about Jesus who endured such hostility from sinful people so you don't grow tired and become discouraged.
4Your resistance so far hasn't cost you blood as you fight against sin. 5Have you forgotten#12:5. Or “You have forgotten.” God's appeal to you when he reasons with you as his children? He says, “My child, don't treat the Lord's discipline lightly, and don't give up when he corrects you either. 6The Lord disciplines everyone he loves, and he punishes everyone he welcomes as his child.” 7Be patient as you experience God's discipline because he is treating you as his children. What child doesn't experience a father's discipline? 8If you are not disciplined (which everyone has experienced), then you are illegitimate and not true children. 9For if we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we even more be subject to the discipline of our spiritual Father which leads to life? 10They disciplined us for a short while as they thought appropriate, but God does so for our benefit in order that we can share his holy character. 11When it happens, all discipline seems painful and not something to be happy about. But later on it produces peace in those who have been trained in this way so that they do what is good and right.
12So strengthen your feeble hands, and your weak knees!#12:12. Quoting Isaiah 35:3. 13Make straight paths to walk on,#12:13. Quoting Proverbs 4:26. so that those who are crippled won't lose their way, but will be healed. 14Do your best to live in peace with everybody, and look for holiness—if you don't have this you won't see the Lord. 15Make sure that none of you lack God's grace, in case some cause of bitterness#12:15. See Deuteronomy 29:18. arises to give trouble and end up corrupting many of you. 16Make sure there's nobody who is sexually immoral, or irreligious, like Esau was. He sold his birthright for a single meal. 17You remember that even when he wanted to receive the blessing later on he was refused. Even though he really tried, and cried hard, Esau couldn't change what he had done.
18You haven't arrived at a physical mountain#12:18. Clearly the reference in context is to Mount Sinai. that can be touched, that burned with fire, to a stormy place of black darkness, 19where the sound of a trumpet and a voice speaking was heard—and those who heard the voice begged never to hear it speak to them again. 20For they couldn't take what they were told to do, such as, “Even if a farm animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”#12:20. Quoting Exodus 19:12-13 21The sight was so terrifying that Moses himself said, “I'm so scared I'm shaking!”#12:21. Quoting Deuteronomy 9:19.
22But you have arrived at Mount Zion, the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, with its thousands and thousands of angels. 23You have come to the church of the firstborn whose names are written down in heaven, to God, the judge of everyone, and to those good people whose lives are complete. 24You have come to Jesus, who shares with us the new agreed relationship, to the sprinkled blood that means more than that of Abel.#12:24. Probably meaning that Jesus shed his blood in a spirit of forgiveness, while in the context of the first murder God references Abel's blood as calling out for vengeance. 25Make sure you don't reject the one who is speaking! If they didn't escape when they rejected God on earth, it is even more certain that we won't escape if we turn away from God who warns us from heaven! 26Back then God's voice shook the earth, but his promise is now: “One more time I'm going to shake not only the earth, but heaven too.”#12:26. Quoting Haggai 2:6. 27This expression, “one more time,” indicates that all creation that is shaken is removed so that everything that is not shaken may remain.
28Since we're receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have a gracious attitude, so we can serve God in a way that pleases him, with reverence and respect. 29For “our God is a fire that consumes.”#12:29. Quoting Deuteronomy 4:24.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Hebrews 12
12
The Chastening of the Lord
1Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5#Job 5.17; Prov 3.11,12. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children,
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Warning against Rejecting God's Grace
12 #
Isa 35.3. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13#Prov 4.26. and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15#Deut 29.18. looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16#Gen 25.29-34. lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17#Gen 27.30-40. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
18 #
Exod 19.16-22; 20.18-21; Deut 4.11,12; 5.22-27. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20#Exod 19.12,13. (for they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:#12.20 or thrust through with a dart not found in best early manuscripts. 21#Deut 9.19. and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24#Gen 4.10. and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25 #
Exod 20.19. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26#Hag 2.6. whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29#Deut 4.24. for our God is a consuming fire.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.