BIBLE STUDY MINISTRIES

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Studies 5-8

Hebrews

August 2014

Contents

Study 5 – Hebrews 4:1‐13...... 2

Study 6 – Hebrews 4:14‐5:10 ...... 5

Study 7 – :11‐6:20 ...... 8

Study 8 – :1‐28...... 11

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STUDY 5 – HEBREWS 4:1‐13

FOR STARTERS With our significantly increased life‐expectancy over previous generations, “retirement” has become very big business indeed! Should Christians think any differently about retirement than the rest of society?

1. LOOK FORWARD, NOT BACK! In :7‐19, the readers were exhorted to look back to the past and to be warned by the negative example of Israel they saw there. Hebrews 4:1‐13, however, is the flip‐side. The author now turns his readers’ attention to the future, to look to what lies ahead of them.

Read Hebrews 4:1‐11 In these verses, the author weaves together a number of themes. Compare the following sets of verses to see what word, phrase or idea is common to each set.

1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11 ______2, 6, 7, 11 ______1, 6, 9 ______3, 4, 9, 10 ______

These four themes are key to understanding verses 1‐11. Behind them lie three events in history – two in the past and one in the future – and they also speak of the response to those events God requires. We will take the themes in reverse order. a. What event in past history is common to verses 3, 4, 9 and 10? (Note: the word “Sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew word for “rest”, and the first time “rest” is mentioned in the is in Genesis 2:2.)

When the author speaks in this passage about “rest”, what “rest” does he primarily have in mind?

b. What do verses 1, 6 and 9 add to this theme of “rest”? Where should the readers of Hebrews be looking for this “rest” – in the past or in the future?

c. What event in past history (and what response on the part of Israel) is common to verses 2, 6, 7 and 11? (Hint: remember Hebrews 3:7‐19; see also Numbers 14:26‐35.)

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Moving forward 40 years after Numbers 14, read 21:43‐45. What does the word “rest” refer to in Joshua? According to Joshua, have the Israelites entered into God’s rest?

In Hebrews 4:8, what is the author’s view of all this? Did Joshua give the people “rest” or not?

From verses 9‐10, on what basis can the author of Hebrews so brazenly contradict the Old Testament? What is the evidence he provides that the “rest” Joshua achieved was not the true “rest” God ultimately had in mind?

From verses 6, 7 and 11, then, how would God view the readers’ intention to return to Judaism?

d. Drawing all this together so far, in verses 1, 3, 6, 10 and 11, what is the conclusion the author gives his readers?

Where do we find God’s true “rest”? Who can enter it, and on what basis (verses 3 and 11)?

Re‐read Hebrews 4:1‐11 and summarise what the author is saying in your own words.

2. THE DIVINE SCALPEL Read Hebrews 4:12‐13

These verses can seem, at first glance, to be unrelated to what we’ve just been reading. However, there are two very important connections to notice. The first is the word, “for”, which begins verse 12. This indicates that verses 12‐13 are giving a further reason why the readers of Hebrews should “make every effort” to enter God’s rest (v 11). However, the second connection is not as obvious.

Compare verse 2 with the beginning of verse 12. Verse 2 literally says (quoting the NASB translation): “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them …” How does the beginning of verse 12 echo verse 2?

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How do verses 12‐13 describe “the word of God”?

What would be the result of the readers turning their backs on the word of the gospel that they had heard?

What confidence can this vivid description of the initiative‐taking, powerful word of God give to those who believe (remember verse 3)?

3. HEBREWS AND US People look forward to lots of periods of rest in their lives – weekends, holidays, retirement, etc. What does Hebrews 4:1‐13 do to our thinking about and planning for “rest”?

According to Hebrews 4:1‐13, what ought to be the thing that’s always at the very top of your most urgent “to do” list? Is that reflected in your life? What can you change to make it so?

We people tend to assume that we are masters of the messages that come to us – that we’re free to take them or leave them as we please. However, how does Hebrews 4:12‐13 challenge that assumption? How should the reality that God’s word lays every heart open before him affect what we do day by day?

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STUDY 6 – HEBREWS 4:14‐5:10

FOR STARTERS Even in some protestant churches people will still refer to their ‘priests’ and ‘altars’. What is dangerous about such a mindset?

1. A HIGH PRIEST WHO GIVES US CONFIDENCE The passage for this study is a transition passage. It brings together many ideas from previous chapters, and it prepares us for several new ideas which the author will develop later. This study will focus on what is already familiar to us, while some of the new ideas (e.g., the mysterious ‘order of ’) we will return to another time.

Read Hebrews 4:14‐16 At first glance, verse 14 doesn’t seem to follow logically. It begins with “therefore”, but there’s no mention of “a great high priest who has gone through the heavens” in the immediately preceding verses. When, previously, did the author speak about being a “high priest”?

Look carefully at :10‐3:1. What similarities can you find between that passage and these verses here? (Look especially for words that are common to both passages.)

The idea that Jesus is the high priest who has ‘gone through the heavens’ – that is, has already entered into God’s rest as the ‘author (i.e., trail blazer) of our salvation’ (Heb 2:10) – won’t be developed in any detail until later on in Hebrews, in chapters 7‐9. There are, however, a couple of applications the author draws out in this passage.

The author of Hebrews is clearly picking up again on what he taught at the end of chapter 2. However, there is a strong connection with last study’s passage as well. What was the biggest theme we looked at from Heb 4:1‐13? How is that connected to verses 14‐16?

How does the description of Jesus in verse 14 give us confidence to ‘approach the throne of grace’ (verse 16)?

What does the expression ‘our time of need’ refer to (see 4:15 and 5:7), and what is the ‘help’ an exalted high priest such as Jesus can offer to his people at that time?

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2. A HIGH PRIEST WHO UNDERSTANDS Read Hebrews 5:1‐10 This passage divides into two neat halves. Who are verses 1‐4 talking about, and who are verses 5‐10 talking about?

a. Human high priests (1‐4) What task was given to the high priests (verse 1)?

What quality was expected of them and why (verses 2‐3)?

How did they acquire the privilege of high priesthood (verse 4)?

b. The great high priest (5‐10)

Psalm 2 is an interesting passage to quote in connection with priesthood, to say the least (Hebrews 5:5)! That is, Psalm 2 is a royal Psalm which speaks about the authority God gives to his chosen king; it says nothing about priests. But there are two reasons for quoting it.

Read :3‐5. What hints of a priestly role can you see contained in the description of Jesus’ exaltation as God’s king? That is, what does he do which results in him being exalted to God’s right hand?

Read Psalm 2:7‐12. In what way does the ‘Son’ (that is, God’s exalted king) exercise a priestly role towards the nations (especially verse 12)?

Back to Hebrews: How did Christ acquire the privilege of high priesthood (verses 5‐6)? On what basis was it given to him?

What qualities did Jesus display (verses 7‐8)? Given the situation the readers of Hebrews were in (facing persecution), how do these qualities in Jesus make him the perfect person to be their high priest?

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What high‐priestly task does Jesus perform (verse 9)?

Compare the high priesthood in the order of (5:1‐4) with the high priest in the order of Melchizedek (4:14‐16 & 5:5‐10) – what the priests are like and what they accomplish. Why specify that Jesus is a high priest belonging to a new order?

Why was it important for the readers of Hebrews to obey the high priest in the order of Melchizedek (verse 9)? What would that mean for them in practice?

3. HEBREWS AND US The world of priests and sacrifices seems very distant and foreign to most of us. Why is it important for us to understand the priestly ministry of Jesus? How does Jesus as our ‘great high priest’ help us both today and for the future?

Is it just coincidence that those Christian and ‘para‐Christian’ traditions (e.g., Roman Catholicism and Mormonism) which continue to emphasise a human priesthood and human priestly ministries, have little to no confidence regarding their ultimate standing before God? Why must all human priesthoods be abolished and replaced by the one ‘priest in the order of Melchizedek’ if we are ever to have real confidence in approaching ‘the throne of grace’?

“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15). When you find yourself tempted to stray or to compromise your faith, what should you do about it?

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STUDY 7 – HEBREWS 5:11‐6:20

FOR STARTERS “A bit of is good for you – as long as you don’t become fanatical about it.” How do you react to a comment like this?

1. IMMATURITY Read Hebrews 5:11‐6:3 How does the author of Hebrews describe his readers? What is he criticising them for?

What were the “elementary teachings” (literally, “the beginning teaching”) about Christ (6:1‐2)?

Distribute the following verses from the OT among the group and work out which of those “elementary teachings” were exclusively Christian ideas, and which were already part of Old Testament Judaism.

Elementary teachings Only Also Eze 18:21‐23 Christ’n Jewish Gen 15:6; Prov 3:5‐6 Repentance fr. dead acts Lev 1:9; 8:6; 11:25 Faith in God Lev 16:20‐24 Washings‡ Dan 12:1‐3 Laying on of hands Ps 9:7‐8; 37:27‐29 Resurrection of the dead Eternal judgment

If these Old Testament doctrines were the “elementary teachings of Christ”,§ then what do you think the author means by “the teaching about righteousness” which Old Testament believers were not acquainted with (5:13)? Why describe it in these terms?

Based on Hebrews 5:11‐6:3, how do you think the author would define “immaturity”, and how would he define “maturity”?

‡ “Baptism” means “washing”. See :10, where the word used is literally “baptisms”. § To understand how these Old Testament doctrines could be considered to be elementary teachings about “Christ”, remember what the author said about the ministry of back in Hebrews 3:5. 9

2. WARNING Read :4‐8 What warning does the author give to those who are thinking about turning back to Judaism?

What is so bad about what they’re thinking of doing? What benefits will they lose? How will their turning away reflect on what God has done for them in Christ?

What is the point of the farming analogy in verses 7‐8? How does this analogy help explain the warning of verses 4‐6?

3. REASSURANCE Read Hebrews 6:9‐12 The author writes: “Even though we speak like this.” Speak like what?

Remembering the severity of his warning from verses 4‐8, what does the author think the final outcome for his readers will be? Why (verses 9‐10)?

So why does he write so severely to them (verses 11‐12)?

4. ENCOURAGEMENT Read Hebrews 6:13‐20

The example of was very important to the author of Hebrews, not least because Abraham was such a significant figure in the Jewish religion his readers were thinking about adopting. Abraham was, in fact, the original and first member of God’s chosen people.

Read Genesis 12:1‐4 & Genesis 21:1‐5. How much time elapsed between Abraham’s first receiving God’s promise of the blessing of descendants, and the promise’s first fulfilment in the birth of ?

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In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham’s faith in that promise by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac – whose death would mean the end of the promise! But Abraham passed the test, since “he reasoned that God could raise the dead” (:19). So, with Isaac restored, God reiterated his promise to Abraham of 25 years before. By receiving back his son, Abraham “received what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15). Read what God said at this time in Genesis 22:16‐17.

What were “the two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie” that God did (Hebrews 6:13‐17)? Why did God do two things, and not just one (verse 18)?

What does Jesus have to do with this promise and oath given to Abraham so long ago (verses 19‐20)?

What will it mean, therefore, for the readers of Hebrews if they want to be true “heirs of what was promised”? What is the best way they can follow Abraham’s example (see verses 12, 15, 18‐20)?

5. HEBREWS AND US According to the author of Hebrews, there are two kinds of Christians: the mature (5:14‐6:1) and the lazy (5:11‡ & 6:12). What are the characteristics of each type? Which one best describes you?

The severity of the warning in today’s passage can overshadow the huge encouragements. What encouragements do you take from today’s passage? What things would you like to change in your life in response?

Is it possible to be too fanatical a Christian?

‡ “Slow to learn” is literally “lazy of hearing”. 11

STUDY 8 – HEBREWS 7:1‐28

FOR STARTERS ‘Jesus is just one of many ways to God.’ What do you think of that claim?

1. MYSTERIOUS MELCHIZEDEK Melchizedek was an obscure character in the Old Testament, appearing only twice, very briefly – for 3 verses in Genesis 14, and for 1 verse in Psalm 110. And yet the author of Hebrews devotes a whole chapter (and other references beside) to this mysterious king‐priest. Why? He does it to show his readers another dimension to the promised Messiah which they hadn’t appreciated – a dimension hinted at in Psalm 110:4, but only fully understood in the revelation of Jesus.

Read Hebrews 7:1‐3 These verses are a summary (with added explanation) of the first Old Testament passage in which Melchizedek appears. Read Genesis 14:18‐20. This passage in Genesis contains the sum total of everything we know about Melchizedek’s personal history. What point does the author of Hebrews draw out of this paucity of biographical information (Heb 7:3)?

The author of Hebrews also translates the meanings of Melchizedek’s name and title.‡ What do they mean?

What picture of Melchizedek is the author building up in verses 1‐3?

2. MELCHIZEDEK GREATER THAN Read Hebrews 7:4‐10 In these verses the author brings together a number of points to demonstrate that Melchizedek was greater than Levi. What things can you find in the following verses to build up a picture of Melchizedek’s superiority to the Levites?

‐ 4

‐ 5‐6

‐ 6b‐7

‐ 8

‐ 9‐10

‡ ‘Salem’ was a city that was later renamed ‘Jeru‐salem’. ‘Salem’ comes from the same root word as ‘Shalom’ = ‘peace’. 12

3. NEW PRIESTHOOD, NEW LAW, NEW HOPE Read Hebrews 7:11‐22 We saw in study 3 that ‘perfection’ has the idea of completeness or of reaching an intended goal. What was the purpose of the law, and what does Hebrews mean when it says that it was on the basis of the Levitical priesthood that the law was given to the people (verse 11)?

Was the law able to achieve its purpose (verses 11, 18‐19)? Why/why not?

We have already seen numerous ways in which Melchizedek was superior to the Levites. In what ways, then, is the priesthood of Melchizedek superior to the Levitical priesthood (verses 15‐17, 20‐22)?

Since a new and better priest has now appeared, what does that mean for the old law and the old structure of the physical nation of Israel (verses 12‐14, 18‐19)? Why?

What does all of that mean for those who are considering turning back to Judaism?

4. THE PERFECT PRIEST SAVES PERFECTLY The author of Hebrews has identified one of the key features of the priesthood of Melchizedek by combining two facts: 1) the lack of any mention in Genesis of Melchizedek’s death (verse 3), and 2) the assertion in Psalm 110:4 that a priest in Melchizedek’s order is a priest “forever” (verse 17). His conclusion, in verse 16, is that entry into this greater priesthood is through “the power of an indestructible life”. This is the point he picks up on from verse 23.

Read Hebrews 7:23‐28 What does Jesus’ resurrection tell us about his priesthood (verses 23‐24)?

What function does Jesus, as eternal priest, carry out in heaven (verse 25)?

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What is it about his character and majesty that makes Jesus the best possible high priest for us (verses 26‐ 27a)?

What has Jesus the high priest done in the past that enables him to “save completely those who come to God through him” (verse 27b)?

Summarise what you’ve discovered from Hebrews 7. What makes Jesus the perfect high priest for us? Why is he the only possible way to God?

5. HEBREWS AND US Hebrews 7 has an impressive list of attributes of Jesus: “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (verse 26), serving in “the power of an indestructible life” (verse 16), “made perfect forever” (verse 28). In what ways has Hebrews 7 broadened or deepened your appreciation of Jesus and/or encouraged you as you trust him? What do you think of the suggestion that ‘all religions are basically the same’?

In verse 27 we’re told that one difference between Jesus and all the rest is that he didn’t need any sacrifice for sins, but that instead he sacrificed for everyone else’s sins once and for all when he offered himself. Why is it important to understand that Jesus was without sin? In what ways is the sacrifice that Jesus offered different from the sacrifices other priests offer?

The Reformer, John Calvin, wrote this about Jesus’ high priestly ministry in heaven: [Jesus] appears before the Father’s face as our constant advocate and intercessor … Thus he turns the Father’s eyes to his own righteousness to avert his gaze from our sins … He fills with grace and kindness the throne that for miserable sinners would otherwise have been filled with dread. When we think of what Jesus has done for us, we usually think about his death and resurrection in the past; we much more rarely think about what he is doing for us right now. How can remembering Jesus’ high priestly ministry in heaven encourage you day by day?