Hebrews Chapter 4
By
Jim Bomkamp
1. VS 4:1 - “4:1 Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering
His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.” - The author
tells us to fear lest we might come short of entering the Lord’s rest
1.1.
Chapter 4 can be interpreted
two different ways, and depending upon which interpretation you select,
virtually every verse in the chapter can have two meanings. At issue is what the phrase "rest of
God" refers to in the chapter.
1.1.1. Many believe that the “rest of God” refers to possessing eternal
salvation through Christ, i.e. whether or not a person is truly saved or not.
1.1.2. Many believe the "rest of God," or "His rest"
spoken of here, is the deeper walk with God that the Christian begins to walk
when he dies to self and his "own works" and begins to walk in the spiritual
victory in Christ, trusting Christ in every area of his life.
1.1.2.1. The rest that Joshua led the Israelites to in the land of Canaan then
is considered a direct parallel to the Christian who is saved and then at a
later date begins a deeper walk in victory in Christ which previously he had
not yet obtained.
1.1.2.2. The Sabbath rest, in which God rested on the seventh day after
finishing His works of creation, in this case is thought to be directly
parallel with the Christian who must trust in the finished work of Christ and
enter that "rest of God" where he ceases from his own works and lets
God do His works through him.
1.1.2.3. Although this idea of the "rest of God" in this chapter,
which symbolizes the victorious Christian walk, is a very real concept worth pursuing,
I stand with those who interpret the "rest of God" to actually be
salvation itself. If a deeper walk with
Christ were the primary truth intended to be taught in this chapter, I think
its concept would not be so construed and hidden. “Being careful that you are truly being
saved” is the context with which chapter 4 finds itself.
1.1.2.4. However, if any of this chapter does refer to a deeper walk with God,
it would be verses 10 - 12.
1.2.
With either interpretation
there are difficulties in interpretation.
However, I also think that the Word of God often can have dual
fulfillments, and this chapter is one where I can see these two truths equally
portrayed.
1.3.
The fundamental issue to be
grappled with here in interpretation of this chapter is whether or not a
Christian can as a result of disbelief in Christ fall away from God to eternal
destruction. There are those who say no,
a Christian could never fall away, and there are those who believe that it may
be theoretically possible. However,
whenever a professing Christian begins to deny Christ those who believe the
doctrine of "eternal security" say this Christian must never have
been truly saved. I think that the term
"eternal security" and the argument involved over whether or not a
person can lose their salvation is meaningless and circular. What is important is what does save us,
namely "faith through grace, and that not as a result of works." No sin except disbelief in Christ as Savior
and Lord will ever send a person to Hell.
1.4.
The word "therefore"
at the beginning of this verse can be looked at as looking backward or
forward. And in either case the meaning
is similar.
1.4.1. Looking backward to the last verse of chapter 3 the therefore should
bring this to mind, "Therefore since the Israelites in the wilderness
failed to enter the promise land because of unbelief, let us fear..."
1.4.2. Looking ahead the thought is, "Therefore, since any one of us
could come short of the rest of God, let us fear...."
1.5.
Professing Christians are
told to "fear" lest they come short of the rest of God. The force of this argument is lost however if
you believe that the rest of God is just a deeper walk with God, for why then
should one then fear?
1.5.1. The Greek word “phobeo” which is translated “fear” here always means
“to fear” or “be afraid” and it is the word from which we get our English word
“phobia.”
1.6.
Likewise, some have
translated this verse "lest any of you "seem" to come short of
it," which has added to the confusion in interpretation. Interpreters have then said that a Christian
can't actually come short of the rest of God, but only seem to come short of
it. However, the word "seem"
is not always used in our culture as it has been in Biblical times where it is
sometimes used as an expletive. And in
this usage "that which he seems to have" and "that which he
has" are synonymous expressions, as in Luke 8:18. "Let us fear" is synonymous with
"let us take heed" or "let us be watchful."
1.7.
For application, We
Christians should never take our salvation for granted.
1.7.1. We need to take precautions to apply the lesson taught in the latter
part of chapter 3 and believe God, watching out for that evil heart of unbelief
within ourselves. Sin is deceitful and
could possibly lead us down a path we do not recover from.
1.7.2. Whatever has a tendency to shake our faith in God or draw our minds
from that saving truth in the gospel of Christ which is the source of our
comfort and our holiness ought to be an object of cautious fear to every
Christian. Salvation is promised to all
believers, as Jesus said, "they shall never perish, but have everlasting
life."
1.7.3. The best advice to us in application of this verse is to move forward
in our faith into the deeper issues of obedience to Christ as Peter exhorted us
to do, 2 Pet. 1:5-12, “5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And
to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For
if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see
afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore
the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:
for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an
entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 12 Wherefore I will not be
negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them,
and be established in the present truth.”
1.7.4. "Unworthy thoughts of God" need to be kept in check as well
as any distrust of His power, faithfulness and goodness, etc., for one has
rightly said that we first must have a wrong thought about God before we can
actually fall away from God.
2. VS 4:2 - “2 For indeed
we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they
heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who
heard.” - We
have had the good news preached to us just as the Israelites had it preached to
them, however it did not benefit them because it was not united by their faith
2.1.
The translation of
"gospel" for “good news” in some Bibles has obscured the meaning of
this verse. The translation "we
have had good news preached to us, just as they also," properly conveys
the intended meaning.
2.1.1. In the case of the Israelites as well as to Christians a joyful
annunciation has been made to us. To the
Israelites it was the word of the report made to them, "Ye are come
unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto
us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath set
the land before thee: go up and possess
it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged,"
Deut. 1:20,21.
2.1.2. The joyful annunciation to the Christian is the invitation to enter
into that rest of holy happiness which Christ has obtained for His people, both
on earth and heaven, as when He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn
from Me for I am humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls."
2.2.
Where did the Israelites
fail when they heard this joyful annunciation made to them? ...The "hearing of the word was not
mixed with faith."
2.3.
How important it is for us
as Christians when we hear God's Word to believe the Word. It has no power to change our lives if we do
not believe the word and thus apply the word to our lives.
2.3.1. One has said that it is by believing a principle that it becomes
influential, as it is by digesting food that it becomes nutritive.
3. VS 4:3 - “3 For we who
have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the
foundation of the world.” - We who have believed have entered into God’s
rest
3.1.
(QUOTES: Psalm 95:11, “1 O come, let us sing for joy
to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully
to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God And a great King
above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The
peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He
who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us
worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord
our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture
and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, 8 Do
not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the
wilderness, 9 “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though
they had seen My work. 10 “For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My
ways. 11 “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not
enter into My rest.”).
3.2.
The author here speaks of
believers of all eras as a body, to which he and those to whom he was writing
belonged, when he says, "it is we who believe (and we alone) who (under
any dispensation can) enter into (the) rest (of God)."
3.3.
The author again quotes from
Psalm 95:11 God's solemn oath which cannot be broken concerning those of the
Israelites who were disobedient in unbelief, that they shall not enter His
rest.
3.4.
Those who have believed
shall enter this rest of God, not those who have a deeper walk with God. This seems a logical conclusion from the
text. This again demonstrates that the
primary inference of “the rest” in this chapter is eternal salvation in Christ
itself.
3.5.
God's Old Testament oath
must therefore surely extend through this verse to any who do not believe in
Christ in order to enter His rest of salvation.
The second half of verse 3 actually should probably be included into
verse 4 and 5, in order to retain any clarity.
4. VS 4:4-5 - “4 For He
has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, “And God rested on the
seventh day from all His works” ; 5 and again in this passage, “They shall not
enter My rest.”” - On the 7th day the Lord rested
from His works
4.1.
Incorporating the latter
part of verse 3 into verses 4 and 5 we see the "rest" of God in its
primary use in the Old Testament Scriptures, namely, that state of cessation
from the exercise of creating energy, and of blessed satisfaction in what He
had created, into which God is represented as entering on the completion of His
six days' work, when in the beginning He formed the heavens and the earth, and
all their host.
4.2.
In this passage however, the
author under the inspiration of God makes it plain from this passage in Psalm
95 that the "rest" he is speaking of applied to other things besides
that which was its primary usage.
4.3.
The Sabbath Day rest of God
after creating a perfect creation is symbolic of a believer who becomes saved
through faith in Christ, and in that sense rests from his own works for
attaining righteousness before God, only to experience God working to make Him
perfect in Christ.
5. VS 4:6-10 - “6 Since
therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news
preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a
certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has
been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your
hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them
rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 There remains
therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered
His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.” - There remains a Sabbath rest
for the people of God
5.1.
Verse 6 speaks of some who
will enter God's rest, these are the faithful remnant that God always keeps of
those of His people, those who swim against the current of apostasy within the
religious ranks.
5.2.
Then, the idea in verse 7 is
that this same principle of a remnant entering God's appointed "rest"
is repeated to us prophetically in Psalm 95:7f.
5.3.
Through inspiration of God
again, the author interprets Psalm 95 as pointing to this present time in which
God has once again appointed a "rest" to those who can enter only
through belief in His Word, this being the salvation "rest" in
Christ.
5.4.
This rest is not the rest of
God in creation, nor the rest promised by Joshua where the people by faith went
in and began to conquer and take possession of their inheritance of land. This is a different rest which remains.
5.5.
The phrase "He fixes a
day" means there is a time limit for entering God's rest, "a period
in time." The period of time in the
phrase "after so long a time" probably means from the time of the
conquest of
5.6.
The argument from verse 8
then is that this Psalm of David would not have been written if previously
Joshua in His day had given God's people fulfillment of God's rest.
5.7.
Some translations have
incorrectly used the name "Jesus" (the Greek form of the name) when
it should actually be the Hebrew form of the name used, or
"Joshua."
5.8.
In verse 9, the author
concludes his argument that there remains active until the return of Christ a
rest for the people of God to enter through faith in Christ alone. Therefore, these Hebrew Christians had better
pay closer attention to what God has revealed through Christ who is superior to
Moses and the Old Testament covenant.
5.9.
The word "rest"
used in verse 9 is different than the one used elsewhere in this chapter, it is
equivalent to "the rest of God," and seems to mean a sacred
rest. This rest of Christ's people with
its holy happiness which they will enjoy on earth as well as in heaven is far
better than the rest of
5.10.
Those who interpret the
"rest of God" in chapter 4 as the deeper victorious walk of the
Christian point to this verse as revealing that something remains for every
Christian beyond just his salvation experience, there remains the "Sabbath
rest."
5.11.
In verse 10, the principle
of salvation by faith in Christ "alone" is depicted as the rest
obtained by the Christian, who rests from his works.
5.12.
A deeper walk with Christ in
truth must be entered into by us Christians.
There are two stages to our Christian walk. After conversion, a believer seeks to work
what God would have him do. The second
in which, after many a painful failure, he ceases from his works, and enters
the rest of God, there to find the power for work in allowing God to work in
him, he finds that it is "God who is within us to will and work for His
good pleasure." But, to enter
that rest of God we must cease from self-effort, and yield ourselves in full
surrender of faith to God's working. We
must die to self, as a grain of seed does before coming to life. John 12:24 says, “Verily, verily, I say to
you, except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself
alone; but if it die, it beareth much
fruit”.
5.12.1.
Paul in Romans 6:11 gave the
secret to this life by writing, "reckon (or consider) yourself
to be indeed dead unto sin, and alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord." We Christians are to continually believe that
the death of Christ, as an accomplished fact, with all that it means and has
effected, is working in us in all its power.
We are dead with Him and in Him.
5.12.2.
We Christians need to come
to that point in our life where we do as the Psalmist wrote and commanded under
inspiration of God in Ps. 46:10, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” We need to just surrender, live one day at a
time, and instead of striving in the flesh for God, just let Him do it, “Let go
and let God.”
6. VS 4:11 - “11 Let us
therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following
the same example of disobedience.” - The author exhorts us to be diligent to enter
into that rest of God
6.1.
The exhortation consists of
two parts here, an admonition and a caution, corresponding to the two
principles on which it is founded:
6.1.1. 'See a divine rest remains to be entered into, let us labor to enter
into it.’
6.1.2. `Seeing the great body of those who formerly were invited to enter into
a divine rest, did not enter because of unbelief, let us therefore labor lest
we fall, after the same example of unbelief.'
6.2.
The manner in which the
Hebrew Christians were to "labor to enter into rest," was by
believing the truth, and continuing "steadfast and unmovable" in the
faith of the truth, and in the natural results of the faith of the truth,
walking obediently before God.
7. VS 4:12 - “12 For the
word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and
piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” - The word of God pierces to
the deepest levels in our lives
7.1.
The piercings of the word of
God remind me of a surgeon who must first insert the scalpel and perform the
painful surgery before the healing can take place. The knife of the surgeon wounds to heal. Someone once wrote,"The light that
shows thee thy sin and wrong will surely lead thee out."
7.2.
This verse which so many of
us are familiar can be seen in a slightly different light if we see the context
in which it is written as the "rest of God" symbolizing salvation
itself. The phrase "Word of
God" here then does not primarily mean the general revelation of God to
man in the sense of the Bible, although this verse has general
applications. Specifically, the
"word" is the promise of God's rest extended to people and the oath
consists of the fact that it is through faith in Christ only in which anyone
shall partake of that rest.
7.3.
The word "quick"
in reference to the word of God doesn't mean quick in the sense of speedy, but
in the sense of living as opposed to that which is dead and lifeless. It is a sharp two-edged sword, it is not inoperative
but powerfully efficient.
7.4.
The declaration that the
unbeliever shall not enter into the rest of God, is the annunciation of the
unalterable determination of the Lord who is infinitely powerful and infinitely
faithful.
7.5.
The phrase "piercing so
as to divide the soul from the spirit, and the joints from the marrow" is
popularly used to describe the convicting power of the Word of God which many
have experienced, however, the primary meaning is that it produces death. To divide the soul from the spirit occurs in
death, and to divide the joints and marrow would certainly require tremendous
strength, create horrible pain, and produce death to the recipient.
7.6.
The threatening of God
against unbelievers is a threatening which the Lord has promised will be
executed; and when it is executed, an
intensity of suffering, a completeness and extent of destruction and misery
will be the result. The whole of that
generation of Joshua, under the denunciation of God's oath, died in the
wilderness. The evils subjected to the
person who rejects Christ are more dreadful.
It excludes not from
7.6.1. This threatening refers not only to external acts of apostasy, but to
thoughts of our minds and hearts. The
Word of God is a "discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart." A discerner is a judge, a
condemner, or a punisher.
7.7.
At times when we read the
Word to seems to effect little in our lives.
The Word is like seed though for everything depends on the treatment
that it receives from us. The Parable of
the Sower reveals this truth. There the
type of soil of the receiver of the Word is explained.
7.7.1. Some people receive the word with their mind or understanding,
however there it cannot create
life. The word is meant for the heart,
the will, the affections.
7.7.2. We must submit to the Word, live it, and act it out. Jesus said that the reason why people did not
believe His teaching, was that they were not willing to do the Father's
will.
7.7.3. If they were willing to do His will, they would know of His teaching
that it is from God. We also must be
willing to do God's will in order for God to reveal His Word to us.
7.7.4. Jesus said that to him who has, shall more be given as well. When we have proper attitudes toward the Word
of God it will manifest its living, quickening power.
7.7.5. When we share God’s Word with people, even if we sometimes interpret it
wrong and muff our gospel presentation, it is a living Word and it will do the
work that God has determined for it, as “it will not return void.”
7.7.6. We must love God with our whole heart mind and strength and apply what
the New Testament exhorts us to do, "take every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ." Jesus said
that "He who does the will of His father in heaven" would be saved,
Matt. 7:21-23, and he alone.
8. VS 4:13 - “13 And
there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid
bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” - Nothing is hidden from the Lord, He knows all
8.1.
The word
"creature" used here is used in other places in the New Testament to
refer to other things besides animal creatures.
It refers in a general way to feelings, emotions, and thoughts of the
heart. Every one of these is open and
laid bare to the One with whom we have to do, "Jesus."
8.2.
There is no use in trying to
hide from God since He knows everything about us all the time.
9. VS 4:14 - “14 Since
then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” - The author tells us to hold fast our
confession since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens
9.1.
Having shown the superiority
of Jesus over angels and also over Moses, the author now will begin to
demonstrate the superiority of Jesus over Aaron and the Aaronic priesthood.
9.2.
No part of the Mosaic
economy had taken a stronger hold of the imaginations and affections of the
Jews than the Aaronical High-priesthood, and that system of ritual
worship: the gorgeous apparel, the
solemn investiture, the mysterious sacredness of the high priest, the grandeur
of the temple, and the splendor of the religious rites which he performed. All of these operated like a charm in
riveting the attachment of the Jews to the outdated Jewish economy. Now, in opposition to these prejudices, the
Apostle shows that the Christian economy is deficient in nothing when compared
to the Mosaic, rather it has a more dignified High Priest, a more magnificent
temple, a more sacred altar, and a more efficacious sacrifice.
9.3.
This third section of the
book of Hebrews which compares the superior priesthood of Christ to that of the
Jews reaches from the 14th verse of the 4th chapter to the 18th verse of
chapter 10.
9.4.
The office of high priest
intimated to the Jews that God was offended with men, and would not have direct
favorable intercourse with them; that He
was disposed to be reconciled to them;
and, that the medium through which He was disposed to confer saving
blessings on them, was that of vicarious sacrifice and intercession.
9.5.
The Jews were probably apt
to say that we Christians in our new religion were deficient because we have no
high priest. And, with no high priest
how could our sins be forgiven and our needs supplied with no one to make
intercession to God for us?
9.6.
In the Jewish economy the
high priest was the principal religious minister, the inferior Levitical priests
were merely the deputies of the high priest.
9.7.
To begin the comparison of
the high priesthood of Jesus to Aarons', the author first states that we
"have" a "great High Priest" in Jesus, i.e. one who is
distinguished or illustrious.
9.8.
We have studied previously
the greatness of our Savior, Jesus, and that is what this "therefore"
(or "since" as some translations have it) refers. "The knowledge of the greatness and
glory of Jesus is the secret of a strong and holy life," one has
written.
9.9.
The high priest mentioned
here (Jesus) has passed into the heavens and is one who can be touched with the
feeling of men’s infirmities (weaknesses).
9.10.
The phrase "one who has
passed into [or through] the heavens" must have brought to the Jewish
Christian's mind that Jesus had actually passed into the "holy of
holies" in heaven, as the earthly Aaronical priest ministered yearly in
the "holy of holies" of the temple, which was only a symbol of that
appearance in heaven before the throne of God.
9.11.
Jesus shows the superiority
of the priesthood of Jesus to the Jewish religion here by:
9.11.1.
His passing into the
"holy of hollies" in heaven.
9.11.2.
The efficacy of His
sacrifice and the prevalence of His intercession for Christians there in
heaven.
9.12.
We have for our High Priest not
a son of Aaron, but "the Son of God"- not a mere man, but "God
manifest in the flesh."
9.13.
The word
"confession" or "profession" (as some translations have it)
in the phrase "let us hold fast our profession" is equivalent to
"acknowledgement" and thus this phrase either refers to the believers
acknowledgement of Christ as Savior at conversion, or the acknowledgment
believers make of Christ as their High Priest.
It doesn't really matter which of the two views we choose to accept, the
effectual result of taking either view is the same.
9.14.
Since Paul had been in
chains and James had been slain by the sword, and surely other persecutions
were prevalent, this exhortation to the Hebrew Christians to hold fast their
confession was necessary. The author will
later in the book exhort the Jews to go out to Jesus, outside the temple gate,
and thus bear His reproach.
9.15.
Jesus' whole priesthood has,
as its one great characteristic, heavenliness.
He communicates the purity, the power, the life of heaven to us. We live in heaven with Him; He lives with heaven in us. With Him in our hearts we have the kingdom of
heaven within us, in which God's will, is done, as in heaven, so on earth.
9.15.1.
We need to look to and
depend upon Jesus, our High Priest, and set our minds on the things above.
9.16.
In the sense of ownership of
property, we "have" this great high priest. This should affect our lives
significantly. We "have" him
and may use Him with all He is and has.
10.
VS 4:15 - “15 For we do not have a high priest
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all
things as we are, yet without sin.” - Jesus Christ can sympathize with our
weaknesses since He was tempted in all things as we are
10.1.
This verse seems to counter
an objection likely to arise out of the statement in verse 14 showing the
inconceivable exalted position of Christ.
To this objection the author would counter that Christ is both capable
and disposed to take an interest in people since He lived in the flesh and by
common experience understands and sympathizes with all our weaknesses.
10.2.
To be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, to sympathize with us, is to feel that kind of
interest in us which can only be felt by a person who has experienced the same
or similar afflictions, and which naturally excites a desire to relieve
us. For this reason the author
encourages professing Christians to hold fast their profession, because of
their great high priest who can effectively mediate on their behalf and relieve
them in their suffering.
10.3.
Had the Son of God not
become incarnate He might have pitied people, but He could not have sympathized
with His people.
10.4.
One has written, "The
truth is, He not only can be touched, but cannot but be touched. The assertion is not, It is possible that He
may sympathize; but, it is impossible
that He should not."
10.5.
Jesus was tempted, or tried,
in all points (or things) of human nature:
poverty, reproach, pain, desertion of friends. Every other variety of suffering was familiar
to the one Isaiah referred to as "the man of sorrows, acquainted with
grief."
10.6.
To all trials, except those
which rose out of personal guilt and depravity, Jesus was exposed, and
"yet without sin."
10.7.
Being made perfect and
having lived without sin, Christ is superior to the Aaronic priests because He
is the "perfect" example of a High Priest.
10.8.
We Christians need to keep
in mind that when we come to Jesus that He sympathizes with us in our trials
and temptations. Sympathizing, He also
desires to help us through the trials.
Having been victorious over every trial and temptation, He can help us
so that we to can be victorious.
10.9.
Since He not only knows the
suffering of our trials, and He also knows how to be victorious in every trial,
therefore we need to come often and bodly to Him who is our High Priest.
11.
VS 4:16 - “16 Let us therefore draw near
with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find
grace to help in time of need.” - We are admonished to draw near to Christ’s
Throne of Grace whenever we need mercy and grace
11.1.
In the expression, "the
throne of grace," there is undoubtedly an allusion to the mercy-seat in
the Holy of Holies, over which the Shekinah, the emblem of the divine presence,
hovered. The mercy seat represented the
throne of Jehovah in heaven, of whom it is written that He "dwelt between
the cherubim."
11.2.
The phrase "Throne of
Grace" describes the throne of Jehovah before which the Lamb of God makes intercession
for us, as our propitiation (or full payment through His blood). To this throne we are to come boldly, this is
God's desire as well as His provision.
We are not to come with trembling apprehension with which the Israelites
approached Jehovah. We are to come with
a confidence arising from the certain knowledge that our High Priest's
intercession will always be accepted, and His atonement adequate on our
behalf.
11.3.
To "obtain mercy"
or "find grace" is just to receive manifestations of the divine
favor, assistance as is needful for us in the day of trial to help us to hold
fast our profession and overcome our temptations and sufferings.
11.4.
The "therefore"
refers to the previous verse where Christ is shown as sympathizing with all our
weaknesses, having experienced the same Himself.
11.5.
This phrase "let us
draw near" is used twice in the epistle (also in 10:21) and the repetition
is significant, it is the one truth the epistle would have us to learn.
11.6.
Because we Christians have
such a faithful high priest we should come boldly before the throne of grace
when we need it; Jesus will be a
faithful and adequate high priest on our behalf. The one work of the High Priest is to bring
us near to God. The one object of
revealing to us His person and work is to give us perfect confidence in drawing
near. We can in spiritual reality, draw near to God and live in that nearness,
in living fellowship with Him, all the day.
11.7.
We have already been taught
to "hold fast our boldness."
We shall later on be warned, "cast not away your
boldness." And the summing up of
the Epistle will tell us that the great fruit of Christ's redemption is that we
have "boldness to enter in."