Tag Archives: Hebrews 10:1-17

Daily Bible Study

November 10, 2015 Bible Study — Made Perfect Forever, But Still In the Process of Being Made Holy

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 27:12

    This proverb tells us that the prudent take precautions against danger, while the foolish charge in without taking notice and suffer the consequences. It is worth noting how the prudent approach to danger differs from the lazy approach (described by the writer elsewhere). The prudent take note of potential danger and take precautions, but do not let potential danger stop them. The lazy use potential danger as an excuse not to do anything.

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Psalm 108

    I have confidence in God. I will sing praises to His name, morning, noon, and night. No matter how bad things may seem, I am confident that God can and will rescue me. I am certain that save us by His power.

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Hebrews 10:1-17

    The old covenant was but a preview of the good things to come. It was not those things. If the sacrifices under the old system had been able to make those offering them perfect, they would have ended when this was accomplished (which after a manner of speaking they did, after the new sacrifice had been offered). Instead the sacrifices under the old system continued year after year reminding the people of their guilt.
    Under the old covenant the priests offered the same sacrifices day after day. Those sacrifices were not able to take away sin. They were only able to cover it over. However, under the new covenant, Christ offered a sacrifice for all time and is now sitting at the right hand of God. Perhaps they key phrase to understanding what the writer is getting at is in verse 14: “For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.” Christ’s sacrifice has perfected us, but we are still in the process of being made holy. It is by Christ’s sacrifice that we are made perfect. That part has been completed, but the transformation takes time and we are still in the process of being made holy.

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Ezekiel 21-22

    Ezekiel declares that God’s judgment is about to fall on Jerusalem because her walls are filled with idolators and sinners. In chapter 22 verses 6-12 he gives a list of the sort of sins which they committed. As I read this list it reminds me of our society today, as those who are not committing these sins are justifying those who are. Ezekiel goes on to condemn the leaders of the people of Jerusalem. Rather than serve the people the leaders use their leadership positions to enrich themselves. Their only goal is to feed their own pleasures. God looked for someone to rebuild the wall of righteousness. He looked for someone to stand in the gaps against the waves of sin crashing through the holes in the wall. God found no one willing to do so, so now the consequences of those sins will come crashing down upon the people.
    Our society is at a similar place. Will you work to rebuild the wall of righteousness? Will you stand in the gap and attempt to shelter others from the consequences of sin by calling them to righteousness? It is time, and past time, for those who remain faithful to get to work.

Daily Bible Study

November 10, 2014 Bible Study — Will We Stand In the Gap?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I am going to be out of town on business for the next few days. I should still be able to get these devotions finished each day, but I may be a little late in getting them posted (or even like this one, a little early).

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Proverbs 27:12

    It is prudent to make plans for potential danger. Only a simpleton ignores possible dangers and moves forward without taking them into account. This does not mean that you should allow those potential dangers to stop you from doing something, merely that you should plan what to do if they actually come to pass.

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Psalm 108:1-13

    I am confident in God and my faith will not be shaken. I will sing His praises (I am warning you that you probably want to sing loud enough to drown me out). I will not refrain from doing so, no matter whose presence I am in. I will trust in the Lord to give me triumph over my enemies. God will help me to do mighty things.

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Hebrews 10:1-17

    If my reading of yesterday’s passage is correct, then the writer is continuing by emphasizing that God does not want us to spend our time seeking to “make right” our past sins. He wants us to spend our time seeking to do His will. As I say this, I realize that I could be interpreted as saying that all that is needed is that we move on from our sins and seek to do God’s will. However, we need to realize that our sins need to be paid for, and that Jesus offered the sacrifice which pays for them. We need to recognize that our sins are greater than anything we could do to offset them. It is only because God offered His own Son as a sacrifice that we are able to now approach Him to discover what His will for us is now.
    I will sum up the message I am seeing in this passage today. We must acknowledge that we have sinned and cannot do anything to make right the sins we have committed. We should feel remorse for our sins and a desire to follow a different path going forward, avoiding the mistakes (the sins) of our past. We follow this by accepting the gift of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins (and it is important that we recognize the magnitude of His suffering, endured on our behalf). Once we have done these things we should seek to identify and accomplish what God’s will is for us going forward. What we are not to do is spend time thinking about our past sins and striving to make them right. We cannot do so. The sins of our past can only be made right through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Let us put those sins behind us and seek to “Go, and sin no more.”

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Ezekiel 21-22:31

    God’s sword is being sharpened to strike out against those who sin against Him. Ezekiel prophesied that the omens had been cast and God had directed where the sword of God’s judgement would fall next. However, he issued a warning to those it passed over on this occasion that the sword would be sharpened for them. I have not received a vision from the Lord, nor a message as to where His judgement will fall next. However, I can read the words of Ezekiel where he describes the sins that led to the fall of Jerusalem.
    Ezekiel describes the sins of the leaders of Jerusalem, I will let you decide:

  1. fathers and mothers are despised
  2. foreigners are forced to pay for protection
  3. orphans and widows are mistreated
  4. people despise holy things
  5. people accuse others falsely
  6. idol worshipers
  7. those who do obscene things

The list goes on, and as I look at that list, I see so many of them (and items from the rest of the list) going on in the society around us. Time is running out for our society. God will not forestall His judgement much longer. Even the common people are oppressing the poor and robbing the needy. God is looking for someone, anyone, willing to rebuild the walls of righteouesness in the land. Will we stand in the gaps in the wall? Will we work to rebuild righteousness in this land?
    I want to state here that this is not about changing the laws. This is about what people actually do, whether it is legal or not. We cannot bring righteousness back to this country, or any other, by passing laws. We must reach people and convince them to allow the Holy Spirit to transform their hearts. Let us kneel down and pray. Let us beg God to send His Holy Spirit to transform the people around us. Let us demonstrate righteousness to them so that they will desire to live likewise. Oh God, use me to bring glory to Your name, inspire my words and my acts to cause others to come to You.

Daily Bible Study

November 10, 2013 Bible Study — With God’s Help We Will Do Mighty Things

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Ezekiel 21-22:31

     Ezekiel lists the sins of Jerusalem, sins seen by our society as “normal” behavior:

  1. contempt for parents
  2. oppressing the foreigner
  3. mistreating the widow and the fatherless
  4. idolatry and the lewd acts associated with it
  5. incest and other forms of sexual immorality
  6. murder for hire
  7. charging interest and making a profit off of the poor
  8. extortion

The people do not ever even think of God and his commands.

…

     As you read this list and get towards the end, it might make you think he is talking about the mob and others acting outside of the law. But as I read it and compare it to our society today, I think he is talking about people who are acting in ways that are technically legal and approved by those holding political power. In order to understand this, look at the proposals for addressing illegal immigration, they are all designed to create a subclass that can be taken advantage of for cheap labor. I could go on, but I see it in many of our government’s policies. Politicians proclaim that they are passing laws to address problems, but if you look closely, they usually make things worse and it has reached the point where it is hard to write these things off as unintended consequences.
     Ezekiel goes on, he speaks of political leaders who act to increase the number of widows. Look at our society, at how many politicians adjust policy so as to increase the numbers of single mothers. In a sense, they are “making many widows.” But he does not stop with political leaders. He continues by condemning the religious leaders who do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, who do not teach the difference between right and wrong. He talks about political leaders who destroy people’s lives for money and the religious leaders who whitewash these deeds by making it seem like those who do them care about the poor and oppressed. It has gotten so bad that even the common people are taking advantage of the poor and powerless.
     God is looking for someone right now to rebuild the wall of righteousness and to stand in the gap. Will I step up and do as He asks? Will you?

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Hebrews 10:1-17

     The writer tells us that under the law, the high priest offered sacrifices again and again, thus reminding the people of their sins year after year. Under the new covenant God sent Jesus to offer Himself as a sacrifice once and for all time. Under the old covenant we were reminded of our weakness and sinfulness time after time. Under the new covenant, God has promised to no longer remember our sins and lawless acts. We are to do the same. Rather than focus on our shortcomings and how we fall short of meeting God’s standard, we are to look to how we can do God’s will going forward. Let us focus on doing God’s will, not on avoiding sin.

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Psalm 108:1-13

     Let us thank the Lord, no matter where we find ourselves. The entire world belongs to God. The people of every nation are His people. The psalm concludes with this statement:

With God’s help we will do mighty things


Do we believe this? Do I?

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Proverbs 27:12

     The wise person sees potential danger and plans accordingly, the fool charges in and suffers the consequences. Notice that it does not say that the prudent person does not take risks, merely that they plan for the risks.

Daily Bible Study

November 10, 2012 Bible Study

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I am sorry if my posts are not posted in a timely fashion for the next little while. OK, I have my power back, and I have my Internet back. I was just getting into a new routine and I think I am going to keep some aspects of that new routine. I hope that no one was too disappointed in my posts for the last week or so (or at least no more than they are routinely disappointed by my posts).

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copyright Richard Moyer, used with permission

Ezekiel 21-22:31

     Ezekiel told of the judgment that God was about to bring against Jerusalem. God was bringing the sword against everyone in the land. Destruction was about to come upon Jerusalem. Ezekiel told them that they were receiving this judgment because of the blood they had shed and the idols they had built and worshiped. He tells of how the people have committed idolatry and other sins without even giving a thought to God’s commands. God has reached His limit over their dishonest profit and bloodshed. Notice, the condemnation is not for profit, but for dishonest profit. This is not a condemnation of people because they are rich. It is a condemnation of people who have become rich through dishonesty and corruption. God said that He was going to put the people of Jerusalem in a furnace to separate out the precious metal in their souls from the worthless slag.
     Ezekiel told them that God was condemning them because their political leaders used their power to extract wealth for themselves rather than for the betterment of the people and their religious leaders made no distinction between what was holy and what was defiled. The political leaders destroyed people’s lives for money. The religious leaders covered up for the political leaders by preaching false messages. Even the common people oppressed the poor and robbed from the needy. This sounds much like our world today. Everyone is out for their own interests, from the rich to the poor. The rich and powerful use their political connections to loot from the public treasury. On the other hand, the poor take advantage of natural disasters to loot.
     God told Ezekiel that He looked for someone to rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. Someone to stand in the gap. But He found no one. Will He say the same of us today? Are we willing to work to rebuild the wall of righteousness that has guarded our land? Will we stand in the gap? Will we pray for our neighbors and help the needy? Or are we too busy trying to coerce people to do what we think is right to take the time to DO what is right? Forgive me Lord for my failure to be as faithful as I should. Give me the strength to stand in the gap. Let your wrath fall on me not on those who have not heard your word because I have failed to preach it.

Display at Ott’s
copyright Richard Moyer, used with permission

Hebrews 10:1-17

     The whole system under the law of Moses was a dim preview of what was to come. The sacrifices were repeated again and again because they could not provide perfect cleansing from sin. They reminded us again and again of how far we fall short of the righteousness of God. Instead Jesus has offered Himself once for all time as a sacrifice to make perfect those who are being made holy. Through Christ’s sacrifice God writes His Laws in our hearts and on our minds. God promises that He will not remember our sins and transgressions. Now all we have to do is accept that Christ will stand in our place and provide us with the righteousness that we lack. It is our memory of our sins that prevents us from standing before God. Christ has provided us with covering for our sins in the same way that God provided Adam and Eve with clothes made from animal skins after they first sinned. We do not have to stand naked before God, we can stand clothed in Christ’s righteousness.

A Rose for Sandy

Psalm 108:1-13

     My heart is confident in God. I can sing His praises with all of my heart, why don’t I do so more? God will be exalted above the highest heavens and His glory will shine throughout the earth. Human help is useless, only with God’s help will we do mighty things. Let us cry out to the Lord when trouble faces us, He will answer and save us. I want to thank God before all people and sing His praises before all the nations. No matter how dark the day may seem, I know that God’s light shines forth and I will praise Him for His faithfulness. None can stand against those who serve on God’s side.

Any Port in a Storm

Proverbs 27:12

     A prudent person plans for upcoming dangers. All too often I have taken the path of the simpleton and not planned ahead. God help me to plan for the dangers I foresee ahead.