Wednesday, October 21, 2015

2015DBRP_295 Eze20 Is4 Heb1


In yesterday’s reading in Ezekiel, the Lord refuted the saying that the Israelite’s were using, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.” And then Ezekiel conveyed two poems about the kings of Judah, spoken of symbolically as two lion cubs and like a vine.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ezk.20.nlt

Isaiah, like Ezekiel, also spoke of Israel like a vine, and in yesterday’s reading the Lord and Isaiah characterized Israel as a pampered, vain, and spoiled woman.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/isa.4

In heaven, I hope to find out who it was who wrote the book of Hebrews. The book doesn’t show signs of Pauline authorship. Important in this, there is no salutation like in all of Paul’s letters. Also, the writer does not claim to have been an eyewitness of Christ (2:3), as Paul claimed. The letter was probably written somewhat before AD 70, because even though the author talks much of the temple, he never mentions its destruction.

Mears points out that the word ‘better’ occurs 10 times, signalling a theme that Christians have been given a better way. In the first chapter the theme is that Christ is supreme and far superior to angels.

For many years I wondered why the writer did not return to his theme of our ‘place of rest’, which he gives in chapters 3-4. Now I think that he does in fact return to that theme! See if you can find it as we read through! Note that Israel’s ancestors failed to enter the place of rest because of their refusal to believe God. And as Hebrews 11 show, we enter that place of rest through fully believing God. (That is what faith is!)

Translation note:

2And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God [has] promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.

https://www.bible.com/bible/116/heb.1


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