Archive for September 2023

Isaiah 54-55, Proverbs 28:15-28, Luke 24:1-12, Hebrews 11:32-40 Hebrews 11:32-40: The roll call of faith now reaches its culmination. First, the author of Hebrews lists many other heroes of faith but only now by name. And then, second, he concludes with what we can learn from this famous catalogue of faithful men and women. The names that he…

Isaiah 51-53, Proverbs 28:1-14, Luke 23:50-56, Hebrews 11:17-31 Hebrews 11:17-31: The roll call of faith continues, and as it does, it answers many of the questions that people have about the hero figures of the Old Testament. Why was Abraham so blessed despite his failures? What about Moses and his murder? What about Rahab the prostitute? All these…

Isaiah 49-50, Proverbs 27:15-27, Luke 23:44-49, Hebrews 11:1-16 Hebrews 11:1-16: We come now to one of the most famous chapters in the Bible: the roll call of faith of Hebrews chapter 11. We have here a definition of faith, a list of examples of faith, and then a reflection on faith.   The definition of faith at the start…

Isaiah 46-48, Proverbs 27:1-14, Luke 23:38-43, Hebrews 10:19-39 Hebrews 10:19-39: This passage has three specific encouragements, and then a lengthy and awesome warning to motivate us to make the most of those three specific encouragements! The three specific encouragements are framed by “let us.” First: let us draw near to God. Because of what Christ has achieved, let us…

Isaiah 44-45, Proverbs 26:17-28, Luke 23:32-37, Hebrews 10:1-18 Hebrews 10:1-18: The author of Hebrews is continuing his argument that Christ’s sacrifice for sins is “once for all.” The law, the Old Testament covenant, was only a shadow of that which was to come. The reality is all found in Christ. Sacrifices in the Old Testament are merely an…

Isaiah 42-43, Proverbs 26:1-16, Luke 23:26-31, Hebrews 9:11-28 Hebrews 9:11-28: Now in this section the author of Hebrews outlines, at some length, not only the differences between the old covenant and the new covenant, but the great superiority of the new. It is here that Christ – fulfilling all that was promised in the Old Testament – sacrifices…

Isaiah 40-41, Proverbs 25:15-28, Luke 23:13-25, Hebrews 9:1-10 Hebrews 9:1-10: Now the author of Hebrews comes to describe what worship was like in the old covenant.  Sometimes, we can think that such worship – with all its ceremonies – must have been particularly exciting, brilliant and somehow better than the rather plain (by comparison) kind of worship with…

Isaiah 37-39, Proverbs 25:1-14, Luke 23:1-12, Hebrews 8:7-13 Hebrews 8:7-13: Now the author of Hebrews describes the new covenant that has come in the person of Christ, the new covenant that God has now established. This new covenant will: Give an increased desire to obey God’s law: I will put my laws in their minds and write them…

Isaiah 34-36, Proverbs 24:23-34, Luke 22:63-71, Hebrews 8:1-6 Hebrews 8:1-6: Now the author of Hebrews is coming closer to establish the reason for this extended exhortation regarding Jesus being a priest in the line of Melchizedek. The point that he is proving is that following Jesus, and therefore remaining as a Christian and not going back to Judaism,…

Isaiah 31-33, Proverbs 24:1-22, Luke 22:54-62, Hebrews 7:11-28 Hebrews 7:11-28: Some people seem to view the Old Testament as merely a list of rules, at best, or, at worst, a description of slightly disreputable activity on the part of an unpredictable and wrathful deity. But this kind of approach to the Old Testament woefully misses the larger story…