You Can Read the Bible Guided Podcast

In the first half of chapter 10 the author explains why Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient and why Israel’s sacrificial system was not.  The author quotes Psalm 40 – attributing the words to Jesus Himself – saying: “Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but a body have You prepared for Me…”  Notice how the Hebrew Scriptures are treated: as though they always intended to attest to the advent and work of Jesus. 

Midway through this chapter the focus switches over to the topic of faith.  Even though this is building to a climax – more about that later – don’t miss the author’s intentions.  Speaking in the first-person plural, he assures them of the confidence “we” have… let “us” hold fast to the confession of our hope… For if “we” go on sinning deliberately… and “we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

This sets the stage for chapter 11, the climax to which Hebrews has been building.  I wish you could go back and read it all again to see how the letter swells to this moment.  The chapter is a surprise, and yet it is not.  It feels like the completion of a winter sunrise: the burst of light that finally arrives over the rim of the earth after hours of diffused color.

The author's pen explodes with names and stories of faith: Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah; Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; Moses, Rahab, and “the people who crossed the sea;” Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.  An outsized amount of ink is devoted to Abraham, who “…was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”  Each of them – “of whom the world was not worthy” – were commended not for their adherence to the Law, but “through their faith.”  

As we read the inscriptions on this monument to faith, I want to remind you that the author wasn’t fabricating connections between the old and new covenants, but was citing the Hebrew Scriptures themselves.  As Genesis 15 explains: “And [the LORD] brought [Abram] outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.  ­­­­

Our verse for this week is Psalm 71:3: Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I continually come; You have given the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. 

Hebrews 10 and 11.  Now let’s read it!

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)  And he blessed [Abram] and said:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
- Genesis 14:18-20

Hundreds of years before the covenant of Moses, before Aaron, Levi, and even Isaac, Genesis records the blessing of Abram by Melchizedek.  He is described as a priest of God Most High and as the king of Salem – roles that were always distinct under the Mosaic covenant.  Just as Paul, in Romans, connected Abraham’s righteousness to his pre-covenant faith, so this author connects Jesus’ high priesthood to Melchizedek’s pre-covenant office. 

Besides Genesis 14 and a reflection in the Psalms, Melchizedek appears nowhere else in the Bible.  This character with no other function but to affirm God’s hand on Abram catches the author’s attention, and notice the parallels: Melchizedek blesses Abram, while Abram pays the tithe.  Melchizedek offers the bread and wine.  In every way, Abram is the recipient of Melchizedek’s blessing. 

But what is the significance of this?  The rest of today’s reading answers by drilling deeply into the meanings of priesthood and covenant – ideas that saturate these chapters.  The author asserts that Jesus is “the guarantor of a better covenant…” by drawing on Jesus’ lineage through the line of kings; the inadequacy of the Levitical priesthood; the “better promises” on which the covenant of Jesus is built.  Implicit and explicit throughout is the logic: “if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for the second.” 

This is a dense reading of spirals and overlapping ideas, but an understanding of the new covenant is incomplete without seeing where it contrasts with the old.  The entire story from Genesis 17 on has centered on obedience to covenant, and now Jesus is upending that – or completing it, from this author’s point of view.   As I invited you when we read Genesis and Exodus, so I invite you now: don’t just look at the details, but look for the God behind them.  What does this passage express about the God who is behind it all? 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 71:3: Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I continually come; You have given the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. 

Hebrews 7 through 9.  Now let’s read it!

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! 
You have set Your glory above the heavens…
When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet…
- Psalm 8:1, 4-6

The author of Hebrews assumes that his readers are thoroughly familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures.   In today’s readings alone, there are 18 direct quotes or references from the Hebrew Bible – what we call the Old Testament – and 14 of those are lifted from the Psalms.  Understanding of the nature and function of the Jewish priesthood, of Jewish history, of the stories of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua, is a given. 

This author also unflinchingly assumes that the Hebrew Scriptures are essential to the development of Christian thought.  Biblical texts are not only cited but are used as foundations of arguments.  This might seem trivial to us, but the question of “what’s relevant to Christians?” was of such importance that Paul found it necessary to remind Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed by God…”

A third assumption – and the consequential thrust of the letter – is that these Scriptures find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.  “Long ago, at many times and in many ways,” he begins, “God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…”  His assertion that Jesus is “superior to angels” is not simply a statement of belief but a final stanza to Psalm 8.  The bold claim that Moses, while faithful, was only a servant in God’s house – “to testify to the things which were spoken later” – and that Christ is faithful over God’s house “as a son,” speaks for itself. 

This thread culminates today in the acknowledgment that Jesus is the “Great High Priest,” who “in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin,” was appointed “by Him who said to Him, “You are my son, today I have begotten you.”   

Our verse for this week is Psalm 71:3: Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I continually come; You have given the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. 

Hebrews 1 through 6.  Now let’s read it!

Unlike Timothy, Titus receives no mention in the history of Acts.  He was, however, present with Paul when he and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, according to Galatians.  He was also one of Paul’s emissaries to Corinth.  Paul describes him as “my true child in a common faith.”   

Paul’s concern is to instruct and encourage Titus in establishing proper order within the church in Crete.  There is consistency between the instructions to Titus and Timothy, but there also seem to be specific concerns regarding the residents of Crete themselves, whom Paul affirms – in an almost humorous tone – that they are “always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”  Later, the commands around teaching sound doctrine have as their center the charge to “Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority.  Let no one disregard you.”

Turning the page to Philemon you’ll find a document that, on the surface, has the same basic feel as those to Timothy and Titus.  There is, however, a singular point. Remember the final greetings in the Colossian letter:

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.  I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. 

This “brother,” we learn today, was in actuality Philemon’s slave.  The circumstances of Onesimus’s break from his master are unclear, though Paul’s “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge it to my account” indicates the separation was not with Philemon’s consent.  Listen as Paul asks his fellow worker to receive Onesimus back, “not as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother.” 

Given the cast that sends greetings – Timothy and Mark, whose presence Paul requested in 2 Timothy, have now joined him – it’s possible that this is one of Paul’s final recorded letters.  Indeed, Paul refers to himself as both a prisoner and “an old man,” the only time he does so, even as he requests Philemon to prepare a guest room for him, just in case he’s released.   In any case, the letter to Philemon is Paul’s personal gift to Onesimus, and to the church at large. 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 71:3: Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I continually come; You have given the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. 

The Epistles to Titus and Philemon.  Now, let’s read them!

In the first chapter of this letter we learn that Paul is in Rome.  Rome: according to Acts, this was Paul’s final landing place.  He was under house arrest, awaiting trial for stirring up trouble in Judea, all the while welcoming all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

The first letter to Timothy, who was stationed in Ephesus, was weighted toward concern for the proper functioning of the church: proper roles, proper conduct and the like.  This second letter is composed with much more concern for encouraging Paul’s “beloved child” himself: “Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor me as His prisoner… be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus… Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead… You have followed my teaching, my aim in life, my faith… I charge you in the presence of God: preach the word. 

There are signs woven throughout that Paul is looking beyond this life: the reason that Paul is not ashamed, the difficulties of the last days, the establishment of Scripture for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.  It is certain that Paul realizes his own chapter is closing, as he confides, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.” 

There is, finally, a sense of personal urgency and affection throughout this letter, which is best displayed in the closing.  It is wonderfully…human, living, when Paul asks: 

Do your best to come to me soon.  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.  Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.  Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.  When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.”

Our verse for this week is Psalm 71:3: Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I continually come; You have given the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. 

The Epistle of 2 Timothy.  Now let’s read it! 

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.  Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.  Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given to you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.  Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”  - 1 Timothy 4:12-15

The final two chapters of 1 Timothy feel much more personal and directed toward Timothy.  Beginning with the above passage in chapter 4, Paul focuses heavily, though not exclusively, on the “Man of God” that Paul wants his protégé to be. 

In chapter 5 there is an interlude, however, addressing how charity distributions to widows are to be handled.  Remember that one of the first controversies in the church, which we read about in Acts 6, had to do with fair treatment of widows.  The Jerusalem congregation’s resolution was primarily structural: certain leading men were designated as deacons to manage contributions and distributions.   Thus there is precedent for churches wrestling with questions about this, and it is natural that protocols would be incorporated into these instructions about establishment of leadership roles.

But the spotlight returns again to the character of the church’s leader.  It is hard to imagine, though, that these instructions are exclusive to Timothy alone.  Indeed, one of the peculiarities of these epistles to Timothy and Titus is that public reading is implied: only if the text was known to all could apostolic authority be enforced. 

So, put yourself in the room when these letters are read to everyone, wrestling with your responsibility to follow as Timothy is instructed about how to consider older and younger men, older and younger women… how to confront those who persist in sin… how to instruct those who are slaves… to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”  And to “fight the good fight of the faith.”

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Timothy 5 and 6.  Now let’s read it!

We first meet Timothy in Acts chapter 16, when he is picked up by Paul and Silas in Lystra.  Given his presence in Thessalonica, Corinth, and now Ephesus, it appears that Timothy was a longstanding and trusted associate.  Today Paul affectionately calls him “my true child in the faith.” 

Timothy has been left as a shepherd in Ephesus, and this letter serves as a handbook both for Timothy, and for the church he serves.  Remember that Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church had been exceedingly positive, but also quite vague in its personal attachments.  This letter presents a fuller picture of this congregation which was so significant to the evangelization of Asia Minor. 

Today’s reading breaks into two parts.  First, he enjoins Timothy to charge “certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.”   It feels like Paul has a few individuals in mind, and it may be that those who “have made shipwreck of their faith,” either through false teaching or by worship of the Law, are among them.  Within this, notice how Paul identifies the law as pertaining not to the just but to the “lawless and disobedient,” then outlines the lawless behavior to which it applies – including “whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine."  This list has appeared, in varying forms, in just about every one of Paul’s letters. 

I’ve written before about honoring logical series in Paul’s writings, and I want to extend that to caution about disregarding specific items in these lists.  There is nothing in the text that either elevates to greater importance, nor diminishes as of lesser importance, any specific behavior in these lists.  You’re allowed to read these, and discern their implications, at face value, within their context, just as we’ve done with hundreds of texts in the Bible.

The more substantial length of today’s passage concerns the ordering of the church.  Chapter 2 begins with urging for prayer “for all people,” and concludes with instructions for women.  Read the end of the chapter very carefully, paying attention to the logical flow.  This is followed by a concrete character outline for church leaders, which you’ll see again in Paul’s letter to Titus.  And we’ll close today with a charge that Timothy teach what “the Spirit expressly says” and to “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.” Instead Paul wants him to “keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.  Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Timothy 1 through 4.  Now let’s read it!

Two concerns have prompted this letter, both of which were addressed in the first.  A good portion of chapters 1 and 2 is devoted to continued questions about Christ’s return.  Consider Paul’s concerns for the Thessalonians when he reminds them that “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” He will “grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us… inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God…” Furthermore, he prays that they will not be “quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”  He concludes by affirming what must happen before the Lord returns, so they will not be deceived. 

A second concern was alluded to yesterday with three simple words: “Admonish the idle.”  In chapter 3 Paul rebukes them, “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies… If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”  Furthermore, he commissions the church itself to confront “…anyone [who] does not obey what we say in this letter: take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.  Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” 

Paul is likely referencing his first letter to them when he writes in chapter 2: “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, whether by our spoken word or by our letter.”  To call their beliefs “traditions” is an interesting word choice, but he employs it twice in this letter, and used it in the same manner in 1 Corinthians.  He obviously saw his teachings as displacing the “traditions of my fathers” he had rejected in Galatians and the “human” traditions of Colossians. 

This is no small thing.  The Thessalonian letters were among the earliest written, according to the timeline of Acts.  The Gospel had been spreading for about 20 years, but the question of which “traditions” Gentile converts should follow was only recently settled.  Resistance from local Jewish assemblies, as well as from other Christian missionaries with different opinions, would have proven difficult. 

The postscript “With my own hand…” that has become a familiar signature receives expanded treatment today: “This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.”  The concern that others would speak for the Apostle in an attempt to deceive, was apparently so pressing that Paul feels it necessary to highlight his personal seal upon this letter. 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

2 Thessalonians.  Now let’s read it!

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.  For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.  – 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10

Since the apostles had been forced to depart from Thessalonica in haste, they apparently were concerned about their fledgling church enough for Timothy to make a return trip as soon as possible.  We read of his return at the beginning of chapter 3, having completed a 600-mile round trip to Athens, to bring a favorable report, for which Paul again is thankful.  However, there are a few issues yet to be covered.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers… dives into the meat that’s been on Paul’s mind from the beginning, having described the Thessalonians in chapter 1 as turning from idols “to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven…”   The first issue to be addressed is the fate of those who have “fallen asleep” – Paul’s favorite description for those who have died – before Christ’s return.  His response is based on “a word from the Lord,” which affirms the security of not only those who have fallen asleep but also those who will be alive to see the return.  A second concern is speculation about the time and season of “the wrath to come.”  Notice the details of which Paul is ambiguous, and those of which he is certain. 

As with many of these epistles, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy fill the final verses with instructions toward obedient living: “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak…rejoice always, pray without ceasing.”  The overarching concern for Christ’s return threads its way even through the benediction, as the apostles pray that the Thessalonians may be “kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful;” they are assured.  “He will surely do it.” 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Thessalonians 3 through 5.  Now let’s read it!

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.  For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.  – 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10

Since the apostles had been forced to depart from Thessalonica in haste, they apparently were concerned about their fledgling church enough for Timothy to make a return trip as soon as possible.  We read of his return at the beginning of chapter 3, having completed a 600-mile round trip to Athens, to bring a favorable report, for which Paul again is thankful.  However, there are a few issues yet to be covered.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers… dives into the meat that’s been on Paul’s mind from the beginning, having described the Thessalonians in chapter 1 as turning from idols “to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven…”   The first issue to be addressed is the fate of those who have “fallen asleep” – Paul’s favorite description for those who have died – before Christ’s return.  His response is based on “a word from the Lord,” which affirms the security of not only those who have fallen asleep but also those who will be alive to see the return.  A second concern is speculation about the time and season of “the wrath to come.”  Notice the details of which Paul is ambiguous, and those of which he is certain. 

As with many of these epistles, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy fill the final verses with instructions toward obedient living: “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak…rejoice always, pray without ceasing.”  The overarching concern for Christ’s return threads its way even through the benediction, as the apostles pray that the Thessalonians may be “kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful;” they are assured.  “He will surely do it.” 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Thessalonians 3 through 5.  Now let’s read it!