The
writer of Hebrews declared, “where a
testament is,
there must also of necessity be the death of the testator”,
and as he continued that thought, in
chapter nine and verse seventeen of Hebrews he shared how
“a testament is of force after men
are dead” where we read:
For a
testament is
of force after men are dead:
otherwise
it is of no strength at all while the testator lives.
The
verse begins, “For a testament is
of force after men are dead:”. The
writer began with the word, “For”
which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and
therefore” “a testament”
or “a disposition, agreement, compact or covenant” “is
of force”
which means “is stable, fast, firm, sure and trusty” “after”
or “post or upon when” “men are
dead”
which refers to when “people have breathed their last, are
lifeless, deceased, departed, destitute of life and inanimate”. The
enforcement of a “covenant or will” comes after the person who
made the “testament” dies.
The verse continues,
“...otherwise it is of no strength at
all while the testator lives.”. The
writer added the word, “otherwise”
or “since,
seeing that and because” “it is of
no strength”
which is the Greek phrase “ischyō
mēpote ischyō”
and means “not at all, in no way and perhaps without being robust,
in sound health, with power or force” “at
all” or
“in any manner or way” “while the
testator”
which means “whenever and as long as the one making a testament,
covenant, agreement or disposition” “lives”
or “breathes, is alive, full of vigor and efficacious”. Until the
“death” of
the “testator”,
the “covenant or will” has no effect, power or force at all.
When
we consider these words in Hebrews, we discover the necessity of the
“death” of Jesus Christ to bring in the “new
covenant”. The “old covenant” was to be done away,
and when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, the “new
covenant” or “testament” was ushered in. We have
access to God the Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus,
and when we receive Him as Savior and Lord, we have aligned ourselves
with His “new covenant” and “will”. Let all who read
these words know and understand.
Next
time the writer shows how“the
first testament was dedicated without blood”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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