You Ought to Be Teachers Hebrews 5:12

The Hebrew writer declared that he had “many things to say, and hard to be uttered” but couldn't because his readers were“dull of hearing”. In chapter five and verse twelve of Hebrews the writer shares how his readers “ought to be teachers” where we read:

For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

The verse begins, “For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again...” The writer began with the words, “For when for” which means “likewise, even and also through and by means” “the time” or “the season and space” “you ought” which means “the Hebrew writer's readers owe, are bound, are indebted” “to be teachers” which refers to “ones filled to teach and instruct as doctors and masters”, “you have need” which means “the readers have necessity, lack and want” “that one teach” or “to instruct, hold discourse and deliver didactic discourses” “you again” which means “the readers anew, with renewal, further, moreover and another time”. The readers of Hebrews should have been teachers of Christian principles by this time, but they rather needed to be taught those principles again.

The verse goes on to say, “ ...which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” The writer added, “which be the first” or those that are the principal, beginning and original” “principles” or “elements, rudiments and primary and fundamental principles” “of the oracles” which means “the brief utterances and divine words” “of God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”; “and are become such as have need” or “are like those who have necessity, lack and want” “of milk” which literally means “milk as from a cow or goat” and metaphorically means “the less difficult Christian truths”, “and not of strong meat” which refers to “steadfast, sure, firm, immovable, solid, hard and rigid food and nourishment”. These readers needed to be taught the very first doctrines within the word of God, and the Hebrew writer likened it to babies needing “milk” to drink rather than eating “strong meat”.

When we think through upon these words in Hebrews, we understand the immaturity of the readers of this book. By this time, they should have been “teachers” to others concerning the Christian principles in their walk with Jesus Christ, but they were still in need of being taught basic principles themselves. Many people sit in churches year after year who never mature and grow in their faith, and therefore, when they should be instructing others, they have continual need to be fed with the “milk” of God's word themselves. We might identify them as “babes” in Christ even though they may have been in the church thirty, forty or fifty years or more. Let us examine our walk with Jesus Christ and see if we continue to need to be “milk-fed”. Let us choose to be maturing and desire the “meat” of God's word in our lives.

Next time we see the writer share how God was “uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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