The
writer of Hebrews desired for his readers to “consider”
Jesus “that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds”,
and he told them “you have not yet resisted unto blood,
striving against sin”. In
chapter twelve and verse five of Hebrews, the writer shares
how his readers should “despise not the chastening of the
Lord” where we read:
And you
have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto
children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when you are rebuked of him:
The
verse begins, “And you have forgotten the exhortation
which speaks unto you as unto children,...”. The
writer began with the words, “And you”
which refers to “the readers of Hebrews” “have
forgotten” or “are utterly
oblivious of” “the exhortation”
which means “the supplication, entreaty, admonition and
encouragement” “which speaks”
or “that converses, argues and discusses” “unto you
as unto children” which means
“to the readers of Hebrews as sons and daughters of God”. Not
only had the readers of Hebrews not “resisted unto bloodshed”,
but the also were “oblivious” to the way God “speaks”
unto them as His “children”.
The
verse goes on to say, “My son, despise not the chastening
of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of him:”. The
writer continued with the words, “My son” which
refers to “those whom God esteems as sons whom he loves, protects
and benefits above others”, “despise not”
which means “do not have little care for, regard lightly or make
small account of” “the chastening” or
“the whole training and education of children through tutorage and
education” “of the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah”, “nor faint” which
means “not becoming despondent or faint hearted” “when
you are rebuked” or “when
the readers are convicted, refuted and confuted” “of
him” which refers to “the
Lord”. The writer of Hebrews
exhorted his readers not to “despise” the “training and
education” of the Lord, and they were not to lose heart when they
were “convicted and refuted” by Him.
When
we think through these words in Hebrews, we see the concern and
exhortation from the writer for his readers to remember the way God
“speaks” to them as “children”. God desires for
his “children” to know that He will care for them, and
when He corrects, educates and trains Him, they should not lose
“heart” or “faint” concerning His exhortation or
“rebuke”. Jesus came to provide access to God as His
“children”, and because He loves us so much, He will
“convict” us when we do wrong and “rebuke” us when we have
need for it. Let us rejoice that we have an Almighty God who desires
intimacy as a family with us, and let us know His instruction is to
our benefit rather than demise.
Next
time the writer tells his readers “whom
the Lord loves he chastens”,
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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