“Follow
peace with all men, and holiness”
is the instruction for the readers of Hebrews as they were warned,
“without which no man shall see the Lord”.
In chapter twelve and verse fifteen of Hebrews the writer
shared how his readers should be
“Looking diligently”
not having “any root of bitterness”
where we read:
Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;
lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble you,
and thereby many be defiled;
The
verse begins, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of
the grace of God;”. The writer
began with the words, “Looking diligently”
which means “inspecting, overseeing, looking after and caring for”
“lest any man”
which refers to “that no one certain person whether male or female”
“fail” which means
“come late or too tardily behind” “of the grace”
or “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm,
loveliness and unmerited favor” “of God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Readers of
Hebrews were to be attentive to “peace”
and “holiness” so
that not one person would “come behind” or lack in the “grace
of God”.
The
verse continues, “lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you,
and thereby many be defiled;”. The
writer added the words, “lest any
root” or
“that not one certain springing forth such as a sprout, offspring,
progeny or shoot” “of bitterness”
which means “extreme wickedness and bitter hatred”
“springing up”
or “begetting, bringing forth or producing upwards or on the top”
“trouble you”
which means “excite, disturb and annoy the readers”, “and
thereby” or
“through the same” “many be
defiled”
which means “large numbers and plenty be stained, polluted,
contaminated and soiled with sins”. If Hebrew readers did not pay
particular attention toward “peace”
and “holiness”,
not only would people be subject to “come behind” in the “grace
of God” ,
but they would also be subject to “bitterness”
which would “trouble”
and “defile”
them.
When
we consider these words in Hebrews, we understand the exhortation to
“look diligently” toward “peace with all men” and
“holiness” before the Lord. People were watching the reader's
lives, and if they demonstrated lack of “peace” and
“holiness”, it could cause others to “come behind” in
receiving God's grace which might cause “bitterness” to
arise among them. Jesus Christ came into the world to save people
from their sins, and it was by the grace of God that He did so. The
“peace” He came to offer was with God and men, and His
cleansing was not only for the recipient's benefit, but also for
those who bear witness of their lives. Let us read and hear the
writer of Hebrews' exhortation and “seek fastidiously” “peace”
and “holiness”, and may our lives without
“bitterness” demonstrate to others how wonderful the “grace
of God” truly is.
Next
time the writer shares about a “fornicator”
and a “profane person”,
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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