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The Word of God and the Eyes of God

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Cris Saur (2016), public domain

Rest is one of the most elusive states in the modern west. Most of us are powered up with our engines revving high much more often (and for longer) than we’d like. At the end of the day, at the end of the week, we long for rest.

This is not new. Ever since God cursed the ground after Adam and Eve’s sin, work in the world has been hard. All who labor have felt this. God’s people in the first century felt it too.

The author of Hebrews writes about rest in a way that should grab our attention. And he uses a famous description of the Scriptures to offer us help.

Strive to Enter God’s Rest

In Hebrews 3:7–4:13, the author pens a warning to his readers that is framed as a contrast to what happened to the generation of Israelites who left Egypt. They put God “to the test” and he was “provoked with that generation” (Heb 3:9-10). They were “disobedient” and unbelieving, and God swore to them that they would not enter his rest (Heb 3:18-19).

The exhortation to those who received this letter, therefore, is to “strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience” (Heb 4:11). They must not “harden [their] hearts,” and they should “exhort one another every day […] that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:8, 13).

It is not enough to hear the good news; it is only those who believe who will enter God’s rest (Heb 4:2-3).

Rest as God Rested

The contrast with the wilderness generation of Israel points to “rest” as it was understood in the original context: conquest of the promised land of Canaan. However, “rest” also pointed to something greater. And the readers of Hebrews still have access to this greater rest.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. (Heb 4:8–10)

Those of us familiar with the letters of the apostle Paul may read “works” here in the sense of works righteousness. (See Eph 2:8-9, Gal 2:16, Titus 3:4–7.) This is an understandable reflex, but it doesn’t square with the context.

The Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God has us resting from our works as God rested from his. From Heb 4:4, we know this refers to the seventh day of creation. Thus, the rest mentioned here is a rest of finality, completion, and satisfaction that what was chaotic has been settled and ordered by a good, sovereign king.

The Sharp and Piercing Word

Those who believe will enter this rest in a preliminary sense when they die and in the full sense at the re-making of the world. So how can we be sure we are among that number? The author of Hebrews anticipates and answers this question.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12-13)

All creatures are exposed before the eyes of God because we cannot hide from him. Our deeds and our hearts are fully known, down to the last detail. We can keep track of God’s judgment of us by paying attention to his word.

God’s word is like a sword, sharp and piercing the deepest places within us. The thoughts and intentions of our hearts are discerned by the Scriptures. And this word of the Lord is living and active; we cannot encounter it without effect.

The author of Hebrews wants his initial readers (and us) to enter God’s Sabbath rest. This is available to all who believe, and we can check our faith by comparing ourselves to God’s word. The more we are spiritually exposed before the Bible and the more we “consider Jesus” who is found there, the more surely we will “share in Christ,” as we “hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb 3:1, 14).

Proverbs: Genre

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Proverbs 1:1: “The proverbs of Solomon…”

This first phrase of Proverbs is the title for the entire book. Note first that the goal of the author is not to provide hard and fast “laws” to govern all behavior. He does not aim to form a comprehensive code of “prophecies” or “ethics” by which we can measure our progress in obedience. Rather, he writes “proverbs.”

As Derek Kidner puts it, “there are details of character small enough to escape the mesh of the law and the broadsides of the prophets, and yet decisive in personal dealings.”[1] In other words, while God’s law addresses the foundational principles undergirding all godly virtue, and while the prophecies shock people into returning from their sin back to these core moral principles, the proverbs address issues like “what should I do when I wake up tomorrow morning?”

Dictionary.com defines a proverb as “a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought.” That’s how native English speakers use the word “proverb,” and most translators find it adequate to represent the original Hebrew term.

What’s the point? Simply that the compiler of Proverbs reveals commonplace truths in short, memorable sayings. He’s describing principles of everyday living. He wants us to know the Lord in the messy and disorganized details of life.

close up photo gasoline fuel pump
Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya on Pexels.com

Proverbs help address questions such as: should you buy a house or continue renting? When is your child old enough to become romantically involved with someone? When your friend sins, should you confront him or cover it over in love? Should you take that new job offer? How soon should you pay off your debt? Which octane gasoline should you put in your tank? What could you say to your non-Christian neighbor that would be both bold and winsome?

Biblical proverbs are high-mileage statements with suped-up verbal turbines. They contain nuggets of truth crafted attractively and concisely to provoke consideration. They arise from the daily experience of those who, like Solomon, live life with their eyes open.

[1] Proverbs: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1964), p.13.

This post was first published in 2012.

Proverbial Disclaimer: Those who click affiliate links bring joy to the blogger’s soul; they will suffer no increase in cost to themselves.

Proverbs: A Journey in the Right Direction

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With its intensely practical insight, Proverbs tends to be a fan-favorite Old Testament book, included along with the Psalms in the Gideons’ infamous pocket New Testaments. Who doesn’t enjoy having a book of the Bible where they can turn to almost any page to find nuggets of advice directly applicable to nearly anyone, anywhere? But if we step back to examine the book as a whole, its overall argument may help us to read each portion of it more carefully.

Literary Markers

Proverbs explicitly marks off its major divisions with a series of headings:

  • The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel – Prov 1:1
  • The proverbs of Solomon – Prov 10:1
  • The words of the wise – Prov 22:17
  • These also are sayings of the wise – Prov 24:23
  • Proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied – Prov 25:1
  • The words of Agur son of Jakeh – Prov 30:1
  • The word’s of King Lemuel’s mother – Prov 31:1

A cursory glance at each of the divisions shows that the poems in Prov 1-9 are rather lengthy, with some filling a full chapter. The “proverbs” in Prov 10-22 and Prov 25-29 are almost completely made up of pithy, one-verse sayings. The “words” and “sayings” of Prov 22:17-24:22, 24:23-34, 30:1-33, and 31:1-31 consist primarily of brief 3- or 4-verse stanzas (the chief exception being the longer poem on the excellent wife in Prov 31:10-31). These differences in poetic device suggest slightly different reading strategies for each division of the book.

Let’s walk through these divisions.

Building the House

In chapters 1 through 9, wisdom builds her house (Prov 9:1). The long poems in these chapters lay the groundwork for the rest of the book by explaining what wisdom is, how to get it, what will prevent a person from getting it, and blessings and curses of finding it/not finding it. These concepts provide the structure of thought within which the rest of the book is to be interpreted.

The introductory poem (Prov 1:2-7) reveals the purpose of the book, which is to impart wisdom—defined as a journey in the right direction: toward Yahweh and away from oneself. Solomon then introduces the first archenemy of wisdom—the desire for more stuff (Prov 1:8-19) before describing the consequences of spiritual inertia (Prov 1:20-33). He explains how to become wise (Prov 2) and what to expect when wisdom invades a person’s life (Prov 3-4).

Chapter 5 begins a subsection that draws out, in great detail, the second archenemy of wisdom—the desire for more pleasure (Prov 5, 6:20-35, 7). Tucked inside all the talk about more pleasure is a reflection on three particularly dangerous kinds of fool: the savior, the sluggard, and the sower of discord (Prov 6:1-19).

The frame of wisdom’s house is completed by a celebration of wisdom’s ability to turn nobodies into somebodies (Prov 8), along with a grand opening celebration and invitation to partake of the feast (Prov 9).

Spreading the Feast

The remaining chapters contain the feast of wisdom, spread for those who take up this book and allow it to overtake their thinking and behavior.

The scattershot proverbs of chapters 10-22 and 25-29 must be read within the framework erected in chapters 1-9. Though it may be easy to find practical advice for topics such as financial management, friendship, influence, leadership, and communication, we must be careful not divorce such advice from the fear of Yahweh, which must be the beginning of wisdom. In other words, all such advice is intended to help a person draw closer to Yahweh, receiving counsel from him, and rejecting the seduction of self-love and self-reliance. This advice really works only in a world where its adherents are trusting in a wisdom from above, an alien righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith.

Why is the practical advice in these chapters so jumbled up, lurching from topic to topic faster than a Narnian chipmunk with ADHD? I don’t know for sure, and perhaps we’ll never know. But I have come to appreciate the educated guess of my seminary professor: Perhaps the book was arranged this way to mimic real life. When do we ever have a day when all we need to think about is money, or a day for friendship, or a day completely for labor? Each minute of our lives jumps from topic to topic, and perhaps Proverbs aims to simulate what it is like to draw near to the Lord in humility and with a teachable heart.

Non-Solomonic Material

If Solomon was the book’s primary editor (besides Hezekiah’s men a few centuries later – Prov 25:1), he wasn’t afraid to include material that wasn’t original to him. When he found instruction consistent with Yahweh’s revelation to Israel, he was more than happy to glean from it all he could.

The “words of the wise” in Prov 22:17-24:22 appear to have particular concern for how wise people contribute to a wise society. The additional “sayings of the wise” (Prov 24:23-34) teach the leaders of God’s people how to execute their responsibilities in a way that reflects God’s character. The words of Agur (Prov 30) draw attention back to first principles, calling us to place our trust in the King of Israel and the Word of God, with full awareness and humility. And the words of King Lemuel (Prov 31) give kings their final marching orders.

The Fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This crucial principle of wisdom frames the opening division (Prov 1:7, 9:10). It also makes a return in the closing lines (Prov 31:30). Without the fear of the Lord, a person cannot be wise. And without wisdom, they forfeit all the glorious blessings of wisdom recounted in this book.

So we’d better make sure we understand what the fear of the Lord is. And you won’t understand it if all you do is look up each word in a dictionary.

In Prov 1:7, the fear of the Lord is the contrast to the despising of wisdom and instruction (the thing fools do). In Prov 1:29, the fear of the Lord is the thing fools will never choose. In Prov 8:13, the fear of the Lord is the hatred of evil, especially the rejection of pride and arrogance. In Prov 9:10, the fear of the Lord has to do with the insight one has when he knows the Holy One. In Prov 15:33, the fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom. In Prov 29:25, the fear of the Lord is equated with trust in the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is not meant to be a fuzzy or opaque concept in Proverbs. It simply describes the posture of receiving from God. It is a willful choice to turn away from listening to oneself and toward listening to the Lord. It is the act of receiving instruction from God, instead of being wise in your own eyes. The fear of the Lord is in Proverbs what justification by faith is in Paul’s epistles. This is why Christ had to become our wisdom from God (1 Cor 1:30-31).

Will the posture of your heart be one of receiving from the Lord today? Or will it be one of protecting yourself, promoting yourself, or listening to the world’s enticement to keep following your heart? Proverbs is for you. May it turn you about and set you on a journey in the right direction: away from yourself and toward your Creator, Redeemer, and King, in every area of your life.

For more interpretive walkthroughs of books of the Bible, click here.

This post was first published in 2020.

Love as One United Body in Christ

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Chichi Onyekanne (2019), public domain

When I think of Bible chapters with long lists of commands, Romans 12 is one of the first that comes to mind. Once Paul gets to verse 9, it’s one imperative after another in a relentless stream that lasts until the end of the chapter.

As students of the Bible, we must not despair or turn away from understanding and applying passages like these. In a previous post, I suggested that we must connect lists of commands to the main point of the passage. I gave one example from 1 Peter 4, and in this post I’ll provide another test case in Romans 12:9–21.

The Context of the Book of Romans

The first eleven chapters of Romans make up Paul’s longest and most robust explanation of the doctrine of justification by faith. This is the glorious gospel which has captured Paul’s heart.

These chapters represent some of Paul’s most debated and contested writings, but Paul does not see them as dry and academic. He ends this first, lengthy portion of his letter to the Romans with a doxology.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
  “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
  or who has been his counselor?”
  “Or who has given a gift to him
  that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33–36)

Chapters 12–16 of Romans is Paul’s application of these doctrines to a specific church at a specific time. This is a pattern we observe in many of Paul’s letters, where the first portion is theological truths and the second portion is his effort to help people live out these truths.

Locating the Main Point

Scholars seem unsure about whether Romans 12:1–2 is a summary/introduction to chapter 12 or to the rest of the letter (chapters 12–16). In either case, these verses are critical for understanding the main point of Romans 12:1–21, which I believe is the larger context for Romans 12:9–21.

As always, the structure of a passage is key to finding the main point. While Romans 12:3–8 is a classic passage on spiritual gifts, reading it in context helps us determine Paul’s larger goal. The explicit teaching on spiritual gifts is found in Romans 12:6–8; this flows out of Paul’s instruction that the Christians in Rome should not think of themselves too highly because they are “one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:5).

Notice that there is no transition between topics as Paul moves from verse 8 to verse 9. The easiest explanation is that the use of spiritual gifts was the first topic covered in the teaching about unity in Christ, and Romans 12:9–13 gives us the second topic. We can sum up this second topic using a command from verse 10: “Love one another with brotherly affection.”

Finally, Romans 12:14–21 is not a disconnected screed against revenge. This paragraph is still about the love that a united body should be demonstrating. “Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16) is a better summary of this final paragraph.

I take the main point of Romans 12:3–21, therefore, to be something like this: Love each other as a united body in Christ.

Commands Help Us Apply the Main Point

The commands in Romans 12:9–21 pile up quickly. I count 13 commands in first five verses (Romans 12:9–13) and 17 commands in the final eight verses (Romans 12:14–21). We will be buried by these commands if we don’t read and apply them in light of the main point.

However, the connection between this list of commands and the main point of the passage also works in the other direction. These commands help us to understand and apply the main point of the passage!

Let’s take one sentence as an example: “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). We shouldn’t meditate on that command in a vacuum but in light of the main point. This means that I must not only abhor evil in the abstract, but I must abhor any evil that affects the body of Christ (including the evil within me). I need to love my brothers and sisters enough to help them abhor the evil that might poison our unity and to hold fast to what is good for our body instead.

In the other direction, hating what is evil and holding fast to what is good are part of the way we understand exercising love as a united body.

Conclusion

We’re never meant to apply Biblical commands extracted from their context. (This is true even for the Ten Commandments!) This makes it all the more important to fight for the main point of a passage as we work to be faithful hearers and doers of God’s word.

Intro to the Wisdom of Proverbs, Part 2

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Wisdom’s counterfeits have been around from the beginning.

Wisdom has built her house;
She has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts;
She has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table.
She has sent out her young women to call
From the highest places in the town,
‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’
To him who lacks sense she says,
‘Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live,
And walk in the way of insight.’

The woman Folly is loud;
She is seductive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house;
She takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their way,
‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’
And to him who lacks sense she says,
‘Stolen water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’
But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”

Proverbs 9:1-6, 13-18

Wisdom and Folly are two women who both want to have you over for dinner. One of them has done the hard work of building her house, setting the table, and sending her servants out with a personal invitation for you. The other woman is a moocher. She just sits in her doorway moaning, and the best she has to offer you is what she stole from the first lady. She’s a phony, a fake, and a counterfeit.

counterfeit dollar banknotes
Photo by Kayla Linero on Pexels.com

Wisdom’s Counterfeits

Today, there are all kinds of phony beliefs people have about wisdom, and becoming wise. The sneakiest of these are not total falsehoods, but rather half-truths. The woman Folly offers a real, albeit unsatisfying, banquet. In other words, these counterfeits sound and feel credible on the surface, but they don’t fully capture the truth of God’s wisdom. Here are 5 examples of wisdom’s counterfeits prevalent in our culture. For each one, I’ll state the common perception, identify the true part of it, and expose the foolish part of it.

1.  Wisdom comes from something inherent in our status, like noble birth or wealth.

What is true about this idea?  By living wisely, someone may actually be able to improve his circumstances or status (Proverbs 3:16).  However, the folly surfaces when we realize that even rich people can be fools (Psalm 49:20).

2.  Wisdom comes with education.

The truth here is that godly people should value good education (Proverbs 23:23).  What part of this example is foolish?  Those with education, degrees, titles, or letters after their names are still fools if they haven’t been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

3.  Wisdom comes with experience.

The truth: experiencing or practicing something can help us grow in discernment (Hebrews 5:14).  The folly: even the most experienced individual may not have learned the right lessons yet (Proverbs 27:22).

4.  Wisdom comes with age.

The truth: there may be a certain wise perspective that comes with the hindsight of age (Psalm 37:25).  The folly: unfortunately, some older folks can be bitter, unteachable, and more foolish than ever (Ecclesiastes 4:13).

5.  Wisdom comes with leadership.

This counterfeit is particularly insidious because godly leadership is a gift from God, and also because those who are young and simple desperately want trustworthy heroes.  However, Jesus often was most angry with those who used their positions of religious leadership to excuse and ignore their own incessant moral failures.  The truth to hold on to is that our church leaders should be the wisest people in the community: an elder or church leader “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).  We get this backward, however, when we think leadership qualifies a person to be a wise counselor, rather than recognizing that wisdom is what qualifies a person for leadership (Psalm 119:99).  Just because this person is my priest, pastor, bishop, elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, youth leader, or parent, does not mean that everything he or she says is wise or biblical!  Everyone (except for Jesus) is a sinner who makes mistakes, occasionally demonstrates unclear thinking, or simply might be too subjective to make a good decision right now.  Therefore, we must be careful not to naively equate wisdom with leadership roles.

Wisdom’s Reality

What is the whole truth?  How does one actually become wise?  Go back and re-read Proverbs 9:1-6, 13-18 and see that the answer is this: You become wise by dining at wisdom’s table.  You simply know the best place to eat!  You’re hungry, and you need some carbs.  You refuse to consume counterfeits; you want the real deal.  Imitation crab meat might help your casserole in a pinch, but who would choose that over an authentic Maryland feast awash in Old Bay seasoning?

What does it mean to dine at wisdom’s table?  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:53-55).  Jesus is wisdom’s feast.  Trust in him.  Feast on his goodness and mercy.  Ask him for life and wisdom.  Quit gorging yourself on the secret bread of reputation, pleasure, relationships, wealth, or religious activity.

In Proverbs 1 through 9, Wisdom will build her house.  She’ll hew out her pillars.  She’ll cook her meat and mix her wine.  She’ll even set a place for you at the table.  Then she’ll invite you to tuck in and enjoy the feast.  The rest of Proverbs will lie before you ready for consumption.  Even more so, the rest of Scripture will open up for you, a delightful spread of all manner of wonderful things.  But above all, Jesus will become more real to you, his mercy will extend toward you, and his passion for your freedom and glory will captivate you.  All you can do then is start munching.

Next week we’ll begin.

This post was first published in 2012.

Intro to the Wisdom of Proverbs, Part 1

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I’m beginning a series of posts on the book of Proverbs, with the goal of exploring how ordinary people can grow in wisdom.  By “ordinary people” I mean people who like to hang out with friends, people who have families, people who work jobs and have things to take care of, people who enjoy hobbies and travel and music and sports and tasty food.  By “wisdom” I’m referring to the extraordinary things that happen when a person loves Jesus a lot and wants to be like him.

close up photography of owl
Photo by Jean van der Meulen on Pexels.com

Why am I writing these posts?  Because I, like you, think of myself as being one of the most ordinary people on the planet.  Although I am a full-time missionary with a campus ministry called DiscipleMakers, and that might make some people think of me as being somewhat abnormal, I still feel like I’m someone who is as close to ordinary as you can get.  I’m not very tall.  I have a mortgage payment.  I can’t afford to hire someone to mow my lawn for me, even though I totally wish I could.  My children squabble over whose turn it is to press the button on the elevator.  I like double cheeseburgers.  If you want to hear about someone who is not ordinary, someone who is truly superior and extraordinary in many ways, then I’ll tell you about my wife.  But I won’t do that now, because I’ll have plenty of opportunity to brag about her in future posts.

Many wise people have written excellent works about Proverbs.  I haven’t read them all, but most of the ones I’ve read examine Proverbs with a topical approach.  They discuss things like how we should handle our money, or what sort of friend we should be to others, or how to speak words that build up and don’t tear down.  These books, when done well, are simply terrific, and I highly recommend them to you.[1]  Other books that take more of an expositional (or verse-by-verse) approach tend to be pretty technical commentaries and are thus somewhat inaccessible to ordinary people.

My intention in this series of posts is to lay a foundation for a life of wisdom by examining Proverbs chapters 1 through 9 section-by-section.  Proverbs is one part of the Word of God, and thus is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).  Proverbs 1-9 is one long introduction to the book of Proverbs, and it intentionally explains how wisdom works.  What is wisdom?  Why should I care about it?  How do I get it?  What will keep me from being wise?  Overall, how do I make sense of the details about topics like money, friends, and speech in later chapters?  And while a topical approach makes sense with the seemingly scattered details in chapters 10 through 31, a section-by-section approach to chapters 1 through 9 is warranted by the organized presentation of the material; therefore, in each section, I will seek to capture the main point, trace out the author’s flow of thought, and draw concrete applications to our day.

Above all, the entire Bible, including Proverbs, is about Jesus: his death for sinners, his resurrection to glory, his offer of forgiveness to all who repent, and his mission to proclaim this great message to every nation (Luke 24:46-47).  So, as we study Proverbs, we’ll do our best to focus on Jesus.

This post was first published in 2012.

[1] One example is Anthony Selvaggio, A Proverbs Driven Life (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2008).  Another is Dan Phillips’s excellent work, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs (The Woodlands, TX: Kress Biblical Resources, 2011). [Amazon affiliate links will provide a small commission to this blog at no extra cost to yourself.]

Keep Loving One Another Earnestly

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Priscilla Du Preez (2018), public domain

It can be overwhelming to read a list of commands in a passage of Scripture, especially if you want to apply that passage. What is a Bible student to do?

In my last post, I advised that the main point should be our guide—not just to interpretation, but to application as well. So when we encounter a long list of commands, our application should start with the author’s main point.

This can all sound very abstract without a concrete example, so today I will work through a passage in 1 Peter 4 which contains one of these lists.

The Commands

The excerpt I have in mind is 1 Peter 4:7–11. Here is the passage with the imperatives (commands) highlighted in boldface.

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7–11)

We have five commands in four verses. There are no new commands in verse 11, and I think “be self-controlled” and “be sober-minded” are two separate (but related) commands in verse 7. Though we do not see quite the density of commands here as we did in 1 Thess 5:12–22, Peter is not shy about stacking commands on top of each other.

The Main Point

In order to locate the main point of this passage, we need to know what we mean by “this passage.” What’s the structure here, and what is the larger portion of this letter into which this passage fits?

Some scholars consider 1 Peter 2:11–4:11 to be one large section. Some evidence for this is the use of “beloved” (to begin a section) in 1 Pet 2:11 and 1 Pet 4:12. Additionally, Peter writes about glorifying God in 1 Pet 2:12 and 1 Pet 4:11, so these may form bookends (an inclusio) for this section.

With this structure, 1 Pet 2:11–12 serves as a summary of the passage, given at the outset. Then our verses, which are largely about loving one another (1 Pet 4:8), should be read in light of Peter’s exhortations to “abstain from the passions of the flesh” and “keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable.” We can see the link from our paragraph to the beginning of the larger passage in 1 Pet 4:7—the references to self-control and sober-mindedness fit in nicely with the command to abstain from fleshly passions.

I take 1 Pet 4:8 to be the main point of this paragraph: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Connecting Commands to the Main Point

If 1 Pet 4:8 serves as the main point of 1 Pet 4:7–11, then the commands which show up in verses 9–11 are explaining exactly what “loving one another” should look like in the readers’ situations.

Loving one another—in a way that resists the passions of the flesh and which will cause unbelievers to glorify God—means showing hospitality without grumbling (1 Pet 4:9). It also means using God’s gifts (whether speaking or serving) to serve each other as stewards of God’s grace.

Revisiting the List of Commands

Let’s revisit the list of commands presented at the beginning of this post. One of the five commands is our main point (“keep loving one another”).

The other commands give focus and nuance to help us understand the command to love one another. As we learn to be self-controlled and sober-minded, this is not just for the sake of our prayers—it is also to clear the way to love. We love one another by showing hospitality and serving one another as stewards of God’s grace.

Unrequited Hope and Application

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A firm grasp on the natural human longing for a better world will take your application skills to the next level.

person hand reaching body of water
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Unrequited Hope

As we grow to love our neighbors as ourselves, this world becomes a better place to live. Good but not great. Finer but not final. A place of progress but not perfection. We long for a better world.

When God created the heavens and earth, all was very good (Gen 1:31). But man sought out many schemes (Eccl 7:29), and the consequence was a curse upon the ground (Gen 3:17). Now the human experience is one full of sickness (Ps 6:2), waiting (Ps 6:3), injustice (Ps 10), poverty (Ps 12:5), abandonment (Ps 13), corruption (Ps 14:3), abuse (Ps 22), grief (Ps 31:9), sin (Ps 51), fear (Ps 55:5), violence (Ps 59), sleeplessness (Ps 77:1-4), war (Ps 79:3-4), depression (Ps 88), chronic suffering (Ps 88:15), weakness (Ps 109:24), interpersonal conflict (Ps 120:2), disrespect (Ps 123:4), and loneliness (Ps 142:4)1—to name just a few of the things we now suffer.

When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden, he did it so that they would not live forever as sinners (Gen 3:22-23). In that action was the shadow of a hint of a hope of resurrection. If they would die, it means they could live again, right? So prophets such as Isaiah foresaw a new world to come, a new creation to replace the fallen creation (Isaiah 65:17-25). A place where lives would be long and full, no person would labor in vain, and weeping and distress would never be heard.

When Jesus came along, he spoke often about how the age to come was breaking into the present through his own person and work (Mark 1:15, Luke 17:20-21). But that presented a tension with the reality that the age to come was … still a time to come. A time when those hearing Jesus’ words would get to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt 8:11). A time when a faithful servant would receive their full reward (Matt 6:20). A place of joy that the persevering steward would enter (Matt 25:21). Jesus associates this new age with both bodily resurrection (John 5:28-29) and a new, regenerated world (Matt 19:28-29).

Paul speaks of a new creation, where the sons of God are fully revealed and suffering is replaced by disproportional glory (Rom 8:18-25). Peter motivates us to wait for the new heavens and new earth—the place where sin and suffering are gone and only righteousness is left (2 Peter 3:11-13). And John caps off our hope with his glorious picture of the dwelling place of God with men. A place that is already here but also not yet fully here. A place without tears, pain, or death (Rev 21:1-4).

Whatever we face now is but a photo-negative of what those who have trusted Christ will face then. And does not every human heart long for such a place? Isn’t that what people seek whenever they expose abuses of power, contribute aid to the needy, and rectify injustice? We all want to live in a world that is better than the one in which we now reside. And the Bible holds out much hope that such a place is coming. Just hold fast to the grace of God, persevere through these light and momentary afflictions, and testify persistently to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help with Application

So how does this doctrine help us to improve at applying the Bible?

In nearly any text, you can ask “unrequited hope” questions with respect to the author’s main point:

  • What would the world look like if everyone trusted and obeyed what the Lord declares in this text?
  • What hope do we have for that to take place in this world?
  • What hope do we have for that to take place in the next world?
  • Wouldn’t it be great to finally get to such a place?
  • How does this text highlight your pain, your suffering, or your sin?
  • What can you do now to prepare for a world without such things?
  • How does your coming resurrection in the new world motivate you to endure further hardship here and now?
  • What can you give up now, knowing you’ll have an eternity to enjoy it with the Lord Jesus?
  • If you do not trust Jesus, what hope can you have for the present world to ever act in righteousness and justice?
  • For the unbeliever: What has been the best time of your life? What if that is the best it will ever get for you? How does Jesus offer you far more than you can imagine?
  • In light of the new creation Jesus will bring, what is there left for you to be afraid of?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, grace, salvation, and sanctification when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the natural human longing for a better world.

Sometimes, robust reflection on our hope for the future will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: lament, oppression, injustice, sin, suffering, tragedy, misery, perseverance, joy, hope, satisfaction—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the natural human longing for a better world, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

  1. This list of human experiences from the psalms was collated by my friend Clint Watkins in his wonderful book Just Be Honest: How to Worship Through Tears and Pray Without Pretending (affiliate link). ↩︎

Diving Deep on Hebrews 3:13—How Should We “Exhort One Another?”

By

Ray Aucott (2018), public domain

A hard heart is poisonous, but there is an antidote. The author of Hebrews gives a concise prescription: Christians are to exhort one another, every day (Hebrews 3:13).

In this article, we will try to make this command specific.

Application Within Context

We preach context regularly here at Knowable Word, and there is no exception when it comes to application. Application should flow from the main point of the passage, but we should avoid writing down that main point and then staring dreamily out the window to apply the text.

Consider our passage (Hebrews 3:7–19) as an example. In my view, the main point is that Christians should exhort one another every day to avoid being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (This is only a restatement of Hebrews 3:13.) It would be a mistake to focus on the word “exhort” and then go off on a word-study rabbit trail to frame my application. Here, as in so many places, it is not just the imperative verb that is important. The context gives the word meaning.

Let’s first look to the letter as a whole. My co-blogger Peter has written an interpretive overview of Hebrews in which he argues for this main point of the book: God has spoken by His Son whose work is finished. There is a stay-the-course nature to the tone of this letter—the author does not want his readers to give up Christ.

In the more immediate context (Hebrews 3:1–6), Jesus is contrasted with Moses. Jesus is worthy of far greater glory that Moses (Hebrews 3:3), so it doesn’t make sense to turn from Jesus to Moses and his commands.

When we turn to the ultra-local context, this Christian exhortation is meant to prevent evil, unbelieving hearts (Hebrews 3:12) and to combat the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). Our exhortation is rooted in the fact that we share in Christ, holding our confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:14). Our efforts in this regard should aim to pull our friends back from disobedience and unbelief (Hebrews 3:18–19).

Shades of Meaning for our Application

If we are to exhort one another in the ways that Hebrews indicates, an analogy and some examples might help.

When thinking about this passage, I’ve pictured a marathon runner putting one foot after the other, drenched in sweat and with pain on his face. I can see his struggle between the easy option (giving up) and the hard one (finishing the race). How will I exhort him to help him finish the race?

Sometimes exhortation will look like encouragement, speaking timely truths to give a friend courage. Exhortation might also look like challenge or rebuke—if a runner is heading off course we should sound a warning. To exhort might mean reminding someone of their calling, identity, and the precious promises that are theirs in Christ. Often, to continue the analogy, exhorting will mean running next to a friend, to speak and to listen, to comfort and to point in the right direction.

While exhortation is likely part of a sermon in weekly corporate worship, it cannot be limited to that. This is to happen within our every-day relationships.

We need others to help us identify and resist false teaching, to point out temptations, and to remind us of the truth. We need friends to tell us what the finish line is like and why crossing it is so much better than ducking out of the race early.

What this Application Presupposes

In thinking through the command to exhort one another, I noticed three things this presupposes.

First, this command is given to a community of Christians, and there is a clear community responsibility. There should not be in “any of you” an unbelieving heart, and “none of you” should be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. So just as I am to exhort others, I am one who needs exhortation myself.

Additionally, this command presupposes strong relationships that can bear the weight of exhortation. This sort of strong urging is not something we can do for acquaintances. In order to encourage, challenge, and edify a brother, we need to know in what way that brother needs to be encouraged, challenged, or edified. These sorts of close, vulnerable relationships are difficult to form and difficult to maintain.

Finally, the content of my exhortation should be what God has spoken in his Son. My words and thoughts alone are not sufficient to prevent a hard heart.

Five Questions

Because application is so personal, I rarely suggest specific application points for others (unless I know them really well). Instead, here are some questions that flow out of our present considerations.

  1. Who are some people you could exhort? From whom would you welcome exhortation? If no one comes to mind for either question, how can you build these sorts of relationships?
  2. What can you do to make your church a place where mutual exhortation is welcomed?
  3. In what ways are you tempted to turn away from obeying God? How could you share these with a trusted friend?
  4. Where do you lack courage in your Christian life? How could you share this need for encouragement with someone else?
  5. What passages of Scripture (or general biblical truths) would be most appropriate for exhorting one of your specific friends?

The Antidote to a Hard Heart

By

National Cancer Institute (2020), public domain

In the Bible, having a “hard heart” puts a person in dangerous company. At various places, authors in Scripture use this phrase to indicate a lack of compassion (Mark 3:5), a refusal to repent (2 Chronicles 36:13), and a destiny full of the wrath of God (Romans 2:5). One of the characters in Scripture most often described as hardening his heart is the Egyptian Pharaoh who faced off with Moses (Exodus 8:32).

So, when an epistle tells us how to avoid or prevent a hard heart, we should take notice!

Beware of a Hard Heart

The subject of Hebrews 3:7–19 must be related to obedience, hearts, and hardening. The word “hard” or “harden” occurs three times, “heart” occurs four times, and there are four references to sin, disobedience, or unbelief.

The author of this letter uses as an example the generation of Israelites who exited Egypt with Moses. But this is not a positive example! Christians are NOT to be like them (Hebrews 3:8,15).

A hard heart is not just unacceptable in polite society. It has dire, terrible consequences, including the wrath of God.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
    they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
    ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ (Hebrews 3:10–11)

A hard, unbelieving heart will lead people to “fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). God will deny them access to his rest. There are eternal consequences to a hard heart.

Hard Hearts and Sin

A hard heart is dangerous because it leads to sin. It may indicate blindness to or apathy about obeying and loving the Lord.

In this passage, the author quotes Psalm 95:7–11, which refers to Exodus 17:1–7. The Israelites, despite having just seen God deliver them miraculously from the Egyptians, “quarreled” with Moses and complained about a lack of water. They accused Moses of taking them out of Egypt only to kill them in the wilderness. Moses thought the people might stone him, and the people questioned God’s promise to go with them, asking “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Hebrews 3:16–19 emphasizes that hard hearts lead to sin. Those Israelites “rebelled,” “sinned,” and were “disobedient.” They were unable to enter God’s rest because of unbelief.

A Powerful Antidote

The author of Hebrews does not want this end for those reading his words.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:12–14)

How do we prevent an evil, unbelieving heart? How do we avoid falling away from the living God? How do we prevent a hardening by the deceitfulness of sin? We exhort one another, every day.

A person filled with a certain kind of zeal might seize on the word “exhort” and go hunting for sin in other Christians’ lives. But exhort is not quite the same as rebuke, though an exhortation might include rebuke. This command is written to communities of Christians, and these brotherly and sisterly exhortations are to be grounded in knowledge of one another. The best exhortation contains exactly the timely encouragement, challenge, chastisement, and pointers to the promises of God that the other person needs. An obvious but challenging implication of this is that we must get to know each other well enough to know what exhortation is fitting.

Every Day

A person might be able to get behind the idea of occasional exhortation of their Christian friends. But the author of Hebrews is insistent that this happen frequently—”every day,” and “as long as it is called ‘today.'”

Why do we need such regular exhortation? Because we forget! As we have seen above, the same people who crossed on dry ground through the Red Sea accused God of abandoning them a short time later. We are fallible and finite and prone to forgetfulness, so we need to be spurred on by our brothers and sisters.

We Share in Christ

As we remind each other who God is and what he has done, we help to prevent the evil, unbelieving hearts that are ready to sprout within us. This is a vital community effort.

We “have come to share in Christ,” after all. He is not just the Savior and Lord and Redeemer of individuals, but of a collective people. As we share in Christ, we belong to one another. We have this privilege and vital responsibility to speak life-giving truths to our brothers and sisters.