Reflection

Reflection on Hebrews 2:5-9

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Scripture

“You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says, “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.

Observation

It is not angels who will rule in the future. In Psalm 8, it says that mere mortals are only a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honour. Yet we will rule over all things, including the angels.

We do not yet rule over all things. But Jesus, who was given a position lower than the angels when He became a human, suffered death for us, and is now “crowned with glory and honour.”

Application

God’s intention was that people would have authority over all of creation. That includes the spirit realm as well as the physical creation.

But Adam’s sin took that authority away. Rather than reigning over all things, humanity is often limited by and overwhelmed by creation.

Over the centuries, we have learnt how to use technology to tame our world, but a plague, a flood, or a tsunami can still kill millions of people.

What we achieved through technology is meant to be achieved in relationship with God through faith in Christ. In the age to come, those who have been raised to life in Christ will rule over the new heavens and the new Earth.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the destiny and the plan that you have for me in this life and in the life to come. Amen

Reflection on Hebrews 2:1-4

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Scripture

So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?

Observation

We must listen carefully to the truth of God’s word, otherwise we may drift away from it. God’s message has always stood firm.

What makes us think we will be exempt from punishment if we ignore the salvation that has come to us through Jesus? God confirmed His message through signs and wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Application

How can we ignore the gospel and the salvation that comes to us through Jesus Christ? How could we turn our backs on such a precious gift from our lord?

There are two types of people who ignore the gift of salvation

1. The people who hear the word but ignore it, or even ridicule it. In their pride they see no need for salvation.

2. Those who received the word but, for whatever reason, they drift away from the truth. In the parable of the sower, Jesus suggested this was due to shallowness of conviction, the cares of the world, or deception by Satan that this happens.

It is so sad when people just turn their backs on Jesus. it is like they have tasted something wonderful and decided it’s not so good.

Prayer

Lord, I pray there for those people who once walked with you but no longer do so. Bring them back to you and your great salvation. Amen

Reflection on Hebrews 1:10-14

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Scripture

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the Earth,

and made it with your hands.”

Observation

God the Father said of the Son, “You laid the foundations of the heavens and the earth. They will perish but you last for ever. You are always the same; you will live forever.”

God also said of His Son, not of the angels, “Sit in the place of honour.” Angels are only servants, spirits sent to care for believers.

Application

Both Paul and the writer to the Hebrews tell us that Jesus, God the Son, is the one who created and sustains all things. Jesus is not a mere human who came into existence and then died on the cross. No, He is the eternal and divine Son, the second person in the Holy Trinity.

I think we sometimes get confused about the nature of Christ – we put Him into the category of human being, an inspirational teacher and religious leader. No, He is God, and He is our creator just as much as God the Father is.

Jesus is eternal. He lives forever. The world seems old to us – whether it is 6000 years or 4.5 billion years, the heavens and the earth are old.

Jesus planned it all, made it and, at the end of time, He will fold it all up like an old piece of clothing. But He will continue for ever.

Those of us who will inherit salvation, the followers of Jesus, will also live forever. We will live longer than the Earth, the planets, and the stars. These things will pass away to make way for a new creation – and we are already a part of that.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are my Saviour and Redeemer. Thank you for promising to keep me for eternity. Amen

Scripture

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the Earth,

and made it with your hands.”

Observation

God the Father said of the Son, “You laid the foundations of the heavens and the earth. They will perish but you last for ever. You are always the same; you will live forever.”

God also said of His Son, not of the angels, “Sit in the place of honour.” Angels are only servants, spirits sent to care for believers.

Application

Both Paul and the writer to the Hebrews tell us that Jesus, God the Son, is the one who created and sustains all things. Jesus is not a mere human who came into existence and then died on the cross. No, He is the eternal and divine Son, the second person in the Holy Trinity.

I think we sometimes get confused about the nature of Christ – we put Him into the category of human being, an inspirational teacher and religious leader. No, He is God, and He is our creator just as much as God the Father is.

Jesus is eternal. He lives forever. The world seems old to us – whether it is 6000 years or 4.5 billion years, the heavens and the earth are old.

Jesus planned it all, made it and, at the end of time, He will fold it all up like an old piece of clothing. But He will continue for ever.

Those of us who will inherit salvation, the followers of Jesus, will also live forever. We will live longer than the Earth, the planets, and the stars. These things will pass away to make way for a new creation – and we are already a part of that.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are my Saviour and Redeemer. Thank you for promising to keep me for eternity. Amen

Reflection on Hebrews 1:5-9

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Scripture

But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a sceptre of justice.”

Observation

“Jesus is superior to the angels. God never said to any angel, “You are my Son.” He also said, concerning Jesus, ” I will be his father, and he will be my Son.”

When Jesus came into the world God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.” The angels are servants of God, but Jesus is the Son, the one who reigns forever with a sceptre of Justice.

Application

Over the last few decades, we have seen in parts of the New Age Movement, a resurgence of the worship of angels.

The author of Hebrews points out that Jesus is greater than the angels; they are servants, but Jesus is the one who sits on the throne of God .

His throne endures forever; it is eternal. The Queen will one day pass away. There is speculation that one day in the future, the UK will abolish the monarchy altogether. Then the throne will pass away also.

But the reign of Jesus, His throne so to speak, it will last forever. Having died on the cross and defeated sin then rising from the dead, his rule is never ending.

We don’t worship created beings such as angels. We do not give our primary allegiance to any human ruler. No, we worship the King of Kings, the holy Son of God.

Prayer

Hallelujah! What a saviour! You alone, Lord Jesus, are worthy of my prayers. you reign for ever and ever. Amen

Reflection on Hebrews 1:1-4

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Scripture

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his commands. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Observation

In the past, God spoke in many times and in many ways through the prophets. Now, He has given us the ultimate revelation through His Son.

The Son created the universe, and He radiates the glory of God. He expresses God’s character, and He sustains all things. After dying to cleanse us from sin, He ascended to sit in the place of honour beside the Father. The Son is greater than the angels.

Application

Jesus is the expression of the glory and the character of God. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. When we read of the miracles and understand the teaching of Jesus, then we see the heart of God.

The character and glory of God are seen above all in the death of Jesus on the cross. God could not bear to see us lost in our sin, so He took the punishment for us. Jesus, God in the flesh, absorbed all the wrath of God against human rebellion.

Now Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. Having descended to the place of suffering, God raised him to the highest place of glory.

How can we do anything other than worship our Saviour? How can we do anything other than to surrender our redeemed lives back to him?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying for me. Thank you for destroying the power of the Devil. Amen

Reflection on Judges 21:1-25

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Scripture

In those day,s Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Observation

The Israelites are caught up in their own vows about Benjamin. They had vowed that they would not give their daughters in marriage to any man from the tribe of Benjamin. They now see that the tribe of Benjamin is likely to disappear forever unless they provide wives for the 600 men remaining from Benjamin.

They discover that no one from Jabesh-gilead had attended their assembly. They had vowed that anyone who did not attend would be put to death. so they send 12000 Warriors to Jabesh-gilead to kill all the men, boys, and married women, but to spare the virgins who are to be given to the men of Benjamin.

Application

The author of Judges looks to the new era of a kingdom in Israel to restore order and godliness to the nation. But looking back through history, this hope was not to be fulfilled.

The problem with the era of the judges was not a lack of leadership, but that the leaders themselves were often such poor role models. There were very few people in the nation who understood or valued what it meant to live by the law of God. This would continue through the period of the kings, although with a few exceptions.

Perhaps it is true in the church also. We are often influenced by the society around us more than by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have the King of Kings to lead us, but we must learn to trust Him and obey Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are my King. Please help me to live your way and not to do whatever seems right in my own eyes. Amen

Reflection on Judges 20:26-48

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Scripture

And the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns – the people, the livestock and everything they found.

Observation

The Israelites go up to Bethel, weeping and fasting. They ask the Lord if they should fight the men of Benjamin. The Lord tells them to go, and He will give them a victory.

So they again surround Gibeah. This time, they plan to draw the warriors of Benjamin away from the town and then send men in to burn the town.

So the men of Israel kill 25,000 strong warriors and destroy the people and livestock of the nearby towns.

Application

The righteousness of the land was restored at a terrible cost. Tens of thousands of people on both sides were killed.

While many wars in history have been of dubious worth, there is no doubt that the second world war was a just war. The Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan sought to impose dictatorship on most of the world along with abominable ideologies. Millions of people died, and the prosperity of the world was set back by 20 years or more, but it was right to destroy these awful powers.

Many christians like to think that we can live in comfort and separation from the evil of this world. The fact is that we are all impacted by the sin of ourselves and of others. When God’s Kingdom is fully established, we shall all be holy and righteous.

Prayer

Lord, when I look at the evil in the world, I am dismayed. I thank you that you will bring an accounting for all of this. Amen.

Reflection on Judges 20:1-25

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Scripture

Then all the Israelites were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.

Observation

The whole country is united against the terrible crime that has been committed. 100,000 warriors from all over Israel assemble at Mizpah.

The Levite explains what happened. In unity of purpose, the Israelites march on Gibeah. They demand that the townspeople hand over the troublemakers to be put to death.

The people of Benjamin refuse to listen. Instead, they assemble 26,000 of their Fighters.

In the first skirmish, 22,000 Israelites die. The next day, they ask the Lord if they should go out to fight. The Lord tells them to do so, but it is another defeat with 18,000 Israelites killed.

Application

While the Lord always blesses us when we dwell together in unity, there are times when unity is not enough.

The Israelites were one in heart and mind, but they suffered a terrible loss, even after they checked in with the Lord, and even though they were fighting for a righteous cause.

We need to be united in the purposes and methods of God. It is not always enough to be right, we must also be doing God’s will in God’s way.

There is no guarantee that we will not suffer for the Lord, even when fighting for Him. Victory might be assured, but there are times when it is costly.

I believe that the churches in an area should be of one heart and mind, with love and honour being exercised towards one another. But this kind of unity is not enough, in itself, to defeat the enemy. We need to ensure that we show love to the community and must always be preaching the Good News.

Prayer

Lord, I pray that you will increase the unity in your church. Make us a genuine community of faith, serving one Lord and aware that we are one body in you. Amen

Reflection on Judges 19:1-30

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Scripture

Everyone who saw it said, “Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt.”

Observation

The Levite of the previous chapters takes a woman as his concubine. After a while, he returns to her father’s house in Bethlehem. Four months later, he goes back to Bethlehem to persuade her to come back with him.

Her father entertains the man with much feasting, but after five days the Levite, his concubine, and his servant leave to return home. They stop to spend the night in the town of Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. They are taken in by a man, but some troublemakers come and demand that the Levite come out so they can rape him. Eventually, to appease the mob, they push the concubine out through the door. The mob rape and abuse her all night. She collapses and dies. The husband takes her body home, and then cuts it into 12 pieces, sending one piece to each of the tribes.

Application

This event sounds very similar to the events of Genesis 19 which led to the destruction of Sodom.

This crime was so horrific that it demanded some sort of retribution to cleanse Israel of its stain.

Every now and again, a crime so horrific occurs that’s it gets the attention of a nation and leads to change.

As follower of Jesus, we need to take our own sin as seriously as the “mega sins” of others. We don’t need to point out the failings of other people, we just allow the Holy Spirit to deal with the depravity of our own heart.

Prayer

Lord, I confess that I so easily fall short of the standards you set for your people. Please forgive me and grant me victory to live a holy life. Amen

Reflection on Judges 18:14-31

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Scripture

So Micah’s carved image was worshipped by the tribe of Dan as long as the tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh

Observation

The 600 Warriors from the tribe of Dan come to Micah’s house. They carry the idols away from the shrine. The Levite questions then, and they invite him to come with them and be the priest for the tribe. He goes with them.

Micah and his neighbours catch up with the men from Dan. He demands his idols back, but they refuse. The men go off to Laish, which they burn to the ground and later rebuild.

So the Levite becomes the priest for the tribe of Dan, and they worship idols as long as the tabernacle remains in Shiloh.

Application

The tribe of Dan had refused their God-given mission to take their land. Jonathan the Levite was motivated by money and prestige. It all ended in idolatry that went through the generations.

If we fail to obey God, the final destination will be that we serve other gods. They might be literal idols or more generic gods such as money, fame, or sex. Either way, failing to live in our calling will result in false gods, false religions and wrong lifestyles.

Of course, this is not necessarily the end of the story. If we truly repent and turn back to the Lord, then we can get back to the real mission that God has got for us to achieve .

Prayer

Lord please protect me from all false gods that seek to seduce me away from obeying you, the one true God. Amen