| |
 e have entered the third warning section of Hebrews.
It has only been thirteen verses since we left the last warning
section (Heb. 3:6-4:13). God started by giving us and the
first readers of Hebrews some sound doctrine about Jesus'
being greater than the angels, and then He warned them to
listen to Jesus. Next, He told them that Jesus was their merciful
and faithful high priest and proved that Jesus was more faithful
than Moses. Immediately He warns them to believe. Now He has
started to show them that Jesus does not need to be a Levite
to be a priest because God has recognized other priests who
were not Levites. Again we are starting another warning section.
The pattern is sound doctrine and then application - solid
truth and then what it means to us. This third warning section
is honest, blunt talk.
A Problem Exists.
The Holy Spirit will spend one and a half chapters talking
about Melchizedek and Jesus. That is more than He gave to
Jesus and the angels or to Jesus and Moses. All of chapter
seven is going to be about Melchizedek, but it will be difficult.
The problem is not that Melchizedek is controversial, unusual
or that someone thinks he is unimportant. The issue is the
heart condition of the readers. The Spirit includes six unique
Greek words to describe their problem - six words that occur
only in the book of Hebrews and nowhere else in the New Testament.
Now there is only one reason one would use six unique words.
There is no other way to explain the problem. The first two
words occur in Heb. 5:11.
| |
Concerning
him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain,
since you have become dull of hearing. (NASB) Heb.
5:11 |
Two Greek Words.
The Greek words are DYSERMENEUTOS and NOTHROS. One describes
the result of the readers’ problem and the other reveals
their problem. The Greek word DYSERMENEUTOS means that they
will have a hard time understanding and agreeing with the
explanation He will give to the passage. That was the result
of their problem. Some years ago I visited a church in Philadelphia.
During a conversation with one of the men in leadership he
asked me, “How can you know what any passage of scripture
means? Each verse can mean so many different things.”
His question was honest. It is a question I have been asked
numerous times. The readers of Hebrews had a hard time understanding
the meaning of scripture. It is a problem Christians struggle
with today.
NOTHROS
reveals the problem. The Greek word occurs only here and in
Hebrews 6:12. We will look at Heb. 6:12 first.
| |
. . . that you may not be
sluggish
,
but imitators of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. (NASB) Heb. 6:12 |
The
word NOTHROS is our word “sluggish”. The
word also means “slow, faltering, listless, and
lazy.” The literal meaning of the word is “no-pushers.”
What was their problem? They had become and were continuing
to be lazy in seeking to understand the Word of God.
They
were “no-pushers.” They had no real desire
to spend time struggling to understand scripture on
their own. They were lazy. Many Christians today when
asked what they believe, will quote their pastor or
one of their teachers. They do not really know their
Bible. These Hebrews did not know scripture either.
They wanted the easy, soft stuff of scripture. Did
they prefer stories, jokes, illustrations and warm,
soft application? While we do not know the specifics,
we do know they were not interested in digging into
scripture as we will see in the next verse. They were
lazy when it came to studying the Word of God. Maybe
God’s Word was boring to them. Maybe Sunday morning
was all the Bible they thought they needed. As Jews
they would have heard the stories of Abraham, Moses,
and King David from childhood. Did they think there
was nothing more to learn? |
 |
|
|
