Day 346

(D) Book of Hebrews ~ cont.
3. Walk and worship of the Christian - Hebrews 12:1-29; 13:1-25
(E) Book of 2 Peter
1. Characteristics of our faith - 2 Peter 1:1-21
2. Signs of the coming apostasy - 2 Peter 2:1-22

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.  (Hebrews 12:4)

resisted - G478 - From G473 and G2525; to set down (troops) against, that is, withstand.

striving - G464 - From G473 and G75; to struggle against (figuratively), (“antagonize”).

sin - G266 - From G264; sin (properly abstract).

O how wicked this flesh is - wanting to have its way - have we yet striven to blood to resist the lure and enticement that the mortal body craves?  Nay.  Not one drop of blood has been shed either by wound or sweat.  Sometimes it is a terrible battle daily to deny this flesh its wants, wills and desires.


1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

O Lord, give us the ability to stand to Your command, to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Help us Lord to desire to spend time with you daily.  Help us to not give into the temptation, but to remember that You always give a way of escape.

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  (Hebrews 12:5-6)

forgotten - G1585 - Middle voice from G1537 and G2990; to be utterly oblivious of.

exhortation - G3874 - From G3870; imploration, hortation, solace.

despise - G3643 - From a compound of G3641 and ὤρα ōra (“care”); to have little regard for, that is, to disesteem.

chastening - G3809 - From G3811; tutorage, that is, education or training; by implication disciplinary correction.

faint - G1590 - From G1537 and G3089; to relax (literally or figuratively).

rebuked - G1651 - Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish.

loveth - G25 - Perhaps from ἄγαν agan (much; or compare [H5689]); to love (in a social or moral sense).

chasteneth - G3811 - From G3816; to train up a child, that is, educate, or (by implication) discipline (by punishment).

scourgeth - G3146 - From G3148; to flog (literally or figuratively).

receiveth - G3858 - From G3844 and G1209; to accept near, that is, admit or (by implication) delight in.

Scourgeth = flog.  That is quite a graphic word.  Flog - in my initial understanding, flail, reminds me of what they did to Christ Jesus.  Paul was also flogged.

Though we may endure the correction of Father, we take heart in this:

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.  (Hebrews 12:11)

Day 345

(D) Book of Hebrews ~ cont.
2. Way of faith better than way of law
a. New Covenant superior - Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:1-28; 10:1-18
b. True worship - Hebrews 10:19-25
c. Rejection of Christ is fatal - Hebrews 10:26-39
d. Superiority of faith - Hebrews 11:1-40

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.  (Hebrews 8:12)

Remember versus forget.  Hmmm.  Word search on forget - translated as such 54x in 51 verses.  Evenly divided between Hebrew and Greek with 4 of each.

H4519 - From H5382; causing to forget; Menashsheh, a grandson of jacob, also the tribe descendant from him, and its territory.

H5382 - A primitive root; to forget; figuratively, to neglect; causatively, to remit, remove.

H7911 - A primitive root; to mislay, that is, to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention.

H7913 - From H7911; oblivious: - forget.

G1585 - Middle voice from G1537 and G2990; to be utterly oblivious of: - forget.

G1950 - Middle voice from G1909 and G2990; to lose out of mind; by implication to neglect: - (be) forget (-ful of).

G2983 - A prolonged form of a primary verb, which is used only as an alternate in certain tenses; to take (in very many applications, literally and figuratively [probably objective or active, to get hold of; whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove]).

G3024 - From G2990; forgetfulness: - + forget.

This is the only verse I found (thus far) which would seem to indicate God forgetting:

Jer 23:39  Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

Forget (5382) double reference to 5382 (which is to remove). This is not a forget, like oops, I ceased to remember something.  God can not forget - that would deny His very being.  The essence of His character is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, HE is all, He can not forget.  He can choose to not remember, which is mentioned in the verse I used at the beginning.  When forgiving someone, we may remember the offense, but can make a conscious choice to not remember.

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Remember - Used 148x in 144 verses - that is a bit much for me to read through right now.  Think I will focus on the word used in the Hebrew passage above.  :-)  Interestingly when I searched the E-Sword dictionary, the word remember has 8 entries as well.  Two for the Hebrew and 6 for the Greek (another study for a future date).

G3415 - Middle voice of a derivative of G3306 or perhaps of the base of G3145 (through the idea of fixture in the mind or of mental grasp); to bear in mind, that is, recollect; by implication to reward or punish: - be mindful, remember, come (have) in remembrance. Compare G3403.

Father, help us to remember Your word, to mediate upon it and hide it within our hearts.  Help us Lord, to seek after knowing and internalizing Your Word that we may have an abundant flow of life giving words and wisdom to guide us as we trod this narrow path and to encourage our fellow travelers.


Isa 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Day 344

(D) Book of Hebrews
1. Christ is better than the best of Judaism
a. Better than the prophets and angels - Hebrews 1:1-14; 2:1-18
b. Greater than Moses - Hebrews 3:1-19; 4:1-16
c. High priesthood of Christ eliminates daily sacrifices - Hebrews 5:1-14; 6:1-20; 7:1-28; 8:1-5

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. (Hebrews 2:1)

Therefore - what is the the therefore, there for?  :-D  That question has been asked by several teachers I have been privileged to sit under.  I am reminded as well, that the chapter and verse delineation in each book are of mans invention to assist in studying.  Sometimes there are unfortunate breaks which fragment the original thought of the inspired writer.

Therefore ~ earnest heed ~ heard ~ slip.  These were the words which captured my attention the most.  Therefore, what was spoken previously - :-D personally, I would say all of Chapter 1!

earnest heed - G4337 - From G4314 and G2192; (figuratively) to hold the mind (G3563 implied) towards, that is, pay attention to, be cautious about, apply oneself to, adhere to: - (give) attend (-ance, -ance at, -ance to, unto), beware, be given to, give (take) heed (to, unto) have regard.

heard - G191 - A primary verb; to hear (in various senses): - give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), ([shall]) hear (-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.

slip - G3901 - From G3844 and the alternate of G4482; to flow by, that is, (figuratively) carelessly pass (miss): - let slip.

What would the recipients of Hebrews have heard?  1:1 references that they would have heard God speak at various times and in divers manners to the fathers by the prophets.  This does NOT mean that there is any other avenue of salvation other than by grace through faith.  Every season of humanity, regardless of who was tasked with authority (whether individual or national) has obtained the inheritance (or the promise thereof) by grace through faith.  There are not many avenues to the Celestial City, there are not many ways, paths, etc.  Christ Jesus has from the beginning always been the only way to reconciliation and adoption by Father.

The Hebrews, and those who were attentive to the Truth, would have heard, studied, lived that which was recorded by the prophets.  All that was contained in what is now labeled as the OT.  I fear for the Bride at large, that she has forgotten from whence she sprang.  The roots which give nourishment.  This is not a call to return to a keeping of the law or rituals of Judaism, but a reflection on how poorly the Bride knows her history.

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 

We, as the Bride, ought not to be high minded, proud or puffed up against how poorly Israel received and kept the Truth.  The Bride is in tatters and not well prepared and/or ready for the return of her betrothed.  Father, You and You alone are the source and fountain of Truth, open the eyes of Your people to see how debauched we have become.  Lord, help us to repent and turn from seeking our own ways.  From desiring to please our temporary flesh in what is but a vapor of time and existence.  Help us to crave that heavenly abode, to stand before You not ashamed, having nothing to offer, nothing which will stand the test of Your fire.  O Father, how my heart weeps with the thought that I may stand before You and all that I have done this side of glory would be hay, wood and stubble.  O Father, call us to see beyond these temporal shores, to see the glimmer of light from that City, the eternal home of our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.