Ezekiel 16:43-17:24, Hebrews 8:1-13, Psalms 106:13-31, Proverbs 27:7-9
Today is the 7th day of November. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and its a pleasure and brings much joy to be here with you today and I hope the same is true for you because we’ve come together to take the next step forward and continue our journey through the Scriptures and continue our journey through the 11th month of the year. So we’re reading from the Names of God Bible this week and back out into the book of Ezekiel…I almost said Isaiah…Ezekiel we go, chapter 16 verse 42 through chapter 17 verse 24 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, as we spend our time in the book of Hebrews today we were also spending a bunch of our time in the book of Jeremiah. And, as odd as that sounds, it’s actually totally true. The longest quotation from the Old Testament found in the New Testament is found in Hebrews chapter 8, which we read today and it’s a quote from Jeremiah chapter 31, which we read just recently. So why? Why such a long quotation from Jeremiah 31 in the book of Hebrews? What’s this all about? Ok. We have to state what we’ve been stating since we began the book of Hebrews. Hebrews was written by Hebrews for Hebrews, right? So, the Hebrew or the Jewish context is absolutely foundational. And to see this all we have to do is imagine, like we did yesterday, what reading the book of Hebrews would be like if there was nothing called the Old Testament, right? If there’s nothing called the Old Testament and we’re reading the book of Hebrews, it would make no sense whatsoever. And that’s not even like pointing out the cultural nuances in the book. So, understanding that this is the entire premise and it’s from a Hebrew perspective helps us understand why the systematic evidence being laid out about the new covenant and a new high priest matters, right? We just take this stuff kind of for granted because it’s part of our faith and it’s always been around us, this terminology, but if we had no Old Testament or had no experience whatsoever with the Old Testament then we would have no context whatsoever for a new covenant or a new high priest. So, the writer of Hebrews quoted at length from Jeremiah because Jeremiah’s prophecy foretold a coming new covenant. So, I ,mean, when Hebrews was written Jeremiah’s prophecy was 700 years old but it wasn’t forgotten and wasn’t unknown. And devout Hebrew people knew what was being talked about. The writer of Hebrews was revealing that the new covenant established by God through the work of Christ had been something that was foretold long, long ago and shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s what they’d been waiting for. So, Hebrews is explaining that the people who follow Jesus weren’t trying to make up a new religion that they just kind of created out of whole cloth and fabricated. Rather, they were announcing the inauguration of this new covenant because, and I’m quoting from Hebrews here, if nothing had been wrong with the first promise no one would look for another one. So, in terms of the covenant, priests…and we read all this in the Mosaic law as it was being laid out…priests served on behalf of the people in order to fulfill what they understood the obligations of the covenant to require. But according Hebrews, they serve…and we’re quoting here…they serve at a place that is a pattern, a shadow of what is in heaven. So, if a new covenant were in fact being instituted or inaugurated by God himself, then it would need to be presided over by a new high priest. So again, quoting from Hebrews, we do have this kind of chief priest. This chief priest has received the highest position, the throne of Majesty in heaven. He serves as priest of the holy place and of the true tent set up by the Lord and not by any human. So, as modern believers living 2000 years removed from this and who are predominantly Gentile, we can look at these intricate arguments and formulas being made in Hebrews as just like something very tedious and highly theological. But for a devout first century Jew these teachings were so revolutionary that most of them simply could not get their minds around it and embrace the idea that God was doing something new in the world through a suffering Messiah. So, the point of the book of Hebrews or this letter to the Hebrews wasn’t to be persuasive in talking Hebrew people out of their faith. I mean, it’s absolutely the opposite of that. It was to reveal Jesus to Jewish people as the foretold next step in their faith. So, Hebrews reveals the ongoing Hebrew story within the context of what God was in inviting his people into. The copy or shadow of the old promise or covenant was being replaced by an unbroken and unblemished new covenant or promise that was to be presided over by a sinless high priest in heaven and that is Jesus. So, in the Hebrew context this would have been almost too good to be true. To be told that sin was no longer an issue and that the law that permeated society and continually made everyone feel like they were failing, that had been fulfilled. So, like, to get their minds around this is to monumental for most of them, but it had been foretold. And other things are foretold as well. And, so, we’ll end our talk about this today with Hebrews quoting from Jeremiah about the implications, about the future that we are all longing to see. No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying know the Lord. All of them from the least important of the most important will all know Me because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them.
Prayer:
Father, we look back through time and see that this was revolutionary, and we can very easily take this for granted, but it is no less revolutionary today. To think that our sins are forgiven, that we have been washed clean, that we have been grafted into Your family and adopted, that we are part of the family of God, that we are children of the most-high. Yes Lord, that’s almost too good to be true. And yet it quickens our Spirits. We come awake when we hear these words because something very deep and ancient inside of us knows that this is true. So, come Holy Spirit, continue to reveal all truth to us as we continue to walk forward into life with You. We ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hello, this is Kim calling also from the rolling hills of Tennessee and I just wanted to call and state to Kat from Denver regarding your son Philip. Your message this morning, I believe it was played yesterday the 2nd, today’s the 3rd , just broke my heart, just broke my heart because I can relate. And Kat, I just want to pray over you and Phillip. And girl, I would love for us to pray for one another as moms. If you will keep my son Taylor in your prayers. I know what you’re going through and just want to lift you up girl. Dear heavenly Father, we just thank You Lord for giving us these sons that You have entrusted us with Lord. Father, I pray for Philip dear God. Lord, I pray that You would just envelop him with Your love and Your presence, Father. I pray that he would not doubt that You are right there with him God. Father, I pray for his protection while he is there Father. Lord, I pray against just the stigma that goes on in prison that I know undoubtedly that Kat has thought about, and I have thought about. And Lord, we just worry over our children, but we’re reminded just how much more You love them Father. Lord, I pray for Philip and he would be seen and be given the contacts that he needs to be able to see Father. And I pray more than anything that he sees how You love him. Father, please send ministers into this prison Father to speak truth and love in his life…
This is joyful J from the Everglades with everlasting gratitude for the everlasting love of Jesus. The first day of hearing Brian read the Scriptures was Christmas day of 2008. I just recently started listening to the prayer requests however. Hmmm. And my mamma’s heart has quickly been knitted to the mothers who have broken hearts for their children. This gives me hope that love prevails. Melody Faith, I was a prodigal child. Through the unconditional love of believers, I learned to receive the love of Jesus. They were the only Bible I was reading at the time. My prayer for your son is for him to remember the sweet taste of grace and to learn to receive the loving guidance of the Holy Spirit. I pray he will be put in a pinball machine of believers at every bump and every turn. My dear Melody Faith know that God runs for his lost children even when they are far off. To Sharee, I heard your prayer from October 27th. Your request for your oldest son. What a blessing you are to him. I know how hard it is to be on the sidelines as our children enter adulthood and find the journey full at times. It is incredibly encouraging that he shared his heart with you. Again, love always prevails. My prayer for your son Sharee is for his focus to change, for him to see the great opportunity before him, and for his eyes to open to the other lonely Christians on his campus. He is not alone. I pray that your son will receive the boldness, strength, and courage that is waiting for him as he learns to hear the Holy Spirit and to learn to follow his prompting. Lord, I lift up all the mothers whose hearts are broken for the children…
Daily Audio Bible family this is Sean from Texas and I’m calling because I am having open heart surgery to repair a valve and I covet your prayers for that. Longtime listener. This is my first time to call but I have been extremely blessed as has my family by this program for many things for years. And God bless this ministry, Brian, Jill, and everybody around our global campfire. It is truly a blessing to many. God bless.
Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is Candace from Oregon. Ahhh…you are so beloved of the Lord Jesus. We are His bride and He loves us more than we can begin to understand. I want to share something I felt really prompted to say. And this is for people who have lost someone to death, which I, of course you all know, I did lose my husband in March 2017. And it was just only, oh I’m gonna say six weeks later, I was playing the piano for the entire worship service. And thank goodness that particular service it was fairly easy music to play and so I wasn’t overly involved technically, mentally. And it was a communion Sunday. And right before communion we did a prayer of confession. And there was a moment of silence to confess your own sins to the Lord. So, I’m sitting there at the piano bench and silently I said, Jesus, I confess that I am really angry. And the Lord Jesus, it was not audible, but it was as real as though it were an audible voice and He said to me, I don’t need to forgive you for that. I’m angry too. And just know that the Lord hates death. He hates it. When His friends who were really upset because Lazarus died, He cried too. He hates death. So, just know that He’s right there with you and He will heal your heart and He has conquered death.