I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the  presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. People from every nation will bow down before him. For the Lord is king! He rules all the nations.

Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Let all mortals – those born to die – bow down in his presence. future generations will also serve him. Our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those yet unborn. They will hear about everything he has done.

Psalm 22:25-31Psalm 22:25-31
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
25 When your people meet, you will fill my heart with your praises, Lord, and everyone will see me keep my promises to you. ²⁶ The poor will eat and be full, and all who worship you will be thankful and live in hope. ²⁷ Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord . People all over the world will turn and worship you, ²⁸ because you are in control, the ruler of all nations. ²⁹ All who are rich and have more than enough will bow down to you, Lord. Even those who are dying and almost in the grave will come and bow down. ³⁰ In the future, everyone will worship and learn about you, our Lord. ³¹ People not yet born will be told, “The Lord has saved us!”

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Hebrews declares above all else the worth of Jesus. He is uniquely Lord, uniquely worthy of all our praise and adoration. This is both because of who he is and what he has done. The audience of the book was questioning whether or not following this man was worth the cost. The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

What makes you shout aloud the greatness of God? Our culture tells us that religion is private, not to be shared, vocalized, brought to attention. But Jesus shared a different worldview. One where religion is public. Not showy or self-involved, but open, vibrant and active. How often do people not respond to Jesus because we have not offered anything worthy of a response?

People who saw Jesus recognized power and authority – even when they were contrary. Jesus didn’t have to tell people he had been with the Father. They knew by his words and his actions. With the Holy Spirit within us, we need to praise what God is doing. We need to share why we follow Jesus. Because if he is not worth the “shame” of putting ourselves out there on a limb, if he is not precious enough to risk our comfort zone, then why follow? I’m telling myself this as much as you! Are we going to praise our God before men like he deserves it, or will we fearfully sulk through each week waiting for a comfortable church setting where we can sing about God’s works? Joyful praise needs to leave the church  building and be present in the church throughout the week.

What is it about Jesus that makes you bow before him? Bowing is an act of submission that shows our loyalty and respect. It isn’t about a low self-esteem or feeling inferior. It is about honoring the exalted character and worth of the one we bow before. As we bow we put our lives at the disposal of the king, for his service and pleasure.

Typically, we bow in silence. It isn’t about what we have to say. Bowing isn’t about asking for something, it’s about honoring and listening. I want you to take a couple minutes and sit silently, even bow. Don’t think about your day, your sin, your goals, your needs. Instead, let God remind you how big he is. Rather than asking God whether your plans will work, let God tell you where he is headed. Take some prolonged time – maybe even do it on a regular basis. Placing ourselves quietly before God is something that we need more of in our fast-paced and often chaotic lives.

These two things need to be consistently practiced as we develop spiritually. Joyful praise. Quiet reverence. Both are a challenge as we follow Jesus, one day at a time.

Genesis 14 provides a quick glimpse on an enigmatic character that the writer of Hebrews focuses in on. This chapter begins be describing the build up to armed conflict between kingdoms and the eventual invasion of the land surrounding Sodom. Lot is captured in the conflict, and Abram gives chase to recover Lot and with great skill regains Lot, all the others taken, along with all the goods plundered. And returning to his homeland, he is met by two individuals, the king of Sodom and the king of Salem.

As Abram returned from his victory over Kederlaomer and his allies, the king of Sodom came out to meet him…Then Melchizedek the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought him bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has helped you conquer your enemies.”

Then Abram gave Melchizedec a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.

The king of Sodom told him, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.”

Abram replied, “I have solemnly promised the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich!’”

Genesis 14:17-23Genesis 14:17-23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Abram Is Blessed by Melchizedek ¹⁷ Abram returned after he had defeated King Chedorlaomer and the other kings. Then the king of Sodom went to meet Abram in Shaveh Valley, which is also known as King's Valley. ¹⁸ . King Melchizedek of Salem was a priest of God Most High. He brought out some bread and wine ¹⁹ and said to Abram: “I bless you in the name of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. ²⁰ All praise belongs to God Most High for helping you defeat your enemies.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. ²¹ The king of Sodom said to Abram, “All I want are my people. You can keep everything else.” ²² Abram answered: The Lord God Most High made the heavens and the earth. And I have promised him ²³ that I won't keep anything of yours, not even a sandal strap or a piece of thread. Then you can never say that you are the one who made me rich.

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The king of Sodom doesn’t stand out in this story. though he makes commands, he is not in charge. But the character of Melchizedec is exciting and different. Who is this man that would receive offerings from Abram? What is God doing, preparing the people with this singular mention of the roles of priest and king in one person? Remember that this is before the nation of Israel has been freed from bondage in Egypt, before the rule of the judges, even before the rule of the first kings of Judah and Israel. There is no priesthood designated by the law of Moses, as God has not yet made a covenant with the people of Isreal – Israel not yet even being born!

The writer of Hebrews makes much of this man. Melchizedec as both king and priest is a forerunner for Jesus – who is both priest in the heavenly sanctuary and Lord, king of God’s people and eternal ruler over creation. The fact that never once is mentioned a lineage stands out to a people who thought so much of priesthood. The priests under the Mosaic law were required to be able to prove their heritage. Nothing of the sort is mentioned with the king of Salem. Even the fact that there is a priest to the Most High God before the law prepares the people to recognize that the priesthood, the whole entire sacrificial system, is meant for a time and place and points to something greater.

I’m always amazed at the way God uses patterns to share with us his truth. Spanning the Testaments, he provides examples in the Old and then shares fulfillment in the New. He prepares the people for truth they are not yet able to receive. The whole story here points to God. God is blessed as the one responsible for the victory. God is the one who must be obeyed. Abram has a keen awareness of where his strength lies.

As we near the end of our look at the book of Hebrews, we once again need to remember the call to persevere. We are encouraged to do so because we are the people of God. We act under the authority and power of the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. How would your day look different if you acted with that kind of authority – as if every breath and every step was on mission, acting as God’s representative? Would you say less or more? Would the content of your words be different? What about your actions?

Would we be so prone to sin and excusing our sin if we took God’s authority seriously? if we counted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and considered the steps he took to even now defend us before God’s throne? I think the world would have a whole different view of Christianity – of a people serious about God, about mercy and justice, about lifting up those who have fallen and rescuing those who are captive to their sin.

Thank you Jesus, for rescuing us. Guide us each day as we grow in love for you, as we come to recognize your voice better and more accurately represent your presence before our family and friends. Build a strong love within our community, based on your leadership and example. Your will be done, Lord!

Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” That is why we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” …Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your spiritual strength comes from God’s special favor, not from ceremonial rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.

Hebrews 13:5-6, 8-9Hebrews 13:5-6, 8-9
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
5 Don't fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us. ⁶ . That should make you feel like saying, “The Lord helps me! Why should I be afraid of what people can do to me?” ⁸ Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ⁹ Don't be fooled by any kind of strange teachings. It is better to receive strength from God's undeserved kindness than to depend on certain foods. After all, these foods don't really help the people who eat them.

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The book of Hebrews ends with a redirection. With all the competition for our attention, God knows we need a focal point; something stable when the world is dizzy and incoherent to us.  The author has repeatedly pointed out Christ’s supremacy: the overwhelming glory of his very person, the exalted nature of his work – past, present and future. He has shared the deep compassion that God has for us in Jesus, and offered compelling examples of those who lived by what they knew to be true, though it was costly and they never experienced or saw the fruition. The evidence is there. We have every reason to trust.

Yet we don’t trust. We aren’t satisfied with what God offers. Our attention is on this present world, and God calls us to turn our gaze to himself, to Jesus, to eternity. Hebrews 13 redirects our attention from a number of things:

money

“Be satisfied with what you have.” You have the riches of God at your disposal, to spend in whatever fashion God desires. Whether little or much, we tend to get caught up in wanting more. God wants us caught up in generosity. He has displayed it, taught it, commanded it. And he now asks us to do it. Being satisfied assumes we don’t have all that we might want, or even think we need. But scripture repeats that we have God who will not fail or leave us. We have the thing most valuable.

people

It is not difficult to direct our attention to people.

Some we idolize, worshiping them for their skill, their personality, their beauty. We exchange God’s gift to us for self-doubt, complaints and jealousy. God calls us to activity, and we wallow in the dirt declaring our inability and unworthiness. We’re not satisfied with who God made us to be.

Others we fear, worrying they can harm us, or prevent us from whatever. To this the author of Hebrews offers a simple solution: “What can mere mortals do to me?” The Lord is with me!

ideas

We are big on ideas. There’s always a new imaginative twist. A new scheme, a better explanation, hidden knowledge. Don’t be too quick to believe every strange teaching, every new idea. Some of those ideas are tricks. They are clever deceptions. Christ doesn’t change, and we shouldn’t expect his message to change frequently. And often the new ideas are just the same old, disproven and worthless concepts that previous generations discarded. Humanity puts forward so many ideas, ways to extend life, make it simpler. But it seems getting us to stop and remember what God has already done is difficult. The writer of Hebrews points us back to God: “Your spiritual strength comes from God’s special favor…”

Our world teems with distractions, competing for our attention. God asks us to be satisfied with him. He has sacrificed everything to make us his own, to rescue us. He has promised us his presence. What are you putting your hopes in today other than Christ? A job or investment? A spouse or friend? A skill or a trait? This world is fleeting. The things of this world are temporary. Hopes based on Christ are the only ones that provide true and lasting satisfaction. That is where we find the confidence to stand firm through any trial that comes our way.

Being the mother of a toddler, I am just learning the importance of discipline, not punishment necessarily, but discipline. In my mind, I have a picture of the young lady I wish for my two-year-old daughter to eventually become. I desire for her to be compassionate and selfless, putting the needs of others in front of her own. I desire for her to be sincere, being true to her beliefs and convictions. I desire for her to be nurturing, loving all others unconditionally. I desire her to be responsible, working hard to earn treasures and also admitting when she has made a mistake. I desire her to be a Godly lady.

However, I understand that wishing these things will not, on its own, make them happen. God has given me the privilege of being a mother. He chose this little blond girl to be mine on this earth, and I take that job very seriously, for I know I will be accountable for her raising. Even though she is only two, I already know that there is nothing more rewarding than watching her learn or holding her close as she snuggles. But there is nothing more heartbreaking than hearing her cry when I must discipline her. However, if I truly want her to become the woman I described previously, I must consistently train her to know right from wrong and to take accountability for her actions.

Despite my understanding of the importance of disciplining my own child, and having seen the results of parents who do not, I still do not always appreciate God’s same role as disciplinarian. When facing trials and difficulties in my own life, I often think, “this simply is not how it is suppose to be” or “this isn’t fair.” I let my weak human mind and body fail under the stress instead of looking to the wisdom God offers. Hebrews 12 offers me a great reminder of why God, like me as mother, must discipline His children:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:7-11Hebrews 12:7-11
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
7 Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don't all parents correct their children? ⁸ God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn't correct you, then you don't really belong to him. ⁹ Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn't it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us? ¹⁰ Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. ¹¹ It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.

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I definitely don’t put my daughter in time-out because it’s fun, nor do I expect her to follow certain daily routines because it’s easy. I create discipline because it works—it enforces good behaviors, encourages respect, and sets up healthy habits, and because I love her. Why, then, do I so often doubt that God does the same thing. Instead, I think I know best and question my circumstances and His callings. These verses in Hebrews offer an insight that I may not have fully understood without being parent. I am God’s child, and he loves me with a love that is even more profound and more perfect than I can ever love my own children. If I believe that discipline is best for my daughter, I must then also believe that as a daughter of my Heavenly Father, obstacles and difficulties are necessary; they enforce good behaviors, encourage respect, and set up healthy habits, and most importantly, prove that God loves me. Hebrews 12: 10Hebrews 12: 10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
10 Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is.

WP-Bible plugin emphasizes that God desires Holiness in my life. Wow! I can’t imagine being Holy, as God is Holy, but if He knows how to get me there, maybe I should stop whining and start paying attention. My prayer is that I am ready to be trained as a child of a sovereign God.

Hebrews chapter 11 is all about faith, and from the very beginning of the world God’s servants have always been marked by the magnitude of their faith.  As Matthew Henry’s commentary points out on the chapter, whatever the object of one’s hope is, there also lies the object of their faith.  Believers in Jesus have an unwavering conviction that God is dependable to come good on all His promises.  Faith convinces the mind to grasp what the human eye cannot yet see.  Faith is what motivates people to godly obedience, remarkable acts of service to the Kingdom of God, and also perseverance in times of suffering.

Hebrews 11 is known in Christian circles as the “Hall of Faith” or the “Hall of Fame” for those who exemplified genuine faith in God.  From Abel to Noah (vs. 4-7) to Abraham and his descendants (vs. 8-19) to Jacob, Moses, the Israelites, and Rahab (vs. 20-31) to other Old Testament believers (vs. 32-38), the chapter is replete with example after example of people who embodied the kind of faith that we are to emulate.

Like the people listed in this chapter, and many others whose names could also fittingly find themselves on the roll, we are all called to possess such faith.  We’re all called to leave the comforts and trappings of our safety nets, and walk through life with the awareness that God is in control and we are to trust Him completely.  One of the signs of a true believer is a desire for their heavenly inheritance; a yearning to be in communion with their Creator and Savior, and to spend all of eternity with Him.  The stronger our faith is, the more fervent those desires become.

Perhaps one of the greatest accounts of faith in action is the offering up of Isaac by his father, Abraham.  (Genesis 22)  In the face of such trial, Abraham’s faith stood strong.  And we too, when confronted with opportunities to demonstrate faith, must stare down our doubts and fears as Abraham did by trusting in the power of Almighty God!

How have we responded when called to much lesser acts of self denial than was asked of Abraham?  Have we done what was called for, trusting that God had our best interest in mind and would make everything right?  Have we relied on the truth that God is always working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes?  (Romans 8:28Romans 8:28
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
28 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. o God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him: Or “All things work for the good of everyone who loves God” or “God's Spirit always works for the good of everyone who loves God.” They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose,

WP-Bible plugin)  Are we able to take it a step further and thank God for our trials even while we’re in the midst of them?  (James 1:2-4James 1:2-4
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Faith and Wisdom ² Ws My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. ³ You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. ⁴ But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

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The believers faith endures ’til the end, and even in death then gives them victory over death.  Faith emboldens us to take up the cause of Christ and to do the good works that He has for us.  Faith reminds us that God can easily subdue even the most powerful of kings and nations who would set themselves against Him.  By faith we know that nothing can oppose the LORD!

Listen to how Matthew Henry finishes out his commentary on this chapter:

The world considers that the righteous are not worthy to live in the world, and God declares the world is not worthy of them. Though the righteous and the worldlings widely differ in their judgment, they agree in this, it is not fit that good men should have their rest in this world. Therefore God receives them out of it. The apostle tells the Hebrews, that God had provided some better things for them, therefore they might be sure that he expected as good things from them. As our advantages, with the better things God has provided for us, are so much beyond theirs, so should our obedience of faith, patience of hope, and labour of love, be greater. And unless we get true faith as these believers had, they will rise up to condemn us at the last day. Let us then pray continually for the increase of our faith, that we may follow these bright examples, and be, with them, at length made perfect in holiness and happiness, and shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father for evermore.

How’s your faith looking these days?  At the end of your life, would you like your name to be added to the “Hall of Faith?”