Hebrews 12:18-24 – A Contrast and An Explanation for the Ethics
Seeking Our God
English - October 25, 2021 11:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsChristianity Religion & Spirituality Spirituality scripture bible study methods growing closer to god scripture study podcast about god christian inspirational inspirational christian living christian study christian Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
In verses 18-21, the writer vividly pictured the situation at Mount Sinai where the Old Covenant was given and its awesomeness and fearful nature were described (cf. Ex. 19:9–23; Deut. 9:8–19).
In verses 22-24, the realities that relate to New Covenant people and to which they have come are even more impressive because they are “heavenly.” Not only is there the heavenly city, but there are also heaven-related beings, both the “myriad of angels” and the people (“spirits of the righteous made perfect”), associated with it. But above all, it is to “God, the Judge of all,” that they have come—and there are some who indeed can stand His searching scrutiny of their lives (“the spirits of the righteous made perfect;” cf. 10:14; 11:40)—and to “Jesus, the Mediator (cf. 8:6; 9:15) of a New Covenant” whose atoning blood does not cry for judgment as did Abel’s but secures the acceptance of all New Covenant persons.
If the readers would contemplate these things properly, they would be awed by them and more inclined to fulfill their call to the highest privileges that the New Covenant can provide.
Key Takeaways:
Simply, this section can be summarized as: The writer of Hebrews contrasts Mt. Sinai and the giving of the Law with the heavenly Mt. Zion and the blessings of grace in the churchAbel’s blood made Cain feel guilty (and rightly so) and drove him away in despair; but Christ’s blood frees us from guilt and has opened the way into the presence of God.The greater privileges of the new covenant demand greater responsiveness from believers.The patriarchs endured as they looked ahead to the city God was preparing for them. One way to lay hold of God’s grace is to look ahead by faith to the wonderful future He has prepared for us.For more information about this show, which includes additional notes and details, please visit the show page here or visit our home page at SeekingourGod.com
Music
Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3976-life-of-rileyLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/