Hebrews 12:18–29

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. Read first of all: Gen. 4:1–7;

Ex.19:7–22; Mt. 3:4–12;  2 Th.1:5–12; Rev. 20:11–12.

1.         Not all of Scripture is comforting to read and here is a passage that illustrates this fact.

2.         Immediately following the Exodus from Egypt, God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai and issued to him His commandments. All the while those newly set free from slavery in Egypt rebelled and created the “golden calf” and worshipped it. God’s wrath was poured out on these.

3.         The contrast is now for those Jewish Christians, to whom Hebrews is written, they are part of the new Mount Zion, the city of the living God, indeed to the assembly or church of the firstborn and are forever enrolled in the Book of Life.   These are strong words of encouragement.

4.         For varying political and cultural and religious differences, there was yet a temptation to act as did those who worshipped a false god in the wilderness and who thus paid a dear price for their rebellion. Our author does not wish it to be so for his readers.

5.         Some commentators think that there was a kind of ‘shaking’ taking place amongst those he/she is writing to. It is thought that some were either falsely converted or were even walking away from the Christian assembly due to various pressures.

6.         Despite trouble some were experiencing, our author reminds them that the ‘kingdom’ they are part of could not be shaken so then they should continue “to offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”