Bible Study How does Moses Make Tea? HEBREWS it! (Legal study of the book of Hebrews) Pt. 1

[Mustard Seed]

The book of Hebrews. Several facts about the book of Hebrews...

1- We don't really know who wrote it, for sure. It reads with the perfect legal flow of the kind of fellow that would have studied under Gamaliel. But... Peter spent a lot of time around Paul and was very specifically commissioned to preach to the Hebrews.

2- It is one of the most complicated books to actually understand because it draws from every complex legal, typification, prophetic and covenant concept found from Genesis to the very book of Hebrews.

3- It is the most authoritative Revelation of our very mechanism of Salvation in Jesus Christ.

4- Authoritative Jews were predecessors of what would be called Attorneys. The Pentateuch is literally a book that defines the just application of Law, through complex historical revelations that contain conflict and resolution imagery. This leads up to literal passages of written Laws. Hebrews cannot be understood without this mindset being brought into it.

Hebrews is broken up into 13 chapters (Functional Table of Contents)
Whiteboard

Chapter 1 tends to be Headed as (God’s Final Word: His Son, The Son Superior to Angels)
Verses 1-3 (Introduction, Tri-Unity of God and Divine Theological Models, Supremacy of the SON)
Hebrews 1:3 (The Tri-Unity and Messiah, a Deep Scriptural Dive)
Chapter 2 tends to be Headed as (Warning to Pay Attention, Jesus Made Fully Human)
Chapter 3 tends to be Headed as (Jesus Greater Than Moses, Warning Against Unbelief)
Chapter 4 tends to be Headed as (A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God, Jesus the Great High Priest)
Chapter 5 tends to be Headed as (Warning Against Falling Away)
Chapter 6 tends to be Headed as (The Certainty of God’s Promise)
Chapter 7 tends to be Headed as (Melchizedek the Priest, Jesus Like Melchizedek)
Chapter 8 tends to be Headed as (The High Priest of a New Covenant)
Chapter 9 tends to be Headed as (Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle, The Blood of Christ)
Chapter 10 tends to be Headed as (Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All, A Call to Persevere in Faith)
Chapter 11 tends to be Headed as (Faith in Action)
Chapter 12 tends to be Headed as (Warning and Encouragement, The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy)
Chapter 13 tends to be Headed as (Concluding Exhortations, Benediction and Final Greetings)

Things to mentally prepare for while going into a study like Hebrews...

1- Headings are not scripture. They are scholarly ideas of what it is believed that scripture is saying. They tend to be correct. There are some instances where they don't quite line up. However, they do help assist with the flow of passages.

2- Books as complex as Hebrews are best approached by exploiting the combination of a Literal Translation and a Paraphrase.
There are multiple aspects of scripture that have to be considered when translating it from Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew.
1- Idioms, Parables, Poetry, Historical knowledge and Literary flow
Many times, time has washed away the understanding of "phrases wordsmithed" to colloquialisms. Updating these passages to suitably modern equivalents can assist in following literary intent (storyline wise). However, because there are even deeper inferences within singular words, as written in the original language, this paraphrasing can bury deeper intended understanding.
Example: Hebrew word sane: (Saw-nay). It has a pictographic understanding that the ancient Hebrews who employed it in scripture understood.

This word combines the image of a thorn bush with Grab, Reject, Protect. There is no actual Hebrew word for what we understand to be "Hate", per Greco-Roman inference. The word Sane in Hebrew denotes thorn vines and thorn bushes grown around shepherd folds that discouraged the livestock from wandering and predators from getting in. Grabbing or kicking against those thorns was an idiom that related to fighting against an "Authority" so ardently that it causes personal harm to the one fighting. In the Old testament, the phrase "Jacob have I loved, Esau have I "Saned"... which get's lingually translated to "Hate" in English is a very solid example of the importance of deeper study. There are two things going on at once in this tiny passage. Jacob is indicative of ISRAEL, while Esau is indicative of Edom. This passage of old testament scripture can be misinterpreted to believe that God "HATES" His enemies, which presents a very real, New Testament issue. However, by understanding that the passage is about entire nations, versus individual people and that Sane actually implies Love that is so determined to "break through" to a person so stringently that it contends against personal Authority to the point that it recoils (withdraws) in emotional (Grieved) pain as if kicking against a fence of thorns, we can now surmise that the passage is to be understood as; "Israel have I Loved and been embraced by while Edom has Hurt me to the point of My withdraw".
This is one tiny passage, that displays the complexity of idioms and lingual intent. This occurs all throughout scripture! This is exactly how legal evaluation of documentation must occur. Legal specialists will often spend days and complex 200 page generating studies on ONE SINGLE WORD to ensure that the final implied document is correctly written and incapable of being misinterpreted.
2- Prophetic complexities that bind to MANY other full stories within scripture, which are phrased slightly differently, due to differing human authors writing styles. These "Prophetic" complexities can be searched out through obvious similarities that bind to lingual poetic assembly and repeated verbal intention, within a passage. I have two examples of this occurring that I have expounded on in my previous posting.
Example 1: What to look for; Poetic Rhythm that repeats. In the Image, Be fruitful and multiply, Rule and have dominion over created things

Genesis 1:27 27 So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” Colossians 1:5-6 This Good News 6 has made its presence felt among you, just as it is also being fruitful and multiplying[a] throughout the world Colossians 1:10 being fruitful in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God. Colossians 1:15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.[i] 16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.

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Example 2: What to look for. The Old Testament Verse is the exact predecessor of the New Testament Verse and was being reconstructed with New Testament Revelation.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

2 Peter 3:9The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

[/SPOILER]

Continued on Post #2

 

[Mustard Seed]

3- Tightly compacted passages that cannot be utilized as stand alone scripture due to their rapid conveyance of MANY passages within scripture to convey an overarching Prophetic point.
Examples: Paul's summary of Christ rejecting Israel in contrast with Christ accepting Israel, which is then distinguished as Grafted in or Broken off from the NEW MAN Body of Christ, which, now includes the Gentiles, as well. <- Link
Steven's Swan Song <- Link
So, with these matters of difficulty in mind, how do we make it through Hebrews with clarity, understanding of the full intent of each word, sentence, passage and overarching message?

We will choose one quick and dirty Paraphrased translation to convey overarching literary intent, then deeper dive into the exact same passages read with a literal yet readable translation that conveys prophetic intent and lingual fidelity... and finally a hyper literal reference to verbiage via Greek and Hebrew to English Interlinear, coupled with Strong's Lingual Concordance and Scriptural Cross Referencing if Necessary.

We will also Exegete inferred Passages of Scripture that are sub textually referenced into the literal translation reading of the passages.

Whenever you, the reader, come across human words that are intended to "clarify" a passage or tie it together with it's intended scripture, know that this is called "Commentary" and it is always to be read as OPINION. It is extra scriptural OPINION utilized by a theologian to place their personal thoughts of what they believe the Holy Spirit of Christ within them is revealing a passage to mean. LET NO PERSON TEACH YOU, simply abide in the Holy Spirit and if you find yourself reading human extra biblical commentary... do not accept it as SCRIPTURE! It is opinion meant to say... this is how I see it, maybe this helps you understand the passage better, but please exegete this for yourself, with my thought process cast out of your mind.

Selected Quick and Dirty Translations:

The Message (MSG) New Testament Paraphrase with scholarly discernment.

The New Living Translation (NLT) Full protestant Canon which combines limited Paraphrase with Literal Intent

Selected Literal Translations

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) Though the OT portion is taken from a Tanakh paraphrase of 1917, it is far from a "Paraphrase", as it is a more JEWISH revelation of the scriptures, thus restoring the Hebrew intent of passages. The New Testament portion is also considered a scholarly "Paraphrase", but contains the JEWISH intent of written passages.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Though the HCSB is considered to be a predecessor of the CSB, it was a construct of multiple Manuscripts, Codex's and additional Fragments discovered in the Dead Sea Scroll findings.
How this will look in evaluation of passages utilizing Hebrews 1:1-3

CEV 1 Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. 2 But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. 3 God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together.

NLT 1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

CJB 1 In days gone by, God spoke in many and varied ways to the Fathers through the prophets. 2 But now, in the acharit-hayamim, he has spoken to us through his Son, to whom he has given ownership of everything and through whom he created the universe. 3 This Son is the radiance of the Sh’khinah, the very expression of God’s essence, upholding all that exists by his powerful word; and after he had, through himself, made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of HaG’dulah BaM’romim.

HCSB 1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Tomorrow, we will start a long textual evaluation of each chapter of Hebrews, starting with portions of Hebrews 1. Each passage will be directly jumped in to, without prologue. Hyperlinking will be added to each daily study and the length of this study will be up to the time it simply takes to accomplish this.

See you there, tomorrow.

 

[Christian Saboteur]

MOSES TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF,FOR THIS IS HALLOW GROUND.My favorite part of the movie the TEN COMMANDMENTS.