Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 33. Jos 1:16-18; survey of Heb.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 33. JOS 1:16-18; survey of Heb.   

 

Announcements / opening prayer:

 

 

HEB 12:12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

 

HEB 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

 

HEB 12:14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

 

HEB 12:15 See to it [oversee or look diligently] that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

 

The writer is clearly referencing DEU 29:18 in which there is a warning that the idol worshippers in Israel will defile others in the camp. The pursuit of sin doesn't only affect the pursuer but it also affects others around him.

 

DEU 29:18

lest there shall be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; lest there shall be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.

 

We are all sinners but within the Christian community, i.e. the local church, sin cannot be condoned, commended, or openly and willingly displayed. All of us are caught unawares by sin and in this the other believers should bear them up rather than judge or malign or gossip.

 

GAL 6:1-2

Brethren, even if a man is caught [unawares] in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

 

The law of Christ is the law of love in this context. I must emphasize the gentleness that is commanded. We look to ourselves because there will be the temptation to put them down or gossip. There will be the temptation to leave gentleness by the wayside and get arrogant and angry since as we look to restore our fellow believer with truth they may reject it and resist it. There is the temptation to react to that in arrogance and become combatant.

 

Yet this is not what is being addressed in Heb 12.

 

However, if sin is openly and willingly displayed in the Christian community it must be eradicated at once. If it is tolerated then the community will be effected in a negative way. The root of bitterness is not a reference to the sin of bitterness but rather it refers, as stated in Deuteronomy, to a root of poison.

 

1CO 5:1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife.

 

1CO 5:2 And you have become arrogant, and have not mourned instead, in order that the one who had done this deed might be removed from your midst.

 

1CO 5:3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.

 

1CO 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

 

1CO 5:5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

 

This man repented of this sin and was restored to the fellowship of the church per Paul's orders.

 

1CO 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

 

1CO 5:7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover [Deliverer] also has been sacrificed.

 

1CO 5:8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

1CO 5:9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;

 

1CO 5:10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world.

 

1CO 5:11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler —  not even to eat with such a one.

 

1CO 5:12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?

 

This is obviously not judging sin as God does, but in context it is removing them from the local church as well as restoring them when they repent.

 

1CO 5:13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

 

People who desire an outward display of sin as well as those who are ignorant of this principle and are bleeding hearts will call this a lack of love. Far from it. If God states that such a thing will defile many others, then to allow it to continue is a truly a lack of love for the church.

 

NUM 25:1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.

 

NUM 25:2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

 

NUM 25:3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.

 

NUM 25:4 And the Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."

 

NUM 25:5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor."

 

NUM 25:6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

 

NUM 25:7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand;

 

NUM 25:8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.

 

NUM 25:9 And those who died by the plague were 24,000.

 

NUM 25:10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

 

NUM 25:11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel, in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.

 

Phinehas saved the lives of many by his swift action.

 

NUM 25:12 Therefore say, 'Behold, I give him My covenant of peace;

 

NUM 25:13 and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the sons of Israel.'"

 

HEB 12:15 See to it [oversee or look diligently] that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

 

"root of bitterness" - root of poison that spreads to others and stains or contaminates their souls.

 

HEB 12:16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

 

"immoral" - po,rnoj [pornos] = fornicator.

"godless" - be,bhloj[bebelos] = unholy, profane.

These are references to idolatry or apostasy since Esau's trouble was not fornication but rejection of God's calling.

 

Idol worship was almost always accompanied by fornication.

 

Esau thought so little of the birthright, which went to the first born male, that he sold it for a bowl of stew. The birthright not only came with the family inheritance, but it also included being the priest for the family. Esau would have had to lead his family in worship of God, offering the proper prayers, sacrifices, and leading the family in the celebration of feasts. He despised such things.

 

As much as Abraham and Moses are perfect examples for pressing on in the plan of God, Esau is a perfect example of what happens when a person rejects the calling of God or falls away from it. The Jews who are tempted to desert the Christian community would be wise to consider his example as would any believer who is in the midst of falling away from the word of God.  

 

1CO 10:6

Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved.

 

Next he warns them that in deserting the plan of God for their lives  carries the possibility that they may never return.

 

Esau rejected the birthright and subsequently he lost the family inheritance by means of Jacob's deception.

 

HEB 12:17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

 

GEN 27:33

Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed."

 

GEN 27:34

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!"

 

Jacob's blessing was foretold by God at his birth. He shall be blessed. Esau desired to inherit this blessing. Esau sought for the blessing with tears. He found no place for repentance. He wanted the power, wealth, and prestige that came with the blessing without the spiritual responsibilities. Isaac would not change his mind and Esau could not go back in time and change things. Esau could become a believer, quite easily, like anyone else. But Esau could never be the family priest since he rejected it. He could not receive the family inheritance. The purpose of this verse is not the salvation of Esau, or lack of, but it is a warning. There are things that we can't undo. If a believer falls back from God's plan there is a risk that he will never return. He can't go back in time and reverse his decision. If an unbeliever is hearing the gospel at a particular time in his life, if he rejects it he may always reject it. He cannot go back and reverse his decision.

 

It is a great reminder to all of us. I only get to live today just once. I  can't go back and change it.

 

This should not numb us with fear, but rather increase our respect as to the importance of every day in this life.