Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 27. Jos 1:16-18; survey of Heb.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 27. Jos 1:16-18; survey of Heb.

Announcements / opening prayer:

This is our fifth passage for consideration in the book of Hebrews.

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us [not looking but gone before us], let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Witness does not imply someone looking at us, but one who testifies, or can testify, to what he has seen or heard or knows by any other means.

The heroes of faith of 11:4-40 are the cloud of witnesses, testifying to the efficacy of the faith way of salvation and victory. The writer calls them, so to speak, to the witness stand to bear testimony to what they have seen and heard and felt as to what faith could and did do for them, so that this first century Jew might become convinced that the salvation which Messiah wrought out on the Cross, must be appropriated by faith, not works, and that victory in life must come to us in the same way, by means of faith.

Rather than seeing the witnesses as spectators looking at this earthly scene from heaven, it would seem nearer the correct interpretation here to think of these first century readers running their Christian race, not having in mind the witnesses of 11:4-40 as spectators, but rather their testimony as examples urging them on to faith in Messiah as High Priest.

Their loyalty and endurance have borne witness to the possibilities of the life of faith. It's not so much that they look at us as we look at them - for encouragement.

The Christian runner must rid himself even of innocent things which might retard him. And all that does not help, hinders. It is by running he learns what these things are. So long as he stands he does not feel that they are burdensome and hampering.

The athlete must discipline himself; he must divest himself of all superfluous weight. There may be many things that may be perfectly alright in their own way, but which hinder a competitor in the race of faith. They must be laid aside. It may well be that what is a hindrance to one entrant in this spiritual contest is not a hindrance to another; each must learn for himself what in his case is a weight or impediment.

Not only are the readers to lay aside every general encumbrance which would slacken their speed in the Christian race, but also any particular, specific one. The words "easily entangle" are the translation of meaning "readily or cleverly place itself around."

It speaks of a sin which readily or easily encircles the Christian runner, like a long, loose robe clinging to his limbs. The sin may be any evil propensity.

The context of the passage points to a lack of faith, which is a sin.

Rom 14:23

whatever is not from faith is sin.

Yet certainly in view is any category of sin which readily and cleverly wraps itself around our legs so that we can't run. Those who choose not to run do not see these hindrances. If I'm sitting and not running then would I even notice something that obstructs my running?

Another sense of this word, from entanglement, which means "to place itself around" is the sense of a distraction.

There is a sin which entangles and a sin which distracts the Christian runner from the race. Naturally, the entangler and the distracter can be one and the same.

1Jo 2:16

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Maybe we could say that the lust of the flesh is the entangler while the lust of the eyes is the distracter. But there is no solid line of distinction; the one can easily be the other.

Anything that distracts an athlete from the contest in which he is competing will quickly put him out of the running.

The Greek word "patience" hupomone includes both passive endurance and active persistence.

It doesn't imply doing nothing at all. It is to patiently endure the trial while continuing to do what is right by means of the word and Spirit.

The specific word for a race is not used. He uses the general term for an athletic contest agon.

The words "set before us", prokeimai, give one the idea that a certain type of race is placed before the Christian. The idea is that of something lying before one.

"Race set before us" It is like a road that stretches out before one's gaze.

Marilyn Higginson

1Co 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Php 2:14-16

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

Col 1:29

And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Col 2:1

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face

1Th 2:1-2

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.

1Ti 6:12

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called,

2Ti 2:3

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2Ti 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

Heb 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus is the supreme example to which his readers should look as they run life's race.

Rev 1:5

Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

"fixing our eyes on" - avfora,w[aphorao] = "to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something." Our spiritual eyes are turned away from all else and concentrate on Jesus.

What a lesson in Christian running technique we have in that little preposition apo "off, away from," which is prefixed to this verb. The minute the Greek runner in the stadium takes his attention away from the race course and the goal to which he is speeding, and turns it upon the onlooking crowds, his speed is slackened. Rowers have a phrase, "mind in the boat". It is so with the Christian. The minute he takes his eyes off of the Lord Jesus, and turns them upon other people and things, his pace in the Christian life is slackened, and his onward progress in grace hindered.

"author" - avrchgo,j[archegos] = originator, prince, ruler. Christ originated our faith and was the supreme example of it. He took the lead in faith and furnished the ultimate example.