Daily Scripture Reading Hebrews 4:14 - 6:6

There are many people living today who have been attending church for decades, and yet their Biblical knowledge is scant and they can best be described as spiritually immature. They should be modeling and teaching spiritual depth, but they can’t because they themselves don’t possess any depth.

Apparently, the same thing was true of the people to whom the author of Hebrews was writing. In today’s passage he described them as needing milk instead of solid food. He encouraged them to pursue spiritual maturity, a command that we ourselves should heed in the 21st century.

The end of the second chapter of Hebrews tells us that since Jesus was tempted, He is able to help humans when we are tempted.

Heb. 4:14 ¶ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us take hold of our confession.

Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin.

Heb. 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Notice the word “confidence”. Now look at the phrase “throne of grace”. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only verse in the Bible that has the phrase “throne of grace”. The overall meaning of this verse is to pray with confidence.

Many Christians have doubts that pray works. They may feel that their past life of sin means God won’t listen to their prayers. Maybe we feel that our prayer request is too small for the Creator of the Universe to care about. This verse tells us to pray with confidence.

Heb. 5:1 ¶ For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,

Heb. 5:2 being able to deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;

Heb. 5:3 and because of it, he is obligated, just as for the people, to also offer sacrifices for sins in the same way for himself.

Heb. 5:4 And no one takes this honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.

Heb. 5:5 ¶ In this way also Christ did not glorify Himself to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,

“YOU ARE MY SON,

TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”;

This is a quote from Psalm 2:7 and is a declaration spoken by Yahweh about His son.

Heb. 5:6 just as He says also in another passage,

“YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER

ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

This is a quote from Psalm 110:4. Psalm 110 was written by David, and it contains statements made by Yahweh about David’s Lord. Jesus is David’s Lord. Yahweh stated that Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

The Jewish men who served Israel as priests all through the Old Testament were priests in the order of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Psalm 110 tells us that the priesthood of Jesus is of a different order than the Old Testament priests.

We know about Melchizedek from Genesis 14. After Abraham rescued Lot from some Mesopotamian kings, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Melchizedek was king of the city that eventually came to be known as Jerusalem.

Heb. 5:7 He, in the days of His flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.

Heb. 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

Heb. 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

Heb. 5:10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

The main point of the first 10 verses of chapter 5 is that Jesus was appointed by God as high priest, and Jesus was tempted just as we are, so He knows what our life is like.

Heb. 5:11 ¶ Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Consider the phrase “dull of hearing”. The recipients of this letter were not willing to listen to facts about Jesus.

We have a similar problem today. Many Christians are not willing to listen to in depth exposition of the Scriptures. Any sermon that requires thought is considered too boring.

Heb. 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

There are believers and so-called believers in our churches today who have been going to church for years, but their knowledge of the Bible is shallow and the scant. Modern technology has given us so much free time and such cheap and easy access to Scripture that modern Christians should be the most Biblically literate people in the history of the world. Sadly, we are not.

Heb. 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

Many people in our churches are spiritual infants.

Heb. 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.

Look at the phrase “discern good and evil”. Many Christians have such shallow knowledge of the Bible that they don’t really know the Biblical definition of good and evil.

Heb. 6:1 ¶ Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

Heb. 6:2 of teaching about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

Take note of the command to “press on to maturity”. This is something we need to pursue in the 21st century. Christians should strive to gain as much Bible knowledge as they can absorb. Spiritual maturity should be constantly increasing.

Heb. 6:3 And this we will do, if God permits.

Heb. 6:4 For in the case of those once having been enlightened and having tasted of the heavenly gift and having become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

Heb. 6:5 and having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

Heb. 6:6 and having fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

There are many people living today who have been attending church for decades, and yet their Biblical knowledge is scant and they can best be described as spiritually immature. That situation existed in the 1st century AD, and the author of Hebrews commanded them to pursue spiritual maturity.

Are you spiritually mature or immature?

Is your knowledge of the Bible an accurate gauge of the number of years you have been attending church?

What do you need to do differently in order to “press on to maturity”?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”