From today's devotional, we begin studying the book of Hebrews. Though the writer of the book of Hebrews is not expressly stated, the message is precise and clear; Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross of calvary is the fulfilment of God's promise to save mankind foreshadowed in the book of Leviticus in the Old testament. And so, to help our understanding, we will take a detour to the book of Leviticus.
The book of Hebrews, likely intended for an audience that were Jewish, Christians who were facing persecution and were considering whether to revert back to Judaism, since the Jews were favorable before the emperor.
The message was clear and to the point; Jesus Christ was slain to give us access to all of the promise God made in the Old testament.
In chapter one, we see that Jesus, the Son, radiates and expresses the glory and character of God.
"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 honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven." Hebrews 1:3 NLT.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. When you look to God, the person you would see is Christ. It implies that you cannot see or know the Father apart from Christ.
Secondly, we hear that the Son is the one who holds everything in the universe together and they are sustained by his very command.
Christ is the one who gave the Israelites rest instead of Joshua. He is the high priest that we need because unlike Aaron his life is everlasting.
"So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."
Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT.
The book of Hebrews will be a huge blessing to us. Thank you Jesus.
