The Davidic covenant promised rest to the enthroned king and his people. The logical progression of Hebrews concurs with this notion. In Hebrews 1 and 2, we see the preeminence of Christ as
divine Ruler and Deliverer of His people. Hebrews 3 and 4 show Jesus’ superiority to Moses and Joshua as the divine Leader who provides rest. Sabbath rest in the Old Testament is portrayed in two versions of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). The former text
stresses Creation, the latter Redemption. In Hebrews 3 and 4, Paul uses the Exodus generation (not their young children) as an example of unbelief and disobedience (Heb. 3:19) to show the detrimental consequence of being unable to enter into the land of rest in Canaan. Turning to his audience, Paul exhorts them with a quote from Psalm 95: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 4:7, NRSV), but, rather, enter into His rest (Heb. 4:9). What is this rest (in Greek, sabbatismos) that Paul speaks of? Why is Paul encouraging his audience to enter into it? These are the questions we shall address.
Panel: Lorraine McDonald, Beverley Brown, Mark Palmer, Michael Baker
Hebrews 1 talks of Jesus as the Son of God, the ruler over the angels, and “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3, NKJV). In Hebrews 2, Jesus is the Son of man, who was made lower than the angels and who adopted human nature with all its frailty, even to the point of death (Heb. 2:7).
In Hebrews 1, God says about Jesus: “ ‘You are My Son’ ” (Heb. 1:5, NKJV). In Hebrews 2, Jesus refers to human children as His “ ‘brethren’ ” (Heb. 2:12).
In Hebrews 1, the Father declares the Son’s divine sovereignty (Heb. 1:8–12). In Hebrews 2, the Son affirms His faithfulness to the Father (Heb. 2:13).
In Hebrews 1, Jesus is the divine Lord, Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign. In Hebrews 2, Jesus is the human High Priest, merciful and faithful.
In summary, the presentation of Jesus as a faithful and merciful Brother is depicted in the description of the Son as the ultimate manifestation of the eternal Creator God (Heb. 1:1–4).
“When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they looked for its speedy fulfillment. They joyfully welcomed their first-born son, hoping that he might be the Deliverer. But the fulfillment of the promise tarried.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 31. The promise was later confirmed to Abraham. God swore to him that he would have a “seed,” a Son through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 22:16–18, Gal. 3:16). And God did the same with David. He promised David that his descendant would be installed by God as His own Son and would be established as a righteous ruler over all the kings of the earth (2 Sam. 7:12–14, Ps. 89:27–29). What neither Adam
and Eve, Abraham, nor David probably ever imagined, however, was that their Redeemer Son would be God Himself.
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to hear Jesus, or one of the apostles, preach? We possess written excerpts and summaries of some of their sermons, but these provide only a limited idea of what it was like to hear them. God, however, preserved in the Scriptures at least one complete sermon for us: Paul’s letter to the Hebrews.
Paul, the author of Hebrews, referred to his own work as a “word of exhortation” (Heb. 13:22). This expression was used to identify the sermon, both at the synagogue (Acts 13:15) and at Christian worship (1 Tim. 4:13). Thus, it has been argued that Hebrews is the earliest “complete Christian sermon” that we have. Hebrews was addressed to believers who accepted Jesus but then experienced difficulties. Some were publicly shamed and persecuted (Heb. 10:32–34). Others faced financial problems (Heb. 13:5, 6). Many were tired and had begun to question their faith (Heb. 3:12, 13). Can any of us today relate?
The apostle, in a stirring sermon, however, challenged them (and, by extension, us) to persevere in faith in Jesus and to fix their eyes upon Jesus, now in the heavenly sanctuary.
As we have seen all quarter, Moses is the central mortal in Deuteronomy. His life, his character, his messages pervade the book. Though, yes, Deuteronomy is about God and His love for the people of Israel, God often used Moses to reveal that love and to speak to His people Israel.
Now, as we come to the end of our study of Deuteronomy, we also come to the end of Moses’ life, at least his life here.
As expressed by the author Ellen G. White: “Moses knew that he was to die alone; no earthly friend would be permitted to minister to him in his last hours. There was a mystery and awfulness about the scene before him, from which his heart shrank. The severest trial was his separation from the people of his care and love—the people with whom his interest and his life had so long been united. But he had learned to trust in God, and with unquestioning faith he committed himself and his people to His love and mercy.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 470, 471.
As Moses’ life and ministry revealed much about the character of God, so, too, does his death and resurrection.
The New Testament is saturated with the Old. That is, the inspired writers of the New Testament quoted the inspired writers of the Old as a source of authority. Jesus Himself said, “It is written”
(Matthew 4:4), meaning, “It is written in the Old Testament;” and He said that “ ‘the Scriptures must be fulfilled’ ” (Mark 14:49, NKJV)— meaning the Scriptures of the Old Testament. And when Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus, instead of doing a miracle to show them who He was, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself ” (Luke 24:27, NKJV).
Whether direct Old Testament quotations, or allusions, or references to stories or prophecies, the New Testament writers constantly used the Old Testament to buttress, even justify, their claims.
And among the books often quoted or referred to was Deuteronomy (along with Psalms and Isaiah). Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, the pastoral epistles, and Revelation all go back to Deuteronomy.
Panel: Lorraine McDonald, Beverley Brown, Clive Ferguson, Mark Larman
Many times the later writers of the Old Testament, such as the prophets, referred back to the book of Deuteronomy, which played such a central role in the covenantal life of early Israel. This week we will focus on how the book was used by later writers. What parts of Deuteronomy did they use, and what points were they making that have relevance for us today?
This lesson will expose us to a number of themes that will help us deepen our understanding of this notion:
•Remember the Creation. Not much of what we believe really makes sense apart from remembering our origins.
•Remember the Flood. Even amid catastrophe, God remembers His people.
• Remember the Exodus. Remembering past events of salvation (what God did for His people) supports and strengthens faith in God, who will save again.
•Remember that you once were Gentiles. How important it is never to forget what God has done for us.