Exhortations now follow. The saints being encompassed with this cloud of witnesses, are exhorted to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset them; looking unto Jesus, who began at the beginning and walked right through to the end of this same path of faith. He was the chief Leader in this path, and it was all summed up in Him. We must remember the position in which Christians are looked at in this Epistle. Christ had taken a new place in heaven, having been rejected of the Jewish nation, who had put Him to death. The Hebrew remnant, by faith in Him dead and risen, and by the communication of His risen life to them, had been associated with him in this new place. They were holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling (Eph. 2, end and 3:1). Now Christ was their Leader—leading them on the heavenly glory. They were to live the life of faith on Him, “Looking unto Jesus,” at the same time laying aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset them. They were running a race everything that hindered their getting on to the heavenly glory was a weight. Sin would strive to entangle their feet. All that belonged to the flesh, therefore, and which pampered it, was to be laid aside as what hindered; the heavenly glory was the goal, the heavenly Christ the present Object of faith, His path the example. He, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God. The joy of seeing again His Father’s face; the joy of the heavenly glory; the joy of receiving the many sons to glory; the joy of receiving the kingdom and all the fruits of His work, nerved Him to go forward. He endured the hatred of the world, the forsaking of His own, the wrath of God on account of sin, the betrayal of Judas, all on account of this, and oh, what love to us! Surely we can say, “Our Jesus hath done all things well!”
The Hebrews were suffering from the contradiction of sinners against Himself, and were in danger of giving way; they had not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. But this the blessed Lord did, giving up His life unto death in obedience to His Father’s will. they were to consider Him then who did this, lest they should be weary and faint in their minds.
Then through this failure, this love of ease, there was danger of their settling down; consequently, the Father’s rod had to be laid upon them in chastisement. The eye being off Jesus they were now fainting under this, and apparently beginning to doubt whether they were after all the sons of God. First fainting under the opposition, then fainting under the chastisement which was necessary for their restoration. And is not this all over, the history of Christendom? -shrinking from persecution, seeking a home down here, settling down in a religion of ordinances with the eye off Jesus, and then chastisement come on the children of God in consequence, they still further depart and doubt their relationship with the Father.
Surely these Hebrew Christians had forgotten the exhortation which spoke to them as children: My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him; for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth (Prov. 3:1111My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: (Proverbs 3:11)). Enduring chastisement was the very proof that God was dealing with them as with sons, for what son is he whom the father doth not chasten? If then they were without chastisement whereof all are partakers, they would be bastards, not sons. He would have them instead of fainting endure the chastening, subjecting themselves to the Father of spirits and live, taking an example from the way earthly parents deal with their children. They, indeed, often do it for their own pleasure, but the Father for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. These governmental dealings of a Father then had an object, namely, to separate these Hebrew Christians from everything that did not partake of the Father’s holiness. Grace had saved them for the heavenly glory; government was in exercise that they might become partakers of the Father’s holy character. True these dealings were not pleasant. It is not pleasant to be sick; to have a child taken away because we make it an idol; to have our property stolen because we lay up treasure in this world; nevertheless, afterwards it would yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby.
Therefore, seeing these things were so, that chastisements were the very marks of sonship, with the object of making the sons partakers of the Father’s holiness, they were to lift up the hands that hung down, and the feeble knees, and to make straight paths for their feet lest that which was lame be turned out of the way, instead of being healed. He exhorts them to follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man should see the Lord. Above all, taking heed lest any should fall from the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up should trouble them, and so many would be defiled; lest there should be any fornicator or profane person, like Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright; for they knew how afterward when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
We see here how that when Christians lose the sense in any measure of their standing in grace, they are in danger of falling into sin. Roots of bitterness come in, even fornication, and profaneness, though we must remember that the whole profession of Christianity is taken into account. We are not come to Mount Sinai, the apostle says, but to Mount Zion. At the former, God gave the law; at the latter, God established the King of His own choice, after the people had utterly failed in their responsibility, and Ichabod had been written on the priesthood. Therefore, it is a picture of God’s sovereign grace to the earth, of which Israel was to be the center. At Mount Sinai God tested the people to show them what they were, guilty and lost. At Mount Zion Jehovah rested. This is My rest forever, here will I dwell for I delight therein (Psa. 132:1414This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. (Psalm 132:14), Exod. 19-20).
The apostle then says, Ye are not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, or unto blackness, and darkness and tempest, and so forth; but ye are come to Mount Zion, to the full millennial blessing. As the passage in our Bibles has not the right punctuation, I divide the subjects properly. The little word “and” divides each subject. First, there is Mount Zion, the picture of God’s establishment of His King of Grace in Jerusalem; secondly, God’s heavenly city, the heavenly Jerusalem, where He and the Lamb shall dwell, the center of His government of heaven and earth (see Rev. 21:1010And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:10)), thirdly, the innumerable company of angels, the general assembly of these holy spirits; fourthly, the Church of God, here called the church of the firstborn, which were written in heaven; fifthly, to God the Judge of all in heaven and earth; sixthly, to the spirits of just men made perfect, the Old Testament saints; seventhly, to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant of grace to Israel; eightly, to the blood sprinkling, which no longer calls for vengeance to the earth but of blessing. There is the whole millennial blessing which believers have come to in spirit now. Here the better thing reserved for us is brought out,—the Church of God having a distinct place in the heavenly glory, -whereas we see also the spirits of the just men made perfect, at the same time. They have a portion in the heavenly glory, but they have not a place in the Church of God (comp. Eph. 11:40). But if this was the Hebrew Christians’ portion why cling to Judaism and the law, which could only tell of judgment? Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant was in heaven. The God of grace was speaking through Him, not from the fiery mount on earth, but from the heavenly glory. What they were to take heed of doing, was turning away form grace speaking to them from heaven. His voice then shook the earth, but now He was not only going to shake the earth but heaven (Haggai 2:66For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; (Haggai 2:6)); but only in view that those things which could not be shaken might remain. Thus, we have to do with a Father dealing in government, but founded on eternal counsels of grace. We have a part in the kingdom that cannot be moved; yet dwelling in a scene that is fading away, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire, burning up what cannot stand His holy eye; that only those things that abide, that is the new creation might remain. Blessed be God, our portion is in this; Eternal Grace has set us there. The great sin now is not holding fast the grace of God, and when this comes in there must be the governmental dealings of God (for the flesh then is in action), to drive us back to our refuge. All things here below are to be burnt up (2 Peter 3) our part is in the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, established on the principle of God’s eternal counsels of grace, working through Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost. To this we are to cling, in this is our portion.