Friday, November 30, 2012

Haikus through Hebrews, chapter 3

This chapter contains repeated warnings against the hardening of our hearts to God because of our disobedience, with unbelief and unrest as its ultimate result.  But, while it is still called today, the promise of entering His eternal rest still stands.  Praise God for the redeeming work of his Son, Jesus Christ, which, by God's grace alone, enables even the possibility of entering God's rest.  For without the work of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit within us, none of us would choose God, and all hearts would deceive us in disobedience.  "They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.  But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them." (Nehemiah 9:17)  To God alone be the glory!

*Important Note: Please read through the whole of Hebrews (I recommend the English Standard Version or New American Standard Bible) for contextual significance (and significant context!).  There is a lot of Scriptural meat found outside these 17 syllables.  Also, due to the paraphrasing these haikus frequently require, I shied away from using quote marks.  Rather, lines referring to words spoken by God (or the Holy Spirit) are found in purple below.

3:1
Holy brothers who
Share a heavenly calling
Consider Jesus

3:2
Faithful to the one
Who appointed him, just as
Moses was faithful

3:3
Counted more worthy
Than Moses, Jesus builds the
House with more honor
 
3:4
Ev'ry house is built
By someone, but God is the
Builder of all things
 
3:5
Testifying to
What would be spoken after,
Moses was faithful
 
3:6a
But Christ as God's Son
Is faithful over his house
And we are that house
 
3:6b
We will hold fast the
Confidence and pride of his
Gospel till the end
 
3:7-8
If you hear his voice
Don't harden your hearts as you
Did in rebellion
 
3:8 
Harden not your hearts
As in the provocation,
In days of trial
 
3:9
In the wilderness
Your fathers tried me even
Though they saw my works
 
3:10
I was angry with that
Generation for their hearts
Always go astray
 
3:10
Deceived in their hearts
And they have not known my ways
Grievous generation
 
3:11
In my wrath I swore 
A solemn oath that they would
Never enter rest
 
3:12
See to it then that
No evil, unbelieving
Heart is found in you
 
3:12
Our hearts betray us
Full of evil, unbelief
Departing from God
 
3:13a
But encourage one
Another daily as long
As it's called today
 
3:13b
So that none of you
By the deceitfulness of sin
Will be hardened
 
3:14
Partakers of Christ
If we hold fast our confidence
Steadfast to the end
 
3:15
Remember, "If you
Hear his voice don't harden your
Hearts in rebellion"
 
3:16
Who were those who heard
And yet rebelled?  Was it not
Those led by Moses?
 
3:17
With whom was he grieved?
Was it not those who sinned and
Fell in the desert?
 
3:18
To whom did God swear
They would never enter rest?
Them that believed not
 
3:19
So we see that they
Were unable to enter
Due to unbelief

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