Zephaniah 3, Hebrews 5

(Zephaniah 3)

Under the new covenant, things are just different. Verse 15 says, “The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.” No longer can we boast of our own righteousness through following the law (although before we only boast of a righteousness that was not pure) because it is only through humility that we can no longer fear harm. Not scripture, but a great quote I read about Zephaniah 3, “The Lord will shut out boasting, and leave men nothing to glory in, save the Lord Jesus, as made of God to them wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Thank you God for your grace in Christ.

(Hebrews 5)

Two things stand out to me in Hebrews chapter 5. The first, and most significant, is found in verse 8 speaking of Christ as our High Priest, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

I am humbly reminded about the process of growth in this spiritual journey of life. Even Christ, himself, suffered of the flesh in this world. He didn’t experience it, see it, or know about it, he suffered it. And in it, scripture says, he learned obedience. My suffering is so small. I feel selfish this morning for ever complaining about life. And yet in the same breath, feel comforted that my savior wore skin like mine, walked this earth (even without internet, Starbucks, and crack-berry) and learned obedience. Think about that for a moment. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth that he might be a way for us. We are so small in comparison to our God.

Second thought for today comes from verses 12-14 about growth in God’s word, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Scripture reminds us that the result of not being acquainted with God’s teaching is infancy. We cannot grow beyond infancy apart from growing in God’s word. I have always felt this scripture gives us some insight to the HOW we should be learning to study as much as the what. As a parent, I remember the days of having to feed my children as infants from their bottle. They were drinking milk. They relied on others to feed them. Even once they were on softer foods, they were always being spoon fed.

As believers, so many of us rely only upon others feeding us God’s word, we expect pastors and teachers to bring it to us, and when we don’t feel like they’ve gone “deep enough”, we get frustrated. Most of the time, that’s because it’s the only feast of God’s word we have in our lives. Even a weekly dose of some of the best teaching in town will only go so far as long as our only nourishment is coming from being spoon fed. You can only take in so much when it’s just milk and soft food.

But just like a child, when they begin to eat solid food, when they begin to feed themselves, it is not only liberating (for the parent as well), but some serious growth begins. You can eat wherever there is food, not just where there is someone with a spoon, or worse a bottle.

It is so significant that we learn, commit, and discipline ourselves to spending personal time in God’s word. There is so much to be found along the journey of discovering truth in scripture. That is where we learn to hear the Spirit. That is where we allow God to reach into our souls and teach us. That is where we grow in intimacy with God, one on one, through the provision of Christ. That is where we begin to see His word come alive… and we grow. No longer being infants, but grow in knowledge and understanding of our Lord.

Father, thank you for your living word. Thank you that in Christ we might explore your truths and grow in you. Give us a hunger for your truth and a desire to understand you more. May we discover and celebrate the mystery of your greatness, may we discover and celebrate your grace, and in that discovery, may we find peace and joy in being a child of God.