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12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us, 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God.
12:3 For
consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest ye be
wearied and faint in your minds.
12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
12:5 And ye have forgotten the
exhortation which speaketh unto you as
unto children, My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth
he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth.
12:7 If ye endure
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for
what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 12:8 But if ye be
without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons.
12:9 Furthermore we have had
fathers of our
flesh which corrected us,
and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection
unto the Father of spirits, and live? 12:10 For they verily for a few
days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness.
12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby
.
12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees; 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is
lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord: 12:15 Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the
grace of God; lest any root of bitterness
springing up trouble you,
and thereby many be defiled; 12:16 Lest there be any
fornicator, or
profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright.
12:17 For ye know how that 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.
12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and
that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
12:19 And the sound of a
trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice
they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them
any more: 12:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded,
And if so much as a
beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or
thrust through with a dart: 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that
Moses said, I
exceedingly fear and quake:) 12:22 But ye are come unto
mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an
innumerable company of angels, 12:23 To the
general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in
heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, 12:24 And to Jesus the
mediator of the new covenant, and
to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things that that of
Abel.
12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped
not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we
escape, if we turn away from him that
speaketh from heaven: 12:26
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath
promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
12:27 And this word, Yet once more,
signifieth the removing of those
things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that
those things
which cannot be shaken may
remain.
12:28 Wherefore we
receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us
have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear: 12:29 For our God is a
consuming fire.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Hebrews
Book: Hebrews
Chapter: 12
Overview:
An exhortation to be constant and persevere, The
Example of
Christ is set forth, and the gracious design of
God in all the
sufferings believers endured.
(1-11) Peace and
Holiness are
recommended, with cautions against despising spiritual
blessings.
(12-17) The New
Testament Dispensation shown to be
much more excellent than the Old.
(18-29)
1-11 The persevering obedience of
Faith in
Christ, was the race
set before the
Hebrews, wherein they must either win the
Crown
of
Glory, or have
Everlasting misery for their portion; and it
is set before us.
By the
Sin that does
So easily beset us,
understand that
Sin to which we are most prone, or to which we
are most exposed, from habit,
Age, or circumstances. This is a
most important exhortation; for while a
Man's
Darling Sin, be it
what it will, remains unsubdued, it will hinder him from running
the
Christian race, as it takes from him every motive for
running, and gives power to every discouragement. When weary and
faint in their minds, let them recollect that the holy
Jesus
suffered, to save them from eternal misery.
By stedfastly
looking to
Jesus, their thoughts would strengthen holy
affections, and keep under their
Carnal desires. Let us then
frequently consider him. What are our little trials to his
agonies, or even to our deserts? What are they to the sufferings
of many others? There is a proneness in believers to grow weary,
and to faint under trials and
Afflictions; this is from the
imperfection of
Grace and the remains of corruption. Christians
should not faint under their trials. Though their enemies and
persecutors may be instruments to inflict sufferings, yet they
are Divine chastisements; their heavenly
Father has his
Hand in
all, and his
Wise End to answer
By all. They must not make
Light
of
Afflictions, and be without feeling under them, for they are
the
Hand and rod of
God, and are his rebukes for
Sin. They must
not despond and sink under trials, nor fret and repine, but
Bear
up with
Faith and patience.
God may let others alone in their
sins, but he will correct
Sin in his own children. In this he
Acts as becomes a
Father. Our earthly parents sometimes may
chasten us, to gratify their
Passion, rather than to reform our
manners. But the
Father of our souls never willingly grieves nor
afflicts his children. It is always for our profit. Our whole
Life here is a state of childhood, and imperfect as to spiritual
things; therefore we must submit to the discipline of such a
state. When we come to a perfect state, we shall be fully
reconciled to all
God's chastisement of us now.
God's correction
is not condemnation; the chastening may be borne with patience,
and greatly promote
Holiness. Let us then learn to consider the
Afflictions brought
On us
By the malice of men, as corrections
sent
By our
Wise and gracious
Father, for our spiritual good.
12-17 A
Burden of affliction is apt to make the
Christian's
hands hang down, and his knees grow feeble, to dispirit him and
discourage him; but against this he must strive, that he may
better run his spiritual race and course.
Faith and patience
enable believers to follow peace and
Holiness, as a
Man follows
his
Calling constantly, diligently, and with pleasure. Peace
with men, of all sects and parties, will be favourable to our
pursuit of
Holiness. But peace and
Holiness go together; there
can be not right peace without
Holiness. Where persons fail of
having the true
Grace of
God, corruption will prevail and break
forth; beware lest any unmortified
Lust in the
Heart, which
seems to be dead, should
Spring up, to trouble and disturb the
whole body. Falling away from
Christ is the
Fruit of preferring
the delights of the
Flesh, to the blessing of
God, and the
heavenly inheritance, as
Esau did. But sinners will not always
have such mean thoughts of the Divine blessing and inheritance
as they now have. It agrees with the profane
Man's disposition,
to desire the blessing, yet to despise the means whereby the
blessing is to be gained. But
God will neither sever the means
from the blessing, nor join the blessing with the satisfying of
Man's lusts.
God's
Mercy and blessing were never sought
carefully and not obtained.
18-29 Mount Sinai,
On which the Jewish
Church state was formed,
was a
Mount such as might be touched, though forbidden to be
So,
a place that could be felt;
So the Mosaic
Dispensation was much
in outward and earthly things. The
Gospel state is kind and
condescending, suited to our weak frame. Under the
Gospel all
may come with boldness to
God's presence. But the most holy must
despair, if judged
By the holy
Law given from
Sinai, without a
Saviour. The
Gospel Church is called
Mount Zion; there believers
have clearer views of
Heaven, and more heavenly tempers of soul.
All the children of
God are heirs, and every one has the
privileges of the
First-born. Let a soul be supposed to join
that glorious assembly and
Church above, that is yet
unacquainted with
God, still carnally-minded, loving this
present world and state of things, looking back to it with a
lingering
Eye, full of pride and guile, filled with lusts; such
a soul would seem to have mistaken its way, place, state, and
company. It would be uneasy to itself and all about it.
Christ
is the
Mediator of this new
Covenant, between
God and
Man, to
bring them together in this
Covenant; to keep them together; to
plead with
God for us, and to plead with us for
God; and at
length to bring
God and his people together in
Heaven. This
Covenant is made firm
By the
Blood of
Christ sprinkled upon our
consciences, as the
Blood of the
Sacrifice was sprinkled upon
the
Altar and the victim. This
Blood of
Christ speaks in behalf
of sinners; it pleads not for vengeance, but for
Mercy. See then
that you refuse not his gracious
Call and offered
Salvation. See
that you do not refuse Him who speaketh from
Heaven, with
infinite tenderness and
Love; for how can those escape, who turn
from
God in unbelief or apostasy, while he
So graciously
beseeches them to be reconciled, and to receive his
Everlasting
favour!
God's dealing with men under the
Gospel, in a way of
Grace, assures us, that he will
Deal with the despisers of the
Gospel, in a way of
Judgment. We cannot
Worship God acceptably,
unless we
Worship him with reverence and godly fear. Only the
Grace of
God enables us to
Worship God aright.
God is the same
just and righteous
God under the
Gospel as under the
Law. The
inheritance of believers is secured to them; and all things
pertaining to
Salvation are freely given in answer to
Prayer.
Let us seek for
Grace, that we may serve
God with reverence and
godly fear.