Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?
I am glad there are standards. When I go to the hardware store looking for a particular nut or bolt, I am glad that the numbers mean the same thing, that 1/4” 20 means just that, a bolt with a diameter of 1/4” and twenty consistent threads per inch. Could you imagine if the labels didn’t match the bots and the bolts had 19 threads per inch rather than 20? It would be a mess.
Standards exist everywhere. We recognize the red hexagon sign as a stop sign. What if they changed color or were written in Japanese instead? Would that hope keep people safe? Standards exist.
Standards also exist in the spiritual realm. The LORD has an absolute standard, the standard of all standards. He measured the universe and set everything in its place. His word was the bang of the big bang. He wrote the first piece of DNA code.Talk about a good set of writing chops!
There are also standards for conduct that transcend people, place and time. Some things are never good. Rape is never an acceptable behavior. Embezzlement is never a standard business practice.
We learn from history that Israel were given a standard by which they were to live, and by which the rest of the world would see the wisdom and holiness of our God. They were always to be a model of what His people, His world in action. But we know they failed at pursuing His heart with all their hearts.
So the LORD would bring corrective discipline into their collective lives as a community of people. They were being freed from slavery, and almost immediately they begin rebelling against the leadership of the LORD. Consequences for their disobedience came slowly, death by death. They missed out on the Promised Land.
Their disobedience was the reason for the LORD’s discipline and judgment. They put themselves in the “out of bounds” zone, and therefore were expelled from the game. Their choices led to their rejection.
The writer of this letter titled “Hebrews” was written to Jewish peoples in an effort to demonstrate the truth of the Gospel, that Jesus supersedes all the standards of conduct. He is the One who fulfilled all the instructions of the Old Testament, and then demonstrated His heart of compassion by laying down His life for all humanity. He obeyed!
Obedience to the standard is what is expected from followers of Jesus. Telling us not to commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness, brings the blessing of avoided heartache. These standards save us from the natural consequences, the designed penalty boxes of life. They are there to save us the pain of broken relationships with each other and with God.
It seems as though the Western Church is sliding rapidly into chaos, rejection of the standard and consequently of the Standard Setter. We thumb our noses and stick out our tongue at the One who will save us from our own disobedient choices. But even more importantly, He promises to be with us, if we call out to Him and obey His word.
The Arnold Journey 