Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
Hebrews 13:15-19
15 Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything. 19 And I urge you all the more to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.
Original Intent
1) What are the sacrifices we are to offer? (verse 16)
In the Old Testament there are five categories of sacrifices: burnt, grain, peace, sin and trespass offerings. Sin and Trespass offerings were required, and the remaining three were freewill. (Leviticus 4, Leviticus 7:1-6) All the offerings except grain involved the shedding of the animal’s blood. The Hebrew-Christians Paul was writing to were living in an area with Jews who did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. “The Jews were constantly reminding these Hebrew-Christians of the virtues of Judaism” (Clear Theology), which included Old Testament sacrifices which the Jews still actively practiced at the altar. In Hebrews 13:10-12, Paul reminds the people of Jesus shedding His own blood as the ultimate sacrifice, supplanting the Old Testament sacrifice system. However, this didn’t mean there were no longer any sacrifices to be made. Now, instead of sin and trespass sacrifices, the people were to offer sacrifices of praise. Instead of the fruit of their labors (crops and livestock), they were to offer the fruit of their lips. This meant verbal praise. Martin Collins points out how this echoes the priestly duties, “It was the continual responsibility of the Levitical priesthood “to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening“. (I Chronicles 23:30) Even David “praised God seven times each day”. (Psalm 119:164) The principle is that we should be praising God continually or be prepared to do so at any time, not a specific number of times a day.” (Bible Tools) Beyond verbal praise, we are also to “do good and share”. (verse 16) According to Dr. Grant Richison, “Belief and deed are inseparable. Lip service without expression in a tangible way is disjoint of biblical truth.” Praise should intentionally encompass verbally acknowledging God’s goodness and then demonstrating that goodness to others.
2) Why does verse 17 command us to obey our leaders?
Paul pointed out that Hebrew-Christians not only had a responsibility to praise the Lord, do good and share, but they also had a responsibility to submit to their spiritual leaders. Those who were appointed by God were there to lead and guide them as God instructed them. Romans 13:1 tells us “there is no authority except that which God has established.” These leaders were there to teach submission to God and to show how to live a life pleasing to the Lord. David Guzik puts it this way, “Cooperative conduct is not only a joy to leaders, but it is profitable for the whole body. It is for our own sake that we should obey and submit to God-appointed leaders.” Going further, Bible.org says, “The reason we submit is for the Lord’s sake that we may honor Him and also to avoid being disciplined by Him. Paul said this in Romans 13:2, ‘Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.’” Submitting to leaders is an act of worship to the Lord. We are acknowledging His sovereignty in appointing leaders and in teaching us through them.
3) How does prayer tie into praise? (verse 18)
Verses 18-19 might appear to veer of course, but they are in line with Paul’s teaching about praise. When we pray we are bringing our petitions and concerns to the Lord. We are acknowledging Him as the One who can change the situation, give the answer, or provide comfort and peace. He is the One in control and only He can bring about what we cannot. Paul was well aware of the power of prayer. In 2 Corinthians 11 he spoke of his numerous trials in ministry including being whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, persecuted and imprisoned. In prison, Paul prayed and God moved mightily, ultimately adding the jailer and his relatives to God’s family. (Acts 16:25-31) For the churches, Paul prayed and they flourished and grew. Every time, Paul praised the Lord. He was not shy to ask for prayer. Just as he did here, he did also in Romans 1:9-11, Ephesians 6:19, and 2 Thessalonians 3:1 to name a few. This was part of His praise, indicating that He trusted God with the ministry that had been bestowed upon him. We see it is the people’s duty to pray for him, “…to the absent leader the duty of the congregation is that of prayer. It is a Christian duty always to bear our absent loved ones to the throne of God’s grace and daily to remember there all who bear the responsibility of leadership and authority.” (Barclay’s Study Bible) Prayer for others is part of the “doing good” mandate of praise.
Everyday Application
1) What are the sacrifices we are to offer? (verse 16)
I often wonder how the priests dealt with the overwhelming stench of so much blood from the sacrifices. Then I’m reminded of the overwhelming stench of sin to God for those who are not saved. I am grateful for the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” How can we not praise the name of the One who makes us a pleasing aroma instead of the stench of sin? And to those who are perishing, do we not have a duty to sacrifice our pride and preferences to give them the opportunity to join our chorus of praise? We do, but the struggle is real. “For some, the harder part is taking Christianity one step further, sacrificing ourselves in service, fellowship, and communication with others, especially those outside our “community,” be it a group designated by age, experience, likes or dislikes, location, or any other boundary that applies to us personally.” (Bible Tools) Let us not forget Matthew 5:16, where Jesus instructs, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” Our good works become praise not just from us but others. Our good works multiply praise! So whatever we must sacrifice to complete those works is worth it.
2) Why does verse 17 command us to obey our leaders?
I’m a manager at my job. To some it might seem like an easy job, but they’d be dead wrong! It’s tough. I’m also a ministry leader. That’s not a cake walk either. There are so many facets of leadership but one aspect that quickly becomes challenging is trying to do the right thing and make sure everyone under your care is also doing the right thing. So, what happens when people decide to disobey? I like the way the ESV Reformation Study Bible puts it. “The leaders’ care is deep and genuine because they were appointed by God and will give their account to Him. (Hebrews 4:13) Everyone will suffer if their ministry is resisted.” It’s our duty to respect those God puts in authority over us. By resisting them, we are resisting God’s plans. There is always a consequence for this! Instead, by walking in obedience, we allow God to complete His work in us through them. Not only are we blessed, but the leaders are as well. It becomes one more thing for which we can praise God.
3) How does prayer tie into praise? (verse 18)
Paul often prayed for the churches to which he had a connection. One example is in Colossians 1 where he starts with praise, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” (verse 3) Then he lists what he is praying for, “We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”. (verse 9) But he continues to give more praise, “giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.” (verse 12) This is a wonderful model for prayer. Praising God, presenting our requests, followed by praising Him again. It keeps our minds focused on Who will accomplish the work, and it’s not us! It always has been God and it will always be God. “Praise is about having faith in the character of God even when we are struggling with challenges in life. It is when we CHOOSE to focus on and believe in Him that our faith is exercised, and it is faith alone that pleases Him and moves Him to action in our lives—personally and corporately!” (Planetshakers Creative) Our prayers demonstrate our faith in God, just as our praises; they both honor Him for who He is and what He does.
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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