Devotional

Devotionals Archive

Daybreak: Hebrews 10:19-39

Apr 18, 2021

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” (Hebrews 10:35)

Once, a soldier in Indonesia purchased a monkey for a pet. As time passed, the soldier and his monkey became nearly inseparable. As the monkey grew, so did his love for the soldier who fed him, played with him, and loved him. 

Gradually, however, it became apparent that something was wrong. The little animal became listless and ill. Upon inspection, the soldier discovered a wire that lay embedded under the monkey’s skin around his abdomen. Seemingly, when he was younger, someone had bound him with that wire and never removed it. Now the flesh had grown over it and the wire was pressing in upon the monkey’s organs.

The soldier realized that if the monkey were left in this condition, it would eventually die, so he decided to act. He laid his pet down on the bed and carefully shaved off its fur, revealing the bulging flesh under which the wire lay. With calm and steady voice, the soldier reassured the monkey and began to cut carefully through its skin. The devoted pet winced in pain but never jerked away during the entire procedure. Somehow it sensed that its master would not cause needless pain.

When the wire was removed, the monkey chattered loudly, hugging his master’s neck, and in a short time, the little animal recovered completely. Before the soldier’s unit shipped out to war, he returned his little monkey to the jungle where it belonged, but he never forgot the great confidence the monkey had had in him, and it humbled him. The monkey’s confidence was the result of a relationship based on love and consistency. 

Our confidence in God is based upon trust that He always has our best interests at heart. A man who is now a pastor tells how God impressed our focus verse upon his heart when he had cancer. The situation became more and more bleak, yet he held to his purpose to trust God’s plan. Miraculously, God healed him. What proof that it pays to keep your confidence! 

How is your confidence toward God? Have you walked so often with your Master, letting Him feed and love you, that you can trust Him in any situation? God is consistent, and He never fails to keep His many promises. When difficulties arise, are you looking at the pain and wondering how your Master could allow this to happen to you, or are you trusting Him implicitly, regardless of the circumstances? Don’t cast away your confidence at the first sign of persecution or trials; God is faithful.

Background

Verses 19 through 22 of chapter 10 are the climax of the doctrinal portion of the Book of Hebrews. Here, the writer pointed out that the sacrifices of the Law were insufficient, that Christ’s sacrifice abolished that old sacrificial system, and that believers have been granted access to God through the priesthood of Christ.

The Book of Hebrews is a study in contrasts, and this passage again illustrates that. The Old Covenant was limited, but the New is everlasting; the Old was fearful, the New brings forth boldness in hearts; the Old required many sacrifices to be made continually; in the New Covenant, Christ was offered once for sins forever.

In verses 23 through 29, the writer gave a strong warning about the importance of placing the proper value on the sacrifice Jesus made. If a person who has once been a Christian counts “the blood of the covenant . . . an unholy thing,” what hope does that person have of salvation? For that man, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, because he has rejected his very means of approach to God by denying the power of the Atonement. The writer was dealing with the sin of turning from the faith and forsaking the whole plan of redemption that God has laid out for mankind. This passage in the epistle to the Hebrews served as a reminder to its audience — the Hebrew converts to Christianity — to keep their confidence in Christ’s atonement.

The Hebrew Christians were exhorted to assemble together and to encourage one another in love and good works. They had evidently gone through much persecution, and they needed to hold on with patience for God’s promises.

Amplified Outline

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines – Used by permission per WORDsearch)
III.   The application: the life we should live because of His life and work
      A.   Exhortation to devotion (10:19-39)
            1.   The exhortation (10:19-25)
            2.   The warning (10:26-31)
            3.   The assurance (10:32-39)
                  a.   The past manifestation of faith (10:32-34)
                  b.   The present challenge to patience (10:35-39)

A Closer Look

  1. Looking again at verses 19-25, list the actions which the readers were exhorted to take.
     
  2. After reading verses 26-31, how would you describe the confidence level of a person who has “sinned willfully” and dishonored Christ?
     
  3. How does your obedience to Christ affect your level of confidence toward God? If there is an area of your life in which you should be “doing the will of God” but are not, what can you do today to obey the Lord in that area?

Conclusion

Confidence, boldness, and the absence of fear are all mentioned in this passage. In each case, the blessing — the good part, the benefit — is directly linked to our obedience to Christ. Even our position as “brethren” is contingent upon our remaining faithful.

Reference Materials