C. Shaking (of the world system by God) (vs. 18-29).
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:{quotes Prov 3:11,12}
despise not- ie., do not regard as of little import
faint not- Prov 3:11b is lit., "loathe not his correction".
12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
love- is the basis of God's chastening of His children.
son- GK=huios, mature son.
God chastens every son (not just His little children).
You & I can never consider ourselves beyond the need for His correction.
12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [us], and we gave [them] reverence: {Eph 6:1-3} shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
the Father of spirits- Spiritual life comes from God. We live only in union with Him.
12:10 For they {ie., earthly fathers} verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure;
but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.
they... after their own pleasure- ie., as it seemed good to them, or
to minimize discomfort to themselves caused by our offensive behavior.
He... for our profit- to make us holy: in the likeness of Christ, fit for His presence.
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.
fruit- the outcome, the product of chastening is-
-- peaceable- in contrast to the troubling (chastening) that produces it. Isa 32:17
-- righteousness-
This does not mean that chastening somehow turns a sinner into a child of God. But rather that chastening matures God's sons into what He wants them to be.
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;
looking diligently- GK=episkopeo, taking the oversight (as overseers of God's people).
Note the different word used in v.2 (re: looking unto Jesus alone).
- - I must first draw near to Him, before I can consider helping a brother (cp. 10:22-24).
- - I cannot oversee the flock, if I have lost sight of the Chief Shepherd.
Chastening should make us increasingly dependent upon the Lord.
As overseers, we are advised to be watchful to correct the following problems:
1. Lest any man fail {GK=come behind, miss, fall short} of the grace of God. That is:
-one who knows the Way of salvation, but fails to enter due to unbelief. Heb 4:1; 10:26
-a believer, who in time of need, fails to obtain grace to help. Heb 4:16
2. Lest any root of bitterness... spring up... and defile many. Compare: Deut 29:18; Eccl 9:18
root of bitterness= root of wormwood (a poisonous plant).
A man, who fails of God's grace, may turn away from God in bitterness.
One poisonous root of apostasy may be harmful to a whole community of believers.
3. Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person... (v.16,17)
12:16 Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person,
as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
fornicator- GK=pornos, one who engages in sexual sins.
profane- common, unholy (The English word derives from Latin 'profanum': 'against the temple'.)
While the believer is called to moral purity & piety, vs.16-17 are not speaking primarily about sexual sin or about profanity of language.
At issue, in Esau's case, was a worldly mind which set a higher value on the temporal than the spiritual. Esau committed spiritual adultery by valuing present personal gratification higher than the future spiritual promises of God.
his birthright- included the priestly privelege & responsibility of the firstborn, and
would have made him heir to God's promises to Abraham & his descendants. (cp. 11:8-10)
But Esau regarded it as something common (profane), of less worth than a bowl of pottage. Gen 25:29-34; 1Cor 6:13-20
So, we must beware lest we squander what God's grace has given us.
Should the Bride of Christ set her affections on earthly things? Col 3:1-4
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.
he was rejected- ie., disallowed, disapproved.
Because Esau despised his birthright, he was no longer elligible for the inheritance.
he found no place for repentance, though he sought it {the blessing} with tears-
We might ask whether his tears represented godly sorrow for sin, or worldly sorrow for loss.
However, the issue here is not that Esau could not repent,
but that once he had given up his right to blessing, his repentance availed nothing.
His tears could not buy back what he had previously sold.