{"id":22231,"date":"2024-07-12T08:39:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T07:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/daily-devotion-for-friday-12th-july-2024"},"modified":"2024-07-12T08:39:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T07:39:27","slug":"daily-devotion-for-friday-12th-july-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/daily-devotion-for-friday-12th-july-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Devotion for Friday 12th July 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hebrews 7:15-28<\/strong> ( with OT quotes in italics)
 
15 <\/sup><\/strong>It is even more obvious when another priest arises, resembling Melchizedek, 16 <\/sup><\/strong>one who has become a priest, not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent, but through the power of an indestructible life. 17 <\/sup><\/strong>For it is attested of him,<\/p>\n

      \u2018You are a priest for ever,
      according to the order of Melchizedek.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

18 <\/sup><\/strong>There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual 19 <\/sup><\/strong>(for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope, through which we approach God.<\/p>\n

20 <\/sup><\/strong>This was confirmed with an oath; for others who became priests took their office without an oath, 21 <\/sup><\/strong>but this one became a priest with an oath, because of the one who said to him,<\/p>\n

      \u2018The Lord has sworn
      and will not change his mind,
      \u201cYou are a priest for ever\u201d\u2019<\/em>\u2014<\/p>\n

22 <\/sup><\/strong>accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.<\/p>\n

23 <\/sup><\/strong>Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; 24 <\/sup><\/strong>but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. 25 <\/sup><\/strong>Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.<\/p>\n

26 <\/sup><\/strong>For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 <\/sup><\/strong>Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. 28 <\/sup><\/strong>For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever.
 
Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have met Psalm 110 already. Its opening verse speaks of \u2018my lord\u2019 sitting in honour at God\u2019s right hand, and for Hebrews this text comes to full meaning in Jesus\u2019 ascension (1:3, 13). Today\u2019s reading, however, uses another line from the psalm, which garlands Israel\u2019s royal leader with \u2018the priestly order of Melchizedek\u2019 (110:4, quoted in 7:17 and 21). This, for Hebrews, is Jesus too \u2013 timeless, majestic and enduring.
 
As yesterday, the writer distinguishes Jesus from Israel\u2019s temple priests. Two points in today\u2019s verses. First, God\u2019s oath (Ps 110:4) underlines and confirms Jesus\u2019 role, whereas usual priestly ordination did not involve any oath (vv.20-22). God\u2019s commitment to Jesus is as deliberate and dependable as the ancient promise to Abraham (6:13-15). Second, the priests of the temple served only temporarily (v.23). They died, and others took their place. Whereas Jesus\u2019 priesthood is permanent (vv.24-25), embodying \u2018the power of an indestructible life\u2019 (v.16).
 
All this prepares the way for showing Jesus as \u2018guarantee of a better covenant\u2019 (v.22, and chapter 8). He offered a single sacrifice \u2013 his own life \u2013 in contrast to the endlessly repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament (v.27, and chapter 9). He is permanently, powerfully and perfectly able to save all who turn to him (vv.25-28).
 
Perfect priesthood, better covenant, effective sacrifice \u2026 a fault of some Christian theology over the years has been a tendency to misunderstand and disrespect Judaism. Yet Hebrews offers a different perception. Written from within the Jewish tradition, it points towards the fulfilment of this in Jesus. Reading this letter well should send us back to the Old Testament as a precious heritage, rich in promise. It will also direct us forward to Jesus, who is constantly ahead of us, urging us to press humbly onward in hope and trust.
 
Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

God of my past \u2013 personal, family, ethnic, national \u2013
    thank you for the people who shaped my heritage,
    and the stories, values and virtues that you gave them.
Help me to follow the path of Jesus,
    in ways that help the people around me
    to trust him with their days and their years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hebrews 7:15-28 ( with OT quotes in italics) 15 It is even more obvious when another priest arises, resembling Melchizedek, 16 one who has become a priest, not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent, but through the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of him,       \u2018You are a priest for ever,      according to the order … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Daily Devotion for Friday 12th July 2024”<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22231\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}