Hebrews Chapter 5
The Closer Day By Day Bible Reading has been going on since 2009 and some members have been faithfully following it since then. Some started recently when we have the Morning Bible Readings – which started a couple of years ago.
Someone remarked, “I thought we had read this book before!” And it is no surprise as this journey of reading the Bible has seen us reading through the Bible several times over the years.
But the key question, as I reflect on today’s passage, is this: “Should we not be teachers by this time?”
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
~ Hebrews 5:12-14 ~
If we have been following the Bible Reading schedule all these years, have you looked at yourself to see if you can be a teacher by now? By this, I do not mean you need to be a RE teacher or speak on the pulpit – but are you able to help someone who ask you about the first principles of God’s oracles, you will be able to give an answer and help bring that person to know God?
Or despite years of listening to sermons (attending services), following the daily bible reading plan and morning service, we remain “dull of hearing”? (verse 11)
From chapters 1 to 4 of Hebrews, it is clear that the author of Hebrews was concerned about something (emphasis in bold) in the believers:
- 2:1 – Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
- 3:1 – Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
- 3:8 – Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,
- 3:12 – Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
- 4:1 – Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
- 4:11 – Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
- 4:14 – Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
In Chapter 5 verses 9-10, he concluded that Jesus, having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. This should have been the climax of his message … but then you can almost hear a sigh as he continued saying…
11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
~ Heb 5:11 ~
The author remarked he had much to say but find it hard to explain – since the audience have become dull of hearing!
Maybe this was what was bugging the author in the preceding chapters. While the believers know of Jesus and His word, they were dull of hearing – not giving earnest heed, not considering Jesus, hardening their hearts, failing to be diligent to enter that rest and not holding fast to our confession…
The author then starkly pointed out from verses 12 onwards that by now, the listeners should be teachers but are still acting like babies – who need to be fed. It is not that milk is no good but the fact that they have made no progress in their spiritual lives – such that they can take solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
~ Hebrews 5:13-14 ~
If we only take milk, we remain unskilled in the word of righteousness.
But if we receive the word of God as babes (taking milk) and we exercise our senses to discern good and evil – I take this to mean we receive the word of God and go and put it into practice – do the word – then solid food will belong to us who are of full age (mature).
Do we want to remain as babes taking only milk? Or do we want to be matured adults before Christ, partaking of solid food?
If we want to grow in our spiritial life – let us not be dull of hearing (or reading) – but put the Word of God into practice in our daily lives – learning how to discern right and wrong and doing the right thing always.
May God help us.