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THEREFORE
HE HAD TO BE MADE LIKE HIS BRETHREN: hothen opheilen (3SIAI) kata panta tois
adelphois homoiothenai (APN):
Therefore (3606)
(hothen) - In order to be able to give help to the seed of Abraham
(believers who like Abraham have faith).
He had (3784)
(opheilo from ophelos = profit, an increase)
means
to owe, and conveys the basic meaning of owing a debt
and then of having a strong obligation which can be a moral obligation and
personal duty. In this verse opheilo indicates a necessity, owing to
the nature of the matter under consideration. In other words, Jesus was
obligated (as it were) to do this in order that He might become our High
Priest!
Richards writes
that words in the opheilo word group...
originally expressed the idea of a legal
or personal obligation. The Greeks had both financial and, later, moral
obligations in mind when they used this term. (Richards,
L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency)
The TDNT has a
nice summary noting that opheilo although etymologically of uncertain
origin...
means “to owe someone something,” e.g.
loans, debts, sums, or rents. The things owed may be spiritual, and the word
is also used with the infinitive for “to be under obligation to,” “to have
to.” The word is common in respect of revenge or law. Transgressors are in
debt to injured parties. Secular and sacral penalties are owed. God’s
goodness also makes people debtors. This gives rise to the idea of moral
obligation. (Kittel,
G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament. Eerdmans)
To be made like (3666)
(homoioo from homoios = similar) means
complete identification in conduct,
character; condition, circumstances. Christ had to be a true man in all
points, from conception to death, apart from innate sin. This required a
miraculous, virginal conception, but in every other respect, he partook of
true human flesh.
Paul explains that Jesus...
Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with
God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.8 And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. (See notes
Philippians 2:6;
Philippians 2:7;Philippians
2:8)
Christ, our Elder Brother, resembles us in reality as we shall
resemble him in the end
In all things - Except yielding to sin the writer explaining later
that...
we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but
One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
(Hebrews 4:15)
Without sin yes, but not without temptation. Jesus knew as no other man knew
what temptation was, having fought through to victory when tempted by Satan
(cf Mt 4:1ff, Luke 4:1ff).
Hudson Taylor wrote that...
Had our Lord appeared on earth as an angel of light, He would doubtless have
inspired far more awe and reverence, and would have collected together even
larger multitudes to attend His ministry. But to save man He became Man, not
merely like man, but very man. In language, in costume, in everything
unsinful, He made Himself one with those He sought to benefit. Had He been
born a noble Roman, rather than a Jew, He would, perhaps, if less loved,
have commanded more of a certain kind of respect; and He would assuredly
thereby have been spared much indignity to which He was subjected. This,
however, was not His aim; He emptied Himself. Surely no follower of the meek
and lowly Jesus will be likely to conclude that it is "beneath the dignity
of a Christian missionary" to seek identification with this poor people, in
the hope that he may see them washed, sanctified, and justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God! Let us rather be followers
of Him who "knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and
that He was come from God, and went to God, He riseth from supper, and laid
aside His garments, and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He
poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded."
SO THAT HE MIGHT BECOME A MERCIFUL AND
FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST IN THINGS PERTAINING TO GOD: hina eleęmôn genetai (3SAMS) kai pistos archiereus ta pros ton theon:
So that (2443)
(hina) introduces a purpose clause. Always asks "What for?"
Why did He have to be made like His brethren? Note how Thus the smoothly the
writer transitions into the great theme he has been approaching with such
care, that is the theme which of Christ's priesthood, which dominates this
letter.
Might become
(1096)
(ginomai) come into being.
A "MERCY FULL"
HIGH PRIEST
Merciful
(1655)
(eleemon
from
eleos
= mercy)
refers to one who is actively
compassionate or one who is benevolently merciful involving thought and
action. It reflects being concerned about people in their need.
The basic idea of
eleemon is "to give help to the wretched, to relieve the miserable." The
essential thought is that mercy gives attention to those in misery which
distinguishes mercy from grace. Whereas grace is shown to the undeserving,
we find that mercy is compassion poured out on the miserable.
J C Ryle reminds us...
Jesus Christ is
not only the Son of God mighty to save, but the Son of man able to feel.
He has been made like His brethren so that He can be to
us all that we need. And what is our great need? We need a Great High Priest
to intercede for us compassionately and continuously. He is merciful and He
is faithful to fulfill both of these great needs on behalf of His brethren.
Mercy is not simply a static truth such as feeling compassion but
true mercy is dynamic and shows its true character when something is done to
alleviate another's distress. This is nicely illustrated in the Old
Testament by the mercy seat in the holy of holies. This was the place
where the Lord God accepted the propitiatory (satisfactory) sacrifice to
atone for the nation’s sins, once each year on the "Day of Atonement" (see
Lev 16:2,13, 14, 15). Here at the mercy seat God was moved with pity and
compassion for the sinful people, and took action to reconcile them to
Himself through accepting the blood of a goat in their stead. (See also
notes on
God's Attribute of Mercy).
One might say then that Christ our High
Priest is "mercy full"! The idea is that He possess a compassionate
heart leading Him to carry out acts of mercy, the purpose of which is to
relieve the suffering and misery of the spiritual offspring of Abraham, the
objects of the Beloved's infinite compassion.
Our High Priest is the perfect
picture of mercy, and His loyal subjects are to imitate His attitude and
action in the power of the Spirit and transforming grace. And so Jesus gives
us the wonderful promise in Mt 5:7
(see note), "Blessed are the
merciful (eleemon)".
To the unsaved in His audience this charge was impossible to accomplish, for
He was speaking not merely of the expression of mercy filled (merciful) acts, but
of an inner attitude in the new hearts of those who by grace through faith
had the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
A TRUSTWORTHY
HIGH PRIEST
Faithful
(4103)
(pistos
[word study]
from peítho = to
persuade)
means trustworthy, dependable, reliable. Pistos is something or
someone who is worthy of faith or keeps promises and is applied to God,
humans, His Word, etc
Vincent gives a nice summary
of the meaning of pistos,
faithful, writing that it is used
(1), of one who shows Himself faithful
in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Mt
24:45). Hence, trustworthy (2Ti 2:2- note). Of things that can be relied upon (2Ti
2:11-note). (2), Confiding; trusting; a believer (Gal
3:9;
Acts 16:1; 2Cor 6:15; 1Ti 5:16) (Word
Studies in the New Testament)
Webster says that Faithful
means firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance and implies
unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which
a tie was contracted.
Pistos is used
in this verse in its passive
sense, meaning trustworthy or faithful describing our Great High Priest,
Christ Jesus.
Marvin Vincent adds
that pistos used of God describes Him as
True to his own nature and promises;
keeping faith with Himself and with man.
Paul affirms that even
if we are faithless, He remains
faithful;
for He cannot deny Himself. (2Ti 2:13-note)
In this passive sense
of trustworthy or faithful, pistos is applied to God as
fulfilling His own promises (He 10:23-note;
He 11:11-note),
as fulfilling the purpose for which He called men (1Th 5:24-note;
1Co 1:9), as responding with guardianship
to the trust reposed in Him by men (1Cor
10:13-note;
1Pe 4:19-note).
Christ is faithful (2Thes
3:3;
He 3:2-note;
He 2:17-note
Re
19:11-note) Christ as the
faithful witness (Re 1:5-note;
Re 3:14-note). God’s and Christ's faithfulness in
these verses speak not only of His essential being (faithful is Who He is),
but also of His faithfulness toward us, as shown for example in the famous
verse...
If we confess our sins, He is
faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)
See related teachings on forgiveness and unforgiveness:
List of links related to
forgiveness/unforgiveness
Multiple illustrations and quotes related
to forgiveness/unforgiveness
Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Ephesians
4:32
Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Colossians
3:13
Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Matthew
6:12
and
Matthew 6:14-15
In the papyri, we
find the following illustrations of the use of pistos -- "Whom no one
would trust even if they were willing to work" = confidence in the person’s
character and motives. "I have trusted no one to take it to her" =
confidence in the ability of another to perform a certain task.
Moses in turn records
the following of God writing
Know therefore that the LORD your God, He
is God, the faithful
(Lxx = pistos) God, Who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a
thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Dt
7:9)
High priest - This is the first specific
reference to Christ as our High Priest, a theme which is prominent
throughout the rest of Hebrews. Christ's role as the High Priest was only possible
by virtue of Him becoming like His brethren in actual human nature.
High priest
(749)
(archiereus from arche = first in a series, the leader
or ruler + hiereus = priest) (Dictionary articles -
Easton's;
ISBE)
refers to the priest that was chief over all the other priests in
Israel. This office was established by God through Moses instructions
in the Pentateuch. The high priest functioned as the mediator between
Jehovah and Israel performing sacrifices and rituals like other
priests, but in addition acting to expiate the sins of the nation on
the annual Day of Atonement.
The irony is that the high
priest Caiaphas was residing over the Sanhedrin during trial of
Jesus, the trial which would lead to His death and pave the way for
His eternal High Priesthood!
Eerdman's
Bible Dictionary explains that...
The high priest descended from
Eleazar, the son of Aaron. The office was normally hereditary and was
conferred upon an individual for life (Nu 25:10, 11, 12, 13). The candidate was
consecrated in a seven-day ceremony which included investiture with
the special clothing of his office as well as anointments and
sacrifices (Ex 29:1-37; Lev 8:5-35).
The high priest was bound to a higher degree of ritual purity than
ordinary Levitical priests. He could have no contact with dead bodies,
including those of his parents. Nor could he rend his clothing or
allow his hair to grow out as signs of mourning. He could not marry a
widow, divorced woman, or harlot, but only an Israelite virgin (Lev
21:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). Any sin committed by the high priest brought guilt upon the
entire nation and had to be countered by special sacrifice (Lev
4:1-12). Upon a high priest’s death manslayers were released from the
cities of refuge (Nu 35:25, 28, 32). (Eerdman's
Bible Dictionary)
Archiereus
occurs only in the Gospels (122x in 119v - Matt 2:4; 16:21; 20:18;
21:15, 23, 45; 26:3, 14, 47, 51, 57ff, 62f, 65; 27:1, 3, 6, 12, 20,
41, 62; 28:11; Mark 2:26; 8:31; 10:33; 11:18, 27; 14:1, 10, 43, 47,
53ff, 60f, 63, 66; 15:1, 3, 10f, 31; Luke 3:2; 9:22; 19:47; 20:1, 19;
22:2, 4, 50, 52, 54, 66; 23:4, 10, 13; 24:20; John 7:32, 45; 11:47,
49, 51, 57; 12:10; 18:3, 10, 13, 15f, 19, 22, 24, 26, 35; 19:6, 15,
21; Acts 4:6, 23; 5:17, 21, 24, 27; 7:1; 9:1, 14, 21; 19:14; 22:5, 30;
23:2, 4f, 14; 24:1; 25:2, 15; 26:10, 12; Heb 2:17; 3:1; 4:14f; 5:1, 5,
10; 6:20; 7:26ff; 8:1, 3; 9:7, 11, 25; 13:11). The references to the
high priests in the Gospels and Acts refers primarily to their bitter
opposition to Jesus Who the writer of Hebrews identifies as our
everlasting High Priest.
Clearly
archiereus is a key word in the book of Hebrews, and a review of
these 17 verses reveals various characteristics (see underlined
sections) of Jesus role as the great High Priest (some of the uses of
high priest obviously do not refer to Jesus but to the Jewish high
priests).
Hebrews 2:17 (note)
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He
might become a merciful and faithful high priest in
things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins
of the people.
Hebrews 3:1 (note)
Therefore, holy
brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle
and High Priest of our confession.
Hebrews 4:14 (note)
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession.
Hebrews 4:15 (note)
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we
are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 5:1 (note)
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of
men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and
sacrifices for sins;
Hebrews 5:5 (note)
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a
high priest, but He who said to Him, "Thou art My Son, Today I
have begotten Thee";
Hebrews 5:10 (note)
being designated by God as a high priest according to the order
of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:20 (note)
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a
high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:26 (note)
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy,
innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the
heavens;
Hebrews 7:27 (note)
who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up
sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the
people, because this He did once for all when He
offered up Himself.
Hebrews 7:28 (note)
For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of
the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect
forever.
Hebrews 8:1 (note)
Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high
priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of
the Majesty in the heavens,
Hebrews 8:3 (note)
For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices;
hence it is necessary that this high priest also have something to
offer.
Hebrews 9:7 (note)
but into the second only the high priest enters, once a year, not
without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of
the people committed in ignorance.
Hebrews 9:11 (note)
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to
come, He entered through the greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
creation;
Hebrews 9:25 (note)
nor was it that He should offer Himself often, as the high
priest enters the holy place year by year with blood not his own.
Hebrews 13:11 (note)
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy
place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside
the camp.
See
the shadow in 1Sa 2:35 fulfilled in Christ our High Priest.
Jesus can be
completely trusted by men to be their means of atonement. All can approach
Christ with absolute confidence (for He is faithful) and with assurance that
they will find mercy (for He is merciful). Note how these twin concepts are
further developed by the writer in Hebrews 3:1-6 and Hebrews 4:14-16.
TO MAKE PROPITIATION
FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE: eis to hilaskesthai (PMN) tas hamartias tou laou:
(Ro 3:25, 1Jn 2:2, 4:10)
Propitiation - Note the
NIV renders it "make atonement"
which is a curious rendering (but it
renders Ro 3:25
[note] similarly)! Atonement is not in the NT in the NASB.
Propitiation (2433)
(hilaskomai
from hileos = speaks of being favorably disposed with implication of
overcoming obstacles that are unfavorable to a relationship) means to cause
to be favorably inclined toward or favorably disposed toward another (as in
Lk 18:13). BDAG says it means "to eliminate impediments that alienate
the deity, expiate, wipe out, of Christ as high priest" (He 2:17) Hilaskomai
means to be merciful, make reconciliation for, be propitious, gracious, to
be favorably inclined.
See related word study on
hilasterion
Wuest on Heb 2:17...
In its Biblical usage, the verb (hilaskomai) refers to the act of our Lord
offering Himself on the Cross to satisfy the righteous demands of God’s
justice so that His government might be maintained, and that mercy might be
shown on the basis of justice satisfied. The words “reconciliation” and
“propitiation” are to be understood in this light.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
A T Robertson on Heb 2:17...
Purpose clause with eis to and the infinitive (common Greek idiom),
here present indirect middle of hilaskomai, to render propitious to oneself
(from hilaos, Attic hileōs, gracious). This idea occurs in the LXX (Ps
65:3), but only here in NT, though in Lk 18:13 the passive form (hilasthēti)
occurs as in 2Ki 5:18. In 1Jn 2:2 we have hilasmos used of Christ (cf. He
7:25).
Louw and Nida...
to forgive, with the focus upon the instrumentality or the means by which
forgiveness is accomplished (He 2:17) (and) to show compassion and concern
for someone in difficulty, despite that person’s having committed a moral
offense (Lk 18:13) (Louw,
J. P., & Nida, E. A. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on
Semantic Domains. United Bible societies)
NIDNTT notes that...
(a) The adj. hileos, -on, is the Attic form of hilaos or hileos, kindly,
gracious, and a parallel word to hilaros, cheerful (cf. Lat. hilaris). It
meant originally cheerful, joyous (Plato, Laws 1, 649a); later, kindly,
gracious, benevolent (e.g. Xen., Cyr. 1, 6, 2). hileos is chiefly used of
rulers or gods; in connexion with gods the phrase hileo poiein, to make
gracious, is found (Plato, Laws 10, 910a).
(b) The mid. deponent hilaskomai (Homer onwards), is etymologically
connected with hilaos and hileos, friendly, gracious, and hilemi, to be
gracious. Like the intensive form exhilaskomai (Hdt. onwards), it has a
causative meaning: to make gracious, appease (e.g. Homer, Od. 3, 419; Hdt.
7, 141)...
The
verb hilaskomai which is used in the NT occurs only 11 times in the OT,
always in the middle or passive and always with Yahweh as subject. In
general, it means to forgive. But in 6 of these passages there is explicit
mention of divine wrath.
(Brown,
Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan
or
Computer version)
Wayne Detzler...
The word for propitiation in Greek is hilasterion, and the verb, "to make
propitiation" is hilaskomai. They both share the common root of hileos,
which means "gracious or merciful." Therefore in its Greek form, the word
for propitiation means to "conciliate," "expiate," "bring a sin-offering,"
or "obtain mercy."
In the time of Homer, the word hilaskomai meant to make the pagan gods happy
or merciful. Later it took on the idea of a prayer to pagan deities to avoid
their wrath. During the Hellenistic period of Greek history this word came
to mean bringing an offering to placate angry gods.
When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek, this word was
used to describe the levitical offering system. For instance, it referred to
the sin-offering as seen in Leviticus (Lev. 4; 17:11). It was also the
offering brought on the Day of Atonement to provide expiation (or pay the
penalty) for the sins of Israel (chap. 16)...
Our Greek words can be viewed from two standpoints. First, they can be seen
as man's heart-cry for conciliation with God: "God, be merciful to me, a
sinner." Second, they also refer to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ
on our behalf, whereby we can be made right with God.
The Old Testament root of this word plunged deep into the Day of Atonement,
in accordance with the Law of God (Lev 16:1-34). On Yom Kippur two
goats were brought to the priest. One was slain and its blood was sprinkled
on the "mercy seat" as a "propitiation" for the sins of the people. The
second goat became a sin-bearer. The priest would place his hands on the
head of the second goat, indicating the transferal of sin to the
"scapegoat." Afterward the goat would be banished into the desert, never to
return. It was the sin-bearer.
A Christian must not content himself with a "scapegoat." Jesus Christ has
become our propitiation and sin offering. A. A. Hodge (1823-86), in his
popular lectures on theology, said:
"The sacrifices of bulls and goats were like token-money, as our paper
promises to pay, accepted at their face value until the day of settlement.
But the sacrifice of Christ was the gold which absolutely extinguished all
debt by its intrinsic value. Hence, when Christ died, the veil that
separated man from God was rent from the top to the bottom by supernatural
hands."
This unique sacrifice of Christ should never be confused with the
ineffective sacrifices of either Judaism or paganism. John F. D. Maurice
(1805-72), a Church of England theologian, said:
"The heathen significance of words [such as sacrifice], when applied to
Christian use, must not merely be modified, but inverted."
Along those same lines the famous preacher John Henry Jowett (1864-1923)
concluded:
"The heathen and Jewish sacrifices rather show us what the sacrifice of
Christ was not, than what it was."
Animal sacrifices were annual events, but Christ died once for all. Animal
sacrifices only covered sin, but Christ's blood blotted sin out. Animal
sacrifices depended upon the faithfulness of human priests, but Christ was
both the High Priest and the Sacrifice.
The great Australian scholar Leon Morris wrote
"The consistent Bible view is that the sin of man has incurred the wrath of
God. That wrath is averted only by Christ's atoning offering. From this
standpoint His saving work is properly called a propitiation" (Walter A.
Elwell, editor, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology [Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1984], p. 888).
Lucy Bennett (1850-1927) summarized the significance of this truth in a
beautiful hymn:
O teach me what
it meaneth,
That cross uplifted high,
With One, the Man of Sorrows,
Condemned to bleed and die.
O teach me what it cost Thee,
To make a sinner whole;
And teach me, Saviour, teach me
The value of a soul.
(Detzler,
Wayne E: New Testament Words in Today's Language. Victor. 1986)
The Greek word hilaskomai
means to make a propitiation and in context means to satisfy and thus turn aside the wrath of
God. Therefore, propitiation refers to
God's wrath being satisfied by the death of Christ, our "Mercy Seat" so to
speak. (Ro 3:24-note,
Ro 3:25-
note; 1Jn 2:2, 4:10, cp Lev 16:14 = a shadow of the substance
fulfilled in the Messiah). He was faithful in this obligation which He as
High Priest had to God. If Jesus was to accomplish the purpose for which He
was sent, He had to offer up His own life. And, faithful in His commitment
to God’s will, He did exactly that.
Expiation (which emphasizes removal of sin by the sacrifice) is included in
the definition of hilaskomai but does not as clearly picture the
satisfaction of God's Wrath by the sacrifice and this latter concept is the
main emphasis of this Greek word.
In Greek culture, the word group denoting "propitiation" carried with it the
idea of acting in some way to avert the terrible, destructive powers of the
gods and, if possible, to win the gods over to act favorably. The LXX
Translation chose this word group when translating kippur (to cover,
make atonement).
Jesus' sacrifice as the God–Man
satisfied God’s justice so that, instead of God justifiably demonstrating His
wrath toward sinful man (Ro 1:18-note;
Ro 5:8, 9-note;
Ro 5:10-note), He
demonstrated His mercy. Christ is the High Priest Who offered Himself
once for all time,
becoming at once both the sacrificial offering or victim and the priest, thus satisfying the justice of God
and at the same time procuring forgiveness of sins whereby a regenerate and reconciled
sinner is
offered bold access to and full communion with the holy God. Therefore, the Lord Jesus as the
High Priest is said not to appease God in any way, but to make possible the
taking away of the sins of the people without violating God’s holiness.
Hilaskomai is used only twice in
the NT and 12 times in the Septuagint...
Luke 18:13 "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even
unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying,
'God, be merciful
(hilaskomai -
aorist imperative)
to me, the sinner!'
Comment: Not "a" sinner but "the" sinner. He openly and willingly
acknowledges his personal responsibility for missing God's mark.
Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things,
so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the
people.
Hilaskomai - 12x in the Septuagint - Ex 32:14; Deut 21:8; 2 Kgs 5:18;
24:4; 2 Chr 6:30; Esth 4:17; Ps 25:11; 65:3; 78:38; 79:9; Lam 3:42; Dan 9:19
and here are some of the uses.
Exodus 32:14 So the LORD changed His mind (English of the Lxx = nd the Lord
was prevailed upon [propitiated] to preserve his people.)
about the harm which He said He would do to His people.
Deuteronomy 21:8 'Forgive (Lxx = hileos - attribute of God = merciful,
gracious, favorable) Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O LORD, and
do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people
Israel.' And the bloodguiltiness shall be forgiven (Heb = salach =
forgive; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiated) them.
2 Kings 5:18YLT "In this matter may the LORD pardon (Lxx =
hilaskomai) your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to
worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of
Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your
servant in this matter."
2 Kings 24:4 and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled
Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive (Heb =
salach = forgive; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiate).
2 Chronicles 6:30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive
(Heb = salach = forgive; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiate), and render to each
according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the
hearts of the sons of men,
Psalm 25:11-note
For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon (Heb = salach
= forgive; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiate) my iniquity, for it is great. (Note
the basis for the psalmist's appeal for his sin to be forgiven! = for the
sake of His great name!)
Psalm 65:3-note
Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You
forgive them (NET Note = "make atonement for") (Heb = kaphar = cover
over; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiate).
Psalm 78:38-note
But He, being compassionate, forgave (Heb = kaphar =
cover over; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiated) their iniquity and did not
destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His
wrath.
Psalm 79:9-note
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And
deliver us and forgive (Heb = kaphar = cover over; Lxx = hilaskomai -
propitiate). our sins for Your name's sake.
Lamentations 3:42 We have transgressed and rebelled, You have not
pardoned (Heb = salach = forgive; Lxx = hilaskomai - propitiate).
Marvin Vincent in his comments on hilasterion in Romans 3:25 has a
long note on this word group...
Propitiation (hilasterion
[word study]). This word
is most important, since it is the key to the conception of Christ’s atoning
work. In the New Testament it occurs only here and Heb 9:5; and must be
studied in connection with the following kindred words: Hilaskomai
which occurs in the New Testament only Luke 18:13, God be merciful, and Heb.
2:17, to make reconciliation. Hilasmos, twice, 1Jn 2:2; 4:10; in both
cases rendered propitiation. The compound exilaskomai, which is not
found in the New Testament, but is frequent in the Septuagint and is
rendered purge, cleanse, reconcile, make atonement.
Septuagint usage. These words mostly represent the Hebrew verb kaphar
to cover or conceal, and its derivatives. With only seven exceptions, out of
about sixty or seventy passages in the Old Testament, where the Hebrew is
translated by atone or atonement, the Septuagint employs some part or
derivative of Hilaskomai or exilaskomai. Hilasmos or
exilasmos is the usual Septuagint translation for kippurim covering
for sin, AV, atonement. Thus sin-offerings of atonement; day of
atonement; ram of the atonement. See Ex 29:36; 30:10; Lv. 23:27; Nu 5:8,
etc. They are also used for chattath sin-offering, Ezek 44:27; 45:19;
and for selichah forgiveness. Ps 129:4; Da 9:9.
These words are always used absolutely, without anything to mark the offence
or the person propitiated.
Hilaskomai which is comparatively rare, occurs as a translation of
kipher to cover sin, Ps. 64:3; 77:38; 78:9; AV, purge away, forgive, pardon.
Of salach, to bear away as a burden, 2Ki 5:18; Ps 24:11: AV, forgive,
pardon. It is used with the accusative (direct objective) case, marking the
sin, or with the dative (indirect objective), as be conciliated to our sins.
Exilaskomai mostly represents kipher to cover, and is more common
than the simple verb. Thus, purge the altar, Ezek 43:26; cleanse the
sanctuary, Ezek 45:20; reconcile the house, Da 9:24. It is found with the
accusative case of that which is cleansed; with the preposition peri =
concerning, as “for your sin,” Ex 32:30; with the preposition huper
= on behalf of, AV, for, Ezek 45:17; absolutely, to make an atonement, Lv
16:17; with the preposition apo = from, as “cleansed from the blood,”
Nu 35:33. There are but two instances of the accusative of the person
propitiated: appease him, Ge 32:20; pray before (propitiate) the Lord, Zech
7:2.
Hilasterion AV, propitiation, is almost always used in the Old
Testament of the mercy-seat or golden cover of the ark, and this is its
meaning in Heb. 9:5, the only other passage of the New Testament in which it
is found. In Ezek 43:14, 17, 20, it means a ledge round a large altar, and
is rendered settle in AV; Rev., ledge, in margin.
This term has been unduly pressed into the sense of expiatory sacrifice. In
the case of the kindred verbs, the dominant Old-Testament sense is not
propitiation in the sense of some. thing offered to placate or appease
anger; but atonement or reconciliation, through the covering, and so getting
rid of the sin which stands between God and man. The thrust of the idea is
upon the sin or uncleanness, not upon the offended party. Hence the frequent
interchange with hagiazo to sanctify, and katharizo = to
cleanse. See Ezek 43:26, where exilasontai = shall purge, and
kathariousin = shall purify, are used coordinately. See also Ex 30:10,
of the altar of incense: “Aaron shall make an atonement (exilasetai) upon
the horns of it — with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement” (katharismou
= purification). Compare Lv 16:20. The Hebrew terms are also used
coordinately.
Our translators frequently render the verb kaphar by reconcile, Lv 6:30;
16:20; Ezek 45:20. In Lv 8:15, Moses put blood upon the horns of the altar
and cleansed (ekatharise) the altar, and sanctified (hagiasen)
it, to make reconciliation (ton exilasasthai) upon it. Compare Ezek
45:15, 17; Da 9:24.
The verb and its derivatives occur where the ordinary idea of expiation is
excluded. As applied to an altar or to the walls of a house (Lv 14:48, 49,
50, 51, 52, 53), this idea could have no force, because these inanimate
things, though ceremonially unclean, could have no sin to be expiated.
Moses, when he went up to make atonement for the idolatry at Sinai, offered
no sacrifice, but only intercession. See also the case of Korah, Num. 16:46;
the cleansing of leprosy and of mothers after childbirth, Lev. 14:1-20;
12:7; 15:30; the reformation of Josiah, 2Chr 34; the fasting and confession
of Ezra, Ezra 10:1-15; the offering of the Israelite army after the defeat
of Midian. They brought bracelets, rings, etc., to make an atonement
(exilasasthai) before the Lord; not expiatory, but a memorial, Nu 31:50, 51,
52, 53, 54. The Passover was in no sense expiatory; but Paul says,
“Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us; therefore purge out (ekkatharate)
the old leaven. Let us keep the feast with sincerity and truth;” 1Co 5:7, 8.
In the Old Testament the idea of sacrifice as in itself a propitiation
continually recedes before that of the personal character lying back of
sacrifice, and which alone gives virtue to it. See 1Sa 15:22; Ps 40:6, 7, 8,
9, 10; 50:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23; 51:16, 17; Is 1:11-18-note;
Jer 7:21, 22, 23; Amos 5:21, 22, 23, 24; Mic 6:6, 7, 8. This idea does not
recede in the Old Testament to be re-emphasized in the New. On the contrary,
the New Testament emphasizes the recession, and lays the stress upon the
cleansing and life giving effect of the sacrifice of Christ. See John 1:29;
Col. 1:20, 21, 22-note;
Heb. 9:14-note;
Heb 10:19, 20, 21-note;
1Pe 2:24-note;
1Jn 1:7; 4:10, 11, 12, 13.
The true meaning of the offering of Christ concentrates, therefore, not upon
divine justice, but upon human character; not upon the remission of penalty
for a consideration, but upon the deliverance from penalty through moral
transformation; not upon satisfying divine justice, but upon bringing
estranged man into harmony with God. As Canon Westcott remarks:
“The scripture conception of hilaskesthai is not that of appeasing
one who is angry with a personal feeling against the offender, but of
altering the character of that which, from without, occasions a necessary
alienation, and interposes an inevitable obstacle to fellowship” (Commentary
on St. John’s Epistles, p. 85).
In the light of this conception we are brought back to that rendering of
hilasterion
which prevails in the Septuagint, and which it has in the only other
New-Testament passage where it occurs (He 9:5) — mercy-seat; a rendering
maintained by a large number of the earlier expositors, and by some of the
ablest of the moderns. That it is the sole instance of its occurrence in
this sense is a fact which has its parallel in the terms Passover, Door,
Rock, Amen, Day-spring, and others, applied to Christ. To say that the
metaphor is awkward counts for nothing in the light of other metaphors of
Paul. To say that the concealment of the ark is inconsistent with set forth
is to adduce the strongest argument in favor of this rendering. The contrast
with set forth falls in perfectly with the general conception. That
mercy-seat which was veiled, and which the Jew could approach only once a
year, and then through the medium of the High-Priest, is now brought out
where all can draw nigh and experience its reconciling power (He 10:19, 22;
compare Heb. 9:8). “The word became flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His
glory. We saw and handled’ (Jn 1:14; 1Jn 1:1, 2, 3). The mercy-seat was the
meeting-place of God and man (Ex 25:17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22; Lv 16:2; Nu
7:89); the place of mediation and manifestation. Through Christ, the
antitype of the mercy-seat, the Mediator, man has access to the Father (Ep
2:18). As the golden surface covered the tables of the law, so Christ stands
over the law, vindicating it as holy and just and good, and therewith
vindicating the divine claim to obedience and holiness. As the blood was
annually sprinkled on the golden cover by the High-Priest, so Christ is set
forth “in His blood,” not shed to appease God’s wrath, to satisfy God’s
justice, nor to compensate for man’s disobedience, but as the highest
expression of divine love for man, taking common part with humanity even
unto death, that it might reconcile it through faith and self-surrender to
God. (Romans
3 Greek Word Studies)
Sins
(266)
(hamartia) originally had the idea of missing mark as when hunting
with a bow and arrow then missing or falling short of any goal, standard, or
purpose.
Sins interrupt normal
relations with God. In the OT, blood covered over (atoned for) the the sins
and God passed over them at that time (Ro 3:25-note), but they were
unable to give the worshiper a clean conscience (an important theme in
Hebrews) and thus the blood offerings always needed to be
repeated, this very repetition being the vehicle God had ordained to lead
people to His perfect Sacrifice, the Messiah. See Lev 16:20, 22; which
foreshadows the substitutionary aspect of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.
Lev 16:20 "When he finishes atoning for the holy place, and the tent
of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. 21 "Then Aaron shall
lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all
the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard
to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it
away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. 22
"And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land;
and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
Under the Old Covenant, the Law, the Mosaic
System, sins were confessed and symbolically transferred to the
sacrificial animal, on which hands were laid
Ex 29:10 "Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting,
and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
Lev 1:4 'And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering,
that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf...Lev 3:8 and he
shall lay his hand on the head of
his offering, and slay it before the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall
sprinkle its blood around on the altar...Lev 4:4 'And he shall bring the bull to
the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his
hand on the head of the bull, and slay the bull before the LORD. (Lev 1:4 3:8; 4:4)
Observe that the sins of the people are the direct object of the verb
hilaskomai. Therefore, it is not the nature of God that is changed
from one of hatred to one of love toward man, but it is the nature of man
that is changed. Paul writes...
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from the wrath of God through Him. (Ro 5:9-note)
In Romans 5:9, man is presented as having been justified by means of the
blood (i.e., the sacrificial death) of Christ, and through Him escaping
God’s wrath. Man is then proclaimed as not guilty and is portrayed as
reconciled to God through the death of His Son.
><>><>><>
What's The Incarnation? - The incarnation. It's one of those big
doctrinal terms that may puzzle us. What does it mean? Let's take a few
moments to think about it.
Look at yourself in a mirror. What do you think it would feel like to be a
different person? You will never know. You may modify your body by exercise
and diet. You may change your mind and your behavior. You may even resort to
surgery. But you and I will forever be the unique individuals God created us
to be. Regardless of how much we may try, we can't actually experience what
it is to be another person.
What was it like, then, for God to take on our human nature and live as a
man who was despised and misunderstood on this fallen planet? (Isa. 53). He
already knew exactly what sinful people go through. After all, He is
all-knowing. Yet He voluntarily came to Bethlehem, entered into our
suffering and sorrow, and personally experienced our trials and temptations
(He 4:15-note). He lovingly became one of us to pay the penalty for our sins
and to conquer death (see note
Hebrews 2:14). Because He suffered, He is able to assist
us now (see note
Hebrews 4:16).
That's what the incarnation is all about. And if we thank Jesus for all
eternity, it still won't be enough. —Vernon C Grounds
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Touched with sympathy within,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For He hath felt the same. --Watts
The Son of God became the Son of Man
to change sons of men into sons of God.
><>><>><>
Tale Of Two Goats - Two goats without blemish stood before the high
priest in the bright Middle Eastern sun. Lots were cast, and the priest
slowly led one to the altar to be killed as a sin offering for the people.
Its blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. That goat was a sacrifice.
The other goat, known as the scapegoat, portrays another truth. The priest
placed both his hands on its forehead and confessed the sins of Israel. Then
the goat was led out into the desert and turned loose. As it wandered away,
never to be seen again, it symbolically took Israel's sins along with it.
They were gone. The people were reconciled to God. That goat was a
substitute.
Both of these goats were pictures of what Christ would do for us. The cross
became an upright altar, where the Lamb of God gave His life as a sacrifice
for sin. And what the scapegoat symbolically portrayed for Israel—the
removal of their sins—Jesus fulfilled in reality. He became our substitute.
Because of our identification with Him as believers, our sins have been
taken away completely.
Two goats representing two truths: sacrifice and substitution. Both were
fulfilled in Christ when He died on the cross and made full atonement for
our sins. Praise God! —David C. Egner
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Guilty, vile, and helpless we,
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! Can it be?
Hallelujah, what a Savior! —Bliss
Jesus took our place to give us His peace.
><>><>><>
Human Like Us - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be
someone else? Nearly 40 years ago, John Howard Griffin darkened his skin
color and experienced life in a predominantly white society. In his
fascinating book Black Like Me, Griffin describes his travels in the United
States, and he tells about the sad discrimination and prejudice he faced.
The Son of God did far more than change His appearance. He laid aside His
glory and took on our humanity. He lived on this earth as a man who was
despised and rejected (Isaiah 53; see notes
Philippians 2:5;
2:6;
2:7;
2:8). Because of His love for us, He
entered into our sorrow, and He came to know by personal experience the
feelings we humans have.
The writer to the Hebrews said that because Jesus lived as a man and died
for our sins, He is our merciful and faithful High Priest (Hebrews
2:14;
2:17).
Because He became one of us and knows what it is like to be tempted, He is
able to help us when we are tempted (see note
Hebrews 2:18). We can pray in His name with
boldness (see notes
Hebrews 4:15;
16), telling Him in complete honesty our struggles, fears,
defeats, needs--even our questionings and doubts. That's why, as we remember
all He endured for us as the Son of God from glory, we love Him and strive
to please Him. —Vernon C Grounds (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Once from the realms of infinite glory,
Down to the depths of our ruin and loss,
Jesus came, seeking--oh, love's sweet story--
Came to the manger, the shame, and the cross. --Strickland
The Son of God became one of us
that we might become one with Him.
><>><>><>
Feeling Our Sorrow - When Christ became a man, He showed His
willingness to be tempted, tested, hated, and hurt. During His life on
earth, He faced the same struggles we encounter. He had been sympathetic to
man's weaknesses before He came, but by taking a human body He identified
with us in a dramatic way. His incarnation revealed the extent to which He
would go to pay for our sin and to be touched by the trials and infirmities
that make life so difficult for us.
On a smaller scale, people try to empathize with the sufferings of others.
John Griffin, a white man, darkened his skin in an effort to understand what
it meant to be black in a predominantly white society. He told about his
experiences in a book titled Black Like Me. More recently, a thirty-year-old
woman, an industrial designer, masqueraded as an elderly woman once a week
for three years to find out how it feels to be old in America. What she
learned is heartbreaking. She was robbed, insulted, and frightened by a
world that isn't easy on its elderly.
As touching as these examples are, they are nothing compared with Christ's
coming into our world. No one else left so high a position to feel what
mortal man feels. Jesus gave up heaven's glory and was tempted in all points
as we are, yet He did not sin. He bore our sins on the cross so that He
could be merciful to us.
We have One who cares. When we face temptations and trials, we can go to
Jesus. He knows the feeling. —M. R. De Haan II (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot feel.
><>><>><>
F B Meyer
on A
merciful and faithful high priest. -
Hebrews 2:17
The priesthood of Jesus stretches like the sky from the horizon of the past
to that of the eternal future. It covers all we know of Him.
In the days that preceded His incarnation. - We are told that the priesthood
of Melchizedek was made like that of the Son of God (see note
Hebrews 7:3),
from which it is clear that all the apparatus of priesthood within and
without the Jewish system was some faint imagining forth of the priestly
mediation and intercession of the Saviour. The eternal temple was reared,
the incense of intercession ascended, the sacrifice of the Lamb was slain,
before the first thin spiral of smoke rose from Moriah's summit.
In the days of His earthly ministry. - At the Passover, when the High Priest
had finished the sacred rites, he came forth to the people, and said, "Now
ye are clean." In John 15:3 Jesus addressed His disciples in the same words.
His authority to forgive sins; His quick sympathy, and likeness to His
brethren; His frequent prayers; His intercessions for sinners, as when He
pleaded for His crucifiers 3 His intercessions for the tempted, as when He
prayed for Peter; His intercessions for His own, as in the matchless John
17; His reference to the shedding of blood; the whole circumstances of His
death-show His priestly attitude, which culminated in His passing within the
veil.
In the days of the present dispensation. - The divine apostle tells us that
he saw Christ clothed in a vesture to the foot, and employs this specific
word for high-priestly dress. He saw Him engaged in priestly ministry; and
in a subsequent vision tells us that he saw Him mingle much incense with the
prayer of saints, and present them before God.
(Our Daily Homily)
><>><>><>
J C Philpot has the following devotional thought on
Hebrews 2:17...
What heart can conceive or tongue express, the infinite depths of the
Redeemer's condescension in thus being made like unto his brethren--that the
Son of God should assume a finite nature, subject to the sinless infirmities
necessarily connected with a time-state and a dwelling on earth; that he
should leave the bosom of his Father in which he had lain before all worlds,
and should consent to become a inhabitant of this world of tears; to breathe
earthly air; to be an eye-witness of, and himself share in human sorrows; to
have before his eyes the daily spectacle of human sins; to be banished so
long from his native home; to endure hunger, weariness, and thirst; to be
subject to the persecutions of men, the flight of all his disciples, and the
treachery of one among them whose hand had been with him on the table; not
to hide his face from shame and spitting, but to be mocked, struck,
buffeted, and scourged, and at last to die an agonizing death between two
malefactors, amid scorn and infamy, and covered, as men thought, with
everlasting confusion and disgrace! O what infinite condescension and mercy
are displayed in these sufferings and sorrows of an incarnate God! The Lord
give us faith to look to him as suffering them for our sake! (from
Daily Portions)
><>><>><>
God gave the persons of the elect into the hands of his dear Son, as Jacob
committed Benjamin into the hands of Judah; and as Judah accepted Benjamin,
so Christ accepted the Church and undertook to bring it unto God, or he
himself would bear the blame forever. But how this faithfulness was tried!
Men tried it; devils tried it; God tried it; but it came gloriously through
all. Yet what loads were laid upon it! How the very knees of Jesus, so to
speak, staggered beneath it! How, as Deer says, he had– "Strength enough,
and none to spare!"
How he had to sustain the curse of the law and the load of imputed sin! How
he had to drink up a very hell of inward torment! How he had to be agonized
in body, and more than agonized in soul! What bloody sweat in the garden,
what tears, what sore amazement, what heaviness of spirit, what
sorrowfulness even unto death; what pangs of body upon the cross, what grief
of mind, what distress of soul, did the Holy Lamb endure in being faithful
unto God! How he might have prayed, and his Father would have sent him
twelve legions of angels! He had but to speak, and he might have soared to
heaven and left the cross and all its shame and suffering behind.
But he was faithful to God and to the work which he had undertaken. Six
weary hours he hung upon the cross. Six weary hours he endured the wrath of
God, and that most cutting stroke of all, reserved to the last as the
bitterest drop in the whole cup, the hiding of his Father's countenance,
which wrung from his bosom that cry, such as neither earth nor heaven had
heard before--"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And yet not until
he had finished the work did he give up his spirit. So he was faithful "in
all things pertaining to God."
And he is faithful, also, in all things pertaining to man. He could say to
the Father, "Of all whom you have given me"– except the son of perdition,
Judas; he had no charge to save him from death and hell; but of all the
others whom he had received as his Father's gift, he could say, "I have lost
none." Thus he was faithful while he was on earth. And how faithful he is
now! The high priest under the law had two offices to execute; he had to
OFFER SACRIFICE for the people, and to offer prayer and INTERCESSION for
them. Upon earth Jesus fulfilled the first; in heaven he fulfils the second,
as there making by virtue of his presence continual intercession for us. (J.
C. Philpot. Daily Words for Zion's Wayfarers)
><>><>><>
What heart can conceive or tongue express, the infinite depths of the
Redeemer's condescension in thus being made like unto His brethren—that the
Son of God should assume a finite nature—that He should leave the bosom of
His Father in which He had lain before all worlds—and should consent to
become an inhabitant of this world of tears—to breathe earthly air—to share
in human sorrows—to have before His eyes the daily spectacle of human
sins—to be banished so long from His native home—to endure hunger,
weariness, and thirst—to be subject to the persecutions of men, and the
flight of all His disciples—not to hide His face from shame and spitting—but
to be mocked, struck, buffeted, and scourged—and at last to die an agonizing
death between two malefactors, amid scorn and infamy, and covered with
disgrace! O what infinite condescension and mercy are displayed in these
sufferings and sorrows of an incarnate God! The Lord give us faith to look
to Him as suffering them for our sake! (J. C. Philpot. RICHES) |