Hebrews Wisdom
Hebrews 8: Obey the Heart, Disobey Your Mind
Where We Are All Judged Individually
Introduction
Who makes the laws by which Christ judges us: the church, other believers, or God Himself?
Hebrews 8:10–11 states that in the new covenant, God:
- talks to us specifically,
- commands us directly,
- judges us individually.
The Lord uses the new covenant to write wisdom our hearts and minds. Each believer has their own laws and commandments, built on a foundation of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Faith and obedience in these individual laws allows us to live His true wisdom, while putting to rest knowledge that stays here on Earth.
Remember this, fellow believers— a mustard seed of faith makes available the wisdom of the Lord, but a tall oak grown from human knowledge denies it.
Scripture Exploration
Section Summary: The new covenant establishes a direct relationship between God and all believers, emphasizing individual obedience.
The key scripture for this devotional is Hebrews 8:10–11:
This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
And they shall not teach one another
or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
“… for they shall all know me,”
The new covenant lets all believers have a direct relationship with Father through the Son.
“…from the least of them to the greatest.”
The wisdom of the Lord is not just available to the prophets but to all believers, regardless of our position here on this Earth
“…And they shall not teach one another”
Trusting in our own knowledge is not the same as knowing God’s wisdom.
For how can we listen to His word when we are busy speaking our own?
“… I will put my laws in their minds,”
Through the Holy Spirit and the Son as the mediator, God has a relationship with us directly. The requirements of the new covenant are no different than the requirements of the old covenant: God speaks, we obey.
What is different is how He speaks to us.
God is no longer bound by His own promises to give us laws and wisdom through the prophets. The devotional on Hebrews 1 details the situation on how God spoke through the prophets and how He speaks now.
“… and write them on their hearts,”
Christ sees our heart. Christ writes on our heart. Christ alone judges our heart.
Context and Background
Section Summary: Christ’s unique priesthood and a change in law marks a transition from the flawed old covenant to direct salvation and wisdom through the Son.
Hebrews 8:10–11 comes after the chapters detailing Christ not as just the heir of all things lounging with a footstool, but as the high priest standing firmly outside of the old covenant.
With a change in priesthood comes a change in the law (Hebrews 7:12) and Christ is not of the Levitical priesthood (Psalm 110:4).
God sees (saw) the failures of the old covenant and offers us a true path to salvation through His direct wisdom, mediated not by a prophet but by a Son. Hebrews 1:1–2 details how God speaks to us now, and we see the impact in Hebrews 8.
Personal Interpretation
Section Summary: True wisdom is achieved by following personal obedience to God over adherence to external doctrines.
God writes His laws on the hearts and minds of every believer, using the Son as the mediator to communicate to us.
I wouldn’t suggest the Bible, theologians, pastors, priests, or churches lack significance; each holds a meaningful role in fulfilling His purpose and furthering His kingdom. I do suggest that when the laws of others dictate your life, you stray from the path laid out by God specifically for you.
Following the laws of the prophets and not of the Living God takes us away from the only source of wisdom: Him.
Following the Ten Commandments of the old covenant, and not following the one/ten/hundred/thousand commandments God has written on your heart, takes us away from our part in His plans for the Kingdom.
Following the path given to us by God ensures our value is placed on His law and not on the laws of others, not even the law of Moses.
I know that Christ judges me based on the laws written in my heart and my obedience to his word(Hebrews 4:12). So, the wisest thing for me to do is listen when He speaks, have faith in the word, obey the commands given.
Christ judges us believers by our faith and obedience to God, not our disobedience to His church.
Application and Implication
Section Summary: Distinguishing wisdom from inner voice involves overcoming ego and fear through faith, prayer, and obedience.
Doesn’t it seem harder to tell a fellow believer that God spoke to you directly, than it does to obey what He told you directly?
Even me, the author of this article and the one doing the research on Hebrews, feels a slight blush on my face when telling another believer that God spoke to me.
Why? Simple question, simple answer: my ego.
My ego fears the judgment of others. My ego fears being wrong. My ego fears embarrassment more than the Lord.
Or maybe, my ego fears the full radiant judgment of the Lord which is beyond my comprehension, and all I can perceive are the shadows left in His wake. I think I’ll go with that last option, as it sounds wiser.
Friends ask yourself if conquering the self, the ego, is easily done. Indeed, philosophers throughout the ages of both written and oral history devoted entire lifetimes to the difficulty of such a task.
A different question to ask then: how do we tell the difference between the voice that comes from within (the self), and the voice that comes from without (wisdom of the Lord)?
My humble speculation, as an unlicensed theologian: by praying, and faithfully listening for the answer.
If I ask for clarification on wisdom the Lord gives, He answers through signs, wonders, dreams, or however else He sees fit.
But it doesn’t matter how He answers us, only that we have faith that He will answer: faith in the things unseen, faith in His promises, faith in His answers.
Faith produces obedience, and obedience frees us to live God’s wisdom.
Seek, heed, believe and wisdom will be yours.
Conclusion
With a new priest comes new laws: the laws of the old covenant were put to gentle rest, while the laws of the new covenant are alive and breathing.
Christ judges us on our obedience to what He writes in our hearts, and expects disobedience to the knowledge of man echoing in our minds.
Christians have a firm foundation given to us through Jesus:
- love God as no one else,
- love your neighbor as no other,
- love yourself as God does.
And beyond the commandments of the Son, the Father gives each of us commandments directly, individually, and specifically. Did you think being a faithful servant would be easy?
Faith in His unseen word grants us tangible wisdom. Faith is not judging others for obeying the laws written for them. Faith in God’s word, ironically, produces a lack of faith in our own knowledge.
Trust not knowledge of your mind, but the wisdom in your heart. For the heart is His domain, and only He is worthy to judge it.
Amen
