Post 74 of Study: Hebrews 12:25-29.

 "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks." The Israelites under Moses didn’t escape the voice on earth, and the voice we hear is from heaven, and it shakes heaven and earth (citing the prophet Haggai, who rarely gets quoted, 2:6).

What we are receiving, this new kingdom, cannot be shaken; I think this is a throwback to Jericho as well.

“Now, let us have grace by which we serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” There are, I believe this teaches, two types of fear; even the mention of Esau shows the first type, as does that of Sinai. Ungodly fear and godly. What is the difference? I suspect that’s a long explanation, but also a matter of one’s will and understanding. Are we God-fearing? He is a consuming fire, by the way. He’s not a different being than at Sinai; it’s only that now (going back to Hebrews 1:1-2) He speaks through His Son, the mediator of a new covenant.

We are left with the question, why did God change His methods? I confess that bothers me but I don’t have a great answer. The first one didn’t work. But wouldn’t God know that? Was it to teach us that all those dead carcasses with their blood removed ritually in the temple and tabernacle (and animal sacrifices were not unique to the Jews, not at all) meant really nothing? Then wasn’t that hundreds of years of futility? They meant something only as a picture of what was to come, perhaps.

Better minds than mine have explored this question; what we see is that only the sacrifice of God Himself for His people would be enough to deal with man’s rebellion. I understand why nonbelievers don’t like that. Which return us to the types of fears.

Godly fear submits despite not understanding all of God’s way, and does so without as much regard to judgment and punishment. Ungodly fear sees only the punishment and a temporary escape. Do we fear God? Reverence is equated with godly fear. This godly fear accepts our place in the scheme of things.

I’ve written elsewhere about this huffiness about Jill Biden’s doctorate (which is earned, by the way, and they don't usually give those things away, so I don't appreciate the disrespect for our work). However, when we get impressed with ourselves over something like that, I don’t think we are living in knowledge of our place in the scheme of kingdom things. I’m pointing at myself now.