Hebrews 2:14-15 – Before I dive into Hebrews 3, I have to revisit the last paragraph oc chapter 2, and this opening line in particular:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

So, Satan holds the power of death and uses it to enslave mankind through fear of death. As a result, Jesus says “OK, I’ll become like them and use that which Satan wields to enslave (death) to deliver them from it.” How awesome is that?
Hebrews 3:1 – “Therefore …” In other words, because Jesus became an actual flesh and blood man and died, beating the Devil at his own game … “Therefore … consider Jesus … who was faithful”. Not “Therefore, do better” or “Therefore, stop sinning” or “Therefore, be righteous” just “consider Jesus”. We are called not to be better because of Jesus, but to consider Jesus and therefore become better. It seems like a small distinction, but it’s important. If our focus is on being better, we won’t be, but if our focus is on Jesus, we can’t help but become better.
Hebrews 3:6 – We are his house if we do well? No, if we hold to our confidence and hope.
Hebrews 3:12-13 – Guard your own heart from unbelief, and help your brother do the same through exhorting him, daily. How well do we do that? I find it far easier to be shallow, unfortunately.

Hebrews 2:2-3 – “For since … every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” How indeed.
Hebrews 2:8-9 – “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him … ” People for centuries have been asking, “If God is in control why …”. Yes, God is in control, and everything is subject to Him, but we don’t see that just yet. Presently, it doesn’t look as if He’s in control, that the world is subject to His authority. But we can see Jesus, “crowned with glory and honor”, and that’s enough.
God hasn’t granted us insight into the inner workings of his ongoing plan, but he’s given us Jesus to show that He is just and He is in command and that is enough.
Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.” Think about this for a bit, let it rattle around in that flawed brain of yours. You, flawed, sinful, wretched, imperfect, selfish, ungodly and He, Jesus, perfect, sinless, pure, holy, selfless and true are of the same source. Yes, you both come from God in the same way the trees and animals and planets and molecules come from God, but I don’t think that’s what he’s referring to here. No, you and he, separate and opposite like oil and water, not come from the same source, because he came down so that you might be brought up.
You and I live every day in proof that we are not of God. Yet God has claimed us. Not only claimed us, but gifted us a new source code, a new history, his own righteousness. We and Jesus now have one source and therefore, Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers.
Christian, if this does not stir your soul I don’t know what will.

I recently pointed a friend to Hebrews as a place to learn about Jesus in relation to the OT law and temple system, so I thought I’d revisit myself. One of my favorite books of the Bible, so it was easy to talk myself into.
Hebrews 1:1-2 – Once, God communicated through man, but now, he’s spoken through his Son.
Hebrew 1:3 – “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” This is Jesus. Meditate on that for a while. This is who he was before coming to Earth, as an infant in the manger, on the cross and today.
In fact, the whole of this chapter is to clearly portray Jesus as God, superior to the angels, never ending, constant, secure and supreme. He is no mere man (remember verse 1?), he is God in flesh with all things beneath Him.
To the Jewish audience this was written to, this was a scandalous fact – that a man would claim to be God. The writer here comes out guns blazing – Jesus is no mere man, no simple priest or prophet. He is God’s son and as such equal to God himself and superior to everything, including the angels.
He is unlike and far superior to anyone or anything that has come or will come, so do not minimize him by trying to fit Him in to your preconceived notions or your existing religion. He, as we will see, has at once fulfilled and obsoleted the religious systems of the day.
I think the point was if you properly recognize and acknowledge His superior position, He will change everything you think you know about God and following Him.
In other words – Once you truly see the real Jesus, everything changes.

Joshua 24:3-13 – For those who like to think of having complete free will, that we determine our steps and we seek God an we find him and it is up to us, start reading Joshua 24 at verse 3. “Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him …” God states without hesitation that he was in control, directing Abraham’s steps. Abraham did not choose God, God chose Abraham. Same can be said about the 12 with Jesus or with Paul on the road to Damascus.
God clearly acts according to his will and purpose and steps into the lives of men and changes their directions. These men have decisions and responsibility to follow or not, but the journey clearly did not start at their urging or decision.
I won’t go as far as to say that God is the great puppet master, pulling the strings in each and every decision we make, every breath we take and every leaf that drops from a tree. I don’t think the evidence support that either. We clearly have a will and we act on our own but to say that our will rules the day all the time is to ignore Joshua 24 and many other situations in scripture where God clearly steps in and changes a man’s course.
Joshua 24:14-28 – I’ve heard lots of messages about ‘choosing’ based on this passage. But how many of those calls to ‘choose God’ put it in the context of a God who had already chosen Israel? Not only did God choose first, he chose them decades and decades before and demonstrated that choice over and over by acting on their behalf and the behalf of their forefathers in miraculous ways. God not only chose them, he sustained and blessed them and then asked them to choose him.
Any choosing we do today must look at God’s choice first at the cross. God has chosen us, redeemed us, invested in us already in the hope that we will choose Him too.
Imagine if other choices worked this way. A man buys a home and cars, plants a garden, fully furnishes it with cribs, beds, dressers, clothing and more. He establishes a career and income, fully funds college for 3 children and builds up a savings account. He then comes to his hopefully future bride and offers it all to her. I have chosen you, and I’ve done all this already for you. Will you choose me?
A builder researches a family. He knows their every need and buys land, constructs a house and fully furnishes is. Not only that, but anticipating the needs for the children, he provides land for them and builds homes for their future families as well. He comes to the family and say, I have chosen you to be the recipient of my best home. It is fully paid for and it is yours. Will you choose me?
Even these imperfect analogies move my heart. How much more a God who has anticipated my greatest need and already filled it, hoping that I might choose Him?

Joshua 20:1-6 – I like the Cities of Refuge idea. A place where the one who is guilty, but not malicious, may flee. There he can find refuge (and the city elders must accept him) until his case is heard. it’s a built in mechanism to separate the parties and allow things to cool down so calmer heads may prevail. it also brings others into the conflict, the elders of the City of Refuge and the judges. We should apply this concept to our own conflicts. Some times we just need to separate and bring in advisers and only revisit it after we’ve all cooled down.
Joshua 20:9 – These cities were provided for Israel, and for strangers passing through. The stranger was provided the same protection as the native.
Joshua 21 – As I read (OK, skimmed :-D) this chapter listing the cities and pasture land given to the Levites, it struck me how each tribe was cared for. Caleb spoke up and said Moses promised me this, and it was given to him. The Levites spoke up and said we were promised cities and ti was given to them. There is no recording of bickering or fighting nor any denial of what was promised anyone.
Joshua 21:43-45 – This passage implies that the work was done, God gave them the land and they took possession of it. No enemies withstood them, it says. All God’s promises came to pass. So, was the failure to drive all the Canaanites out not really a failure? Was it not God’s intention that they all be driven out? Looking back to Joshua 1, God did not command that they drive all the people out, he only that they go into the land and that he would give them every place they set their feet and that no one will be able to stand before them.

Joshua 15:14 – In the midst of a rather dry passage about the allotment of the land that reads like a property deed, is this: “And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.” not bad for an 85 year old guy. If he can muster that kind of zeal at 85, having sustained it for 45 years, why can’t I muster the motivation to read, pray and share my faith regularly? Sigh.
Joshua 15:16 – Joshua Caleb promises his daughter to the one who captures a certain part of the land. He’s 85, so his daughter is, what, 60 something at least, right? 😀
Joshua 15:63 – More evidence that Israel did not complete driving out the Canaanites. So why, back in Joshua 11, did it say that “Joshua took the whole land“? I suppose Joshua did all that God had called him to do, it was up to the people to finish the work.
Joshua 16:10 – More unfinished work …
Joshua 17:12-13 – And more …
Joshua 17:14-18 – The people of the tribe of Joseph complain that they don’t have enough land, but Joshua points out that they do, they only need to clear the forests and drive out the Canaanites living there. When they complain that the people are too strong (They have iron chariots!), he stands firm, saying that they can do it. It seems that the people, when together and under Joshua’s leadership, are bold, but on their own they are weak and timid.
Joshua 18:3 – This passage seems to confirm it, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land?” Joshua asks. But I wonder, it seems that up front God charged the tribes with allotments on the east side of the Jordan to stick with their brothers until the land was conquered, why wouldn’t that apply here? If I was of those tribes challenged to go and finish the work, I’d be wondering why I had to go it alone. It seems that once the big battles were won, the unity of the nation began to falter and each tribe was left to fend for themselves, which doesn’t seem to have been God’s plan.
(I skimmed over much of these chapters, since it was about ancient boundaries in a land I’m likely to never see. :-D)

Johsua 13:1 – Joshua 12 told of how Moses did his part and Joshua did his, but “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.” I guess that’s what I remembered.
Joshua 14:6-14 – Imagine being promised land from the Lord, yet because of the unfaithfulness of others, you had to wait 45 years for the opportunity to claim it. And notice in verse 12: “It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” The implication is that this area had not yet been captured (although it doesn’t seem to match with the list in Joshua 13), yet Caleb, at 85, is ready to take it as God had promised him. I find it hard to maintain my motivation and zeal from one week to the next, let alone for 45 years.

Joshua 11:1-5 – Thefirst thing that came to mind when I read this is that famous quote “Insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting a different result.” Did they not pay attention when the other kings allied together against Israel?
Joshua 11:20 – “For it was the Lord’s doing … in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy” We like to think of God as being merciful, primarily and there is truth in that. however, God is also a God of justice and wrath and woe to the one who finds himself opposing Him. I need to keep this in mind as I weigh my sin, or the sin in others, and what my reaction to it should be. God is not one to be trifled with.
Joshua 11: 23 – “So Joshua took the whole land … ” Somehow, from my prior readings of Joshua I thought they had not completed the task. Aside from the treaty with the folks of Gibeon, they did. Huh, wonder where I got the idea that they had failed?