Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 344

Bible text(s)

Hebrews 1

God's Word through his Son

1In the past, God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end. 3He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for human sins, he sat down in heaven at the right-hand side of God, the Supreme Power.

The Greatness of God's Son

4The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs. 5For God never said to any of his angels:

“You are my Son;

today I have become your Father.”

Nor did God say about any angel,

“I will be his Father,

and he will be my Son.”

6But when God was about to send his firstborn Son into the world, he said:

“All God's angels must worship him.”

7But about the angels God said,

“God makes his angels winds,

and his servants flames of fire.”

8About the Son, however, God said:

“Your kingdom, O God, will last for ever and ever!

You rule over your people with justice.

9You love what is right and hate what is wrong.

That is why God, your God, has chosen you

and has given you the joy of an honour far greater

than he gave to your companions.”

10He also said:

“You, Lord, in the beginning created the earth,

and with your own hands you made the heavens.

11They will disappear, but you will remain;

they will all wear out like clothes.

12You will fold them up like a coat,

and they will be changed like clothes.

But you are always the same,

and your life never ends.”

13God never said to any of his angels:

“Sit here on my right

until I put your enemies

as a footstool under your feet.”

14What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.

Hebrews 2

The Great Salvation

1That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. 2The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and all who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. 3How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. 4At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

The One who Leads us to Salvation

5God has not placed the angels as rulers over the new world to come — the world of which we speak. 6Instead, as it is said somewhere in the Scriptures:

“What are human beings, O God, that you should think of them;

mere human beings, that you should care for them?

7You made them for a little while lower than the angels;

you crowned them with glory and honour,

8and made them rulers over all things.”

It says that God made them “rulers over all things”; this clearly includes everything. We do not, however, see human beings ruling over all things now. 9But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, so that through God's grace he should die for everyone. We see him now crowned with glory and honour because of the death he suffered. 10It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

11He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. 12He says to God:

“I will tell my people what you have done;

I will praise you in their meeting.”

13He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.”

14Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, 15and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. 17This means that he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. 18And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

Hebrews 3

Jesus is Greater than Moses

1My Christian brothers and sisters, who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent to be the High Priest of the faith we profess. 2He was faithful to God, who chose him to do this work, just as Moses was faithful in his work in God's house. 3A man who builds a house receives more honour than the house itself. In the same way Jesus is worthy of much greater honour than Moses. 4Every house, of course, is built by someone — and God is the one who has built all things. 5Moses was faithful in God's house as a servant, and he spoke of the things that God would say in the future. 6But Christ is faithful as the Son in charge of God's house. We are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.

A Rest for God's People

7So then, as the Holy Spirit says:

“If you hear God's voice today,

8do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God,

as they were that day in the desert

when they put him to the test.

9There they put me to the test and tried me, says God,

although they had seen what I did for forty years.

10And so I was angry with those people and said,

‘They are always disloyal

and refuse to obey my commands.’

11I was angry and made a solemn promise:

‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’ ”

12My fellow-believers, be careful that no one among you has a heart so evil and unbelieving as to turn away from the living God. 13Instead, in order that none of you be deceived by sin and become stubborn, you must help one another every day, as long as the word “Today” in the scripture applies to us. 14For we are all partners with Christ if we hold firmly to the end the confidence we had at the beginning.

15This is what the scripture says:

“If you hear God's voice today,

do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were

when they rebelled against God.”

16Who were the people who heard God's voice and rebelled against him? All those who were led out of Egypt by Moses. 17With whom was God angry for forty years? With the people who sinned, who fell down dead in the desert. 18When God made his solemn promise, “They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest” — of whom was he speaking? Of those who rebelled. 19We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they did not believe.

Hebrews 4

1Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest. 2For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. 3We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as he said:

“I was angry and made a solemn promise:

‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’ ”

He said this even though his work had been finished from the time he created the world. 4For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: “God rested on the seventh day from all his work.” 5This same matter is spoken of again: “They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest.” 6Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it. 7This is shown by the fact that God sets another day, which is called “Today”. Many years later he spoke of it through David in the scripture already quoted:

“If you hear God's voice today,

do not be stubborn.”

8If Joshua had given the people the rest that God had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9As it is, however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting on the seventh day. 10For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from his. 11Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.

12The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13There is nothing that can be hidden from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.

Jesus the Great High Priest

14Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God — Jesus, the Son of God. 15Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. 16Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

Hebrews 1:1-4:16GNBOpen in Bible reader
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