One final appeal is issued to the Hebrews in this fifth warning encapsulated in 12:25-29 with echoes back to vv.15-17. There are admonitions that no one should come short of grace, that bitterness not be allowed to take root and bear the fruit of group defilement, and that there be no one like Esau who sold his birthright as the eldest son for a meal.
The mention of bitterness refers to Deuteronomy 29:18ff. in which God warns the Israelites against abandoning the covenant He had made with them and adopting idolatry which results in disastrous consequences. Esau gave way to temporary physical desires and in the process sacrificed his inheritance which included participation in the messianic promises (v17).
Esau’s situation is particularly poignant as an illustration that there are certain “trapdoors” through which we traverse with irreversible consequences, for when he sought to regain his birthright, he was refused.
The author then uses imagery to illustrate the contrast between the fearful environment associated with Mt. Sinai (smoke, fire, earthquakes, unbearable voice of God), representing the Law and the Mosaic, or Old Covenant (see Exodus chapters 19-24), and the peace of Mt. Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem, representing Grace and the New Covenant. Though Grace revealed in the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis chapter 12) preceded Law (Mosiac Covenant), the Hebrews had retreated back to the perceived safety of the Law to avoid persecution.
It is telling that relating to God on the basis of law involves fear associated with performance (what we do) whereas the incredible and unique grace relationship because of Jesus is unconditional, even though God knows what we will do and think before we do it. It is impossible to surprise Him!
Finally, the author warns not to refuse Him (God) who speaks. Because now we have Jesus, the Living Word descended from Heaven, if we refuse to listen, we have even less hope of escape from judgement than those who heard God speak from Mt. Sinai and through Moses. But now the author reveals what awaits those who endure, who persevere, who pay close attention to what they have heard (2:1)—a kingdom that cannot be shaken!
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- Would Esau agree with this statement: “When we die, we will receive the sum of the investment of our lives on earth without the opportunity to change it”? Would you? (see II Corinthians 5:10).
- When encountering trials, do you offer the sacrifice of praise rather than entertain a root of bitterness? What is involved in doing the former rather than the latter?
- What steps can you take to help you to persevere in the faith? How can you help someone else to do so?
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