Hebrews 1-7: Understanding Paul, Hebrews, and Grace

For those that have been studying the New Testament along with the companion manual, Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families, this week was Hebrews 1-7.

Hebrews is interesting because it's the only letter that is credited to Paul that is not placed in order from longest letter to shortest letters. That's because it's not entirely clear if Paul actually wrote this letter. However, whether he wrote it not, the messages he shares in Hebrews aligns with his teachings in his earlier letters.

My observations/reactions to Hebrews:

• It was a little jarring to get into Hebrews after reading the previous four books, because unlike Hebrews, they were short letters to friends and leaders of the church, and written near the end of his ministry when he may have refined his message, instead of to a group of people. Perhaps for this reason they were easier to read and follow. 
• Like with many of the letters that Paul wrote, something confusing, once unraveled, is actually quite clear, and quite exciting to understand and study.

I liken the experience to PJ in the Family Circus. He's "just a baby" so his valentine in "A Special Valentine with the Family Circus" (1978) looks like a jumbled mess, instead of the elaborate valentines that his older siblings have made. Like Paul, PJ's letter is hard to understand (see image on left, and click on the link to the five minute clip to watch the story). Despite PJ's valentine being "difficulty," his mother knows exactly what he drew. She says to her other children, "You can't see it because you are looking with your eyes. You have to look with your heart." They take her advice and begin to see that what looks like aimless strokes of the pen are elaborate drawings and a message of love. Feels like Paul at times, right? Watch the clip and see their excitement as the messy lines unravel. That's how I feel about reading Paul.

In "The Eye of Faith," talk by Neil L. Andersen, he shows a piece of art by Michael Murphy that at first glance, and from most angles, looks like what it is - 1,252 wooden balls suspended from the ceiling. However, when viewed from the correct angle, the seemingly random wooden balls form an eye. Says Andersen, 'However, as you look at the dots from a different perspective, you see the beauty of the artist's creation. Likewise, we see the spiritual truths of God through the perspective of an eye of faith.'"

Take faith in knowing that the scriptures, especially Isaiah, Paul, and a few others, will not always be easy to understand at first reading, but with even a little bit of pondering, becomes a beautiful, joyous things, and that experience will continue to grow. Says Jeffery R. Holland, "But as with all scripture, the more we read it, the more we find in it." ("The Message, the Meaning, and the Multitude.")

Before I was inspired to write this post, I had read Hebrews 1-6 and highlighted a number of scriptures. I went back, chose the scripture that was the most meaningful to me, and then began to ponder about it, and look up references to some of the lines in the scripture. The scripture I chose was Hebrews 4:16.

It says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." When we pray for help and act in faith, we "come boldly."

How are we bold? In April 1993, Gene R. Cook, of the First Quorum of the Seventy, said that we need to center our faith and hope upon Jesus Christ. We do this by being submissive and "seeking the intercession of the Lord more fully in our lives." We are bold by trusting in the Lord, boldly, as Enos did when he prayed all the day long. When we are bold, we open ourselves to the "throne of grace;" as the Bible dictionary defines grace, "divine means of help or strength from the Savior."

Application for children

Help the children to see that by studying further, they can find more in it. Another way to do this is to pick any church song, then look up the scripture on the same page as the song. See how knowing the song helps kids understand the scripture, or vice versa. 

"A Special Valentine with the Family Circus" is available on YouTube free in a four-part series. The climb I'm talking about is in Part 4, around the 3:33 minute mark. You can find it here. This is a great opportunity to talk about how just because we don't understanding something doesn't me we won't if we don't try a little harder. The kids were finally able to see PJ's art because:

a) They asked for help

b) They listened to the advice

c) They looked with their heart