Home | Killing Jews in the name of Jesus Part 3 >> |
---|
February, 2006 |
So What Do I Get? |
The Reward for Seeking God |
Posted by Brian Beers at 2/28/2006 9:46:00 PM (0 comments left) |
Hebrews 11:6 What is the reward for seeking God? I have never really tried to answer this question. Maybe it is my aversion to a "contract based" relationship with God. Maybe it is my Baptistic upbringing. Perhaps I have considered this a which-came-first kind of question. It was a question that shouldnât really be asked. But once I admitted that I was asking the question, I was able to seek an answer. Context is always a good place to look when I donât understand a portion of Scripture, so I read the rest of chapter 11. I read Hebrews 11, keeping verse 6 at the front of my mind: âWhat is this reward?â I understand why many so-called exegetes prefer proof-text to context. I do. Context muddies the waters. I, for one, am uncomfortable with the answer I found to my question, âWhat is the reward for seeking God?â |
In the context of Hebrews 11:6, Noah became the heir of righteousness. Abraham received an inheritance, became a father, and (figuratively) received his son back from the dead (If only...). Jacob blessed the grandsons of his dead son (Joseph). And then all those too numerous to detail who conquered kingdoms, administered justice, shut the mouths of lions, escaped Egyptians, escaped the sword, quenched the power of fire, received back their dead...whew! These are amazing triumphs, and they all follow after the declaration that we must believe that God rewards us when we seek him. Before this, though, we find talk of commendations earned by faith, Enoch not seeing death and being âcommended as having pleased God.â So all around Hebrews 11:6, we can find examples of the rewards people received by faith. In some cases it may be victory in battle. For others it is a preserved life. Yet for others it is the consolation prize of being commended for righteousness. So if I am going to try and draw a conclusion as to the reward for seeking God, what is it? Maybe it is that God delivers a âHe was rightâ on my behalf. Perhaps it will be in this life as I find victory in righteous battle. Perhaps it will be that I preserve my integrity in the face of unrighteousness. Those seemâ¦safe, though. None of the examples given were mild. Noah condemned the world. Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, Samuel all inflicted great hurt on Godâs enemies. So why do I think that faith should result in a nice, unobtrusive life today? I ought to rock the boat. Godâs enemies should hate me. I should stand powerfully for God. This is the purpose that we are to take away from Hebrews 11. We should not be twiddling our thumbs waiting for the Messiah any more than Moses, Barak, David, or Daniel did. Hebrews 12 describes this motivation as lifting drooping hands and strengthening weak knees. How are your knees? Me? Iâm just gonna sit here and write. Have fun storminâ the castle⦠|