Hebrews Chapter Ten, God Judges

 

Hebrews 10:30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” (31) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

The OT verses cited by the author are taken from Deuteronomy 32:35, 36. The account in Deuteronomy, beginning with verse 28, speaks about Israel being a nation void of understanding, spiritual understanding, that is.

Their blindness to spiritual matters makes them incapable of comprehending their latter end, or why they suffer defeat so easily, since Yahweh has forsaken them. Further, Moses writes that God sold and surrendered them. To whom? Their enemies, Deuteronomy 32:31. Israel ate from the vine of Sodom, and drank the venom of serpents. Verse 34 iterates that God has these things in His storehouses, ready to dispense upon wayward Israel for their manifold transgressions. The Tanakh renders verse 35 thus: “To be My vengeance and recompense, at the time that their foot falters. Yea, their day of disaster is near, and destiny rushes upon them.”

 

The spiritually blind wander in slippery places (their foot shall slip in due time). It is no wonder that God patiently waits for the wicked to be undone. The Lord refers to this time as the day of their calamity. As mentioned previously, the Tanakh uses the word, “disaster.” The Septuagint utilizes the word, “destruction,” Whereas the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible follows the NKJV with, “calamity.”

 

Verse 36 states, “the Lord will judge His people.” The Hebrew word for “judge,” in Deuteronomy is, “diyn.” It implies a settlement of what is right where there is a charge upon a person. It is a judicial word marking the act whereby men’s position and destiny are decided. Note above how the Tanakh employs the word destiny, when it is rushing upon the wicked. The Tanakh and DSS render “judge” as “vindicate,” which can also mean, “justify, uphold, clear or exonerate.” The idea is that God alone knows genuine saints from the “tares” that grow up in their midst. God will vindicate those who are truly His, and those that are not, nothing awaits them, “but a certain, fearful expectation of judgment,” Hebrews 10:27.

 

Jesus likened this situation to a parable He spoke about the wheat and the tares, from Matthew chapter 13. We as Christians are at fault in part for letting the tares intrude, because our Lord accuses us of sleeping, Matthew 13:25. Nonetheless, we know that the tares are of the Devil, who sows dissent and discord amongst the saints in an effort to stymie God’s purposes. We also learn that God will suffer the tares to grow along with the wheat until the time of harvest, Matthew 13:30. Then at His command, the angels will separate believers from false professors, turning the latter into the Lake of Fire, while delivering the former to their Father’s house safely. God alone knows the heart; therefore God knows who is truly saved and who is not. One may believe they are saved, but are no different from Barabbas, who was “saved” from death when Jesus took his place, only to return to his profligate lifestyle. The professing Christian that thinks no more of the Son of God than a get out of Hell free card, so I may sin as I please, stands in very real jeopardy of eternal fire. Why? Because the apostles attest that such a person may not be saved to begin with. With new life, fruitful living is to occur. Yet even this is not the surest test of whether someone is genuinely saved. God alone knows. Paul informs us that Christians may be carnal, 1 Corinthians 3:1, 3, 4. Such Christians, though truly saved, will forfeit their rewards at the judgment seat of Christ, though they are never cast out as children, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Romans 14:10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:10, John 6:37.

 

These two passages, one speaking of vengeance against unbelievers in God’s house, likened to faithless Israel from Moses’ prophetic dialogue, the other reminding the Hebrew Christians how God alone will judge His people, makes for a sobering read. Verse 31 summarizes verses 26 through 31, telling us it is a fearful thing to find oneself in this predicament. Verse 27 employs this term, “fearful,” as well. It is the Greek, “phoberos,” It is translated in the KJV variously as fearful (x2) and terrible (x1). It literally means fear causing, and denotes inspiring fear. The prospect of falling into the hands of the living God as an unsaved individual, having physically died and without hope is obscenely fearful. It is reminiscent of 2 Corinthians 5:11, which reads, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” The Greek for “terror” is the word “phobos,” and generally means being frightened enough to run away, or take flight. This verse speaks of a servile fear, like what Jesus described referring to the Father, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has skilled, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” Luke 12:5.

 

For the saint, however, we needn’t fear like those who do not actually know Him. John tells us that we may have confidence toward God if our heart does not condemn us, and if we pray according to His will, we will receive from Him our prayer, because the things we do please Him, 1 John 3:21, 22. Moreover, John explains that genuine love casts out fear, because fear involves torment, 1 John 4:18. The NASB, ESV, and NIV render “torment” as “punishment.” Once more, the Christian life derives power from where our motivation emanates. John refers to Christians that fear God in this way as imperfect in love. We love because we firmly grasp what Jesus did for us, which becomes what He has done and is doing within us. This translates to love for Him that acts out in charity toward the saints and the rest of humanity. We are to gird ourselves with, “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do,” Colossians 3:12, 13. If we have believed the gospel, and our life is hid with Christ in God, then we needn’t fear. But if we possess a truly shallow faith, vapid and pliable to self-will, disobeying God and living for self, then introspection would be prudent.