23 to the company and assembly of the first-born in heaven enrolled, and to God the judge of all, and to spirits of righteous men made perfect,
but, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subjected to you, but rejoice rather that your names were written in the heavens.'
and thou hast said unto Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, My son, My first-born `is' Israel,
Far be it from Thee to do according to this thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked; that it hath been -- as the righteous so the wicked -- far be it from Thee; doth the Judge of all the earth not do justice?'
God for us something better having provided, that apart from us they might not be made perfect.
for God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of the love, that ye shewed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering; and we desire each one of you the same diligence to shew, unto the full assurance of the hope unto the end, that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.
and all things He did put under his feet, and did give him -- head over all things to the assembly,
and I ask also thee, genuine yoke-fellow, be assisting those women who in the good news did strive along with me, with Clement also, and the others, my fellow-workers, whose names `are' in the book of life.
Not that I did already obtain, or have been already perfected; but I pursue, if also I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by the Christ Jesus; brethren, I do not reckon myself to have laid hold; and one thing -- the things behind indeed forgetting, and to the things before stretching forth -- to the mark I pursue for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. As many, therefore, as `are' perfect -- let us think this, and if `in' anything ye think otherwise, this also shall God reveal to you, but to what we have come -- by the same rule walk, the same thing think; become followers together of me, brethren, and observe those thus walking, according as ye have us -- a pattern; for many walk of whom many times I told you -- and now also weeping tell -- the enemies of the cross of the Christ! whose end `is' destruction, whose god `is' the belly, and whose glory `is' in their shame, who the things on earth are minding. For our citizenship is in the heavens, whence also a Saviour we await -- the Lord Jesus Christ -- who shall transform the body of our humiliation to its becoming conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working of his power, even to subject to himself the all things.
Giving thanks to the Father who did make us meet for the participation of the inheritance of the saints in the light,
I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and do fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for his body, which is the assembly,
a token of the righteous judgment of God, for your being counted worthy of the reign of God, for which also ye suffer, since `it is' a righteous thing with God to give back to those troubling you -- trouble, and to you who are troubled -- rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with messengers of his power,
(and if any one his own house `how' to lead hath not known, how an assembly of God shall he take care of?)
and as it is laid up to men once to die, and after this -- judgment,
having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.
who being reviled -- was not reviling again, suffering -- was not threatening, and was committing himself to Him who is judging righteously,
and I have said to him, `Sir, thou hast known;' and he said to me, `These are those who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they did wash their robes, and they made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb; because of this are they before the throne of God, and they do service to Him day and night in His sanctuary, and He who is sitting upon the throne shall tabernacle over them; they shall not hunger any more, nor may the sun fall upon them, nor any heat, because the Lamb that `is' in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and wipe away shall God every tear from their eyes.'
And bow before it shall all who are dwelling upon the land, whose names have not been written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world;
these are they who with women were not defiled, for they are virgin; these are they who are following the Lamb whithersoever he may go; these were bought from among men -- a first-fruit to God and to the Lamb --
With weeping they come in, And with supplications I bring them, I cause them to go unto streams of waters, In a right way -- they stumble not in it, For I have been to Israel for a father, And Ephraim -- My first-born `is' he.
and now, if Thou takest away their sin -- and if not -- blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.'
Gather ye to Me My saints, Making covenant with Me over a sacrifice. And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself `is' judge. Selah.
They are blotted out of the book of life, And with the righteous are not written.
I also first-born do appoint him, Highest of the kings of the earth.
Before Jehovah, for He hath come, For He hath come to judge the earth. He judgeth the world in righteousness, And the peoples in His faithfulness!
Praise ye Jah! I thank Jehovah with the whole heart, In the secret meeting of the upright, And of the company.
And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.
`And whenever the Son of Man may come in his glory, and all the holy messengers with him, then he shall sit upon a throne of his glory; and gathered together before him shall be all the nations, and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the sheep from the goats, and he shall set the sheep indeed on his right hand, and the goats on the left. `Then shall the king say to those on his right hand, Come ye, the blessed of my Father, inherit the reign that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
and authority He gave him also to do judgment, because he is Son of Man.
for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known;
and, according as we did bear the image of the earthy, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly.
we have courage, and are well pleased rather to be away from the home of the body, and to be at home with the Lord.
but even as the assembly is subject to Christ, so also `are' the wives to their own husbands in everything. The husbands! love your own wives, as also the Christ did love the assembly, and did give himself for it, that he might sanctify it, having cleansed `it' with the bathing of the water in the saying, that he might present it to himself the assembly in glory, not having spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Hebrews 12
Commentary on Hebrews 12 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 12
The apostle, in this chapter, applies what he has collected in the chapter foregoing, and makes use of it as a great motive to patience and perseverance in the Christian faith and state, pressing home the argument,
Hbr 12:1-3
Here observe what is the great duty which the apostle urges upon the Hebrews, and which he so much desires they would comply with, and that is, to lay aside every weight, and the sin that did so easily beset them, and run with patience the race set before them. The duty consists of two parts, the one preparatory, the other perfective.
Hbr 12:4-17
Here the apostle presses the exhortation to patience and perseverance by an argument taken from the gentle measure and gracious nature of those sufferings which the believing Hebrews endured in their Christian course.
Hbr 12:18-29
Here the apostle goes on to engage the professing Hebrews to perseverance in their Christian course and conflict, and not to relapse again into Judaism. This he does by showing them how much the state of the gospel church differs from that of the Jewish church, and how much it resembles the state of the church in heaven, and on both accounts demands and deserves our diligence, patience, and perseverance in Christianity.