Jesus Took on the Nature of Man (Heb. 2:16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-03-03

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Jesus took on the nature of man.

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 2:16

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”  (NKJV)  “We know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels.”  (NLT)  The Young’s Literal Translation says “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.”

            There are different ways that this verse is interpreted from the King James Version and the New King James Version.  The Young’s Literal Translation has this verse similar to the KJV.  The point to all of this is that of “giving aid” and how it was interpreted.  In verse eighteen there is a word for aid and this is how it should be interpreted.  This is the Hebrew word that is translated aid in verse eighteen:  “997 bohyew boetheo bo-ay-theh'-o” and the meaning of the word:  “1) to help, succour, and bring aid.”  The word that the NKJ translates “to give aid is “1949 epilambanomai epilambanomai ep-ee-lam-ban'-om-ahee” and it’s meaning, “1) to take in addition, to lay hold of, take possession of, overtake, attain, attain to 1a) to lay hold of or to seize upon anything with the hands, to take hold of, lay hold of 1b) metaph: to rescue one from peril, to help, succour.”  When you take hold of a person to get him away from evil you are giving aid to him and that is how the NKJV gets there meaning.

            Look at the note in the MaCarthur Study Bible for more information on this.  The rest of the verse speaks of the seed of Abraham, and that is speaking about the Messiah.  Jesus Christ is the long awaited seed of Abraham that is written about back in Genesis and Paul spoke of in Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.  Genesis 24:7 in the KJV says, “The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”

           

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I think about Jesus Christ who is the “seed” of Abraham to which Paul tells me about in Galatians, and latter he goes on to tell us that those who are truly descendants of Abraham are those who are spiritual descendants of Abraham of which I am one by the grace of the Lord.  I need to live like one so I can fulfill the purposes that God has called for me to do.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to me and also a challenge to me, and also convicting to me.

 

 My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to make the phone calls to the men who are joining are Bible Study next Friday to remind them to start reading their books tomorrow, and to encourage them to do so.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Colossians 4:5 (NIV)

 

Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.