Jesus Briefly Humbled

    Today's bible study led me to Hebrews 2:9-18.  This passage is titled in my bible "Jesus Briefly Humbled".  At first, it may sound a little confusing because it talks about a period where Jesus was made "a little lower than the angels".  This is a passage about Jesus' incarnation.  The fact that Jesus became a human being and did not give up his deity, but he gave up his position in heaven to come to earth. 
     To understand this, it is important to realize that Jesus existed before he was born in Bethlehem.  The Bible gives us many glimpses of Jesus in the Old Testament.  One that I think of is in Daniel 3:25.  Danie's friends were thrown into a pit of fire.  It was so hot that those who threw Daniel's friends in died because of the heat of the flames.  Yet, Nebuchadnezzar states when he looks into the fire "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!"  I believe this is Jesus who the king saw.
      There are other, even earlier passages, where Jesus appears in the Old Testament.  In Joshua 5:13-14, Joshua sees a man with his sword drawn.  When Joshua asks him if he is for or against them he gets this response.  "No, rather I indeed come now as captain o fthe host of the Lord."  Joshua's response was to bown down and worship him.  Any time someone worships an angel the angel stops him, but the captain didn't stop Joshua because he was the preincarnate Jesus.
      But, this passage made it clear that Jesus gave up that position in heaven.  In Philippians 2:7-8 it says that Jesus "emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  I believe that is what this passage in Hebrews 2:9-18 is really talking about. 
     It says that Jesus did this in order to make powerless him "who has the power of death, that is, the devil."  He did this by making "propitiation for our sins".  The word propitiatioin is the word hilaskomai in the greek which means to atone, to make reconciliation for.  It would be like having a large debt note hanging over you and someone takes the note and writes over it "paid in full" and pays the debt for you.  It was a debt that you were not in a position to begin to pay and was due and he stepped in a paid it for you.
     

God stays silent

   In Joshua 9, Joshua and the Israelites have entered the promise land and are beginning to take possession of their inheritance from the Lord.  They have already destroyed Jericho and neighboring Ai.  It says that the people of Gibeon feared Israel and "acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn out sacks on their donkeys and winskins, worn out torn and mended" Joshua 9:4.  In other words, they wanted it to appear as if they had been traveling a long time.

    They did this in order to deceive them and in order to make a treaty with them.  So, it says in Joshua 9:14 that Joshua made peace with them and "did not ask for the counsel of the Lord."  Later, they arrive at Gibeon and realize their mistake, but by then it is too late.  These people end up becoming a snare to Joshua and the people of God and lead them into idol worship.

    I could be wrong here, but one of my observations in this passage is that it appears to be that Joshua and the leaders were flattered that they had heard about them.  The Gibeonites tell Joshua "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the Lord your God; for we have heard the report of HIm and all that He did in Egypt."  In a sense, they are saying that they not only heard of the Lord's fame, but the leaders as well.  They are appealing to their pride.

    John in 1 John 2:15-16 warns against the love of the world and the pride of life.  In fact, the Bible is full of warnings about pride.  It can keep us from asking the counsel of the Lord.  In fact, our very faith leads us to understand our utter dependence on God for anything good.  But, the flesh doesn't want to bow to God or anyone else.  In 1 John2:15-16 "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

    One other thing I noticed in this passage is that God could have spoken up, but did not do so.  He could have come to Joshua in a dream and warned him that they were close neighbors, but he didn't.  This is one of the interesting things about this passage.  God had already given clear instructions about what they were to do.  He allowed Joshua and the leaders to make their own decision.  You see the doubt that some had in verse 7, that they might actually be close neighbors.  Some people had doubts, yet nobody spoke up. 

     So, then when we ignore the words of God there are consequences.  Joshua realizes that towards the end of their lives that the people will allow their hearts to wander from God.  In Joshua 24:19-20 he says, "Then Joshua said to the people, You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God.  He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression of your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you."

      It reminds me a little of a passage in proverbs that talks about setting a guard over our heart.  We always have to be consciously aware that other things, people and circumstances are seeking to become idols in our hearts.  The world looks attractive and beneficial otherwise people wouldn't stray.  And it is easy, to allow other things to take the place of God.  That is why it is so important to remain humble and to examine our hearts and make sure that the Lord is where he should be in our lives.  So often, other things creep in and take that spot little by little.  I'm speaking to myself as much as anyone else who might read this.  I know that it is easy to get busy and distracted.

   "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."  Proverbs 4:23