In Subjection

I was joking with a Southern brother the other day about how he was pronouncing a word, in his S. Alabama drawl.  The word in question was "foothills".  My point was that if he pronounced the word "foot-heels" he was going to change the connotation for his hearers immensely!
"Foot" and "Heels" come to mind as I contemplate today's scripture passage - - Hebrews 2:5-9 (ESV)

5  For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.  6  It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him, 

or the son of man that you care for him?

7  You made him for a little while lower than the angels;

You have crowned him with glory and honor.

8  Putting everything in subjection under his feet."

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.   9  But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In trying to think of an analogy for today's "scripture-picture" I thought about teaching.  You see, today, this "old dog" is going to learn a "new trick"!  (Or, perhaps more than one!)  Yes, I have a friend who is teaching me how to use social media to expand my little RDM (Resplendent Daughter Ministries).  We have an appointment later today for me to learn "stuff".  So excited!  Here's the thing, though:  my friend is going to have to "make himself a little lower" than his current state of understanding, in order to teach me.  All great teachers have the ability to do this.  It is not enough to merely possess knowledge, if you are going to teach.  In addition to the knowledge of the subject matter, you must be able to communicate it in a way (usually several ways) your various human pupils will comprehend!

Our scripture passage for our meditation today is the first of a "trio", which together comprise Hebrews 2:5-18.  Overall, the larger passage drills home the importance of Jesus Christ's incarnation as the God-Man, as well as His suffering, both required by Father and also the instrument by which the Son came to the place of exaltation described in Hebrews 1:1-14.

Jesus lowered Himself to put on flesh, to become a human, in ways we will never understand.  Yet, during all of His earthly ministry, still all things were under his control (vs. 8).  All things were still "subject" to Him.  (Remember Him calming the waves, stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee in Mark 4:35-41?)  Cockerill exclaims, "No other early writer expounds both the deity and humanity of Christ more eloquently than the author of Hebrews."

I am riveted by this statement today:  (vs. 8) - - "We do not yet see everything in subjection to Him."
All is in subjection to Him, controlled by Him, obedient to Him....but we can't see it.  Now, that can be taken in two ways.
1.  It can be that we are either blinded by Satan or willfully refuse to see this truth.
2   But, an equally fascinating interpretation to consider is that we just simply have no idea of all He rules and reigns over!  Here we are on our tiny planet, in a vast universe.  How much we do not know!  All of it, we will NEVER know!  I am confident that we have an extremely insufficient view or understanding of His vast kingdom, which is eternal, which will never end.

This truth begs the question, "What about those who refuse His lordship in their lives?"  Well, they are still subject to Him, to His eternal plan, like it or not.  You can go easy by accepting Christ as Savior, the path by which you can experience fullness of joy, the abundant life.  Or, you can go ugly and rough - - rejecting Him, scrambling through by your own measly power, ever perhaps "accomplishing something", only to find at the end of your life that it has been meaningless.

Everything and everyone is under His rule NOW, His power, part of His plan, for good or for evil (our choice).  I fully recognize that this post is going to tick some people off - - those who have no desire whatsoever to accept, follow, or serve Jesus Christ.  Not my intention, but there again, these scriptures are God's words, not mine.  Don't shoot the messenger!

The final and ultimate fulfillment of Christ's rule will culminate in His return to earth to set up His earthly kingdom.  At that time the prophecy of His enemies becoming His "footstool" will be literally and physically made so.  See Psalm 110:1, 1 Corinthians 15:24 and Hebrews 10:13.  Oh, and Genesis 3:15 - - Satan's head will be utterly crushed.

"Bow now or bow later" because, eventually, ALL WILL BOW.

Lord Jesus, I don't want to merely be subjected to You; I want to serve You, in all my ways, through all my days.  And then, through forever, may my service and worship of You go on and on an on.  In Your Name, amen.

Source:

Cockerill, Gareth Lee. The Epistle to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2012. Kindle edition.

A Hob-nail Boot

Does that look like a boot to you?  Does to me.  It's a seashore scene from South Africa.  Do you know what a hob-nail boot is?  It's a boot with short nails inserted into the sole in a regular pattern. The primary purpose for these nails is to give the sole more durability, but they also serve to give traction to the boot.  No slippery soles with hob-nails.  You step on something with a hob-nail boot and whatever you step on isn't going anywhere.

I figure there are situations in most of our lives, Christians, which frustrate us.  In my case, I get very aggravated when I see .... well, let's just call it "evil prospering".  I do not like to see evil prosper. When the anti-God side wins, it makes me mad, especially when I've poured heart and soul into what "should" have been "the winning side".  Are you feelin' what I'm feelin' this morning?  Can you point to an area like this in your life and say, "uhm-hm, yeah...."

It SEEMS like God is oblivious, at times like that, doesn't it?  Paul must have felt this type of consternation because he often referenced it in his letters.  Today's text is Ephesians 1:20-23.

20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

In a moment I'm going to reference some other places Paul echoes this same theme.  But first, look at Psalm 110:1 - - 

Of David. A psalm. The LORD says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

Yes, this verse has dual applicability, like a lot of OT prophetic scriptures.  It referred to David's reign, first of all, but also to God's speaking to Jesus, in one of those intra-Godhead conversations. You may recall that Jesus tied the Pharisees up in knots over this verse, in Matthew 22:41-46.  In that exchange, by the way, He was declaring his Messiahship to them; but, they were too obtuse to either see or embrace Him as such.  In Acts 2:34-35, Luke referenced this same verse from Psalms, recounting Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the very day the Holy Spirit was given.

Here, now, are the other Pauline references:

 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.

1 Cor. 15:27

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:15

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Colossians 1:18

12but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, 13waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. 

Hebrews 10:12-13

The last enemy to be eliminated is death.  

1 Cor. 15:26

This plan of God's, to give Jesus Christ the spot of King Jesus, has been going on long before Jesus was ever born as a human baby.  The same Person of the Triune Godhead who was the Creator-of-all is the same One who put on flesh (Greek: sarx) and the same One who now sits at the right hand of God the Father, advocating for us, interceding for us ... and ruling over the Church as well as this entire world.  Death - - the last enemy to be destroyed.  Oh, He triumphed over death when He rose from the grave, but He will not totally destroy death (as it still serves His plan) until "the end of time", as described in Revelation.

So, why can't we see it?  We are not designed to see God's master plan, unfurled outside of the bounds of Time.  If we could, we would not need faith, would we?  But, even then, our humanity limits our understanding.  Even in those times when God peeled back a corner of Heaven and revealed to one of us His ways, we dealt with that knowledge in incredibly imbecilic fashion, generally speaking.  He is "beyond us" - - far past our limited understanding.

Still, He rules.  He reigns.  Even when it does not look like it around here.  Even when it appears as if evil is crowing triumphantly, evil is a pawn in God's mighty hand.  Ephesians 1:21 emphasizes that NO spiritual entity or power is superior to Christ Jesus, NO matter how things appear.  Christ's "hob-nail boot" is on Satan's neck.  It is finished, Satan.  You.Are.Done.

Seeing is not believing, unless you are looking with eyes of faith.  That's what I have resolved to do, today.  How about you?

Father, Son and Spirit, You rule over all.  I choose to trust You and even to praise You today, even in the face of discouragement, disappointment and fear.   Keeping my eyes fixed on my Head, Jesus, banishes those negative, incapacitating emotions.  King Jesus is on the throne!  He has it all in His hands.  Hallelujah for that.  What a truth worth praising!  What a King worth worshipping!  In Jesus' name, amen.