October, 1933
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
335
"Ç o d F irst, Others Second, S elf F a st” H!
QHR l í T T ñÜ UFE-
‘H . 'Æ , that was
SET BEFORE
By ARTHUR D. CASHMAN* Los Angeles^Calif.
herefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud o f witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher o f our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand o f the throne o f God” (Heb. 12:1, 2 ). In this familiar passage o f Scripture, the preferred translation o f one little preposition changes the meaning from that which is usually given to it. T h e M e a n in g o f “ F o r ” In the phrase, “ who for the joy that was set before him,” we usually think o f the preposition “ fo r” as carrying the idea “ for the sake o f.” Consequently, the “ joy . . . set before him” is commonly thought of as His anticipation of a host o f redeemed humanity being with Him in glory through eternity, and the conception is that this joy caused Him to endure the cross, despising the shame. Let it not be thought for a moment that that element o f joy was not present in the mind of the Lord Jesus when He went to the cross; but this passage has a different truth to emphasize. The Greek word which is translated “ for’lin this verse is anti and means, primarily, “ instead o f,” or “ in the room o f,” having the sense of “ instead o f.” It is the same word which is used in Matthew 2 :22, where Archelaus is spoken o f as reigning “ in the room o f ” his father Herod. Thus Hebrews 12:2 might well be read as follows: “ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who instead o f the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” T h is r en d e r in g
context in verse one, we may hardly be accused of specula ting on this point in our answer. Who is it who would have us to “ lose patience” in the Christian race ? It is none other than our adversary, the devil. He would discourage us in the race by besetting us with sin and hanging weights upon us. He does this by setting before us attractive things which have their appeal to the human heart, affording a certain kind o f joy. This is exactly what Satan did to our Lord, unto whom we are told to look when we are tempted. In the fourth chapters o f Matthew and Luke, we have the record o f Jesus being tempted o f the devil in the wilderness, in a threefold temptation. All three appeals were most enticing, but let us consider only the one which is undoubtedly referred to in Hebrews 12:2. It reads thus: “ And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms o f the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory o f them: for that is delivered unto m e; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” Matthew records this additional w ord : “ All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” There is no doubt as to what kingdoms the devil offered to Jesus, for the word “ world” in the Greek denotes the civilized world in its present order. On two different occasions, Jesus spoke o f Satan as “ the prince o f this world” (cf. John 12:31; 14:12). Paul recog nized him as “ the god o f this world,” so that there is no question about his having the right to offer the kingdoms of this world to our Lord. There need be no
confusion h e r e with passages l i ke Psa lm 24:1, where we are told that “ the earth is the Lord’s and the ful ness thereof.” We must keep in mind that the Lord gave the jur isdiction o f the world to Adam and Eve and to those who were to come after them, but that they sold out to Satan in the fall (Gen. 1:28-30; cf. Rom. 6 : 16), Satan offered to return the jurisdiction of the kingdoms of this world to the Lord when He was in the flesh. But Christ re fused Satan, although, no doubt, it had a joy ous appeal to His hu-
Ghrist’s Love for Me.
would teach us that the joy that was set before the Lord Jesus Christ was some joy in the past, and not one that was in the future. If this is correct, what joy was it that was set before Him, which He refused to a c c e p t , choosing rather the cross with all its suf fering and s h a m e ? And who was it that set this j o y before H im? In the answers to these questions there must be a wealth of spiritual truth. C o n s id e r in g the
Estella E. Howes Har. by Herbert orTTövey
Louie M. Howes
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d— J 1 * ~ di. -T 2--^ 5— ü * m ■ U^-5— #• w w 0 I B a — «— JJ M Ë m 1. Christ’s preciousblood has boughtmy soul And in His sight I now am whole; 2. The Lord who is the Truth, the Way, Seeks us who’ve wandered far a - stray; 3. For - ev -er we will praise His name-Our Lord who ev - er is the same; , s m A i . * i t
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t Saved from the woe I shall not know: He died because He loved me so. 'Come un - to Me,” I hear Him call, “Give Me thy heart, I gave Thee all. ” A - hove ten thousand He is fair, No o th -er can with Ilim compare. -!*— f > . P~ , , > — P »j • — • --- A iftF==fc l Ü ^ I
*Pastor, Second Brethren Church .
Copyright, 1933, by Estella E. Howes
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