hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (v. 29). Following the line in those passages in which the author refers to apos tasy, most scholars take this passage to mean that here. But we have point ed out elsewhere that the supposed references to apostasy probably have to do not with the act of forsaking God to go back into an unredeemed state, but with a refusal to go on in the covenant relation toward Chris tian growth and service. We believe that the same idea holds here. The context which colors the interpreta tion of our particular passage sup ports this contention. Furthermore, such a position does not strain the meaning of the ideas contained in it. In turning from their spiritual des tiny, the Hebrew Christians do tread in contempt upon the Son of God as the Saviour of the whole world. They identify themselves with the cruci- fiers in setting at naught the redemp tive mission of the Son of God (6:6). They thus count the blood which sealed their redemption and sancti fied them for a task as unholy in that they refuse to share their expe riences with others. Furthermore, they do despite to or insult the Spirit of grace, who was given to be their dynamic partner in this service. These are terrible pictures of the attitude of those who receive the bless ing of salvation, but who negate its wider effect by refusing to share it with others. For such, a fate worse than physical death is in store. They shall perish in the wilderness of a lost opportunity. The certainty of their punishment is shown by two quota tions from Deuteronomy 32:35f (v. 30). “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” These utterances came at the climax of Moses’ last words to Israel. He began by calling heaven and earth to witness to God’s redemptive pur pose: “My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the ten der herb, and as the showers upon the g rass: because I will publish the
Mr. Merv Fishback (right) «xecutive adminis trator of Biola's Arizona Biblo College, with Mr. Paul Eymann, registrar and director ol admissions of A.B.C. name of the Lord: ascribe ye great ness unto our God” (Deut. 32:2-3). He then proceeds to show how God prepared a people for this purpose (32:7-14), only to have them rebel (32:15ff.). As a result they shall suf fer punishment at the hands of an other nation. In the end, however, He will avenge His people (32:35f.). In conclusion Moses exhorted the Is raelites to remember these words and to tell them to their children. “For it is not a vain thing for you (to disr regard your covenant relation) ; be cause it is your life (author’s ital ics) : and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whith er ye go over Jordan to possess it” (32:47). Instead of making our author take the quotations of Deuteronomy 32:35f. out of their context and do violence to their meaning in applying them to the people of God rather than to their enemies, as some scholars do, may we not naturally regard them as a re minder to his readers of the entire passage in Deuteronomy with which they most certainly were familiar? If so, they carry even more force as a warning to them. Even though God will ultimately avenge His people by honoring His own part of the cove nant relation whereby they are de clared to be His people, the suffering 34
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