12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Commentary
Vs. 12-13 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
In light of God's chastening of us we are to strengthen those areas of our persons and lives that we are weakest in. And so turning from ones own sin and or wrong ideas and attitudes is always better than being unwilling to change, or even be changed (consider Psalm 38:3-5). Therefore make the positive changes in your life that God desires to see in you, changes which are in accord with God's Word, for this will bring the healing and health to you, and to all that you touch with your new life (consider Prov 3:7-8; 4:20-22; James 4:7-10; Rev. 3:19).
Vs. 14 "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord"
Having received peace with God the moment we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are now to be His ambassadors of peace and good will to one and to all (consider Luke 2:14; Cor. 3:5-6; 5:18-21). For that is part and parcel of pursuing peace with all people, extending the love and the grace of God and thus the salvation of God to one and to all (John 3:16). Therefore as much as depends on us, let us all strive to peaceably with all people (consider Rom 12:18-21; 1 Thess. 5:15). Now linked with pursuing peace with all people is also pursuing holiness, for holiness is in accord with Jesus Christ and our new nature as His born-again children of God. Therefore holiness does not commit sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18-20; 1 Thess 4:3-8 etc.), rather holiness is found in the reverence of God (Lev. 10:3) with obedience to His Word (2 Tim 2:22). And so nothing is more indicative of the Life, Spirit, and Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ than the pursuit of peace and holiness with one and with all. Now the pursuit of holiness (like discipleship) though often entailing self denial (Luke 9:23) for holy pursuits like prayer and fasting (1 Cor. 7:5-6) is not found in self imposed exile, asceticism, or obeying the doctrines and commandments of men (Matt. 15:1-9; Col. 2:20-22). For holiness does not take away from the quality of ones life, and ones relationship with God and others (as legalism does), rather holiness enriches it, by removing sin, Satan, and his influence over ones person and life, so that the one who purifies their life in accord with Christ can now draw near to God (James 4:8-10). For the Lord Jesus Christ comes to bring us life, and bring it more abundantly, not enslave us to doctrines and commandments of men. While Satan only comes to kill, steal, and destroy (see John 10:10). And not just through sin, which is obvious, but also and most hideous through his own he always seeks to infiltrate and distort the truth. And thus through lusts, through licentiousness, through the false and misleading doctrines and commandments of men, he takes captive well meaning men and women who are ignorant of these things (consider Rom 6:16; 2 Cor 11:13-15; Gal 1:8-9; 2 Peter 2:18-22 etc.). Therefore the pursuit of holiness is pursuing what God in Christ has sanctified us all to be as His new creations in Christ; who have been freed from sin, Satan, and death so that we can now do and enjoy all the glorious liberties of the children of God. For obeying the commandments of men are of no value against the sinful lusts of the flesh, but in the end only heighten them (consider 1 Cor 15:56).
Finally in this pursuit of holiness we are not to be friends of this world, and thus we must not embrace it's degenerating morals and "values" (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). And so purifying ones own person and life in accord with the Word of God (1 Cor 5:9-13; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Rev 18:3-4) not only heightens ones own prosperity and peace in this life, but also makes one a catalyst for the same (Eph. 5:1-7, 8-14, 15-21, vs. 11; 2 Tim. 2:20-21; 3 John 2).
Having received peace with God the moment we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are now to be His ambassadors of peace and good will to one and to all (consider Luke 2:14; Cor. 3:5-6; 5:18-21). For that is part and parcel of pursuing peace with all people, extending the love and the grace of God and thus the salvation of God to one and to all (John 3:16). Therefore as much as depends on us, let us all strive to peaceably with all people (consider Rom 12:18-21; 1 Thess. 5:15). Now linked with pursuing peace with all people is also pursuing holiness, for holiness is in accord with Jesus Christ and our new nature as His born-again children of God. Therefore holiness does not commit sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18-20; 1 Thess 4:3-8 etc.), rather holiness is found in the reverence of God (Lev. 10:3) with obedience to His Word (2 Tim 2:22). And so nothing is more indicative of the Life, Spirit, and Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ than the pursuit of peace and holiness with one and with all. Now the pursuit of holiness (like discipleship) though often entailing self denial (Luke 9:23) for holy pursuits like prayer and fasting (1 Cor. 7:5-6) is not found in self imposed exile, asceticism, or obeying the doctrines and commandments of men (Matt. 15:1-9; Col. 2:20-22). For holiness does not take away from the quality of ones life, and ones relationship with God and others (as legalism does), rather holiness enriches it, by removing sin, Satan, and his influence over ones person and life, so that the one who purifies their life in accord with Christ can now draw near to God (James 4:8-10). For the Lord Jesus Christ comes to bring us life, and bring it more abundantly, not enslave us to doctrines and commandments of men. While Satan only comes to kill, steal, and destroy (see John 10:10). And not just through sin, which is obvious, but also and most hideous through his own he always seeks to infiltrate and distort the truth. And thus through lusts, through licentiousness, through the false and misleading doctrines and commandments of men, he takes captive well meaning men and women who are ignorant of these things (consider Rom 6:16; 2 Cor 11:13-15; Gal 1:8-9; 2 Peter 2:18-22 etc.). Therefore the pursuit of holiness is pursuing what God in Christ has sanctified us all to be as His new creations in Christ; who have been freed from sin, Satan, and death so that we can now do and enjoy all the glorious liberties of the children of God. For obeying the commandments of men are of no value against the sinful lusts of the flesh, but in the end only heighten them (consider 1 Cor 15:56).
Finally in this pursuit of holiness we are not to be friends of this world, and thus we must not embrace it's degenerating morals and "values" (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). And so purifying ones own person and life in accord with the Word of God (1 Cor 5:9-13; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Rev 18:3-4) not only heightens ones own prosperity and peace in this life, but also makes one a catalyst for the same (Eph. 5:1-7, 8-14, 15-21, vs. 11; 2 Tim. 2:20-21; 3 John 2).
Vs. 15-17 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Now it falls not just on us, but specifically upon the church leaders to be looking carefully over the whole congregation "...lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled." For there are always those who will have the saving knowledge of God through the Gospel but will have never personally received the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves, and thus been born again by the Holy Spirit, and thus not been transformed by regenerating work of Him, which He works in everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so such individuals who seek to live and experience the Christian life and God's promises and Spiritual experiences by their own strength and abilities (and thus not by first repenting and believing in the Gospel ,and thus coming to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, without reservations or expectations) can become disillusioned by their own efforts and expectations, in seeking to have and experience all that Christ Promises everyone who believes in Him through the Gospel. For it is only by the grace of God that He brings us to Spirit life and unites us with Christ as His redeemed and eternally secure and forgiven people. And so sadly when someone tries to enter the Kingdom of heaven by some other means other than by the grace of God, which is only given to us by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone, and thus they find that they cannot enter by striving to do so by some other means, sadly instead of repenting of their own self-will or works and turning to Christ and trusting Him alone for their salvation, they can become antagonistic towards Him. And when that happens, when someone who began a journey of faith, turns away from the faith in their hearts, they can unwittingly become a person by which Satan now sows his own works and agenda's through them. Thus the root of bitterness is referring to the individual who though starting out with a profession of faith In Christ, falls short of the grace of God and apostates from the faith. And having done so they will have degenerating effects on the lives and especially the faith of those around them. For such individuals will not only begin to call into question the Authenticity and Authority of God's Word, but as they become more emboldened in their unbelief and rejection of the Lord, they will start living lives and justifying practices that are utterly hostile to both Him and it. And so we must all be weary of such individuals when we become aware of them. In the Book of Revelations there is mentioned a woman referred to as "Jezebel"; an O.T. reference to the godless wife of king Ahab who not only stirred him up to do all kinds of evil (1 Kings 21:25), but having killed the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4) she by her harlotry's then went on to lead the nation of Israel astray from the Lord. And so this woman in the church of Thyatira being called by the Word of the Lord "Jezebel" is clearly indicating that she is "a root of bitterness" amongst them, by which many were becoming defiled. And yet this woman was calling herself a prophetess! And so whether by the complacency or compliance of the church leaders in that congregation she was being allowed to teach and seduce the people of God into committing sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols! (see Rev. 2:18-29). Therefore the root of bitterness, the apostate individual whose heart turns away from the Lord is again utterly toxic to any congregations well being. Now that reality is also made clear in verse 16 where the example of Esau is used to describe the apostate. For Esau though the firstborn for a single morsel of food went on to sell his own birthright, (a warning for us all to heed because there are people who have started out well in the faith and yet for a "single morsel of food"; i.e. maybe an adulteress affair, or maybe for the love of money etc. have likewise sold their own birthrights!) and having done so Esau would then go on to take wives for himself from Ishmael that were a grief to the mind of both his father and his mother; meaning that he was now wilfully living antagonistic towards them and their beliefs (see Gen. 26:34-35). Therefore as verse seventeen makes clear there is no repentance for the individual who likewise makes a wilful and decisive rejection of the Lord and His salvation for them (also see Hebrews 6:4-6).
Scripture Quotations
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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