A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 14

Let us finish out chapter five before we get back to Melchizedek.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 Forwhen for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

This passage is an interlude in the discussion on the King of Righteousness so the preacher can point out the failings of his intended audience. Remember, these were Jewish Christians, most of whom were learned beyond their fellow Jews. They should have been the ones preaching and teaching about Christ from the scriptures. Instead, the preacher has to chastise them for forgetting what they have learned in the Bible.

They proclaim themselves to be mature believers in God, but they have fallen to the level of immaturity that requires them to be fed the simple teachings again like a baby needs milk before it is weaned. Just like that baby can’t digest meat and other foods before its stomach is developed enough, these immature believers can’t handle the meat of the Word until their faith develops enough to digest it. The preacher is frustrated at their lack of understanding. And he’s really taking it out on them.

But what about us? We’ve had the Bible all our lives, and we hear a preacher every week. Are we ready to digest the meat of the Word? If you don’t understand the simplicity of the heavy stuff, you too may require bottle feeding from the milk of the Word and not the meat. Examine yourself to see what spiritual diet you need, and then consume it.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until September. If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. You can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.