SEEKING BETTER THINGS

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. . . . But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (Hebrews 7:22; 8:6)

Devotion 15 of 26

A BETTER AND ENDURING SUBSTANCE

"For you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven" (Hebrews 10-:34)

There were numerous benefits under the Old Covenant. A synopsis of some of them is found in Deuteronomy 28:3-8. "Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

There is no question concerning the impressiveness of these promises. Also, it is beyond all controversy that God was, and is, fully capable of making them come to pass--both on an individual and collective basis.

There are some who are holding forth these commitments to the children of God today, promising believers unprecedented prosperity in this world. However, they conveniently overlook the stipulation given with these promises. "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today . . . " (Deut 28:1). There was no provision for the slightest measure of forgetfulness or disobedience. No degree of inconsistency was allowed.

As wonderful as those promises may appear, they are all temporal. There is no promise of glory! No promise of sins forgiven! No promise of eternal life! No promise of being with the Lord forever! There was no promise of Divine fellowship, working together with God, or inheriting the world to come. While none of these things were promises under the Old Covenant, they are all promised under the New Covenant.

In addition to all of this, the Israelites were not spiritually equipped to have their goods taken from them as those of our text. That was a grievous curse. When their goods were taken from them, they did not take it joyfully. Note the sharp contrast of or text. "For you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven." The person who believes can let go of the treasures of this world, knowing they have better ones in heaven.

Note the superiority of the New Covenant. It offers better substance to us; enduring substance. There is also the personal knowledge, or persuasion, of the reality of that "better and enduring substance." Faith convinces the heart it is personally owned, by the grace of God.

We do well not to neglect this aspect of our salvation. A religious posture that leaves us anchored to this world is one fraught with jeopardy. The New Covenant is preparing us to exit from this world, not settle down in it. For this reason, it provides us with enduring substance in heaven, where moth and rust do not decay and thieves do not break through and steal. The Gospel not only alerts us to the existence of that substance, but will persuade us it belongs to us, if we will believe it.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Your Son for providing an enduring substance that is better than all the world has to offer. Help me to see it more clearly, and to hold to it more firmly.

-- Tomorrow: A BETTER COUNTRY --