August 6 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The letter to the Hebrews constantly compares the old covenant with the new covenant to show that the new is better than the old.

This time the comparison is between Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, and Christ, by whom we have entered the new covenant. The point is, Moses was great, but Christ is greater.

Both Moses and Christ are called "faithful." Moses was faithful as a servant, and Christ as a Son. Moses was faithful in God's house; Christ, as the Son, was faithful over God's house.

Israel is called a house or household of God, and the church of the New Testament is also called a household of God. The two are compared with each other. The conclusion is that it is greater to be a member of the church ruled by the Son than to be a member of the people who were taught by Moses, God's servant.

Today the importance of the Jewish people is loudly proclaimed by many Christians. But the writer to the Hebrews says that the house of God in the New Testament is better than the house of God in the Old Testament. Why? Because Jesus is more than Moses.

The Hebrews to whom he was writing were Jews who had accepted Jesus as the Messiah. The writer was telling them that by moving from the household of Moses to the church of Christ, they moved from the lesser to the greater. And they will remain the household of God only if they continue in the freedom and hope God has now given them in Christ.

The Bible wants us to acknowledge the riches of the church of the New Testament as compared with God's people under the old covenant. We should realize anew that Christ and his household belong together. You cannot have the one without belonging to the other.

REFLECTIONS

The writer tells the Hebrews (and us) that we are the house of God. What does that mean to you?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.