Christ is Greater…Lesson 1 Con’d…Pearl Stringing
Pearl Stringing
Half the battle of Bible study is REMEMBERING what we read. So chunking the text into parts that make sense in our heads is very important.
For example, in Hebrews 1, this is how I chunked it in my head (your chunks may be different and that’s ok):
I. The Authority of Jesus established, vv. 1-4
II. Jesus has authority over Angels (vv. 5-7, 14)
III. Jesus has authority over Government (vv. 8-9)
IV. Jesus has authority over Nature (vv. 10-12)
V. Jesus has authority over enemies (v. 13)
I want us to think about verses 5-13 for moment. Depending on the translation you use, many of those verses may be in all caps. I know in the NAS this is the case. What does that mean? It is telling us that those scriptures in all caps are quotes from the Old Testament.
So the author of Hebrews has strung together a tapestry of Old Testament scriptures to tell us something very important. This practice is known as “pearl stringing” and was a fairly common Jewish teaching technique. Paul employed this technique in several of his writings, like Romans 3:10-18.
There is always a BIG point to pearl stringing. In Hebrews 1, the author is establishing Christ’s authority over pretty much everything! And the author does so by backing up the claim with a string of evidence from scripture. In Romans 3:10-18, Paul was establishing the total depravity of mankind. When you come across these strings in scripture, look for the common thread holding them together – it will BLESS your heart!
I would love to hear from you. What are your hallelujah moments in chapter 1? My hallelujah moment is knowing that no matter how out of control life seems to be – Christ has authority over ALL of it! Leave a comment and share your HALLELUJAH…
PS…Here is your Hebrews At A Glance Chart. This chart is for you to fill in with titles of each chapter. Many Bibles have already done this for you, but when you do it for yourself, it is much more meaningful. So think about what the big idea is in chapter 1, and come up with YOUR OWN title.
Great Lesson! Thanks for teaching us a way to remember scricpture in chunks. I like that and will use it more. The end is my favorite where he makes your enemies a footstool for your feet. I don’t like to think about my enemies or having enemies personally. It is nice to know that when I feel attacked by enemies whether it is spiritual warfare of wars of the flesh, or within I can turn to Jesus and he will take care of them all without me having to do much of anything but ask and it will be done. I might not know it when he decides to take care of it. I might not see it in my lifetime. But he said he would and I can be confident he will take care of them for me. HalleluJah!!!
Well hallelujah to that Linda. Jesus has conquered the ultimate enemy – Satan! THX for sharing.
Well the last verse in Hebrews 1, verse 14 says this; Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? The first question you may ask is who are the ministering spirits? They are angels. The second question to be answered is who are the heirs of salvation? Well that is those who choose to accept Jesus by grace through faith. So here this verse says that angels are the ministering spirits of those who are saved by grace through faith. What does a ministering spirit do? In some studying I have learned that they fight the malice and powers of evil spirits. They destroy their enemies. They also comfort their souls. So we should thank God for ministering spirits. It is true that we are entertaining angels unaware!
Thanks for sharing Kelli! God takes care of His own in so many different ways! It would probably blow our minds to know just how active these ministering spirits are! And Christ is in charge of all of them! God is the LORD of Hosts – the angel armies!