Hebrews 10:32-34 “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”
This passage shows how Paul understands Christian warfare and going through suffering for Jesus Christ.
His epistle tells us that even we are in this together, sometimes the battle is so overwhelming that it makes us want to drop our swords and give up serving God.
This passage also has a doctrinal application for the tribulation saints, highlighting their persecution by the Antichrist before Jesus’ second advent. Nonetheless, it also shows that despite Christians having to go through afflictions for Christ’s sake before the rapture comes, yet we can still find joy amidst the suffering.
The Evoking Of War
The apostle Paul says ‘But call to remembrance the former days‘, he is asking us to recall the days when we endured the fight, how God pulled us through the difficult times.
It is easy to be tempted by the rewards of the world, and also the good lives that the ungodly people are living. Nonetheless, making sacrifices for the Lord is our duty as Christians, we are bound to encounter breaking points, and to face spiritual warfare.
That being said, if we can just evoke memories of our past successes, we can get through the warfare with the grace and mercy of God.
Besides, during warfare, we are encouraged to contemplate God’s miracles and precious promises of His words instead of contemplating on the worst outcome that can happen.
Life as a Christian should be easier than we think, it does not mean that we will be spoiled and have everything our way, but by believing in His words and trusting that God’s promises will keep us through.
The Enlightenment Of War
When we go to the battlefield, make sure that we are fighting the war with clarity, not blindly for Christ.
We are encouraged to stop, hold ourselves, wait on the Lord and fight the war in accord with God’s way.
A lot of times, our distractions actually come serving the world and our own flesh, sometimes even the ministry. Whatever we do, whether is it’s spiritual or not, we need to have wisdom and discernment so that we can do it effectively.
What can help us immensely, is that we need to learn to let go of things that consume a big portion of our energy. We need to learn to make time to do things that will help us to fight a better war for the Lord, even if it means taking time to relax.
The Endurance Of War
In Hebrews 10:32 ‘ye endured a great fight of afflictions‘, we are reminded that when we go to the battlefield, we need to bear the pain, grit our teeth and endure the battle.
If we know the battle is already tough, then why are we still adding more burden unto it?
This means that when the Lord has given us a substantial amount of duties, don’t add more unnecessary weight to burden ourselves, that it affects our efficiency.
We need to trust in the Lord that He gives us just enough for us to manage. This is because He is also preparing us for sudden interference from the devil.
The Entertainment Of War
In Hebrews 10:33 ‘Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock ‘ is basically Paul telling us that as soldiers of Christ, we can sometimes become a gazingstock for the enemy during our battle. The devil will seek to distract us from serving the Lord regardless of how perfect or God-pleasing we think our plan is. His attack will always come out of a sudden and catch us off guard.
We need to be flexible enough to make plans for sudden changes, and even the distractions that appear out of a sudden.
Another great way to reduce interference and distraction is to get rid of them, such as staying away from devices that can cause us to sin.
The Escalation Of War
Paul interestingly writes this in Hebrews 10:33 ‘both by reproaches and afflictions‘.
Paul realizes that it is not just a fight, it is a whole bunch of fights. If we do not accept these fights and try to push them away, we will not be able to move forward and grow spiritually.
Most often we choose to live in an idealized fantasy, rather than facing the reality, which in turn hinders us from conquering the battle. We all have different struggles, and how we fight our battles should be specific to the real struggles that we are facing, and they should not be in comparison with others that are irrelevant.
The Endearment Of War
Paul says ‘and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.‘ When in war, we need to have brothers and sisters as our companions, we cannot do it alone.
Going to Church, and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ will give us the support and strength we need to get by difficult times.
The Enjoyment Of War
We may not enjoy the process of going through the pain and battle, but we will surely enjoy the goods that come out of it.
In Hebrews 10:34, Paul is trying to tell the Christians that when we go through sorrow and pain in life, it does not come without great reward after that.
For example, going through the battle of losing our loved ones may seem tough, but it will eventually yield us outcomes that are fruitful, such as greater maturity, more empathy in our character, great health, or even a prosperous physical life.
Take joy in whatever rewards God gives us for going through the pain so that in all the afflictions that we have to endure in the future, it becomes more bearable, or even enjoyable.