Hebrews 5:1-14

5:1 | In OT times, the high priest was ordained or appointed for men in one area only: for the spiritual (things pertaining to God) assistance of all. He was a specialist in representing humanity to God. He was not a politician or a social worker. His goal was to bring people closer to God.

5:2 | to have compassion means “to moderate one’s feelings, deal gently, treat with mildness.” This phrase, found only here in the NT, pictures the contrast between indifference and sentimentality. The high priest could empathize with those who were ignorant and going astray, that is, those who unintentionally sinned. No provision existed, however, for the unrepentant, deliberate lawbreaker.

5:4 | Only members of Aaron’s family could be priests (Ex. 28:1). Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, so His qualification differed from that of Aaron: His came in being called by God the Father (1 Tim. 2:5) - the same who appointed Aaron into the priesthood.

5:7 | Jesus made prayer and supplication His life’s habit. At every turning point - as well as in day-to-day living - He was found praying. SThe intimate picture of Him in the Garden before His crucifixion is recounted here to demonstrate just how human and completely dependent on the Father He was.

5:8 | In His life on earth, Jesus was not shielded from suffering. His sufferings were real and intense, encompassing every human woe. That is the difference between innocence and virtue. Innocence is life untested and triumphant. Jesus was tested and triumphant because, in the testing, He learned obedience.

5:12 | The author of the book of Hebrews indicts the people to whom he is writing because, as followers of Christ, they had received a great deal of instruction and should have been able to instruct others. First principles of the oracles of God literally means “the simplest and most rudimentary facts of the sayings of God”.

5:13-14 | A spiritual babe is one who has never grown beyond an elementary knowledge of Christ (1 Cor. 3:1-3; 13:11; eph. 4:14; 1 Pet. 2:2). Skill in the use of God’s Word comes as believers learn to apply His principles to all of life (Matt. 5:6; Phil. 1:6; 2 Pet. 3:18).

The Bible, a handbook for living, contains all a person needs to know to live the life God intends!