The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

38 . . . . These are all functions of the new covenant. 58 Application of the Theme 11: 1-12:29 At this point the essentials of the author's message have been communicated . All that remains is to give a hearty exhortation to respond to the new revelation from God by faith and hold fast their confession. Chapter eleven is replete with examples of people who responded properly to revelation of God in their time, thus providing encouragement to the readers. Chapter twelve involves specific exhortations to obedience and patient endurance , and concludes with a final warning not to turn back, once again inviting the comparison between the old covenant (12: 18-21) with the new covenant (12:22-24). He once again interprets apostasy with Old Testament examples that are covenantal in character (12:14-17). He refer to the "bitter root" in (Deut 29: 17-21) and to Esau (Gen 25:29-34). With the example of Esau, apostasy is defined as a decisive contempt for the gifts of God secured on the basis of covenant and as a rejection of a significant vocation deffned through covenant. Esau is the person who breaks covenant with God and who experiences divine rejection and the irretrievable loss of covenant blessing. 59 The theological and pastoral climax of the homily is to be found in 12: 18-29 a it combines in majestic form, themes and motifs that have been introduced throughout the lett r. 58 "Behind the writer's di cu ion there can be di cerned the languag and imag r f the peace or fellow hip offering.. .. According to the OT, a covenant a eal d ith a fellow hip offering ignifying the acceptance of the arrang m nt b th parti ip nt ( f . d 20 :24 ; 24 :5). The fellow hip meal, which wa the di tingui hin featur f th p ff rin , pre ed the firm covenant tie binding G d and hi people.. Th xhortation in 10:22-25 pp ar to re t n pattern f pea e f rm . Acee t d ha ing b en e ur d thr u h th pur or l 1per ather for mutu l xh rt ti n t f ith , h p nd I . Thi a reflec.ts th th Id n nt p pl , f r h m th p c mmumt t the c en nt mmumt enJ 9 1 id ., 4 n nt f ithfuln nd l u ht t d 1 r t th th n hip n , Hebrew , 1