Solid food, which is for the mature, refers to the word of righteousness (5:14; 1 Cor. 3:2). The word of righteousness is more difficult to discriminate than the word of grace and the word of life. Righteousness always refers to God’s government and governmental dealings. After considering the whole book of Hebrews, I have found that it is not only an unveiling of Christ on a higher level but also of God’s divine government among His chosen people. For instance, 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Furthermore, 12:29 says that “our God is a consuming fire.” In 10:30 we are told that the “Lord will judge His people.” Verses like these can be found throughout the book of Hebrews. All five warnings in this book are based upon the fact that in Hebrews God is not the God of love but the God of righteousness, a consuming fire in His governmental dealings with His people. The book of Hebrews is not constructed with God’s love; it is constructed basically with God’s righteous government. It is a revelation of God’s dispensational and governmental dealings with His people.
Consider the children of Israel. Although God loved them, delivered them from Egypt, and took care of them in the wilderness, their whole history is a picture of God’s governmental dealings. In the wilderness God dealt with the Israelites in a governmental way. Because of this, not many of those who came out of Egypt during the time of the exodus entered into the good land of Canaan. Consider, for example, the way in which God dealt with Miriam, Moses’ older sister, who had criticized him for marrying an Ethiopian woman (Num. 12:1-15). As a result of her criticism, she became leprous and was shut out of the camp for seven days. Moreover, due to God’s governmental dealing, she was not allowed to enter into the good land but died in the wilderness (Num. 20:1). It was the same with Aaron (Num. 20:22-29). Even Moses touched God’s government wrongly and was governmentally dealt with by Him (Num. 20:12). He earnestly desired and longed to enter into the good land, but God, according to His governmental dealing with him, did not allow him to enter in. Sympathizing with Moses, He did allow him to look upon the good land (Deut. 3:23-27; 4:21-22; 32:48-52). By these cases we see that it is a serious thing to touch God’s government.
Christians do not understand the word of righteousness concerning God’s governmental dealings. Such words are like hard bones, and many, unable to understand them, throw them away. But whether we understand these words or not, we are still under God’s governmental dealings. In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we see God’s righteous governmental dealings. The word regarding God’s governmental dealings is the word of righteousness, not the word of grace nor the word of life.
If you still do not understand what the word of righteousness is, read Hebrews 3 and 4 again. The word about not entering into God’s rest is a word of righteousness, not a word of grace. In 3:15, a quotation from Psalm 95, we are told, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation.” Hebrews 4:11, another word of righteousness, says, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.” Keep in mind that the word of righteousness is deeper than the rudiments of the beginning of the oracles of God, because it embodies the deeper thought of God’s justice and righteousness in His dispensational and governmental dealings with His people.
Very few Christians today care for this kind of word. When we began to teach people about Matthew 25 more than forty years ago, telling them that the slothful servant would be cast into outer darkness, many rumors were spread about us. Some would not take the word of righteousness which unveils the truth that a saved person can be cast into outer darkness. Matthew 25 is not a word of grace, nor a word of life; it is a word of righteousness. The same is true of 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. In that portion of the Word we are told to take heed how we build in the church life. If we build according to the human, fleshly, and earthly way, we shall be building with wood, hay, and stubble. Everything built with these materials will be burned, and those who build with them will suffer loss. This does not mean that a saved person can be lost; it means that all he does may be burned and that “he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:15). This certainly is the word of righteousness. Few Christians care for such a word. They only want “candies,” messages that comfort and soothe them. If anyone would stand up and declare to them that if they do not heed the Lord’s word of righteousness they might be cast into outer darkness (Matt. 25:30) or be “saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:15), they would not listen to him, but rather would oppose and condemn him as heretical. While most Christians only want “candies,” in this Life-Study of Hebrews we are burdened to care for the solid food, the word of righteousness. We all must be careful about this, for someday the Lord will meet us.
In the past, I have pointed out a number of times that the book of Revelation closes with a promise and a call. The promise is in Revelation 22:14: “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to eat the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Gk.). The call is in verse 17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” In these two verses we have a word of grace (v. 14) and a word of life (v. 17). However, now I wish to point out that the book of Revelation also ends with a word of righteousness. We find this in Revelation 22:12: “And, behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Are you ready for His coming? His coming will not be a time of grace nor of life; it will be a time of righteousness. This is the reason the Apostle Paul, who was very much concerned that when he had preached to others, yet he himself might be “a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27), said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Revelation 2:10 speaks of the crown of life, and 1 Peter 5:4 mentions a crown of glory, but here Paul refers to the crown of righteousness. Many Christians are curious about the Lord’s coming, but they do not realize that He is coming with a reward. He will not come with two eyes of mercy but with seven burning and searching eyes of judgment. This is a word of righteousness. We do not need a word of “sweets,” “candies,” or “desserts.” We need solid food—the word of righteousness. In these messages the Lord has released a solemn word to us. We must cross the river and go on. Do not fool around with the Lord.