Read through the Bible in 2 years: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. … And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”

Hebrews 5:1, 4-5 ESV

I love doing little word studies, how about you?

If so, then today’s your lucky day. 😃

If not, then I hope today’s study will win you over! 😂

I often like to study the original Greek or Hebrew words, but today I decided to study the English word “appointed.” I think this word jumped out at me this morning because it’s also in my life verse, 1 Timothy 1:12-14. Paul said,

“I thank him who has given me strength,
Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful,
appointing me to his service,
though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor,
and insolent opponent.
But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 1:12-14 ESV

One easy way to research a word in the Bible is to open up the Blue Letter Bible app (Available for Android and Apple) or website and simply search the Bible for the word you’re interested in.

Unfortunately, if I typed in the whole word “appointed,” then I’d only get the exact word “appointed,” and I’d miss “appoint,” “appoints,” “appointing” and so on. So, instead, I typed this: “appoint*”.

The asterisk at the end means that the word can end with other letters, so the search will return words that begin with “appoint” but have different word endings, such as appoints, appointing, appointed, and appointment.

My results included 196 verses in the ESV translation, so here’s just a smattering of the results.

• “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”” (Genesis 4:25 ESV)
  
• “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (Genesis 18:14 ESV)
  
• “And you [Moses] shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”” (Numbers 3:10 ESV)
  
• “But he [The Lord God] is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.” (Job 23:13-14 ESV)
  
• “Before I [The Lord God] formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 ESV)
  
• ” And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17 ESV)
  
• “Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”” (Jonah 4:6-8 ESV)
  
• “And he [Jesus] appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14 ESV)
  
• “And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child [Jesus] is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed” (Luke 2:34 ESV)
  
• “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.” (Luke 10:1 ESV)
  
• “You did not choose me [Jesus], but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16 ESV)
  
• “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48 ESV)
  
• “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”” (Acts 17:30-31 ESV)
  
• “And I [Saul-Paul] said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.'” (Acts 22:10 ESV)
• “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,” (Acts 26:16 ESV)
  
• “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:2 ESV)
  
• “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28 ESV)
  
• “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you–” (Titus 1:5 ESV)

From this list, I noticed that people can be appointed to a specific job or responsibility by God or another person, but only God can appoint events. For example, God can appoint a whale to swallow Jonah or a plant to grow over him, but no man can do this.

I also noticed that often it was God who was the one who appointed a person to a specific job or responsibility. For example, it was God who appointed Jeremiah to be a prophet and Paul to be His servant and witness.

In today’s passage in Hebrews, the high priest had to be appointed by men and by God. The high priest could not take this honor for himself. Likewise, even Jesus Christ Himself was appointed by His Father to be made the eternal high priest. Even He did not exalt Himself. Even Jesus was submissive and humble before God the Father.

Think of all the things we are trying to take for ourselves and make for ourselves. We want to be our own boss. We want to “make things happen.” We want to be the “master of my fate” and “captain of my soul” like William Ernest Henley’s poem, “Invictus” says.

Instead, I pray that we would just be thankful for Jehovah God, the ruler over our lives, the One who controls our fates and pilots our ships. I am so incredibly grateful that I am not the captain of my own soul for I know that I would lead myself astray like the foolish sheep that I am. How about you?

Let’s pray.

Oh, Heavenly Father, thank You for the comfort it is to know that You are on Your throne. When things in our world and in our lives seem out of control, You are still very much in control. Your Word says that it has been appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment. I pray that You would draw each person reading these words into Your kingdom. Open their eyes, Lord, and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. It is in the name of Jesus that we can pray boldly and with confidence. Amen. (Scripture references: Hebrews 9:27, Acts 26:18)