Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. — Hebrews 10:35

In 1876, a young Scottish woman named Mary Slessor applied to be a missionary after being inspired by the life of David Livingston. After three months of training, she set sail for Africa, arriving in Calabar, Nigeria, just over a month later.

This was by no means a safe field for a young single woman at that time. While the slave trade had recently been abolished in the country, witchcraft, spiritism, and cruel tribal customs were commonplace. Regard for women was nearly non-existent. There was little value for human life, and infanticide and human sacrifice took place. In addition, disease was rife: most men who served on the mission fields there never returned to their homelands. In fact, the location was sometimes called the “White Man’s Grave.” 

Despite these daunting facts, Mary bravely threw herself into the work she felt called to do, laboring without a team or a family. Unlike most missionaries, she lived among the native people, in spite of constant danger and several bouts of severe illness. Over time, she became fluent in the local language, Efik, and developed an extensive knowledge of their culture.

One custom that especially broke her heart was the killing of twins. The common belief was that twins were the result of a curse caused by an evil spirit, so the babies were murdered and the mother shunned from society. Mary determined to fight against this evil practice. One day, overwhelmed and depressed at the immensity of the task, she knelt and prayed, “Lord, the task is impossible for me but not for Thee. Lead the way and I will follow.” Rising from prayer, with her confidence in God’s power renewed, she said, “Why should I fear? I am on a Royal Mission. I am in the service of the King of kings!”¹

God rewarded that confidence. Mary’s determination began to win her the respect and favor of tribal leaders. Over the next several decades, God enabled Mary to rescue many twins and minister to their mothers. She even adopted several babies who had been left to die, and raised them in her own home. She urged the leaders to treat women and children better and to put an end to all the killing. By her deep love for the people, she showed them God’s love, and over time many of these practices stopped. The government even gave her the role of magistrate, the first woman ever to hold such a position, so she could continue to help the people solve their problems without killing one another.

Because of her faith in the all-powerful God and her love for the people of Nigeria, God was able to use Mary to transform whole communities with the Gospel. Today, many hospitals, schools, orphanages, and churches exist because of the impact Mary Slessor left in West Africa.

While most of us will not be called to serve on foreign mission fields or accomplish physically dangerous ventures for God, we will face spiritual challenges. How important it is to keep a steadfast confidence in God no matter where we serve Him or what we are called to do! Like Mary Slessor, when the task seems immense, we should turn to God in prayer. He is ever faithful, and He will never fail us.

How is your confidence toward God today? When difficulties arise, are you looking at the circumstances and wondering how God could allow this to happen? Or are you trusting Him implicitly regardless of the challenges? Don’t cast away your confidence when trials come. Follow the example of Mary Slessor and countless others heroes of the faith, and rely upon the One who never fails.

BACKGROUND

Verses 19 through 22 of chapter 10 are the climax of the doctrinal portion of the Book of Hebrews. Here, the writer pointed out that the sacrifices of the Law were insufficient, that Christ’s sacrifice abolished that old sacrificial system, and that believers have been granted access to God through the priesthood of Christ.

The Book of Hebrews is a study in contrasts, and this passage again illustrates that. The Old Covenant was limited, but the New is everlasting; the Old was fearful, the New brings forth boldness in hearts; the Old required many sacrifices to be made continually; in the New Covenant, Christ was offered once for sins forever.

In verses 23 through 29, the writer gave a strong warning about the importance of placing the proper value on the sacrifice Jesus made. If a person who has once been a Christian counts “the blood of the covenant . . . an unholy thing,” what hope does that person have of salvation? For that man, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, because he has rejected his very means of approach to God by denying the power of the Atonement. The writer was dealing with the sin of turning from the faith and forsaking the whole plan of redemption that God has laid out for mankind. This passage in the epistle to the Hebrews served as a reminder to its audience — the Hebrew converts to Christianity — to keep their confidence in Christ’s atonement.

The Hebrew Christians were exhorted to assemble together and to encourage one another in love and good works. They had evidently gone through much persecution, and they needed to hold on with patience for God’s promises.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)
III.   The application: the life we should live because of His life and work
     A.   Exhortation to devotion (10:19-39)
           1.   The exhortation (10:19-25)
           2.   The warning (10:26-31)
           3.   The assurance (10:32-39)
                 a.   The past manifestation of faith (10:32-34)
                 b.   The present challenge to patience (10:35-39)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Looking again at verses 19-25, list the actions which the readers were exhorted to take.
   
   
2. After reading verses 26-31, how would you describe the confidence level of a person who has “sinned willfully” and dishonored Christ?
   
   
3. How does your obedience to Christ affect your level of confidence toward God? If there is an area of your life in which you should be “doing the will of God” but are not, what can you do today to obey the Lord in that area?

CONCLUSION

Confidence, boldness, and the absence of fear are all mentioned in this passage. In each case, the blessing — the good part, the benefit — is directly linked to our obedience to Christ. Even our position as “brethren” is contingent upon our remaining faithful.

¹Anne Adams, “Mary Slessor,” History’s Women, FT Publications, accessed October 28, 2024, https://historyswomen.com/women-of-faith/mary-slessor.