Hebrews

Saturday, 22 September 2018

For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. Hebrews 4:2

The word “For” is based upon that which was said in verse 4:1. There, it spoke of the promise of God’s rest still standing, and for those who are being addressed to not feel as if they have failed in their chance to attain it. Understanding this, it says, “indeed the gospel was preached.” This is not a good translation. Although it is the same word translated elsewhere as “gospel,” it is not speaking of the technical term that we consider the preaching of the gospel in this dispensation. Rather, it should say, “good news.” The “good news” of God’s rest was conveyed “to us as well as to them.”

This is speaking of those in the past who were promised God’s rest during the time in the wilderness. The same promise which was made to them was also conveyed, as the author now says, “to us.” The promise of God’s rest is still obtainable, and this is why the previous verse indicated that those now being addressed should not feel as if they have missed their opportunity to enter into it. There still stands the promise of God’s rest. Those in the past heard it, “but the word which they heard did not profit them.”

The Greek reads, “but the word of the message did not profit them.” It is not speaking of the word they heard, but rather the word of God which promised rest. The word of the message was given, but it had to be received and acted upon, and it was not. And why? It is because it was “not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Paul says elsewhere that “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The word of hearing was of no value to them because it was never incorporated into those who heard it.

The Lord promised them rest, and yet they continuously failed to believe Him. Their words and actions demonstrated this. As Vincent’s Word Studies says, “They did not make the promise of rest their own. Their history was marked by continual renewals and rejections of the promise.” Because this is true, the Lord set a new day, calling it “Today,” and offers His rest to the people. The train has not pulled away from the station, and the audience of this epistle has a chance to obtain the rest if they will – unlike their fathers – respond in faith to the word of the message.

Life application: It needs to be remembered who is being addressed. It is a Hebrew audience who is being instructed on the completed work of Jesus Christ. Though it was written in the first century AD while a temple was still standing, its placement in the Bible, after the letters of Paul, show that it is intended to appeal to the hearts of those Jews after the church age. The truths of Hebrews applies to Gentiles, but the main intent of the message is to appeal to the hearts of this group who are seemingly without hope, but who are being encouraged that there is still, in fact, hope.

Gracious and merciful heavenly Father, we can trust in the promises of Your word, because we can see how faithfully you have dealt with Your unfaithful people Israel. The record of their history shows a careless attitude toward You, but You have preserved them nonetheless. You promised this would be the case, and Your promises have remained true. How can we not expect the same when You make sure promises to us? Thank You that we will never be cast away when we come to You in faith. Amen.

Friday, 21 September 2018

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. Hebrews 4:1

The word “therefore” is given for the reader to contemplate what has been said about the people not entering God’s rest because of unbelief, as stated in Chapter 3. From there, it says, “since a promise remains of entering His rest.” This is the key idea of the argument, and it is that upon which the whole discussion turns. There was the promise of rest, it was not believed by the people, and yet now the promise of rest still remains for God’s people. The truth of the matter still stands; it is yet ahead in God’s redemptive plans.

From there he says, “let us fear.” It is these words that actually begin the verse in the Greek. It bears a special emphasis by saying, “Let us fear, therefore.” The emphasis is on the word “fear,” not the word “us.” In essence, “Lest us (each of us within the group should be in the same mind) fear…” The fear he is referring to isn’t a fear of something like wrath or being condemned, but one of uncertainty of an outcome. An example of this thought would be, “O dear, I fear I may have missed the train.” The “rest of God” still stands as a promise and the author says that his readers should fear “lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”

This is not speaking of coming short of it in qualification, such as, “I didn’t make the grade, and thus I am excluded.” Rather, it is speaking of timing and surety of being able to attain what is still available. As Vincent’s Word Studies states it, “Since this promise remains, let us fear to distrust it.” Continuing the example of the train might help.

1) The train is set to take the people to their rest. However, because the people in the wilderness did not believe God’s promise of entering His rest, the train never took them there.

2) The psalmist then said, “Today,” when speaking of hearing God’s voice – the very thing that will allow them to enter His rest. The promise of rest still awaits. If not, he could not say to them “Today.” He is asking them to hear God’s voice (believe), and in believing they will enter His rest.

3) Now in Hebrews, the author says, “Don’t worry, the promise of rest still stands. ‘Today’ is still the day. And because the promise still stands, let us fear to not believe that it is true.” It is God’s rest which is still anticipated, and it is attained by belief in God’s promise. The train is still at the station, waiting to take the people to God’s rest. Let us fear to distrust it. The clock has not run out, the train has not left, and those who believe will be there on time.

It should be noted that the citation by Vincent’s Word Studies (above) is completely opposed by the scholars at Cambridge. They say that the words should be translated as “should seem to have failed in attaining it.” They then explain that with the words, “The Greek might also mean ‘should think that he has come too late for it;’ but the writer’s object is to stimulate the negligent, not to encourage the despondent.”

As you can see, they dismiss the logic of Vincent’s Word Studies. However, the context of what has been said, and that of which is coming through verse 4:10, supports what Vincent proposes. Each point of this will be explained in those coming verses as the author continues. It is true that the author will stimulate the audience to not be negligent, but that is because the promise of God’s rest is still available. The people are not to be despondent that they have missed the train.

Life application: This is a difficult verse to understand without explanation. Translations of the Bible are given to hopefully provide a snapshot of what is being conveyed, but quite often they simply cannot do so without additional commentary. And in reading commentaries, there may be a multitude of opinions on what that one verse is saying. Therefore, it is unwise to 1) read a single translation of the Bible lest an unsound opinion arises about what is being relayed; and 2) to stick with a single commentator on the Bible who may have derived an unsound opinion about what is being relayed. The more versions we read, and the more commentaries we study, the more we will have sufficient more information to arrive at a sound conclusion as to the original intent of the passage.

Lord God, there is a promise of heaven for those who believe in Christ Jesus. We should not fear that we have missed that train because of our past failures, but we should believe in the promise, come to the cross, and receive our ticket which grants us that access. Let us not be despondent that we have missed out because of what has been, but let us be confident in what can be – all because of Jesus. Thank You that the promise is still available to us. Amen.

Thursday, 20 September 2018

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Hebrews 3:19

The Greek reads, “And we see.” The author is not making a logical conclusion (So) based on the previous questions. Rather, he is issuing a statement of fact (And) that “they could not enter in.” The Hebrew people had been brought out of Egypt, they had seen marvelous signs of the Lord’s power and ability to accomplish all that He spoke, and yet every time the slightest difficulty arose, the people moaned and rebelled, acting as if the ability of the Lord to continue saving them was used up. Access to the land of Canaan was paved, but “they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

They were called out as a group of people, and as a group of people, they rebelled. In their rebellion, the Lord told them that they were barred from entering in. Only two were excepted – Joshua and Caleb. All others died along that same paved path. The Lord was not only capable of bringing them out of Egypt, but He was capable of leading them into Canaan, and of subduing the land before them. The only obstacle to the entire process was their unbelief. Because of their failure to believe, they did not obtain their promised rest.

The chapter ends on this note. It is from here that the author will explain what this means to his audience, and how they can ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated in the time set before them.

Life application: Though written to the Hebrews, the lesson to be learned does not change in regard to anyone else. God has spoken. Will we accept His word as it is written out and show faith in what it says? It is obvious that to not accept His word – be it in salvation, or in what salvation means for us into the future – is to openly demonstrate that He cannot be trusted. Let us never wring our hands in worry that even a single word will fail of His promises. He is God, and His word cannot fail.

It is so wonderful to know that we have a sure word from You, O God. And in that sure word, we can and should completely trust. Are You not God? Do You not know the end from the beginning? And is it not impossible for You to lie? As these are axioms, then why should we allow our hearts to fail when times of difficulty arise? Help us to remain steadfast that Your word is given as an everlasting guarantee. Amen.

Wednesday, 19 September 2018

And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? Hebrews 3:18

The rapid-fire questions concerning Israel and their disobedience continue in this verse. The author now asks of them, “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest?” Israel was instructed that they were to go up to Canaan and subdue it, taking it as their possession. Rather than accept this course of action, they believed the bad report of the spies who were sent to determine the status of the land. In their refusal to trust the Lord by accepting that He would go before them and ensure their success, they turned their hearts back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). Because of this, the Lord vowed –

“Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.” Exodus 14:30

The idea of entering God’s rest was to be that of going into Canaan and subduing it. As God’s people, they would dwell in His presence and be free from external worries. It would be typical of heaven, a place of rest in which a state of rest exists. However, the Lord’s words went beyond allowing them to enter the land. Instead, those who were twenty and above would all die before even one of them, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, could put one foot into the land. And this was because, as the author says, they “did not obey.”

The Lord had set them on the path to Canaan, and they refused that path. Their disobedience was a complete lack of faith in the Lord’s promises. What is apparent, from the words of the psalmist, is that not only did the Lord promise that they would not enter His rest, but that rest which was anticipated would be put on hold. The next generation of Israelites entered Canaan, but David shows that the rest which was hoped for was still not realized at his time. The words, “Today, if you will hear His voice,” shows that God’s rest was still anticipated, even at David’s time. This will be explained in Chapter 4.

Life application: Whose voice is it that gives rest? It is obvious that it is the Lord, meaning Yehovah. That is based on the promise of rest being granted to the people of God, even in the Law of Moses. However, David, speaking of the same Lord, will show that His rest had not been realized for Israel. The author of Hebrews says that the rest which was promised is found in Jesus. As this is so, then it must be that Jesus is the incarnation of the Lord, Yehovah. It is hearing and believing His voice that allows entrance into God’s promised rest. Trust in Jesus, call on Him, and enter into the rest of God which has been anticipated since the beginning.

Heavenly Father, it is so very wonderful to know that there is a place of rest set aside for Your people. We look forward to the day when that will be realized in us. You have said that by faith in Jesus, we have entered Your rest. It is as assured to us as the coming of the new day. And so we shall have no fear now as we await the consummation of the promise we now possess! Thank You for Jesus who makes all things new. Amen.

Tuesday, 18 September 2018

Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? Hebrews 3:17

The questioning of verse 16 continues now. The answer to each question is expected to be the same. He had asked who it was that rebelled? He then asked if it wasn’t the same group who came out of Egypt as led by Moses. Indeed, it was so. Israel had been brought out, and they had rebelled. Now he asks, “Now with whom was He angry forty years?” The answer is the same, “Israel.” It was their own forefathers who had rebelled, and it was they with whom the Lord was angry for forty years. That is recorded in Numbers 14:26-35.

The author next asks, “Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?” Again, it was so. Israel had sinned through unbelief. That is explicitly stated in Numbers 14:11 –

“Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?’”

In that verse, the Lord ties their unbelief in with rejecting Him. Because of this, it says that their corpses fell in the wilderness. The word translated as “corpses” is found only here in the Bible. It literally means “limbs.” It is as if they rotted away as they traveled, falling apart limb by limb. It is the description used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and which the author continuously refers to for his citations. The idea here is that the corporate body, known as Israel, fell one after another until they were all dead. With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, all of those counted in the census perished before entering Canaan.

The author is using this example, which is then referred to in the psalms, to ensure that Israel understood that there was collective guilt in the past, and the same was sure to result again if they failed to believe the signs performed among them. This occurred in Israel’s failure to believe the signs of the Messiah. John testifies to this fact –

“But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, ³⁸ that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

‘Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’
³⁹ Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
⁴⁰ ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’
⁴¹ These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.” John 12:37-41

History had repeated itself, and Israel was about to fail to enter into their rest once again. The kingdom age would not come for Israel. But God has promised them this rest, and it will come about. A time is yet ahead in which it will be realized. Until then, their entry is on an individual basis, through faith in Christ. Someday, however, the collective body will believe, and they will enter the rest promised to them.

Life application: The Lord has spoken, and He expects us to believe His word. When we fail to believe, it is a rejection of Him. His word is intricately tied up in who He is. He is not a man that He should lie. When He speaks, it is a reflection of His character. Let us never be found wanting in our belief in His word.

Lord God, Your word is given, and we are expected to receive it as such. We are shown that a lack of belief in Your word is considered a rejection of You. Your word testifies to the coming of Christ Jesus, and thus a failure to believe in that is to reject You. Your word then explains the work of Christ and how it relates to our daily walk. To fail to walk according to what it says is again a rejection of You. Help us to get this straight, Lord. What Your word says reflects who You are. May we hold fast to what You speak, staying true to You always. Amen.