Hebrews

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Hebrews 3:11

This verse completes the references to Psalm 95, it being an exact quote of verse 11 of that psalm. The people of Israel had tested the Lord, tried His patience, gone astray in their hearts, and had not known the Lord’s ways. This continued on throughout the entire duration of their time in the wilderness. Therefore, the Lord’s wrath was aroused to the point where it says, “So I swore in my wrath.” He was pushed to the point where He swore, meaning He made an absolute statement which would not be revoked.

The “wrath” which is referred to by the psalmist, and which is then again referred to here in Hebrews, is originally recorded in Numbers 14:26-35. It is a promise that those of the congregation of Israel, who had been brought out of Egypt and saw His marvelous workings on their behalf, would be consumed in the wilderness. They would not be allowed to enter Canaan as He had said to them when He led them from Egypt. This is what the next, and final, clause of the psalm is referring to with the words “They shall not enter My rest.”

The “rest” spoken of here is receiving the inheritance promised to them. It is entering and possessing the land of Canaan. This is seen, for example, in Deuteronomy 12:9 –

“…for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.”

The reason they would not enter and possess was because of unbelief, as is noted first as a warning to the audience of Hebrews in verse 3:12, and then as explained of the people in the wilderness in verse 3:19. The people lacked faith (belief) in the Lord, and He said that because of this, “They shall not enter My rest.”

This is important to understand. Verse 3:6 is a verse (as noted at that time) which is used to show that we must persevere in our own selves in order to keep our salvation. However, verse 4:3 will negate uch a thought when it explains that, “For we who have believed do enter that rest.” It is not something that must be attained; it is something that has been realized – and that through belief.

The author is clearly showing the difference between those who have not believed and those who have. If those who have believed have entered their rest, then it cannot be that when he speaks of a future entering into God’s rest, that it applies to those who have already attained that state.

The word translated as “rest” here is found only once outside of the book of Hebrews, in Acts 7:49 when speaking of the place of the Lord’s rest. Now, it will be used eight times in chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews. Though it is speaking of Canaan as the anticipated rest for the people of Israel, that is only being used as a picture of entering God’s true rest, which is the promise of dwelling securely with the Lord for those who are saved. Tied up in this then is the “rest” of God which is noted in Genesis 2:3 –

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

That “rest” of God was then cited as the basis for Israel’s observance of a Sabbath day in Exodus 20:8-11 –

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

The Sabbath, then, was given as a sign to Israel of the rest which God was in, and which would someday be granted to the Lord’s people. Entrance into Canaan was a picture of entering that state of rest – God’s eternal Sabbath. These things need to be understood now because they were only pictures, not the reality themselves. It is by faith in Messiah that one actually enters into God’s rest. First, this happens upon belief in the work of the Messiah. In that act, a person is given the guarantee of having been placed positionally into God’s rest (Hebrews 4:3). It is done in God’s mind. At some future point, that guarantee will then actually be realized when we enter into His presence.

How can it be verified that these two rests – the Sabbath and entering Canaan – are only types of heaven? Because Moses did not enter Canaan (God’s rest). If those in the wilderness were actually not saved, Moses would not be saved. However, Moses is clearly accepted by God as evidenced by his presence with the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration as is recorded in the gospels. He was not lost, nor was every person in the wilderness lost eternally. Further, those who did enter Canaan would all be considered “saved.” However, Joshua 7 will show that Achan was destroyed soon after entering Canaan because of his faithlessness. Therefore, these things are recorded as examples of spiritual truths only.

Those who were saved, and those who are not, are up to the Lord. What is important to understand is that Israel was collectively being used as types of what occurs in the individual now in relation to Christ – believe and be saved (enter God’s rest), or be condemned through unbelief.

Life application: The study of Hebrews brings out truths which are often very hard to grasp. It is as if they are right at the edge of our thinking, but it seems as if words are actually insufficient to properly explain what is occurring. Such is not the case, but clinging to the commentary of a single individual will inevitably leave a void in our understanding of what is being relayed. Read the word, think on the things it says, check out various commentaries, and then read the word and think on what is being said again. In the end, the one thing that is sure is that we are saved – eternally – by having faith in Jesus Christ.

Lord God, You gave us types and pictures of what You would do in the coming of Messiah all throughout the Old Testament. Each story, each law, and each precept was given to help us understand Him and His work better. In His coming, we can read those things and see the marvel of what You have done through Him. Thank You, O God, for the wonder of life in Christ. By simple faith in His work, everything from those writings then makes sense. We have a sure hope which is grounded in Him! Amen.

Tuesday, 11 September 2018

Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’ Hebrews 3:10

These words continue with the quote from Psalm 95, specifically verse 10 –

“For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’”

In this verse, he begins with, “Therefore.” That is not a part of the psalm, but it is inserted by the author of Hebrews to show the logical outcome of what transpired. That outcome is based on the content of verses 3:8, 9 which speak of the hardening of the hearts of Israel, and of their provoking and trying the Lord. In response to that, the outcome is stated beginning with, “I was angry with that generation.”

The word translated as “angry” is found only here and in verse 3:17 of this chapter. It signifies feeling indignant at something. The Lord had displayed His greatness among Israel, and they had constantly rebelled against Him. Thus, He was truly irked at them. Based on this, the Lord then says, “They always go astray in their heart.”

Several of the wonders performed by the Lord were noted in the review of verse 3:9. That was but a few of them. Further, the cloud and the pillar were always present with the people. As it says at the close of Exodus –

“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. ³⁷ But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. ³⁸ For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”

Despite the wonders, despite the continuous and visible presence of the Lord, and despite His corrective measures, Israel never stopped going astray in their hearts. It is the theme of their lives, being a contrary and stiff-necked people. The Lord could have eradicated them, He could have sent them back to the bondage of Egypt, or He could have multiplied their punishment of forty years of wandering if he wished. But forty years was sufficient to show that they would not change even if the time was doubled or tripled. They had proven themselves unable to be corrected. And this was because, as the Lord says, “And they have not known My ways.”

To know means both to understand and to acknowledge. The Lord had given His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances. They were given to instruct and guide the people. And yet, they neither grasped the importance of them, nor did they acknowledge their usefulness in either daily life, or in a proper relationship with the Lord. In the end, the reason for this comes down to a single word, faith. The people failed to trust the Lord and have faith in His decisions. The miracles worked among them were unable to correct the hardened state of their hearts, and the Lord thus made a determination concerning them. That is the subject of the next verse in Hebrews. It is a subject which will then be discussed in great detail by the author as he continues.

Life application: We don’t have the miraculous outward displays of the Lord before our eyes as Israel did, but we do possess two things which should stand as sufficient evidence of the Lord’s presence among us. The first is His word. It testifies to us of Him, and it should be sufficient to convince us of His presence in an ongoing way in the world today. The second is the ability of the word to change the lives of those who accept it for what it is. So many have been changed by the word, so continuously and for so many centuries, that it confirms the power of the word. We ignore this at our own peril. Be sure to believe the gospel message which contains such transformative power and be sure to apply the precepts of the Bible to your lives each day.

Lord God, there is power in the gospel message to change lives – both of individuals, and of groups of people. It has been preached for 2000 years, and those who have received it have had changed lives. In Your word, and in what it brings about in others, we have all the surety we need to accept it for what it is, by faith. Thank You that we have such a sure and precious word. Amen.

Monday, 10 September 2018

Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years. Hebrews 3:9

The words here correspond to Psalm 95:9, 10. As you will see, the “forty years” is connected to the following clause in the translation from the Hebrew –

“When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
¹⁰ For forty years I was grieved with that generation,”

It is a close citation of the Hebrew, but it much more closely matches the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The words, “Where your fathers tested me,” speak of “the wilderness” mentioned in verse 3:8. Mentioning the fathers is a way of tying the Jewish audience of Hebrews directly in with those who were disobedient. In essence, he is saying, “The very same people that you descended from are those who tested the Lord.” They were under the covenant that the Lord had made with them, and yet they pushed Him to the limits in regard to that same covenant. Going on, he then says, “tried me.”

The sense here is setting about to make an experiment of how much the Lord would endure. He set the parameters for faithful obedience, and they would step over those boundaries to see what they could get away with. The Sabbath law was given, and an example of Sabbath-breaking is recorded (Numbers 15). The regulations for the priesthood were given, and two of Aaron’s sons decided to go beyond those guidelines (Leviticus 10). The line of the priesthood was determined, and yet certain Levites challenged that decision (Numbers 16). On and on it went with Israel, both testing and trying the Lord. The idea is that Israel set about to push the Lord’s buttons, wondering what kind of a reaction they could get out of Him each time.

Tied into this, the verse next says, “And saw My works.” This is certainly speaking in a two-pronged way. First, they saw His works on behalf of the people. He brought the great plagues upon Egypt. He brought them out through the Red Sea. He guided them with a pillar of cloud and fire. Again and again, His works were on display so that nobody could deny that He had done those things. And yet, they rebelled against Him; and they moaned, complained, and rejected Him. When they did, He would show them His works in another way. He would bring judgment upon them for their disobedience. Time and again such works were recorded, demonstrating that He was displeased with their irreverent and unholy attitude. And this continued “forty years.”

This is the time recorded from the Exodus until their entrance into Canaan. The exact time-frame is recorded first in Numbers as a surety that it would come about, and then in Joshua showing that it had occurred –

“According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. ³⁵ I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.” Numbers 14:34, 35

“For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord—to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’” Joshua 5:6

As a parallel to this, the Lord Jesus gave Israel another chance to turn from their ways and to come to Him. From the time that the gospel was preached, until the overthrow of Jerusalem, it was again a forty-year period. Jesus told them that this would be as the sign of Jonah to them. This is recorded in Luke –

“And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, ‘This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.’” Luke 11:29

The sign of Jonah was his preaching to the people at Nineveh (see Luke 11:32), which said that destruction would come in forty days. Like Israel in the wilderness, a day for a year was applied to Jesus’ words, and forty years later, the temple was destroyed. The people had again rejected the Lord, and they suffered for it.

The author of Hebrews is writing to them during this forty-year period. However, his words speak out to the Jewish audience of today, warning them of what will come upon them for continuing to reject the Lord and pursue their own perverse path.

Life application: The Bible says –

“That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

When will God’s people wake up and pay heed to the lessons of the past? God doesn’t change. By learning what pleases or displeases Him, from what is recorded, we can make right decisions about how to conduct our own lives. Let us study the word of God, and rightly apply it to our lives.

Heavenly Father, Your word is given to us to show us many things. One of those things is to know what is pleasing to You, and another is to know that which displeases You. By knowing how You have dealt with people in times past, we can know how You will deal with us now. Give us wisdom to not reject this, but to realize it as a certain truth. And then help us to live in accord with what You have revealed. May we be pleasing to You always through knowing and living out what You have revealed. Amen.

Sunday, 9 September 2018

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness, Hebrews 3:8

Here now is cited the next lines of Psalm 95:8 which read –

“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,”

The Hebrew words are meribah (rebellion) and massah (trial), and they speak of the times when the people rebelled against the Lord (Exodus 17:7 & Numbers 20:13) and when they tempted the Lord (Exodus 17:7). The words of this verse in Hebrews are taken from the Greek translation of the Old Testament and they include an article before the word “trial.” Thus it more appropriately says, “In the day of the trial.”

In other words, the verse is speaking of the time of Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness, from the Exodus from Egypt, at the beginning (Exodus 17), all the way through until the end when they were ready to enter Canaan (Numbers 20). They had rebelled, and they had tested the Lord. By citing it this way, it showed that they were disobedient through and through. Their hearts were hard, their necks were stiff, and they remained stubborn.

The author here in Hebrews now cites this in his parenthetical words (remember that verse 3:7 said “Therefore,” and verse 3:12 will say, “Beware”). Citing the psalm is a warning. “Do not harden your hearts,” asks them to not ignore the divine call of God in Christ. God called Israel in the wilderness and gave them the covenant. Christ fulfilled the law and instituted the New Covenant. They are being implored to recognize this and not turn from it “as in the rebellion.” The word here signifies “to make bitter.” The people stirred up bitterness and irritated the Lord through their lack of faith.

The words then continue with, “As in the day of [the] trial.” The word “day” signifies the entire time frame of the wilderness wanderings, not just a single day. It was a time of trial. The Lord tested the people’s faithfulness, and the people tested the Lord through their unfaithfulness. The idea of testing the Lord is not one of testing Him to do evil (as is noted as impossible in James 1:13), but that His patience towards their actions was tested. In those who demonstrate a lack of faith in Him, the response is wrath.

All of this was “in the wilderness.” The people tested and provoked the Lord continuously. They did it concerning the lack of food, and He gave them manna. They did it at the waters of Massah, and He gave them fresh water. They did it at the incident of the golden calf, and the covenant was reestablished. They did it at Taberah when they wanted meat, and He gave them quail. They did it in Korah’s rebellion, and on the next day after punishing many, He spared them. They did it in the account of the spies who disheartened the people. They did it after that when they determined to go up to Canaan without the Lord’s approval. They did it again at Kadesh when they again lacked water. Even Moses disobeyed through unbelief and struck the rock when he was told to only speak to it.

Again and again, the people provoked the Lord and tested Him. The author cites this because it shows an on-going, even continuous, streak of faithlessness in the provision of the Lord. If the people were judged because of this, how much more should they be judged for rejecting the greater promises found in Christ Jesus!

Life application: The Lord has provided the redemption. He now expects us to demonstrate faith that this is the case. How can we properly live in His rest, when we fail to recognize that we have already been granted it through faith in Christ? In the end, the only ones who actually suffer are us. Let us stand confidently in the faith we have professed in Christ, and let us not test the Lord in our times of affliction.

Heavenly Father, it is not an easy thing to place our faith solely in You, but this is what we are asked to do. Israel was led into the wilderness, and they were wholly dependent on You. In that day, they provoked You and they tried Your patience in their lack of faith. We have been redeemed, and yet we still act in the same manner. Why should we lack faith or be fearful when the outcome is assured? We have all we need in Christ to sustain us for eternity. Is today not a part of that as well? Help us, Lord, in our lack of faith. Amen.

Saturday, 8 September 2018

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice, Hebrews 3:7

The word “Therefore” is asking us to consider what has been put forth so far. Christ has been presented as greater than Moses who was faithful in the house of God as a servant within the house, meaning those of the Old Covenant. Christ is over the house as a Son, meaning those of the New Covenant. The implication is that the covenant Jesus has established is superior to the covenant given at Sinai, because Christ, the Lord, gave both covenants, and the second is administered by Him personally. The author is addressing the Hebrews who might be considering a return to Moses, rather than accepting the provision of the New Covenant, but that would be a step down and back to a lesser. It would be a rejection of the greater covenant brought forth by God in Christ.

Because of these things, the author then adds in several verses which are considered parenthetical. The word “Therefore” is actually tied to the word “Beware” which is given in verse 3:12 – “Therefore … Beware.” With this understanding, the author begins his parenthetical thought with, “as the Holy Spirit says.” He will next cite Scripture, meaning that the words are inspired by the Holy Spirit. What he cites comes from Psalm 95. This quote here is the last line of Psalm 95:7 –

“For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you will hear His voice:”

The English translation generally gives an incorrect sense of what is being said in the Greek. “Today” signifies the present. This word will be presented several times in the verses and chapters ahead. When it is, it is normally translated with a capital T, even when it is cited apart from the verse. The capitalization is a highlight on the thought of Today as being whatever moment is being referred to.

The psalm is speaking of the rejection of the Lord in the wilderness wanderings, even before entering Canaan. It is written by David (see Hebrews 4:7) many generations later – Today. The author of Hebrews is quoting the Psalm at the time of Christ – Today. The epistle is directed to the Jews of the end times (after the epistles of Paul) – Today. One must understand the importance of Today in Hebrews to grasp what is being said to the Jewish audience, understanding that it is especially addressed to them.

The author then completes the verse with, “if you will hear His voice.” The words make one think of “If you are willing to hear His voice.” This is not the intent. Rather, it is an imperative – “Oh! That you would hear His voice today.” This can be taken in one of two ways, either, “obey His voice,” or “pay attention to His voice in what will continue to be said in the words of the Psalm.” Either way, it is asking for the reader to be mindful of the word of the Lord. Albert Barnes notes what this actually signifies in a full sense –

“His voice – The voice of God is speaking to us:
(1) in his written word;
(2) in the preached gospel;
(3) in our own consciences;
(4) in the events of his Providence;
(5) in the admonitions of our relatives and friends. Whatever conveys to us the truth of God, or is adapted to impress that on us, may be regarded as ‘his voice’ speaking to us. He thus speaks to us ‘”every day’ in some of these ways; and every day, therefore, he may entreat us not to harden our hearts.”

Life application: Today is the day. Paul says that Today is the day of salvation. This is true any day it is Today for the one who does not yet know the Lord. Today is also the day for the believer to present the good news to the unbeliever. Today is all we have. Yesterday cannot be reclaimed, and Tomorrow is a mere hope which may never come. Today we are to be about the Lord’s business before Today is no more and our chance has passed for conducting the work of Today.

Lord God, Your word speaks of Today as being the day. We have no chance of returning to Yesterday to correct deficiencies, to right our wrongs, or to make up for what was left undone. We also have nothing in Tomorrow, except a hope which may never come to pass. Today is what You have given to us to do what is proper and honoring of You. And so help us to use Today wisely, knowing that this day which we possess is destined to end. May we use Today to Your glory. Amen.