Hebrews 3:5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
In verse 5 God continued to refer to Moses as a faithful servant in all his house. We have already noted that Moses was not the Creator. He was a man born of a woman. He was born a sinner and trusted in the true God and then was chosen by God to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt. As the leader he was given instructions from God with regard to the law and to the building of the Tabernacle. He followed those instructions carefully and faithfully. The law and the tabernacle pointed to Christ. He was a faithful prophet and gave pictures of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 6 we see that Jesus Christ was the Son over His own house. He built the house and He had rule over His house. Those who are saved are part of that house. We see here again of the unity that should exist among God’s children. We have the same Lord and we should be submissive to His Word. This fact is not well accepted among those who claim to be saved. That is why we see so many different religions, most of which are of the Protestant flavour. The Protestants protested Rome and some were kicked out of the Roman church and others chose to separate from her. However, none of the Protestants made a clean break with Rome and thus we see them going back to Rome today. Most are quite comfortable in working somewhat in step with Rome.
However, those who are of Christ’s house must hold fast to the confidence and rejoicing of the hope in Christ, firm unto the end. God’s gift of salvation is eternal. The life He offers to those who humble themselves and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation is eternal life. The saints hold fast to the truth. We do not hold fast in order to be saved or in order to secure our salvation. We hold fast because we are saved and we believe the truth.
The Word of God is our Anchor. The danger is always to want to let the truth slip. The Word of God is pure and we must continue to look to the Word of God and then we will not slip.
Thus we see in verse 7 that it is important to hear the voice of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is not speaking with an audible voice. He speaks to the heart of man. He reminds us that to day is the day of salvation. The danger is in hardening our hearts as the Jews did in the wilderness. They constantly complained about their living conditions. Yet, they failed to realize that much of the trouble they faced was due to the hardness of their hearts. When they needed water, all they needed to do was to call upon the LORD to provide the water they needed. Their complaining did not get them any quicker results. When they needed food, God provided them with manna. They did not have to sow seed and then tend to the crop and then harvest it. They simply needed to go and collect this manna six days a week and God provided all they needed for their daily sustenance. Their clothes never wore out during the 40 years in the wilderness. Their sandals also did not need replacing. However, they were a very discontented people. They failed to accept the fact that they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness because of their rebellion. That generation was not fit to enter the land of promise.
God reminded the Jews living at the time of the writing of this book that their fathers had tempted God. That is never a wise thing to do. They also tested God to see if He would be faithful. It was not God that needed testing. It was the people that needed testing. God led them safely into the promised land. A generation died out in the wilderness due to their sin, but God kept their children alive and healthy. They did not enter Canaan on the brink of death. They were healthy and strong and able to march around Jericho once a day for 6 days and then 7 times on the 7th day.
The nation had 40 years to observe God’s faithfulness. Sadly they chose not to learn to trust God, but rather they continued in their rebellion.
In verse 10 we read that God was grieved with that generation. They made a very foolish choice. They made that foolish choice wilfully. They proved God and they knew He was faithful. However, their hardened hearts did to allow them to appreciate that faithfulness. God declared them to be a people that do alway err in their heart. They were persistent in their defiance of the truth. They chose not to know God’s ways. They chose not to trust God.
Thus in verse 11 God made a promise to them. They would not enter into the rest that He promised Abraham in the land of Canaan. We need to be careful that we do not follow the promises that are meant to be warnings. We need to follow the promises that are designed to be a blessing.
In verse 12 we see that the generation alive at the time of the writing of this book needed to listen to the warnings given. They needed to be careful that they did not harbour that evil heart of unbelief. That unbelief reveals itself in departing from the living God. That was a problem in the first century churches and it is still a problem today. Most churches today are not recognizable from what the Bible declares. The immodesty and the use of perversions and the adaptation to ‘worship teams’ who lead in the worship of the flesh and the devil and many other things are all indications of the failure of most religious groups today. Most have come to accept this as the norm. However, it is not the norm. It is foreign to the will of God.
In verse 13 we see that we are to exhort one another daily. The Greek word translated as “exhort” means “to call near” or “to implore”. Is it not strange that so many professing Christians avoid exhortation today? They do not want to be reminded of the truth. They do not want to be called back to the Bible. They want to have a stamp of approval upon their rebellion.
You can see what people want by where they go. You can see what people do not want by where they refuse to go. They want entertainment. They want compromise. They do not want truth. The truth is on the narrow road that has the strait gate.. Most want the broad way. They suggest that doctrine divides and we really cannot know for sure what God wants of us so let’s just forget about details and let’s just love one another. That brand of love is not a Biblical love. It is a selfish love. Many will be shocked in the end just as Jesus warned in Matthew 7:21-23:
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
God’s requirements have not changed. His holiness has not been tainted. His truth is still absolute. The indwelling Holy Spirit is still working in the hearts of the saints to bring them into closer alignment with what God requires.
Pastor Bartel
