A study of the avoidance of unbelief -Hebrews 3:7-13
Preface
Our culture if not the world measure success by a very different standard than God. Briefly, the world standard of success is prioritized by the following aspects of life and personal achievements such as the accumulation of wealth and material possessions. The world also holds in very high regard, professional accomplishments, education, social status, and power essential in the effective impact in culture and society as a whole.
The Kingdom of God nevertheless, is totally different than that of the world’s standard of success. God is only interested in not so much as what you possess, but what possesses the individual!
Moral and spiritual virtues within the life of His people is of supreme importance. God’s standard of greatness is measured by the following innate qualities of faithfulness, obedience, love, compassion, service, humility, spiritual growth and maturity, just to name a few.
The essence of this blog post is to examine Moses and his life calling and commission, as well as his humanity, only to ask the question, was Moses successful in leading the Nation to the promise land, in spite that he and his generation failed in entering into the land.
In our summary, we will attempt to showcase some of the great spiritual lessons that modern-day followers may learn from in the feature Scripture references.
Moses Calling and Commissioning
In many ways, Moses shared similarities to Jesus. As a matter of fact, one of Jesus’ initial advent prophecy was noted in Deuteronomy 18:15-19, where Adonai will raise up for Israel, a prophet like Moses, and there was an important requirement for the people of God, they are to pay attention to Him.
Some of the similarities between Moses and Jesus are in their divine calling by God into their respective ministries. Both obtained great authority and power to authenticate their ministries for God. Jesus and Moses specifically were instrumental in delivering the people of God from slavery, bondage of sin and death, and earthly provisions throughout their lives, which in the case of Christ, our lives lead to eternal life.
Both also were powerful mediators between God and humanity, with Messiah at present, still is making intercession on behalf of His Body of believers throughout the earth. Hebrews 2:17
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Perhaps the greatest similarity that you and I can share with Jesus and Moses is how both experienced great rejection and opposition.
Moses Rejection and Opposition
Hebrews 3:7-13 is a reminder for this second generation of followers of Messiah to not commit the same mistake that the Nation of Israel made under the leadership of Moses in the Wilderness. Psalms 95:1-11 is quoted by the author to historically remind this audience and our present generation about the two events in Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13.
In both cases, the people of God were without water to drink while quarreling and grumbling against Moses and their fate in the Wilderness. God intervene as mediator using Moses, the elders and Aaron as His visible representatives in communicating the manner in which He would provide the needs of the people.
The first issue of importance is understanding the terms quarreling and grumbling that Moses experienced as God’s chosen leader. The people quarreled publicly against Moses., which means that they took exception to while having a heated argument about the exodus experience that God ordained for them.
Second, in both events, they grumbled, and in essence, were talking discontentment, complaining behind the back of Moses. They also contended against Moses, which implies that they purposed to struggle to surmount (challenge-strive against) Moses mounting an engagement or campaign in order to win or achieve something.
The Heart of the Matter
The essence of this study is to discover the motive and intentions of the people’s rejection and opposition to the things of God and His divine plan for them.
We will examine Hebrews 3:7-8
v7 Therefore, as the Ruach HaKodesh [Holy Spirit] says,
v8 “Today, if you hear God’s voice, don’t harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter Quarrel [as in the rebellion] on that day in the Wilderness when you put God to the test.
Yes, your fathers put me to the test; they challenged me, and they saw my work for forty years! Therefore, I was disgusted with that generation- I said, their hearts are always going astray, they have not understood how I do things; in my anger, I swore that they would not enter my rest. Complete Jewish Bible
Note
I intentionally highlighted the above words in the verse in an attempt to add a deeper meaning to the text. Below is some of the hidden meanings in verse 8.
Today [a time for embracing the salvation graciously offered], if you hear His voice [the Holy Scriptures and or the Gospel message], do not harden, [to dry out, to become inflexible, to become stubborn, by resisting what God says is right.] Another way of describing this term is a person or a people who won’t budge, bend or submit your hearts, [kardia, implying a nation of people’s mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center of being.]
In the context of the Hebrews 3:8 passage, the writer is reminding the second-generation followers of Messiah that today is a time of embracing the freedom of salvation that God graciously offers His people. This source of salvation has many meanings, in the case of the Nation of Israel, God provided them, water, in the case of the Hebrew audience it is Christ.
In whatever manner in which God chose to speak, through Moses or Christ, His people are commanded to hear His voice, which communicates the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel message. The lasting damage to resisting God’s voice is an inflexible and stubborn will or heart.
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37
Overall, the key spiritual lessons from Matthew 12:33-37,stress the significance of our words in reflecting the condition of our hearts, the accountability we have for what we say, and the role of words in our spiritual journey and salvation.
Lastly, there is another term which has a deeper meaning as it is associated with the human will is volitional desire. Volition is something that is done by the act of the will, a decision or a choice. It can also relate to or produce volition, which is the power or faculty of choosing or willing.
Volitional desire can apply to mental processes, movements, or acts that are under conscious control or deliberately decided upon or chosen.
Was Moses a Successful Leader?
Why or what are some of the reasons God forbade Moses from entering into the promise land?
It would be safe to say that Moses’s calling and commission was not in question, but more so about his fragile humanity as a successful servant of God in the Numbers 20:12 rejection and opposition with the Nation.
In Numbers 20:12 (New International Version), God says to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
Moses’ act of striking the rock rather than speaking to it was seen as a lack of faith and disobedience to God’s specific instructions. As a consequence, God decided that Moses would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land with the rest of the Israelites. Instead, Moses would see the land from a distance but would not set foot in it.
Moses was not only God’s faithful servant, but he also was God’s friend! For “the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exod.33:11). Near the end of the book of Deuteronomy, it is written that “no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut.34:10).
In addition, there were other factors that played a major part in his plight.
- His anger and pride are reflected in arrogance which can result in violence.
- He loss forbearance toward the Nation due to their persistent complaining, disobedience toward God and their hard-heartedness.
- Moses displayed mistrust in God, Numbers 20:12.
The author of Hebrews compares this 2nd generation followers to the rebellious exodus/wilderness generation. Some cross- reference passages are Psalms 95:7-11; Acts 7:36, and Hebrews 4:3,5.
The Good News For This Generation of Believers
For us today, here are some of the major spiritual lessons for us to consider from the text.
Hebrews 3:7-16 contains several major spiritual principles that can be gleaned from the text. In this passage, the author of Hebrews is addressing the importance of faithfulness, trust in God, and avoiding disobedience through the example of the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness.
Here are some of the key principles:
- Hearing God’s voice: The passage begins by emphasizing the significance of listening to God’s voice and not hardening one’s heart. This implies that God is actively speaking to His people, and it is essential to have receptive hearts and attentive ears to hear and understand His instructions and guidance.
- Faithfulness and Obedience: The author refers to the Israelites’ rebellion and disobedience in the wilderness despite witnessing God’s miraculous deeds. The lesson here is the importance of remaining faithful to God and obeying His commands, even in difficult or uncertain times.
- Learning from history: The writer reminds the readers of the Israelites’ failures in the past and warns against repeating their mistakes. Studying and understanding the history of God’s dealings with His people can provide valuable lessons and insights into how to live faithfully.
- Rest in Christ: The passage refers to a promise of rest and encourages believers to enter into that rest through faith. This rest can be understood as the spiritual rest and peace found in a relationship with Christ, who offers salvation and freedom from striving to earn salvation through works.
- Encourage one another: The author stresses the importance of mutual encouragement among believers. Just as the Israelites needed to support each other during their challenging journey, disciples are called to uplift and strengthen one another in faith.
- Guarding against unbelief: The passage warns against the dangers of unbelief, emphasizing that a hardened heart can lead to a falling away from God. It encourages believers to remain vigilant in their faith and avoid allowing doubt or disbelief to take root.
- Perseverance in faith: Building on the example of the Israelites’ lack of faith leading to their exclusion from the Promised Land, the passage encourages disciples to persevere in their faith journey. It reminds believers that enduring faith is necessary to fully experience the promises of God.
- Trust in God’s promises: The passage emphasizes the importance of trusting in God’s promises, just as the Israelites were called to trust in God’s provision and guidance during their wilderness journey. Trusting in God’s faithfulness enables believers to remain steadfast and confident in their walk with Him.
Closing Comments
Overall, Hebrews 3:7-16 serves as a powerful reminder of the need for faithfulness, trust, and obedience in the daily walk of followers of Messiah. We today are to become constantly aware of the dangers of falling away due to hardened hearts and unbelief.
It is my prayer that our study and lessons learned from the Israelites’ experiences, all faithful believers can be encouraged to persevere and trust in God’s promises, finding rest and peace in Christ. Amen
Grace and Peace
Brother Alonzo
