Hebrews 3 - The Danger of a Hardened Heart!
Jesus Greater Than Moses
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,”[a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
For the Jewish people the two greatest figures in their history were Abraham and Moses. The writer of Hebrews contrasts the ministry of Jesus with Moses. Moses was faithful to God to deliver the Ten Commandment.. Importantly the writer says Moses was faithful "in all God's house", but Jesus was "over God's house".
Then he says that we are "his house". Jesus is the foundation of God's house, and we are being built into it and upon it. Our job is to keep focused on Christ who is our hope and glory.
According to Morris, the ancient Rabbis considered Moses to be the greatest man ever, greater than the angels. The writer to the Hebrews does nothing to criticize Moses, but he looks at Moses in his proper relation to Jesus.
1 Peter 2:4-5 says we are being built up a spiritual house. God has a work to build through His people, even as one might build a house. - Guzik
Warning Against Unbelief
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways. 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”[b]
The writer continues to compare and contrast the church with the people of Israel. This is referring to when the Israelites tested God by quarreling with Moses and demanding water at Meribah. Despite God's miraculous provision in the wilderness, they still not trust Moses, his servant. This made God angry enough to tell them they would never enter their rest.
This came true as this generation never made it to the Promised Land. The author points out a key difference. The author mentions the voice of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit showed up in specific times, specific places, through specific people. But now the Hebrews had the Spirit living inside of them.
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”[c]
The writer gives them a way they can avoid the sinful and unbelieving hearts that the Israelites developed in the wilderness. He says, "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today".
Not only does he say we need to encourage each other but he says daily. In fact is so urgent they need to do it "Today". This shows how quickly our hearts can get hardened. This teaches us the great value in having people in our lives who speak truth to us. When someone falls away from Christ, they usually start avoiding their Christian friends. They feel convicted by their lifestyle.
Do you have a close Christian friend(s) who encourages you regularly if not on a daily basis? Our capacity to deceive ourselves is strong, which is why we need a brother or sister in Christ to speak the truth in love to us.
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
The author ends on an ominous note. Due to their sin, they perished in the wilderness. God gave them forty years but after a certain amount of rebellion, God gave them what they wanted ... a life without Him.
This was a stark reminder that though God is merciful to us when we fall away, we need must not take God's grace for granted. When we continue to rebel against God, our heart begins to harden, and if we are not careful it can harden to the point of walking away from God. Though God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, He will eventually give us what we want.
Christians must be vigilant against hardness of heart. That hidden sin you indulge in – none suspect you of it because you hide it well. You deceive yourself, believing that it really does little harm. You can always ask forgiveness later. You can always die to self and surrender to Jesus in coming months or years. What you cannot see or sense is that your hidden sin hardens your heart. As your heart becomes harder you become less and less sensitive to your sin. You become more and more distant from Jesus. And your spiritual danger grows every day.
What is your heart condition? Not your physical heart, but your spiritual heart. Is it soft and pliable? Meaning are you sensitive to hearing God's voice through the Holy Spirit? Is there an area of your life where sin's deceitfulness is beginning to harden your heart?
Who is the person who encourages you in your life? I hope you have someone. The best place to find someone is in the church you belong to. Or, find a church if you don't have one.
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