Heb
3:12-19 (ESV) Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort
one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of
you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we share in Christ, if
indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not
harden your hearts as in the rebellion."
16 For
who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt
led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with
those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he
swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19
So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
NOTE: I believe the
passage and the warnings are written to believers (vs 12, brothers; vs 12, fall
away from the living God; vs 13, exhort one another; vs 14, we share in Christ;
vs 14, our original confidence). Therefore, a believer can harden his heart
just as believing Israel (those who passed through the baptismal waters of the
Red Sea) did when the rebelled against God. The very people who were saved from
slavery in Egypt, and were passed over during the death of the firstborn, these
people were disobedient and exercised unbelief. The unbelief was not an
unbelief in God--not after ten miraculous plagues and many other signs. The
unbelief was a failure to believe that God cared for them individually. The
believed in God's existence and power, but they did not believe in God's care
for them as individuals. Hence, they struggled with the idea of entering the
land, fearful of what might happen to them. They complained about water and
food despite what they had seen because they weren't sure God cared for them.
Yes, God cared for the big picture "nation" and his name, but did he
really care for the obscure little person? I believe that real faith, the kind
that allows us to enter the promised rest here and now exists for those who are
believe that God cares for them individually. And that despite all that may be
happening, God is aware and God is working good out of whatever situation for
our best. That is real faith and that is the kind that yields the promised
Sabbath rest for believers.
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