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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.” 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. ~ Hebrews 3:12-19
Today, we continue our study of Hebrews 3 which contains the second of five warnings regarding backsliding spiritually. Hard heartedness is the threat that we are considering here in Hebrews 3. Hard heartedness is the product of not hearing God's voice, which enables us to experience fellowship with Him. "To hear" in Hebrew includes the nuance of not just hearing sounds, but also of being defined by what we hear. And, this word clearly shows us that it is much more about a relationship God than it is just about obeying Him.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."
This warning is a warning about the condition of our hearts. You see, it is the spoken word of God that keeps our hearts in check. The greatest evil in the world is unbelief in the God of the Bible. That’s the greatest sin we could ever commit for it is out of a heart of unbelief that all sin comes forth. And, the preventative measure is the word of God which leads us into an interactive fellowship with God whereby He speaks with us and we speak with Him. It is a relationship that facilitates communion between us and God. And, turning away from Him in this manner ushers in the unbelieving hard heart that is spoken of in this chapter.
In v.13-15 we read, "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."'
Part of the remedy for hard heartedness is to come alongside one another. The word translated "encourage" in v.13 is the Greek word paraklētos which is the name of the Holy Spirit, the One called alongside to help.
The word "deceitfulness" at the end of v.13 means trickery. Sin is so tricky, it always masks itself. Sin deceives us to believe it is good and if we are not walking close to the Lord, we will be tripped up. This is why we must come alongside one another daily, making sure we are walking with the Lord.
In v.14 we are reminded that having come into a personal relationship with the Lord, we will persevere in our walk with Him. Whereas our justification or rightness before the Lord is solely based on what the Lord Jesus did on the cross, our sanctification is largely dependent upon us hearing His voice and having that vibrant walk with Him. This is why in v.15, the writer of Hebrews repeats the admonition that He first gave in Hebrews 3:7-8.
In Ezekiel 36:26 we read, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." All along it has been about a personal relationship with God enabling us to experience fellowship with Him whereby we are gaining the confidence to entrust our hearts to Him.
In v.16-18 of today's passage we read, "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?"
God delivered Israel from their slavery to the Egyptians by doing all sorts of amazing things through Moses. Once the people were free, and were traveling through the wilderness, they constantly gave in to an unbelieving heart, even though God did many amazing things on their behalf. In resisting God's definition of and for their lives, the Israelites resisted the process of sanctification whereby God was trying to give them His culture. And, because they rejected His culture, they suffered from not having the life God desired for them and they suffered from not being useful to God in the lives of others. You see, this is the point of our sanctification, influencing others eternally for their good and for His glory.
Before entering the promised land, Israel sent in some spies to see what they could expect to encounter upon entering because, after all, it was not a vacant land, it was inhabited by all sorts of peoples. The spies completed their recon trip and upon returning, with a couple of notable exceptions, they informed the people that there were giants in the land and they had no hope whatsoever of being able to successfully take the land.
The blessings the Lord has in store for our lives each day, we can not fathom unless we are connected to Him in obedience and fellowship daily. Our relationship is based solely on what the Lord Jesus did on the cross, but, our fellowship God is largely determined by our diligence in practicing His presence. There is one commodity that is demanded if we are to know these blessings, and that is, faith, which is a bi-product of His spoken word.
Everybody lives by faith, even the atheist. In fact, while driving a car, no-one drives in constant fear that in their lane around the next corner there will appear a 40-foot concrete wall out of no where. We trust the people who made the highway. But, if we can put our faith in the Highway Department, we can put our faith in the God of the universe. We will never enter into His rest, in this life, unless we give safe haven to a soft, pliable heart that is daily vulnerable to Him and His leading. From this vantage point, life becomes a positive adventure. Yes, it will be scary at times, but, this type of faith keeps our hearts from returning to stone.
This is why God ends this chapter with v.19 which reads, "So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief."