Danger of Doubting
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Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ” Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 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. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Harden’s your heart
Harden’s your heart
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.
Hardness of heart- stubbornness speaks of disobedience.to God
Its when we know what is right but we convince ourselves that the other is better. or that it will be okay or what choice do we have.
Israel in the wilderness time and again disobeyed God because they doubted his love and his power.
It ended in them not getting to go to the promised land because they doubted that He was able to conquer the Canaanites
Therefore they wandered the desert 40 years till that generation died
Indeed the entire Old Testament is a story of the hardness of heart of Israel. One which we should listen to and learn from.
Causes you to Stray from God
Causes you to Stray from God
Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ” Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Notice what is says in vs 12 that an unbelieving heart causes you to fall away from God.
You are either drawing nearer to God or farther from him.
A stubborn heart causes you to disobey God and to go astray.
Notice His complaint is that their hearts go astray that they have not known his ways.
Obedience is key here. I think all to often we allow ourselves excuses and convince ourselves that our sin is okay but God says you must obey.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Angers the Lord
Angers the Lord
Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’
Notice God’s Response to doubt
it angers him - I was provoked with that generation
I wonder how God reacts to our generation
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
Notice who he was mad with
Those who heard and yet rebelled.
These are people who were following God
Hes not mad with the Egyptians who stayed behind hes not mad with the Canaanites though he did get mad with them in this case he is mad at the Israelites who were following him through the desert. He is mad at the ones who have heard his commands and still disobey.
Because of their disobedience they die in the desert. Punished for their sins.
Two lessons here one is sin always brings consequences. Two is that following God is not enough.
You realize that Judas gave up everything he had to follow Jesus for 3.5 years. yet in the end rather than obeying Jesus he turned Jesus over to the Pharisees for a little pocket money.
I firmly believe you can follow God and not be saved because you have not submitted to his Lordship of your life. Obedience is necessary.
Prevents the Blessings of God
Prevents the Blessings of God
And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Ultimately we know that the Israelites died in the wilderness due to their unbelief. They believed the Canaanites were too strong for them and their God. Their faith was in physical strength not the Lord and therefore they died.
They missed out on the blessings of the Promised Land. I believe we can miss out on those blessings as well. We must be rooted in Faith in order to obtain the blessings. It is only when we trust God that the blessings come