The Issue of Rebellion

Introduction: After last week, we now know that Jesus is better than Moses. This seems obvious to us but was a huge statement to the Jews who considered Moses to be the best Jew to have ever lived and some even considered him to be better than angels.

However, there is more to the life of Moses than the fact that Jesus is better. Moses was a foreshadowing of things to come. Moses spoke with God face to face which foreshadowed the access that we have in Christ today where we can enter boldly into the throne room of grace in order to make our requests known unto God. Moses reflected the glory of God after spending time with Him which foreshadowed the day that we would be able to reflect the glory of God after beholding His glory in the face of Jesus by spending time with Him in prayer and reading His Word.

The rest of the chapter then unfolds for us a strong warning. The warning in is to those who know the truth of the gospel, who even confess that it is truth, and yet love their sin so much or fear persecution so much that they have not committed themselves to the truth they know is real. The truth of which Moses testified.

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The Illustration of Israel

The writer of Hebrews starts out this warning by using the illustration of the Israelites.

Psalm 95:7–11 NKJV

For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

The passage quoted here was likely written in the time of David but refers to the time of Moses. The Holy Spirit says here, “Don’t be like the Hebrews who hardened their hearts even though they had seen the proof of God’s care for forty years and continued to not believe in Him. Don’t be like that!”

Again, he starts out this section with the word therefore.

What does the word therefore mean?

The writer of Hebrews actually never tears down the ministry of Moses. If anything the writer of Hebrews exalts the ministry of Moses while drawing attention to the fact that Moses’ ministry was a shadow of things to come. The ministry of Moses was great but it was nowhere near as great as Jesus’ ministry. So, the warning reads like this:

Moses’ ministry was great, yet the Jews of Moses’ day hardened their hearts in rebellion. The problem with the Jews in Moses’ day was not that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that God loved them and cared for them. The problem with the Jews of Moses’ day was that they hardened their hearts in rebellion towards God. For forty years the Jews of Moses’ day tested and tried God to see whether He should be trusted and for forty years God showed Himself trustworthy again and again, yet they turned their hearts away from Him in rebellion. Just as the problem with the Jews of Moses’ day was a matter of the heart so it is with the people of our day. It is not that Jesus’ ministry did not provide enough evidence for who He is. It is not that Jesus’ crucifixion didn’t prove His care for us. The problem with the people of our day is that they harden their hearts in rebellion towards God in spite of the evidence.

Well, we might ask, what was the result of Israel’s rejection of God in the days of Moses? The result is that God was angry with that generation. The word angry (προσοχθίζω) means to stir up or vex. The English translation of the Septuagint’s translation of can be rendered, “Therefore, I loathed that generation.” Well, why was God’s anger stirred up to the point of hatred towards Israel. “Because they always go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” Well, what was the result of God’s hatred towards that generation? “They shall not enter My rest.”

As the Israelites neared the Promised land, twelve spies were sent out before Israel attempted to enter the land. The majority of the spies report was negative. They saw their enemies as giants and themselves as grasshoppers. Only Caleb and Joshua gave a positive report - not because they didn’t think the enemy was strong but because they believed that God was far stronger. Sadly, when compared to God, the people ruled in favor of the giants of the land. Therefore, because the people despised God, God rejected this people from entering into the land of Canaan. These people would not rest. These rejecters of God would wander until the end of their days. The same goes for the rejecters of Jesus. We can stand at the point of decision in our lives and ask God to prove Himself over and over and over, but one day God will say, “It’s over now. You will never rest.”

If Israel had more than enough evidence to believe in Moses’ day, how much more evidence do we have today? Jesus Christ has displayed God to us. He has perfectly communicated God. He is better than the Old Covenant, He is better than angels, He is better than Moses. Unbelief in the face of such overwhelming evidence is tragic and it is the epitome of rebellion.

The Warning

Based on Israel’s unbelief, the writer of Hebrews shouts to us, “Don’t be like them!” The Israelites rejected God’s word through Moses. Do not reject God’s word through Jesus. Again, take the more earnest heed. Don’t drift away. If you are not anchored to Christ you will drift away. If you are not anchored to Christ you have an evil, unbelieving heart. If you hear the gospel and your heart is softened by it’s truth - respond! If you continue in unbelief you will find that your heart will become more hard and rebellious. Continue in unbelief and one day the possibility of entering into God’s rest will pass you by and you will be separate from God forever.

The Instruction

The instruction of this passage for those of us who believe is this: Exhort one another daily lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Did you know that as believers it is our responsibility to warn unbelievers of the trickery of sin? Sin constantly says rebellion against God is not that bad and that trust in Christ is not that important. “Being a Christian is too costly and too boring,” sin says. It is our job as Christians to shout to unbelievers, “No, it isn’t true!”

Confidence

This passage also gives us confidence that we are true believers. We are true believers if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. So, when you here sin say, “Has God really said?,” you can respond, “I have heard His voice and I will not be deceived like those who were deceived in the days of Moses.”

The Real Issue

Unbelief and rebellion is the real issue. It is not the lack of evidence - it is rebellion against clear evidence. The Israelites were not able to enter because of their unbelief and neither will we if we harbor unbelief in our hearts. Many might say, “Well, I can’t believe in someone I have never seen,” yet we constantly put our lives in the hands of those whom we have not seen.

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