A WARNING FROM THE WILDERNESS

INTRODUCTION

In the previous study, we considered “The Supremacy Of Jesus Over Moses”...

Jesus was superior, not in faithfulness, but in His person and service

Moses was a servant in the house of God

Jesus, however, is the builder of the house, and serves as the Son over the house!

In Hebrew 3:6, the writer to the Hebrews affirms that “we” are the house of Christ...

Referring to the church, which is the house of God (1 Tim 3:15)

For in Christ, we are now “members of the household of God”, and together with the faithful saints of old (including Moses) we are now “fellow-citizens” in the commonwealth of Israel! (Eph 2:11-22)

Yet our status as the “house” is conditional!

Hebrews 3:6 ASV 1901

6 but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end.

The need for steadfastness explains the exhortations in this epistle...

We saw the first exhortation in Hebrews 2:1-4, regarding the danger of drifting

Now we come to the second exhortation, regarding the danger of departing from the living God in Hebrews 3:7-19

To warn against the danger of departing, the writer appeals to...

DISCUSSION

THE EXAMPLE OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS

Hebrews 3:7–11 ASV 1901

7 Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried me by proving me, And saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways; 11 As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Israel Hardened Their Hearts

The quotation in verses 7-11 is from Psalm 95:7-11

In which the Holy Spirit warned Israel not to be like the fathers in the wilderness

A warning which the Hebrew writer found just as necessary in his day

It is a warning that is necessary in our day as well

In the wilderness, the Israelites had...

Hardened their hearts in rebelling against God

Tested (“tried”) God with their lack of faith

This they did many times during the forty years of wandering, but especially...

At the beginning, with the incident at Massah [tempted] and Meribah [contention] (Ex. 17:1-7)

And, toward the end, with the incident at Kadesh (Num 27:14; cf. 20:1-13)

Therefore They Did Not Enter God’s Rest

God became angry with that generation in the wilderness for their persistent rebellion

Psalm 106:13–33 ASV 1901

13 They soon forgat his works; They waited not for his counsel, 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert. 15 And he gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. 16 They envied Moses also in the camp, And Aaron the saint of Jehovah. 17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And covered the company of Abiram. 18 And a fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked. 19 They made a calf in Horeb, And worshipped a molten image. 20 Thus they changed their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass. 21 They forgat God their Saviour, Who had done great things in Egypt, 22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And terrible things by the Red Sea. 23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. 24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, They believed not his word, 25 But murmured in their tents, And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah. 26 Therefore he sware unto them, That he would overthrow them in the wilderness, 27 And that he would overthrow their seed among the nations, And scatter them in the lands. 28 They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead. 29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings; And the plague brake in upon them. 30 Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment; And so the plague was stayed. 31 And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness, Unto all generations for evermore. 32 They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes; 33 Because they were rebellious against his spirit, And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

So God swore that they would not enter His rest

Numbers 14:22–24 ASV 1901

22 because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it: 24 but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Numbers 14:26–35 ASV 1901

26 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, 30 surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation. 35 I, Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

Of those over the age of 20 when they departed from Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua entered the promised land

The rest (of which there were 603,548 men) died in the wilderness!

Because of hardened hearts Israel departed from God which led to rebellion.

In turn, they fell short of the Canaan rest that had been promised them.

With “A Warning From The Wilderness” fresh on their minds, the writer exhorts his brethren by warning them of...

THE DANGER OF DEPARTING

Hebrews 3:12–14 ASV 1901

12 Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: 13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: 14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end:

There is a Need to “Beware”

A believer can develop “an evil heart of unbelief” (v. 12)

Remember that the recipients of this epistle were “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb 3:1)

The warning against developing a heart of unbelief presumes a real possibility

Thus a “believer” can become an “unbeliever”!

Unbelief is produced as one is “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (v. 13)

Sin is deceitful...

Promising pleasure, power, and prestige

In the short term that may be true, but such things are “passing” (temporary”)

Hebrews 11:25 ASV 1901

25 choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

1 John 2:17 ASV 1901

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Because of its deceitfulness, it is easy to become “hardened” (v. 13)

I.e., to be stubborn and not heed the Word of God

It happened to Israel, and it can happen to us!

The consequence of unbelief is “falling away from the living God” (v. 12)

As one grows in unbelief, so they drift away from God

While a believer remains in fellowship with God, an unbeliever can only depart further and further away from God!

The Solution is: “Exhort one another day by day” (v. 13)

This is how a believer avoids becoming an unbeliever!

Through mutual edification on a daily basis, we can prevent the “hardening” that comes from sin’s deceitfulness

An important part of such exhortation is our assembling together

Hebrews 10:24–25 ASV 1901

24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.

Which should certainly involve assemblies on the first day of the week

Acts 20:7 ASV 1901

7 And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

But with a need for “daily exhortation”, should we be content to limit our assembling to one service a week?

If we have the opportunity to assemble more often, shouldn’t we?

Even if it is only by phone, we should seek to “exhort one another daily”!

Our Participation in Christ is Conditional

Once again we see the conditional nature of our participation with Christ

We are house of Christ “...if we hold the fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm to the end.” (Heb 3:6)

We have become partakers of Christ “...if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence form unto the end,” (Heb 3:14)

What about the security of the believer?

The “believer” does indeed enjoy the assurance of his salvation

But we have seen that a “believer” can develop “an evil heart of unbelief”; i.e., become an “unbeliever” (Heb 3:12)

When a “believer” becomes an “unbeliever”, what promises of security and salvation there may be to the believer are no longer applicable!

Thus the many warnings to remain faithful, including that of our Lord’s

The danger of departing from God is so great, that the writer of Hebrews returns to “A Warning From The Wilderness”...

THE EXAMPLE OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS REVISITED

Hebrews 3:15–19 ASV 1901

15 while it is said, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For who, when they heard, did provoke? nay, did not all they that came out of Egypt by Moses? 17 And with whom was he displeased forty years? was it not with them that sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? 19 And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.

Another Appeal is Made

Quoting again from Psalm 95:7-8 the Hebrew writer applies the quotation to Christians

They need to “hear his (God’s) voice” - remember...

Hebrews 2:1–4 ASV 1901

1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; 4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

That is, hear with a desire to hearken, for they too can easily harden their hearts “as in the provocation (or, rebellion)”

The Need for Christians to Believe, and Obey

In the case of the Israelites, who was it that rebelled?

All those who came out of Egypt (save Joshua and Caleb)!

Though led by Moses, they still rebelled!

We may have been delivered by Christ from the bondage of sin, but rebellion is still possible!

In the case of the Israelites, with whom was God angry forty years?

Those who sinned

And who died in the wilderness as a result of their lack of faith

If we become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, shall we escape judgment?

In the case of the Israelites, who did God not allow in the promised land?

Those who did not obey!

Those who developed unbelief!

Shall we enter our promised rest if we disobey through unbelief?

CONCLUSION

When the apostle Paul related some of the same experiences of Israel in the wilderness, he wrote:

1 Corinthians 10:11 ASV 1901

11 Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

It is for our own admonition that we have such warnings as found in our text...

For the deceitfulness of sin is just as strong today

For the hardening of one ’s heart is just as dangerous today

For departing from God is just as possible today

Thus the potential for falling short of our promised rest is just as much a reality for us as it proved to be for the Israelites in the wilderness!

That is why we need to “exhort one another daily”...

To encourage one another to remain strong in faith (Heb 3:19)

To encourage one another to remain strong in obedience (Heb 3:18)

Have you exhorted your brother or sister lately?

Finally, did you notice how “faith” and “obedience” were used interchangeably in these last two verses?

These terms are not opposed to one another, for in fact Paul himself wrote about “obedience to the faith” (Rom 1:5; 16:26).

Faith is dead unless there is obedience (Jam 2:17, 26), and so those who truly believe will obey.

That is why Jesus can be described as “the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9).