Hebrews 3
THE SON
Here begins the second section of the argument of the first
four chapters (see
summary given under ch.1:5 THE
SON SUPERIOR TO THE ANGELS –
v.5- ch. 3:1).
But though a new branch of the argument begins, it is linked,
after the artistic manner of the Epistle, to what has gone
before in a continuous
chain of thought. This sequence is denoted by the initiatory Ὅθεν – hothen –
wherefore; whence.
1 “Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Christ
Jesus;” This is the attitude which all Christians should maintain
towards
their Lord and Saviour - Wherefore, holy brethren……. consider the
Apostle and High
Priest of our profession! Wherefore, holy
brethren,
partakers of a
heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession, Jesus (Χριστον – Christon – Christ - before Ἰησοῦν – Iaesoun – Jesus –
is
ill supported, and to be rejected from the text). Reference to what has gone
before is perceptible throughout this verse. The persons addressed are “holy,”
as
being among the “sanctified” (ch.2:11); “brethren,” as being, with the writer,
in
this relation to Christ (Ibid. vs.11-13, 17); their calling is a heavenly one,
being
from heaven (ch.1:1) and to heaven (ch.2:10). Jesus is their “Apostle,”
as having
been sent into the world, as above set forth, from God; their “High
Priest,” as
implied, though not distinctly expressed, at the end of ch. 2., which led up to the
idea. “Jesus” is added at the end in apposition, so as to fix attention on Him, as
the
bearer of these titles, who was known by that name in the flesh. On the title
“Apostle,” we may observe that, though it is nowhere else in the New
Testament
applied to Christ, yet its idea with respect to Him is frequent
both in this Epistle
and
elsewhere (compare Luke 4:43; 9:48; 10:16; John 17:3, 18). The word
ὁμολογίας – homologies – confession;
avowal (translated profession – in the
Authorized Version) is generally used for the Christian’s
avowal of his faith
before men (compare ch.4:14; 10:23; II Corinthians 9:13; I
Timothy 6:12). The
genitive here depends on both the preceding substantives, its force
probably being that Jesus, as Apostle
and High Priest, is the object of
our
confession of faith. On Jesus, then, being such, the readers are called to fix
earnestly their mental gaze (even to stare – my translation of ἐθεασάµεθα –
etheasametha – we gaze
in
I John 1:1 – CY – 2014) and in doing so take
further note of His superiority to Moses, which is the subject of
what follows.
Heavenly Things (v. 1)
There are four heavenly things spoken of in this Epistle
which it may be
well here to connect together.
- THE
HEAVENLY CALLING. Elsewhere the upward calling. A voice
out of the pure, the abiding, the unchangeable. A voice of
love, pity,
invitation, authority, such as could not sound from anywhere in this
distracted, defiled world.
- THE
HEAVENLY GIFT. The δώρεα – dorea – gift, the
free donation of
God; the gift bestowed for
men to taste and live by; the bread of eternal life.
Remember what James says, that “every perfect gift is from above”
(James 1:17).
- THE HEAVENLY
COUNTRY. The fatherland; the πατρίς – patris –
country - of the
Christian. The voice from heaven calls us there. The
heavenly gift is for our provision by the way; the manna of our
desert life
(ch.
11:16).
- THE HEAVENLY
fatherland is concentrated. The treasures of a land are represented
in its
capital city.
(ch.
12:22).
Consider Jesus (v. 1)
The exhortation of this verse marks the transition from the
first section of
the
treatise to those which follow. Its reference is both retrospective and
prospective. Indeed, the whole Epistle says in effect, “Consider what is
written herein concerning Jesus; for He is greater than the
prophets, greater
than the angels, greater than Moses and Joshua, greater than
Aaron, and.
pre-eminent among the heroes of faith.”
- A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST.
Ø
The “Apostle” of
the gospel Jesus, the Son of God (and no
longer
prophets or angels), is now THE DIVINE AMBASSADOR TO MEN!
God has sent Him to us, as He
sent Moses (Exodus 3.) to the ancient
Israelites
(here vs. 1-19; ch. 4:1-13). It is singularly appropriate that
Christ, the Sent of God, should
be called God’s “Apostle.”
Ø
The “High Priest” of the Church. As our Mediator,
Jesus draws near
to God for us. He:
o
expiates,
o
propitiates,
o
reconciles, and
o
intercedes (ch. 4:14; 10:21). Through
Christ, as Apostle, God
holds communion with us;
and through Christ, as High Priest,
we hold communion with God.
- A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST’S PEOPLE.
Ø
“Holy brethren.” This phrase evidently looks back to ch. 2:11
and following verses. Believers are so styled on account of their
common oneness with Christ, their Sanctifier
and eider Brother.
Ø
“Partakers of a heavenly calling.” This refers to the sovereign gift of
regeneration, and of the blessings
flowing from it, which all believers
have received. The “calling” is “heavenly,”
because it has come from
heaven; it creates heaven
within us; and it conducts to heaven.
Ø
Confessors of Christ. Jesus expects His
people to make an open and
proud avowal of attachment to Him as their Teacher and Priest.
Believers confess Him:
o
by connecting
themselves with His Church,
o
by sitting at His
table of communion,
o
by defending His
honor,
o
by spreading His
truth, and especially
o
by reflecting His likeness in their lives.
- A DUTY OF CHRIST’S PEOPLE TOWARDS HIM.
Christianity
centers in Christ; in fact, Christ Himself is Christianity.
Personal religion
does not consist in any merely intellectual acceptance of
gospel truth; it is a
life of loving devotion to the living Savior. How necessary, then, that we
“consider Jesus,”
§
earnestly,
§
intensely,
§
habitually, and
make the study of Him the main interest and business of life! We must
“consider” Him:
Ø
To know Him. We are saved through faith in Christ; but knowledge is
necessary in order to faith. If we
would know the Redeemer in His
Person, natures,
offices, and work, we must “CONSIDER” HIM!
Ø
To love Him. A Christian is one who loves Christ; but this love will
fill
his heart only in so far as he gazes admiringly upon the God-Man, who
loved him and gave Himself for him!
Ø
To serve Him.
If we truly love Christ as our Savior,
this love will
control and dominate our life. But, in order to know His will, our
“eyes” must always “look
unto the hand of our Master.” (Psalm
123:2)
Ø
To become like Him. Sanctification can
be effected only by always
“looking
unto Jesus” (ch. 12:2) for
mercy and grace and aid, until
we finally attain the prize of the heavenly calling.
- CONCLUSION.
This subject suggests a test of character.
Ø
Do I belong to the
holy brotherhood?
Ø
Have I accepted the
heavenly calling?
Ø
Do I confess Christ
with my lip and in my life?
Ø
Is the contemplation
of Jesus my most cherished desire?
2 “Who was
faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was
faithful in all his house.” Who was faithful (or, as being faithful) to Him that
appointed (literally, made)
Him, as also Moses was in all his
house. The
reference is to what was said of Moses (Numbers 12:7), “My servant
Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house,” and serves aptly to
introduce the intended comparison of Christ with him. In respect of
faithfulness to Him who constituted Him in his office, Christ resembles
Moses; in respect to His office itself, it is to be shown
that He is far above
him.
Observe:
(1) that “His house” means God’s house,
as is plain from the text cited, i.e.
the
house of Him who appointed Him;
(2) that “in all his house” has reference to
Moses only, not to Christ; for
the
main point of what follows is that Christ is over God’s house, not in
it,
as
Moses was. As to the verb ποιήσαντι – poinsanti – one making (translated in
Authorized Version“appointed“), it
may have been suggested by I Samuel 12:6,
where the Septuagint reads κύριος ὁ ποιήσας τὸν Μωυσῆν καὶ τὸν Ααρων –
kurios ho poinsas ton Mousaen kai ton Aaron – Yahweh
who appointed Moses
and Aaron, the Hebrew verb being hc[",
which seems to mean in this case
“constitute,” not “create.” The preceding words, ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα -
apostolon kai archierea – Apostle and Chief Priest (v.1) though it is not
necessary to supply them as understood, may be taken here to rule
the meaning
of
ποιήσαντι (cf. for a similar use of
the verb without a second accusative
following, Mark 3:14, καὶ ἐποίησεν δώδεκα – kai epoinsen dodeka
– and He
makes twelve; and He ordains twelve.
3 “For
this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
inasmuch as he who hath builded
the house hath more honor than
the house.”
For of more glory than Moses hath this man (so Authorized
Version for οὗτος – houtos – this one -, supplying man, though it is to be
observed that the humanity of the person spoken of is not expressed in
the
original) been counted worthy (ἠξίωται – aexiotai – He has been
counted
worthy – compare ch. 10:24; Luke
7:7; I Timothy 5:17; II Thessalonians 1:11),
by so much as more
honor than the house hath he that built (or, established) it.
Here the account of Christ’s superiority to Moses begins. On the several
expressions used we remark:
(1) The initiatory γὰρ - gar – for
- connects the sentence logically with κατανοήσατε -
katanoaesate – consider
ye - in v. 1, and thus retains its usual sense of
“for.”
(2) The form of
comparison in the Greek, πλείονος ….παρὰ
- pleionos …para –
more…..than - is
the same as in ch.1:4, where the account of Christ’s superiority
to
angels began (on which ch.1).
(3) The (δόξης – doxaes - glory) here assigned to Christ is the “glory and honor”
spoken of above as attained by Him in consequence of His human
obedience
(ch.2:9, “because of the suffering of death crowned
with glory and honor”).
This, rather than “the
glory he had with the Father before the world was”
(John 17:5), is suggested by the word ἠξίωται, as well as by the drift of the
preceding chapters. We may suppose also a reference, in contrast, to the transitory
“glory” on the countenance of Moses (καταργουµένου – katargoumenou – that
which was abolished; was passing away; vanishing-
II Corinthians 3:13), which is
contrasted with the ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης· - huperballousaes doxaes – glory that
excelleth; transcending glory - in Christ. We observe, further, that in the latter part
of
the verse τιµὴν
– timaen – honor is
substituted for δόξης (glory) as more
suitable
to
the mundane comparison of a house and its builder.
(4) κατασκευάζειν – kataskeuazein – to
build; construct – (v. 4) may include the
idea of fitting up and furnishing a house as well as building it. But what
is the
drift of the intended argument? It is usual, with the Fathers
generally, to suppose
that Christ (οὗτος) is intended to be denoted as the Builder or Establisher
of the
house in which Moses was a servant, and that the argument is
that He, as such, is
necessarily greater than the servant, who was but a part of the house,
or
household, thus established. Oἶκος – oikos – house - it is to be observed, may
include in its meaning the family, as well as the house
itself, as may κατασκευάζειν
include the idea of constituting the whole establishment (cf. infra,
“whose
house we are”). Among
moderns, Hofmann and Delitzsch deny this
identification of ὁ κατασκευάσας
– ho kataskeuasas
- one who hath builded;
one constructing with
οὗτος (this Man;
this One) : against which there are the
following reasons:
(a) The SON has not been
represented so far in the Epistle as the
originator of the economy of
redemption. Notwithstanding distinct
intimations of His eternal pre-existent Deity (as in ch.1:1-2, 10),
it
has been as the Messiah, the Apostle and High Priest, manifested in time,
and
passing through humanity to glory, that He has been regarded in the
preceding argument. Nor is there any proof here adduced of His being
the
Builder of the “house,”
so as to justify the conclusion on this ground of His
glory being greater than that of Moses.
(b) The word (ἠξίωται - has been counted
worthy of) suggests reference to the
glory won by Him, “on account of the
suffering of death,” rather than to His
pristine glory as the Divine Builder.
(c) Elsewhere in the
New Testament, when the Church is referred to under
the
figure of a house, it is spoken of as God’s building (ch. 10:21; I Timothy 3:15;
I Corinthians 3:9, 16; II Corinthians
6:16; Ephesians 2:22; I Peter 2:5; 4:17).
It is
never spoken of as Christ’s.
(d) The wording of
v. 3 does not necessitate the identification of ὁ
κατασκευάσας -
with οὗτος. Καθ’ ὅσον
– kath hoson – according to; as
much as - means “so far as;”
it
implies only that the glory of Christ is greater than that of Moses, in
proportion
as the honor of the
builder is greater than that of the house.
(e) The
identification increases the difficulty of understanding the relevance
to
the argument of v. 4, of which more will be said presently. Taking,
then, ὁ κατασκευάσας
, to denote God the Father, we may state the
argument thus: God is the
Builder, or Founder, of His own house.
Christ
has been already shown to be His SON, associated with him in
dignity and
power, and, as such, Lord over his Father’s house. Moses, on the other
hand, as appears from Numbers 12:7, was but a servant in God’s
house. As, then, the Founder is to the house, so is the Son and
Lord to a
servant in it; the Son partaking of the glory of the Founder; the
servant
only of that of the house in which he serves. According to this view of the
argument, the premises have been established, and the conclusion
follows;
the
relation of Christ to the Builder of the house has been set forth in the
preceding chapter, and may be now assumed; that of Moses is
sufficiently
shown by the quotation from the Pentateuch. Thus also vs. 5 and
6 are
found to carry out naturally the idea here introduced, instead
of
unexpectedly starting a different one.
4 “For
every house is builded by some man; but He that built
all things
is God.” For every house is builded (or, established) by some one; but
he that built (or, established) all things is God. Of
the second clause of
this verse “God” is rightly taken by modern commentators as the subject,
not
the predicate, though the Fathers generally take it otherwise. Thus
Theodoret, regarding ὁ πάντα κατασκευάσας
– ho panta kataskeuasas –
the one, the all constructing as
a designation of Christ, views this clause as
an
assertion of his Deity on the ground of His being the Founder of
all things.
But this view introduces an idea out of keeping with the argument,
and especially
with the preceding expression, “faithful to Him who appointed Him”
(v. 2),
in
which Christ, in His office as the Christ, is distinguished
from the Creator of
all
who appointed Him to that office. The verse
seems to be interposed in
elucidation of the preceding ὁ κατασκευάσας
αὐτόν – ho kataskeuasas auton-
the one constructing it - to make it clear that the Founder of the house
spoken of is God Himself, and thus to give full effect to the
proportionate
glory of Christ in comparison with that of Moses. Thus: the glory of Christ
is greater than that of Moses by so much as the honor of the founder of
a
house is greater than that of the house; — of the founder, we
say; for every
house has some founder: but God is the original Founder of all
things, and
therefore of necessity the Founder of this house of His own in which
Moses
was a servant. The verse,
thus interpreted, seems (as intimated there) to fall
in
with the train of thought more naturally than it can be shown to do if
Christ is ‘regarded as the Builder. Possibly “all
things” may be purposely
used to denote the house itself over which Christ, as Son, is Lord. For,
though the expression seems too wide for the limited house in
which
Moses was a servant, it is not so for the expanded and
consummated house
over which Christ in glory reigns; compare ch.
1:2, “Whom He appointed Heir
of all things;” and ch.2:8, “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet;”
the
last being said in special connection with the “glory
and honor” wherewith
Christ “has been counted worthy” to be crowned. It is not necessary to confine
the
meaning of “God’s
house” to the Mosaic dispensation, or
to assign to it
(as some have done) two
separate meanings in the cases of Moses and of Christ.
It may be regarded as a comprehensive term, including in its
general meaning the
Law, the gospel, and the final consummation the whole
dispensation of
redemption, beginning with the Law, and completed at the second
advent.
Moses held office in its early stage, and there only as a
servant; in its
ultimate development it comprises “all things,” and over “all
things,” thus
comprised, Christ, as SON, has been shown to
be by inheritance
ABSOLUTE LORD!
5 “And
Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a
testimony of those things which were to be spoken
after; 6
But Christ as
a son over His own house; whose house are
we, if we hold fast the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the
end.” And Moses verily
was faithful
in all his house, as
a servant, for a
testimony of those things which were
afterwards to be spoken; but Christ, as Son over
His house. We have already
anticipated the
explanation of this passage, which, according to the view taken
above, is a setting forth of the distinction between Christ and
Moses intended from
the
first; that of one being “Son over,” the other but “servant in,” the house
of
God. The rendering of the Authorized Version, “His own house,” in v. 6,
where
Christ is spoken of, is not justifiable. It is true that we
have no means of
knowing whether αὐτοῦ - autou – himself or αὑτοῦ - hautou – this person
here –
was
intended, and that even αὐτοῦ - autou -
might, according to the usage of
Hellenistic Greek, refer to Christ; but if the writer had
so intended it, he might
easily have avoided ambiguity by writing ἑαυτὸῦ - heatou
- oneself; himself.
He has not done so; and, therefore, it is most natural to
take “His house” in
the same sense throughout the passage; viz. as” God’s house,”
referred to in
Numbers 12:7, whence the expression is taken. We observe
further that “the
things that were afterwards to be spoken (τῶν λαληθησοµένων
– ton
lalaethaesomenon – of
the shall be spoken)” must be taken as denoting
the future
“speaking” of God to man “in His SON”
(compare ch.1:1); not, as
some interpret, the speaking through Moses himself in the Law. Moses was
inferior to Christ, not only in respect to his personal position as
a servant,
but
also in respect to his work as such; which was only to testify
beforehand, typically and prophetically, to a fuller revelation to come.
Whose
house we are. Here begins
the transition to the warning intended
when the “holy brethren” were
first called on to “consider the Apostle and
High Priest of
our confession,” who has now been seen to
be so much
greater than Moses. We Christians constitute this completed “house of
God,” over which
Christ reigns as Son; if only warned by the example of
the
Israelites under Moses, we forfeit not our
higher calling. This condition
is
expressed by If we hold fast the
confidence (or, our confidence) and
the rejoicing (rather, boast)
of the (i.e. our) hope firm unto the end.
Παρρησίαν – parraesian - (often rendered “boldness;”
see below, ch.4:16;
10:19, 35) is the confidence felt by assured believers; καύχηµα – kauchaema –
boast; glorying - is
the boast thereupon ensuing. This word (as also καυχᾶσθαι –
kauchasthai) is often used by
Paul (compare Romans 4:2; 5:2; I Corinthians 5:6:
9:15; II Corinthians 1:14; 5:12; 9:3; Galatians 6:4;
Philippians 1:26; 2:16).
Its proper meaning is not (as is by many supposed) the materies
gloriandi, but the uttered
boast itself. . The coneluding
words, µέχρι
τέλους
βεβαίαν – mechri telous
bebaian – firm unto the end - are omitted in the Codex
may have been
interpolated from v. 14, especially as the reading is not βεβαίον
so
as to agree with the substantive immediately preceding, but βεβαίαν, as in
v. 14.
If we remain perseveringly steadfast in our gospel faith,
and joyful in our spiritual
hope, we have therein the evidence that we ourselves belong to God’s house,
the
Church.
The Superiority of Christ (vs. 1-6)
- HERE WE HAVE THE PRE-EMINENCE OF
CHRIST OVER THE
JEWISH LAWGIVER ASSERTED. Having proved that our Lord was by
nature and by His work infinitely above the angels, and that His
assuming
our flesh qualified Him to be the great High Priest, it was
desirable to show
that He was immeasurably greater than Moses, who was the human
mediator in establishment of the covenant and Law. The apostle knew
the
luster with which the name and ministry of Moses were always
surrounded
in the minds of the people of
he proceeds to claim for
Jesus Christ His rightful ascendancy and special
glory. Jewish
believers are addressed as “holy brethren” and partakers of
the heavenly calling, which differed from the calling which
invited the tribes
to march and take possession of
them from heaven and calls them to heaven, and is heard
continually by the
spiritual ear of those who are advancing to the “rest which remaineth for
the people of God.” (ch.
4:9) Moses had a glory which was that of
fidelity
to the thoughts and ideas of Jehovah, who said to him, “See that thou make all
things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” (Exodus 25:40;
ch. 8:5)
When the tabernacle was finished God looked upon the work and
blessed it, because it faithfully
realized His design. He was faithful
in receiving
communications from God and delivering them to the people, and in
publishing
the laws respecting sacrifices, ceremonies, and social life.
He uttered predictions
respecting the future course of
Lord Jesus, and could say, as
Paul said, “That which I have received of the
Lord have I
delivered unto you.” (I Corinthians 11:23) He was faithful to
the interests of the people, and in a time of danger from the
righteous anger
of Jehovah was willing to die for them (Exodus 32:32). He was
a servant in
the house, and ministered under Him
who was its Architect and
Builder. Our
Lord rises
infinitely above Moses, because He is a Son, and by His dignity
and nature is far above all angels, all patriarchs, and
prophets, and even Moses
himself, who spake to God “face to face.” This is confirmed by
the events
of the Transfiguration, for when Moses and Elijah were with
Him in glory
the voice was heard, “This
is my beloved Son; hear Him.” (Matthew
17:5)
The apostle invites us to
consider the sublime edifice of the Church, which is
the work of God, who created all things, in which Jesus
Christ has a special
and glorious ministry as the Son of the Father. He is faithful
as Moses was in
the range of his Divine communications, and said, “Whatsoever I speak
therefore, even as the Father said to me, so I speak” (John 12:50). He
came to do the Father’s will in His mighty and sacrificial
sorrows, and
drank the bitter Cup that we
might drink the cup of blessing. He
promised
to see His disciples again, and to pour out the Spirit upon
them. Peter
stood with joy on the day of Pentecost, and affirmed, “He
hath shed forth
that which ye now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33) The
existence of His Church
proves His faithfulness; for the gates of hell have not prevailed
against it;
and “blessed are all they that trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:12)
- THE NEED AND ADVANTAGE OF REVERENT
CONSIDERATION
OF HIS GLORY. To “consider” signifies to withdraw from the excitement
and turbulence of human life to look steadily at the Son of God,
and resemble, in some degree, the astronomer who enters into
his observatory to gaze in silence on the glory of the heavens
above. It was
needful for Jewish Christians to look to the glory of Christ, as
the best way
to counteract the discouragements which arose from the
opposition of the
synagogue and of those to whom the cross of Christ was a
stumbling-block
and an offence. The truth of His priesthood was to be acknowledged,
and
the glory of His apostleship was to be confessed; for He was sent by the
Father to reveal
His will and claim our faith; and “whosoever
will not hear
this Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Deuteronomy
18:19; Acts 3:23) If the steady contemplation
of Jesus Christ was necessary
for Jewish believers, it is
equally so for ourselves. It is by
beholding Him we
are changed into the same
image of constancy, and hold fast the cheerful
confidence with which we began the
career, and cherish the exaltation of
our hope to the end of our earthly life. Then those who die in the Lord
gain the precious recompense
of the congratulation and welcome of the
Redeemer, who will greet them with those sacred words, “Well done,
good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord.”
(Matthew
25:23)
Believers are besought by the endearing appeal to their brotherhood
to be faithful to Him who was faithful as a Son, to whom they are
predestinated to be conformed; and as He is not ashamed to call us brethren,
we should strive to please Him who encourages us to be
faithful unto death,
and He will give us “the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
Christ Greater than Moses (vs. 2-6)
It was a delicate thing to utter such a thought even to
many of the Jews
who
had embraced Christianity, for the whole Hebrew nation guarded with
intense jealousy the name and fame of Moses. But the writer
acknowledges
to
the full the lofty dignity and splendid services of the ancient lawgiver,
and
then proceeds to show that
Jesus Christ has been counted worthy of
still greater honor.
- CHRIST’S SIMILARITY TO MOSES. (v.
2.) The very fact of a
comparison being instituted between Jesus and Moses reminds us of
Moses’
greatness. Moses had a romantic
personal history; his character
was adorned with the grandest gifts of grace and genius; and
he
accomplished an illustrious life-work. He was a type of Christ both in
character and career. The Jews venerated him almost to idolatry as their
deliverer, leader, lawgiver, prophet, and advocate with God. Now,
Christ
was “a Prophet like unto Moses”
(Deuteronomy 18:15). He is the
Moses of the
New Testament. V. 2 suggests points of
resemblance
between the two.
Ø
Each introduced a new dispensation. “The Law was given
by
Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)
The Jews were “baptized
unto
Moses;” Christians are “baptized
into Christ.” The writings of Moses are to the Old Testament
Scriptures what the granite
formation is to the other strata of the
earth’s crust; so the written life of Christ is the foundation of
New
Testament Scripture.
Ø
Each was divinely commissioned and supported in his work. Moses,
with his marvelous gifts, was raised up and trained and called
by
peculiarly intimate fellowship with God, for “the Lord knew him
face to face;”
(Deuteronomy 34:10) and so did Jesus.
Ø
Each was divinely recognized as “faithful.”
Fidelity to duty is
the crown and flower of character. “My
servant Moses is faithful
in all mine house”
(Numbers 12:7). “This is my
beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him” (Matthew 17:5).
- CHRIST’S
SUPERIORITY TO MOSES. (vs.
3-6.) It was right that
the memory of the lawgiver should be cherished with profound
veneration;
but, behold, a greater than Moses is here. Jesus has merited
still larger
honor.
Ø Christ is the
“Builder”
of the Church; Moses was only
one of
the stones in it. (vs. 3-4) The Son of God, “through
whom
also He
made the ages” (ch. 1:2), is the real Founder of
every dispensation of religion. (I recommend Clarence Larkin’s
Dispensational Truth – CY
– 2014) He redeemed
the Old
and caused it to grow by His Spirit. Moses only introduced the
Hebrew economy; it was God in
Christ who founded it. Moses was
a constituent member of the Jewish Church, i.e. a
ransomed sinner,
saved by grace like other men; a “living stone” built into
the
spiritual house by Christ the Master Builder. (I Peter 2:5)
Ø
Christ is a “Son” set “over God’s house;” Moses was only a “servant”
within it. (vs.
5, 6.) Moses ministered in the Church
as a confidential
house-steward, or honored upper-servant; but Christ entered it as its
Master, to
preside over it by virtue of His
Divine sonship. The author
has already expatiated on this theme in ch.
1.; and surely Jesus, the
Apostle of Christianity, is more
renowned than Moses, seeing that He
is the very Image of God, and the Lord of all the
angels.
Ø Christ is the
incarnate” Word of God;” Moses was only His
forerunner.
(v. 5.) Moses bore “testimony”
to “those
things which were afterward to
be spoken” — to the
new and final revelation to be made at last, when
God should speak
“in His Son” (ch.1:2). Moses was the harbinger,
Christ the
illustrious Prince Himself; the revelations of Moses were the faint
twilight of the morning, those of Christ the full splendor of noonday; the
institutions of Moses were the scaffolding, those of Christ
the finished
fabric of religious truth.
7 “Wherefore
(as the Holy Ghost saith, To
day if ye will hear His voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in
the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved
me, and saw my
works forty years. 10 Wherefore
I was grieved with that generation, and
said, They do alway
err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I
swear in my wrath, They shall not enter into my
rest.)”
Wherefore, as the
Holy Ghost saith, Today if
ye will hear His voice, harden
not your hearts. The warning, thus led up to, is now introduced by a long
quotation from Psalm 95:7-11, which is cited at length, because the writer is
about to dwell on its whole significance in the remainder of
this and also in
the
succeeding chapter. The warning is connected by διό - dio –wherefore
–
with the conclusion of v. 6. Since our continuing to be God’s house
is on the
condition of our steadfastness, therefore beware of failing,
as the Israelites
referred to by the psalmist did. With regard to the construction of
the passage,
there is some difficulty in discovering the apodosis to the
initiatory καθὼς –
kathos - according as - (“as saith the Holy Ghost”). It seems best
to
suppose one understood, being suggested by “harden not your hearts,”
which occurs m the midst of the quotation. Sentences thus
grammatically
incomplete are in the style of Paul. Otherwise the apodosis must be
found in βλέπετε – blepete – take heed; be
ye bewaring (v. 12), the long
intervening passage being parenthetical. It is, after all, only a
question of
grammatical construction; in any case the general meaning is clear. As
to
the
successive clauses of the quotation from Psalm 95 (vers.
7-11), it is to
be
observed that:
(1) “If ye will hear
His voice” may probably mean in the Hebrew, “Oh that
ye
would hear His voice!” But the Greek of the Septuagint, cited in the Epistle,
is
capable of the same meaning. Here, again, the meaning of the particular
phrase does not affect the drift of the passage.
(2) “Harden not your
hearts” expresses the abjuration which ensues from
resistance of grace. Elsewhere
such judicial hardening is attributed to God;
as
when He is said to have hardened Pharaoh’s heart (compare Isaiah 6:9,
etc.; Matthew 13:13). The two modes of expression involve no difference of
doctrine. It is:
·
God’s doing as
being judicial;
·
man’s as being due to his own perversity.
As in the provocation, in the day of the
temptation in the wilderness.
Here,
κατὰ τὴν ἡµέραν - kata taen
haemeran – in the day of; which is from the
Septuagint, may mean “at the time of”
(compare Acts 16:25, κατὰ δὲ τὸ
µεσονύκτιον
– kata de to mesonuktion – and
at midnight; according to yet
the midnight,” i.e. “after the manner of.” The former agrees best
with the
Hebrew psalm, which has “As
at Meribah, as on the day of Massah
in the
wilderness,” referring to the two places called by these names from what
occurred there, when the people murmured for want of water. The first
occurrence
was at Rephidim, in the wilderness of Sin, at the commencement of
the
wandering (Exodus 17:1-8); the second
was in the wilderness of Zin, near
Kadesh, towards the end of the forty years (Numbers 20:1-14). Both names are
assigned to the former place
in Exodus 17:7; but elsewhere they are distinguished
(see Deuteronomy 33:8). In the text, following the Septuagint,
equivalents of the
Hebrew names are given, Massah
being rendered literally by πειρασμὸς
–
peirasmos - temptation
: Meribah
(equivalent to “strife “) by the unusual word
παραπικρασμῷ - parapikrasmo – provocation;
embitterment - which occurs only
here and in the psalm, though the verb παραπικρὶνω – parapikrino – to
embitter –
is
common in the Septuagint. The root of the word being πικρὸς- - pikros - bitter,
it
may possibly have been suggested by the occurrence at Marah
(equivalent
to
“bitterness”), where there was also a murmuring about water (Exodus 15:23),
πικρὶα – pikria – bitterness being the Septuagint
equivalent of Marah.
(3) When (οὗ - hou – when - in the sense of ὅπου – hopou – in what place;
where, as is common in the Septuagint
and New Testament) your fathers tempted
me,
proved me, and saw my works forty years.
In place of the reading of the
Textus Receptus, ἐδοκιμασίν
με– edokimasin me - proved me, which
agrees with the
Septuagint, the authority of
manuscripts is in favor of ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ
- en dokimasia –
in they test - This
again, like the ether variations of reading,
is of no importance with
regard to the meaning. But further, in the original Hebrew, and apparently in the
Septuagint, “forty years” is
connected with the clause that follows: “forty years
long was I grieved,” etc.; whereas, in the text, the interposition of διό (wherefore)
at the beginning of v. 10, necessitates
its connection with “saw my works.” It is
possible that the writer of the Epistle intended a reference to the
corresponding
forty years from the manifestation of Christ to the destruction of
which were drawing to their close at the time of writing, and
during which the
Israelites of his day were TRYING GOD BY THE REJECTION OF THE
GOSPEL, (Think of the implications of today in this INFORMATION AGE!
CY –
2014) or, in the case of some of the believers
addressed, by their wavering
allegiance to it. The supposition that this idea was in the writer’s mind is
supported
by the fact that Jewish writers refer to the psalm as
assigning forty years for
the days of the Messiah (see
reference in Bleek, Delitzsch, Alford, etc.).
That the writer had an intention in his variation from the
original is the
more likely from his following it correctly afterwards in v. 17.
(4) As I sware in my wrath, If they
shall enter into my rest. The
reference here is to Numbers 14:21, etc., beginning with the Divine
oath, “As truly as I live,” which is again repeated in v. 28. The occasion
was
not the murmuring either at Massah or at Meribah, but the general
rebellion of the whole congregation after the return of the spies,
betokening a universal spirit of ἀπιστία – apistia – unbelief (compare v.
19).
Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται
– Ei eiseleusontai - If they shall be entering - is an elliptical
form of oath, expressing strong
negation.
On Hearing God’s Voice (vs. 7-8)
Introduction.
The witness of the New Testament to the
Divine inspiration of the Old.
“The Holy Ghost saith, To-day if
ye will hear His voice, harden not your
hearts.” “The Holy Ghost saith” (Psalm 95:7-11). We have in the text:
- A GREAT FACT IMPLIED. That God speaks to man. The “if”
does
not indicate uncertainty as to the Divine voice, but as to
man’s attention to
this voice. There is no question
as to whether God will speak to man or
not, but whether man will heed
His communications. Notice:
Ø
The object for which God speaks to man. This object is that
man may be
saved. The Divine voice proclaims and proffers a “great salvation,” and
publishes redemptive truth to man.
Ø The organs by
which He speaks to man.
o
By the
sacred Scriptures, and especially in the life and
teachings of His Son,
Jesus Christ, as recorded therein.
“God… hath at the
end of these days
spoken unto us in
His Son.”
o
By Christian
ministries, especially the preaching
of His gospel.
“We are
ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were
entreating by us,” etc.
(II Corinthians 5:20).
o
By the voice of
our conscience. In its approbation of
the right
and its condemnation of the wrong, God speaks to us.
o
By the events of
His providence.
o
By the influences
of His Holy Spirit. He speaks within
the
soul of man. He imparts
emphasis and energy to the other
voices by which God addresses us.
Ø
The frequency with which He speaks to man. Our text implies that
He
speaks to us daily. And
surely by some one or more of these voices, every
day He addresses to us:
o
some prohibition or persuasion,
o
some caution or encouragement,
o
some precept or promise,
o
some invitation
or
warning.
Were our susceptibility to
Divine influences greater, we should ever
hear the utterances of the Divine voice.
- A MOMENTOUS
DUTY EXPRESSED. Our duty is to
hear God’s
voice. Consider:
Ø
The signification of hearing God’s voice. It is not mere
hearing that is
meant here, but:
o
earnest attention to God’s voice,
o
hearty belief in His communications,
and
o
willing obedience to His commands.
Ø
The season for hearing God’s voice. “Today; i.e. now, because:
o
life is uncertain. “Ye
know not what shall be on
the morrow. For what is your life?” etc. (James 4:14).
o
procrastination is perilous. The
postponement of our duty
today facilitates a further postponement of it tomorrow.
o
it is a present
duty, and
to defer the performance of it is,
therefore, sinful.
We ought to attend to God’s voice NOW! The urgency of
this duty is suggested in the text. In the psalm from which it
is
quoted, our text is virtually the expression of a wish, ‘Today
if ye
will but hearken to His
voice!’ or, “Oh that ye might this day hearken
to His voice!” The
pathos and earnestness which the Holy Ghost puts
into this wish suggests the deep importance of the duty;
compare
Psalm 81:13, “Oh
that my people had hearkened unto me!” etc.
- A SOLEMN CAUTION GIVEN. “Harden not your hearts.” The
sapling is pliant; it may be bent and trained as to the direction
and form of
its growth. The full-grown tree is fixed in form, firm in
texture, and
unbending in its resistance; it is hardened. Men harden their hearts:
Ø
By disregarding
the voice of God,
Ø
by not recognizing the
authority of their consciences,
Ø
by postponing the
performance of religious duties,
Ø
by neglecting the great salvation, and
Ø
by practically despising or resisting the Holy Spirit of
God.
Paul speaks of men who were “alienated
from the life of God, because of
the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18), and “who being past
feeling” (Ibid. v. 19)
had abandoned themselves to persistent and active
wickedness. For such moral
insensibility what hope remains? “Oh that
ye might this day hearken to His voice!”
12 “Take
heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Take heed (literally, see),
brethren, lest haply there
should be (literally, shall be) in any one of you
an evil heart of
unbelief, in falling away from the living God. Here
begins
definitely the hortatory
application of the warning of the ninety-fifth psalm.
Its drift, to the end of the chapter, is: You,
being called under the SON to
a far
higher position than your fathers under Moses were, but the retention
of your position being, as theirs was, conditional on your
faithfulness,
see that you do not forfeit it, as some of you may be in danger
of doing.
That you may, if you are not careful, is shown by the very warning of the
psalm, and by the example of your fathers, referred to in the psalm, all of
whom,
though called, failed of attainment THROUGH UNBELIEF!
It is implied all along that the“today” of the psalm includes the
present
day of grace, and
points to a truer
rest than that of
to
the faithful. But the full bringing out of this thought is reserved for
the
next chapter. On the language of v. 12 we observe:
(1) The same form of
warning, Βλέπετε μὴ - blepete mae – see that no; be
bewaring no - occurs infra ch. 12:25, but then, suitably to the context, followed
by
a subjunctive. Here the future indicative which follows μήποτε ἔσται –
maepote estai – lest
at some time there shall be - denotes a fact in the
future, distinctly apprehended as possible (compare Colossians
2:8). It had
not
ensued as yet, nor does the writer anticipate the probability of its being
the
case with all his readers; but in the state of feeling with regard to
the
gospel among the Hebrew Christians which the whole Epistle was
intended
to
counteract, he sees ground for fearing it
in the
case of some. Their
present wavering might result in APOSTASY!
(2) It is not
necessary to analyze the expression, “an evil heart of unbelief,”
so
as to settle whether the evil heart is regarded as the
result of unbelief, or
unbelief of the evil heart; the main point to be observed is that UNBELIEF
is connected with moral culpability, as is implied further in v. 13. The
unbelief so condemned in Holy Scripture is not mere intellectual
incapacity;
it
is condemned only so far as man is responsible for it on account of his
own willful
perversity or carelessness.
(3) The outcome of
such “evil heart of unbelief,” if
allowed to become
fixed and permanent, will be (ἀποστήναί - apostaenai – apostasy) compare
Luke 8:13; I Timothy 4:1) from “the living God,”
from Him who is Eternal Life
and the Source of all life and salvation. The thought of the momentous
consequence of the falling away of Christians after light enjoyed is
prominent in the Epistle (see especially ch.
6:4-6; 10:26-31).
The expression, “the living
God,” further directs attention to the
revelation
of
God in the Old Testament, in which He is continually so designated, and
to
the thought that it is the same God
who has revealed Himself finally in
the SON. Addressing
Hebrew Christians, the writer may mean to say, “In
apostatizing from Christ you would be cutting yourselves off from the
God
of your whole ancestral faith.” There may be an intended allusion, too, to
the
oath, already referred to, of Numbers 14:21, 28, the form of which
in
the original is, “As I live” (ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος – Zo ego legei kurios
–
As I live saith
Yahweh; - Septuagint).
Apostasy (v. 12)
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you, an evil
heart of unbelief,
in
departing from the living God!” Our
text leads us to consider:
- APOSTASY IN ITS NATURE. “Departing from the
Living God.”
Ø
This departure is not local. In this respect separation from the Divine
presence is impossible. “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or
whither
shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7-12).
Ø
This departure is not theological. The corruption of a man’s creed will
almost certainly be followed by deterioration of his character
and conduct;
yet a man may retain his hold of a true creed, and at the same
time be
falling away from the living God.
Ø
This departure is not ecclesiastical. Membership and
activity in the
visible
departing from God. Apostasy may exist
in the heart long before it is
manifested in action.
Ø
This departure is spiritual. It is a falling away from the living God in
sympathy and in service.
“They do always err in their heart” (v. 10).
It is the decline of love and
loyalty to God.
- APOSTASY IN ITS ROOT. “An
evil heart of unbelief.” Confidence in
God is essential to union with
Him or love to Him. Let any one doubt God’s
existence or character, that He is wise and righteous and good,
and that
man’s sympathy with God will speedily perish. His apostasy has already
begun. Doubt of our friends will be the death of our friendship.
And
unbelief towards God must lead to spiritual
alienation from Him, and that
alienation persisted in must issue in spiritual death. It is of the utmost
importance that we firmly grasp the truth that this unbelief is
not
intellectual, but moral; it is not
the doubt of the inquiring mind, but of the
wandering heart. It is
the faith of the heart that unites man with God. “If
thou shalt believe in thy heart that
God raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved; for with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation!” (Romans 10:10) I
is the unbelief of the heart that separates man from God. “An
evil heart of
unbelief.”
- APOSTASY IN
ITS PERIL. There is the danger of:
Ø
Drifting further away from God. It is impossible for
us to remain
stationary in our relation to Him. We are ever either drawing nearer
to Him
or departing further from Him. In this “falling away from the living God”
the soul falls lower and lower.
Ø
Deprivation of spiritual blessings. Unbelief
excludes the soul from the
rest of God. Forfeited by the
unbeliever are:
o
the peace of the
forgiveness of sins,
o
the rest and joy of
affections centered in God,
o
the comfort of
Christian hope, and
o
the blessedness
of true progress,
These are:
Ø
The death of the soul. The soul lives only
as it is united with God, and
its union with Him is impossible apart from faith in Him. “Departing from
the living God,” its
DEATH IS INEVITABLE! What
a death is that!
A man in whom:
o
truth and trust,
o
purity and love,
o
righteousness
and reverence,
o
moral effort and aspiration, ARE EXTINCT!
WHAT A DEATH!
- APOSTASY IN ITS PREVENTION. “Take heed, brethren,”
Ø
Guard against the insidious advances of unbelief. “Watch ye
and pray……The spirit
is truly ready, but the flesh is
weak!”
(Mark 14:38)
Ø
Seek the increase of your faith in God and of your love to Him.
A nearer approach to God is the surest preventive of
apostasy from
Him.
- CONCLUSION. Is thy heart right in the sight of God? “Keep
thy heart
with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of
life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
The Evil Heart of Unbelief (v. 12)
- THE NEED OF WARNING. The state of
things indicated is repudiated
by many in whom it obtains. Those in whom unbelief is most
deeply seated
think themselves real believers in whatever is reasonable and
true.
Therefore warning is needed —
affectionate warning, it will be observed.
The readers are again addressed
as “brethren.”
Also individual
examination is suggested. Men
have fallen from what seemed the strongest
faith into the most shameful apostasies. A brother, sent of God,
warns us
to be on our guard.
- THE DEEP-SEATED MISCHIEF. There
may be outward discipleship
and service, but a heart not trusting in the living God. There
may be
abundant manifestations of the Divine love and power, but the heart
may
be so subdued to worldly considerations that nothing shown by
God can
produce its proper impression. We
believe too much in living men, in
their
power to help or to hinder; we trim everything to catch their
favor or keep
in their good graces. And
meantime the living God is as if He were not. If at
any moment we have been in real connection with His infinite
grace and
power, there is something in our hearts which tends to draw us
gradually
away. Nothing is more
absurd than unbelief in God, and yet nothing is
harder than practical faith. And to get rid of unbelief we need to have the
heart renewed and inspired. We readily see the need of heart-renewal if it
be some other sin that is in question — if it be malicious,
or selfish, or
sensual feeling that we want to get rid of. And so our prayer
should be,
“Make us feel that unbelief
is sin, moral malady, a something that needs to
be cured by the turning of the heart to God.” There is
manifestation of
truth enough, evidence enough; the lack lies in our disposition.
13 “But
exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest
any of
you be hardened through the deceitfulness of
sin.” But exhort one
another
(literally, yourselves, as
in Colossians
3:16, the idea being that of the
responsibility
of the believers themselves in keeping their own faith
alive; the Church must keep
itself from apostasy by the mutual admonitions of its members), day by day, so
long as it is called
Today (i.e.
while the “Today,” το σήμερον – to saemeron –
today - of the
psalm is still called so, καλειται - kaleitai: while you are still living
day
by day within the limit of its meaning); lest
any one of you be hardened (still
referring to the warning of the psalm) by the deceitfulness of sin.
Here
again, as in v. 12, the possible result of obdurate unbelief is distinctly
traced to moral culpability. Sin is a deceiver (compare Romans 7:11;
Ephesians 4:22);
- it distorts the
spiritual vision,
- causes us to
take false views of things,
- causes us to
lose our clear view of truth; and
- continued
dalliance with sin may have its result in final
obduracy,
which, as above remarked, is our own doing as it comes of our
sin, God’s doing as
it
comes of His judgment. The sin contemplated in the case of the Hebrew
Christians
as
not unlikely to have its result in obduracy was, not only imperfect
appreciation
of
the true character of the gospel revelation, and consequent remissness in
mutual admonition and attendance at Christian worship (ch.10:25),
but also, as a
further consequence of such remissness, failure in the moral
purity of life, the active
charity, the disentanglement from the world, and the endurance of
persecution,
required of Christians. This appears from the earnest exhortations
that follow
afterwards against all such shortcomings (see especially ch. 10:19-26, 32-39;
12:1-18; 13:1-20). It was especially by conscientious
perseverance in the religious
life that they might hope to keep their religious faith steadfast and
unclouded
to
the end; in accordance with Christ’s own saying, “If
any man will do
(θέλῃ ….ποιεῖν
– thelae…..poiein – may be
willing….to be doing.) His will,
he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.” (John 7:17)
The Deceitfulness of Sin (v. 13)
It matters little whether we take the reference here as to
the sin of unbelief
specially, or to sin in general. All sin is deceiving in its
beginnings. The
seed hides much which the sower cannot understand
until he is compelled
to
reap the fruit. And his only
safety is to trust a timely warning, and have
nothing to do with the seed.
And though to each of us individually some
forms of sin appear not at all deceitful, yet we are deceived by
others.
Some form of sin is deceitful to every one of us. The great
enemy of man
considers us according to our individuality. There are:
Ø
temptations for the appetite,
Ø
temptations for
the senses, and
Ø
temptations for the intellect.
- WE SHOULD REST IN THE CONVICTION THAT
SIN IS A
DECEITFUL THING.
We cannot be too cautious, too observant, in
pursuing our path through this complicated world. Agencies are
always at
work to make the worse appear the better reason. Things visible,
whether
things attractive or repulsive, press upon our eyes; and
concerning the
attractive we find ourselves saying, “This is worth making
ours even at a
great price;’ concerning the
repulsive,” This is to be avoided at whatever
cost.” The world around us speaks with a voice that
discountenances
things invisible and Divine. If we begin to act as hearing a
voice from
heaven, others say they have heard no voice; whereupon we
are easily
persuaded that no voice really spoke. Sometimes sin dresses itself
up in the
guise of liberality and charity, and again it is found beneath
the appearance
of zeal for God and goodness. If there is no danger that we
should be
tempted into any kind of vicious living, then most of all is the
deceitfulness
of sin be feared. Before the readers of this Epistle a great
historical
example was put, drawn from the conduct of their own ancestors. The
behavior of the children of
great scale, of the deceitfulness of sin; especially of the
proneness of the
heart to kill into unbelief with respect to spiritual things. It might have
seemed safe to predict that, after all the great Divine
deliverance of which
they had been objects, they would have steadily gone on in the
way of
obedience; whereas only a very short
time elapses before they are found
believing the wishes of their own hearts rather than the word of God
through Moses. “Let
him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall.”
(I Corinthians 10:12)
Those who are fallen today were standing yesterday,
and some standing today will be fallen tomorrow. And if we are
not among
the fallen, it will be because we are giving daily practical
heed to this truth
concerning the deceitfulness of sin.
- HOW ARE WE TO GUARD AGAINST THIS
DECEITFULNESS?
All that the writer says just in
this part of the Epistle is negative — at least,
it seems negative. But that simply means the iteration and reiteration of the
DANGER OF
UNBELIEF! No one knows better than the writer that we
cannot guard against unbelief in a negative way. The only
way of getting
better of the deceitfulness of sin is to
rise above it, and be so intent on our
Savior’s
business as to have no time, no inclination, to attend to what sin
may have to say.
14 “For we
are made partakers (or, partners) of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the
end;” This
is a repetition in
another form of the assertion of our
position as Christians, with the
appended
condition, in v. 6.
(1) It is a question
whether μέτοχοι …Χριστοῦ
- metochoi Christou –
partners (of) Christ means that we partake of Christ
as being in communion
with Him, or that we are partakers with Him of the glory He has won
for us
(compare συγκληρονόµοι δὲ Χριστοῦ - sugklaeronomoi de Christou – joint-
heirs with Christ - Romans
8:17). The first is undoubtedly the ordinary sense
of
μέτοχος – metochos – partner;
partaker - with a genitive in classical
Greek, and generally in the New Testament (compare ch 6:4, μετόχους πνεύματος
ἁγίου – metochous pneumatos
agiou – partakers of the Holy Spirit), but in the
Septuagint μέτοχος, followed by a
genitive, is as undoubtedly used for “partner”
or “companion;” compare Psalm 119:63, μέτοχος ἐγώ εἰμι πάντων τῶν
φοβουμένων
σε – metochos ego eimi panton ton phoboumenon se – I am a
friend of all those who fear you; Hosea 4:17, μέτοχος εἰδώλων - metochos
eidolon – partner
of idols - and especially Psalm 45:7, μετόχους σου –
metochous sou – your
fellows - which
has been already cited (ch.1:9), and
justifies, as it may prove suggested, the expression in this sense
here. Compare
also in the New Testament, Luke 5:7, where μέτοχος, though without
an
expressed genitive following, occurs in the sense of “partner.” Further,
the
second sense accords better than the first with the view of our relation
to
Christ so far set forth in the Epistle.
(2) On the word ὑποστάσις – hupostasis -
translated confidence, see
what
was
said under ch.1:3. All the ancient interpreters understood it here in
the
same general sense as in the former passage — that of substance or
subsistence, either as denoting
our subsistence as members of Christ, or
our
faith regarded as the substance of our Christian life, or with other
modifications of the general meaning. Modern commentators agree in
understanding merely the sense in which the word is found to be commonly
used by the Alexandrian writers — that of confidence, derived from the
physical conception of a firm foundation. It thus corresponds with the
παρρησίαν (boldness) of v. 6.
(3) “The beginning” (τὴν ἀρχὴν – taen archaen – the
beginning) of this confidence
refers to the earlier stage of the experiences of the Hebrew
Christians, before their
faith had shown any signs of wavering. The phrase does not imply
that the
“beginning” was recent.
All it need mean is, “Go on
as you began.”
Further, we find, in ch. 5:12, a distinct
intimation that the Church addressed
is
one of old standing.
(4) “Unto the end” may have an individual reference to the end of life, or
(the Church being addressed as a
community expecting THE SECOND
ADVENT) a general
one to the close of the period of grace during which
“it is called Today.”
Mutual Exhortation Needed to Avoid Unbelief
and Follow Christ Fully
(vs. 12-14)
Apart from the labors of the ministers of the gospel, who
were to teach that
Christ was “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever,” (ch. 13:8) there was to
be
brotherly love among Christians, who were
affectionately to warn each
other against the evils of departing from the truths and
profession of the
gospel. Their counsel
was to be directed to the state of the heart, which if
unbelieving was an “evil heart,” and therefore full of guile, pride, readiness
to
receive objections against the gospel, and willingness to yield to the
blinding influence of Satan. It would lead them to depart from the
living
God, and. conduct them to ceremonies, and produce works
which had no
Divine life in them. This work of friendly
exhortation was to be done at
once,
“while
it is called To-day;” and whatsoever
their hand found to do
they were to do with all their might (Ecclesiastes 9:10); for sin was full of
allurement, and promised, as it
did in
and pleasure. It would be bitterness in
the end, and the song of the siren
would allure
to DESTRUCTION! The hardening would,
if unchecked, go
on
with imperceptible advance, and would silently desolate the conscience,
understanding, and heart. (The chains of habit are to light to be felt
until
they are too heavy to be broken – Warren Buffett) This was to be avoided
by
perseverance in acts of faith and unlimited confidence in Jesus Christ,
who
inclined them to begin the course to the upper
had
“received Christ they were to walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6) and then
they would partake of His Spirit, and share the blessedness which, as a
Forerunner, He has gone to prepare. They would share in the
joy
He has promised to confer upon the brave and immovable in their
profession, who shall “sit down with him
in His throne, as He has overcome,
and sits down with His Father in his throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
15 “While
it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden
not your
hearts, as in the provocation.” Commentators have
found unnecessary
difficulty in determining the connection of ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι
– en to legesthai –
while it is said. Many,
taking the words as the beginning of a new sentence,
have been at pains to discover the apodosis to them, find it in Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν –
Phobaethomen oun – Let us therefore fear; We may be being
afraid then - ch.4:1;
notwithstanding the οὖν, which seems
evidently to introduce a new sentence,
and
the long parenthesis which, on this supposition, intervenes. Others
find it in
Μὴ σκληρύνητε
– mae sklaeunaete
- harden not your hearts,
in the middle of the
citation, as if the writer of the Epistle adopted these words as
his own.
Delitzsch finds it in ver. 16, taken as an
interrogation (τίνες – tines – some; any,
not τινἐς see below); thus: “When it is said, Today… harden not your
hearts as in
the
provocation,… who did provoke? Nay, did not all?” The γὰρ – gar –
for – after τίνες he accounts for by its idiomatic use found in such
passages as
Acts 8:31; 19:35, conveying the sense of the English, “Why,
who did
provoke?” But this use of γὰρ, obvious in the texts adduced as parallel,
would be forced here; the structure of the sentence does not
easily lend
itself to it. Still, this is the view taken by Tholuck, Bleek, De Wette,
Lunemann, and others, as well as Delitzsch. But,
notwithstanding such
weighty support, difficulties are surely best avoided by taking ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι
(while it is said) not as
commencing a new sentence, but in connection with
v.14 preceding, as it seems most natural to take it in the absence of any
connecting particle to mark a new proposition. In this case the
translation
of
the Authorized Version gives a fully satisfactory sense: “If we hold fast the
beginning of our confidence
firm unto the end, while it is still being said, To-day,”
etc.; i.e. (as in v. 13) “so long as it is called Today.” Ebrard, Alford, and
others, taking the same view of the connection of the words,
prefer the
translation, “In that it is said.” But the other seems more in
accordance
with the thought pervading the passage.
16 “For
some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that
came out of
was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18 And to
whom swear He that they should not enter into His rest, but
to them that believed not? 19
So we see that they could
not enter in because
of unbelief.”
For who, when they heard, provoked? Nay, did net all
those who came out of
interrogative, and not as taken in the Authorized Version, is now
the prevalent view.
The reasons for thus understanding them are:
(1) the analogy of the two following verses, both of which are
interrogative,
and
in the first of which a question is similarly answered by putting another; and
(2) the sense required. If the clauses were assertions, they could
only be
meant to express that the provocation was not universal,
inasmuch as
Joshua and Caleb (and it might be some few others) remained
faithful. But
to
say this is unnecessary and irrelevant to the argument, the drift of which
is
to warn by “the example of unbelief;” and could τινἐς (“some”) possibly
be
used to denote the whole congregation with the exception of so few? It
is
to be observed, too, that the ἀλλ. οὐ - all ou – howbeit
not; but not - at
the
beginning of the second clause is a proper Greek expression
(equivalent to “nay”)
in
the case of one question being answered by another (compare Luke 17:7-8).
This verse, then (γὰρ retaining its usual sense of “for”), begins a proof, put in the
form of a series of questions, of the preceding implied proposition, viz.
that the
retention of Christian privilege is dependent on perseverance, and that the
privilege may be forfeited.
In order to show this fully, the history of
Numbers 14., referred to in the
warning of the psalm, is examined in
connection with the successive expressions of the warning; and it
thus
appears that all who came out of
the
faithful spies being disregarded) provoked God, and so forfeited their
privilege, and that the cause of their
failure was:
- sin,
- disobedience, and, at the root of all,
- unbelief.
The conclusion is obvious that, as their example is held
out in the psalm as a
warning to us, we may, all or any of us, similarly forfeit our
higher calling.
That the psalm is a warning to us, the rest it points to
being the rest won for
us
by Christ, is more fully shown in the following chapter. We observe how the
leading words in Psalm 95. are taken in
succession in the three successive verses —
παραπικρασμῷ
- parapikrasmo – Meribah;
embitter; provocation in v. 16,
προσώχθισα
- prosochthisa – I was grieved; was He grieved; He was disgusted –
in v. 17, ὤμοσα - omosa – I
swore – He swears - in v. 18
— and how answers to
the
three questions suggested by these words are found in Numbers 14. —
to
the first, in vs. 2, 10, etc., “all the children of
to
the second, in vs. 29-34, with citation of the words used; to the third,
in
vs. 21-24. It is to be observed, further, that it is not simply ἀπιστία
(unbelief – here, v. 19) but its
exhibition in actual sin and disobedience
(τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν….
τοῖς ἀπειθήσασιν
- - tois amartaesasin….tois apeithaesasin –
to the ones sinning….to the ones being
stubborn – v. 17), that is spoken of as
calling forth the Divine wrath and the Divine oath. The second of
the above
words implies more than “believed not” (as in the Authorized
Version);
ἀπείθειν – apeithein – disobedience
- differs from ἀπιστειν – apistein – unbelief -
,in implying disobedience or contumacy. And this view of the
case of the
Israelites agrees entirely with the historical record,
where an actual rebellion
is
spoken of a refusal to go on with the work they had been called to do. It
suits also the application to the case of the Hebrew Christians,
among whom (as has been said) it was not only wavering of faith,
but, as
its
consequence, remissness in moral duty and in the facing of trial, of
which the writer of the Epistle had perceived symptoms, and on
the ground
of
which he warns them to take heed lest growing
indifference should be
hardened into apostasy. But
in both instances, as faith is the root of all
virtue, so lack of it was the
cause, and again the growing result, of moral
decadence. And so the
argument is summed up in the concluding verse,
And we see that
they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Beware of Unbelief (vs. 7-19)
Eminent and honored though Moses had been, the generation of Hebrews
whom he led
out of
in
consequence overtaken by A DREADFUL DOOM! So the writer
of this
Epistle, realizing the strong temptations to relapse into
Judaism which beset
the
Hebrew Christians, warns them against the still
more dreadful
consequences of apostasy from discipleship to Jesus Christ.
- A
BESETTING SPIRITUAL DANGER. It is that of losing our
participation in God’s house; or, more particularly, of:
Ø
Present
unbelief (v.
12.). Unbelief is distrust of God, want of faith in
the Divine promise and providence, and especially refusal
personally to
confide in the Lord Jesus as “the Apostle
and High Priest of our
confession.” Unbelief may
either:
o
presume upon God’s
mercy, or
o
despair of it, or
o
neglect it.
Ø
Growing hardness of heart (v. 8). “With
the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation ”
(Romans10:10) and the heart also
is the fountain of sin. Acts of refusal
to listen to God’s voice petrify into habits, so that the heart becomes
the longer the more careless impenitent, and disobedient.
Ø
Final apostasy (v. 12). As acts
produce habits, so habits form
character. A human heart indurated by
unbelief, and confirmed in
moral insensibility, will lapse either into atheism, or immorality, or
settled worldliness;
and, unless Divine grace interpose, WILL
FOR EVER “fall away from the living God.” This danger easily
besets us all — much more
easily than many professing Christians
suspect. “Wherefore let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed
lest he fall.” (I
Corinthians 10:12)
- A STRIKING HISTORICAL WARNING. (vs. 7-11.) This the apostle
introduces in words borrowed from Psalm 95., which describe
the career
of the Israelites of Moses’ day, in the wilderness. They had,
as a people,
been:
Ø
Highly privileged. (v. 9.) As the result
of the ten plagues of Egypt,
and by means of their magnificent march through the
had been emancipated
from slavery. They “saw God’s works forty
years,”
o
in the falling manna,
o
in the water from the
rock that followed them,
o
in their raiment which
did not wear out, and
o
in the cloudy pillar which accompanied them on their
journeys.
Yet they were:
Ø
Habitually faithless. (vs.
8-9, 16.) They:
o
despised these
abiding miracles,
o
demanded other
signs as a condition of believing,
o
doubted and
grumbled;
o
longed to return
again to Egypt;
o
refused at God’s
command to go up to take possession of
Canaan; and
o
at last they FELL
INTO THE IDOLATRIES OF THE
HEATHEN around.
Names which remind us how
the ransomed Jews did “always err in
their heart.” (Psalm
95:10) are:
o
Rephidim (the congregation
murmured from thirst; Exodus 17:1-7)
1491 B.C.
o
Zin (the congregation
murmured for water; Numbers 20:1-13),
1471 B.C.
o
Taberah, (the people
complained; Numbers 11:1-3) 1490 B.C.
o
Kibroth-hatta-a-vah (a station in the
wilderness, where growing
tired of manna and desiring flesh, they murmured, and God
sent them quails in great abundance, but smote great numbers
of them with a plague and they died. Numbers 11:4-35)
1490 B.C.
o
Kadesh-barnea (the farthest
point which the Israelites reached
in their direct road to
sent, and where on their return, the people broke out into
murmuring, upon which their strictly penal term of wandering
began; Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-45) 1490 B.C. Miriam died
and was buried here here toward the
close of the wanderings.
circa. 1452 B.C.
o
Shittim (the place of
of the transjordanian highlands and
the passage of the
here they committed whoredom with the daughters of
Numbers 25:1-18) 1452 B.C.
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/maps-bible-archeology-exodus-route-overview.jpg
See www.bible.ca
Notice that the children of
possible for a person’s life in the 21st century to be spent like this and this
is why we need God’s will and direction to be applied to our lives. CY - 2014
They were obstinate and
unanimous in their apostasy (vs. 16-17).
So they were:
Ø
Hopelessly doomed. (vs. 11, 17-19.) The words of the
psalm, “I
sware in my wrath,” reflect
the intensity and depth of the Divine
displeasure; and the
language borrowed from the history, “whose
carcasses fell in the wilderness” (Numbers 14:29, 32), suggests
the deep misery of the retribution which fell upon that
entire
generation. But a ruin still more fearful shall be the
portion of
all who refuse or despise the gospel spoken by our Lord
Jesus,
the “Apostle” greater than Moses. (“He that despised Moses’
law died without mercy under two or
three witnesses; Of how
much sorer punishment, suppose ye,
shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son
of God, and hath
counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified,
an unholy thing, and hath done
despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
ch. 10:28-29)
- AN EARNEST
PRACTICAL COUNSEL “Take heed, brethren”
(v.12).
This exhortation is, in
fact, the key-note of the whole Epistle; it is the
chord which rules the strain. While the grace of God does not
allow any
real Christian to backslide irretrievably, He preserves His
people from
apostasy by the use of means suited to their rational and moral
nature. So,
here, the Holy Spirit exhorts every individual believer (v. 12) to “take
heed.” If we would not
“fall
away from the living God,” we must:
Ø
“Hear His voice.”
(vs. 7, 15.) That voice speaks to us now in the
sweet and glorious gospel, and tells us of far grander “works”
than
those which were wrought for ancient
unto us in His Son”
(ch.1:2). To obey His voice will at
once soften
and strengthen our hearts. It will make us large-hearted as well as
tenderhearted.
Ø
“Exhort one another.” (v. 13.) Christians are associated in Church
fellowship that they may promote one another’s welfare. The Church
is a spiritual mutual benefit society. Friendly counsel
and admonition
are a valuable safeguard against apostasy. Two considerations
which
should stimulate to this duty are mentioned:
o
the shortness of
life;
o
the insidiousness of sin.
o
Ø
Continue “firm unto
the end.” (v. 14.) It is dangerous for
a believer to
rest satisfied with the consciousness of his original
conversion; he ought
to be constantly turning from sin to Christ. It is unwise for him to lay
stress on past frames and feelings; he must cherish through life
an
always-fresh and. living “confidence” in the Savior — a faith which
more and more certifies itself by the ripening “fruit of the Spirit.”
(Galatians 5:22-23) He must remain ever
on his guard against
UNBELIEF! Only by persevering steadfastness will any
one
who has accepted the “heavenly
calling” finally enter into the
heavenly “rest.”
As
Redemption from
Unbelief
in Christians will be Visited with the Divine Displeasure and Final
Failure
(vs. 15-19)
The sacred writer refers us to the psalm from which he had
drawn such
affecting exhortations to steadfastness in the spiritual life, and
now
advances to enforce the lessons of earnestness by a series of
weighty
inquiries derived from the overthrow of many Israelites in the
desert. The
ideas resemble those of Paul, who in I Corinthians 10:1-5
instructs us
that the Hebrews were baptized unto Moses, and ate spiritual meat and
drank spiritual drink, and yet many were overthrown in the
wilderness. The
first question is (in the Revised Version) — Who were they that did
provoke at Meribah and awakened the Divine
displeasure? This inquiry is
answered by another. Did they not all come out of
destroying angel was abroad their families were safe; when the sea
opposed
their march it was dried up to give them passage, and when the
enemies
pursued them with rage and breathed out threatenings
and slaughter, were
they not redeemed? These were they who
added the BASENESS OF
INGRATITUDE to THE SIN OF
UNBELIEF! Another inquiry
follows,
which is — With whom was He displeased, and was it
not with those whose
carcasses fell in the wilderness? It is the historic realization of a truth penned
many centuries afterwards by James, who writes, “Lust, when it hath conceived,
bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, BRINGETH FORTH
DEATH”
(James 1:15) These unbelievers died under the frown of Jehovah, and
left their
sad
experience as a beacon to warn against sins which provoked the Divine anger
and
laid them low in the dust of death. The
inquiry advances once more, and asks
— Who were they who were
denied the privilege of entering upon the
much-desired inheritance of
which Jehovah takes, that the unbelieving Hebrews should not
enter the
pleasant land, with its
fertile soil, its pastures, its vineyards, its brooks and
streams, and the margin of the
cause of their
failure, as
there is no secret in the cause of Christian success.
They could not enter in because of UNBELIEF which, while it barred their
entrance into
undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU.”
(I Peter 1:4) If
these sad and awful punishments overtook
to
the flesh, then the truth which the author designed to teach is that redemption
from sin and condemnation, must, to secure all the fruits and issues of the gospel,
be associated with humble and persevering fidelity to our
profession of faith in
JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD!
The Dread Disability (v. 19)
“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Our text:
- REFUTES SEVERAL ASSIGNED REASONS FOR
MAN’S
FAILURE TO ATTAIN SALVATION. If any
one does not enter the
spiritual rest which God has graciously provided for man, it is:
Ø Not by reason of
anything in the purposes or predestinations of God.
His purposes are the purposes
of a Being of perfect righteousness, and
of infinite wisdom and love. He could not ordain an evil
thing, or have
any intentions which are inimical to the well-being of His
creatures; for
He is God — the
Supremely Good (compare Ezekiel 33:11;
I Timothy
2:4-6).
Ø
Not by reason of any deficiency in God’s redemptive
provisions. These
are abundant, inexhaustible, and
ENTIRELY FREE! The atonement
of Jesus Christ, which is perfectly adapted to reconcile man
to God, is
as efficacious for a million hearts as it is for one (compare Isaiah
55:1-2,6-7;
Matthew 22:1-10;
Luke 14:16-23; John 3:14-17; Revelation
22:17).
Ø Not by reason of
any inability to accept God’s redemptive provisions.
The condition upon which
salvation is appropriated by man is sincere
and hearty faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every sane man can comply
with this condition if he will.
Ø Not by
reason of any deficiency of evidence for the essential truths of
Christianity. The Christian
religion is founded upon facts, which are
as well attested as any facts of history.
- AFFIRMS THE TRUE REASON FOR MAN’S
FAILURE TO
ATTAIN SALVATION. “They were not able to enter in because of
unbelief.” This unbelief is
not intellectual or theoretical, but practical, and
resulting in disobedience. The unbelief of the Israelites here spoken of
totally unfitted them
for entering the promised land (see Numbers 14:1-
4, 22-23, 26-35). Their unbelief had stripped them of hope and of courage,
and reduced them to humiliating despondency and cowardice. No one can
enter upon any worthy inheritance without the exercise of faith.
For the
discovery of new countries, for the exploration of unknown lands,
for the
carrying out of great reformations or ameliorations, for the
perfecting of
beneficent inventions, for the accomplishment of every worthy and
noble
enterprise, the possession and exercise of faith is indispensable. The
attainment of salvation is impossible
apart from FAITH! Unbelief it is
which excludes men from the true rest of the
soul. They are “not able to
enter in because of unbelief.” This is the dread disability, the unwillingness
to heartily and practically believe in Jesus Christ. “Ye will not come to me,
that ye may have life.” (John 5:40)
If any man is not saved, HE ALONE
IS TO BLAME!
Ø
He is diseased, yet
he turns aside from the remedy.
Ø
He is condemned, yet
he refuses to accept the offered
pardon.
Ø
HE IS
SELF-DESTROYED! (A SPIRITUAL SUICIDE –
CY – 2014)
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