"What did I tell you?" Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 3:1-6 Christ is to be considered as the Apostle of our profession, the Messenger sent by God to men, the great Revealer of that faith which we profess to hold, and of that hope which we profess to have. The union of Christ and his members provides the entire foundation of their hope. The writer continues to focus upon the overwhelming disaster that befell Israel in the wanderings, again mentioning the forty-year duration of the offense, as in Hebrews 3:9, and stressing the summary judgment of death upon an entire generation. The Greek margin (English Revised Version (1885)) shows these words to be literally, "if they shall enter into my rest"; but the context demands a translation of such an idiomatic phrase in words that cannot be mistaken. Any end whatsoever! Bruce wrote: Bruce might have meant by that comment that a failure to continue means there was no reality to begin with, such being the thesis of Calvinism; but continuity must be viewed as a divinely imposed condition of salvation, upon the fulfillment of which destiny depends. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, "holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling. Even in such a state, one may, if he will permit it, be softened and healed by the word of God. They don"t really enjoy the walk with the Lord as they should be enjoying it. 1. Chambers was a dedicated Communist; but after he was enlightened, he gave a touching account of how that first ray of light penetrated his soul. Moses was faithful as a servant, Christ as a Son, over God's house. Think of the house of God. There was a danger and it was happening that some of the Jews who had come out of Judaism and all of its traditions, they were beginning to slip back into Judaism, going back to the traditions. "Sorry, Moses." Both were Israelites, it being specifically prophesied that the Messiah would be raised up from amidst "the brethren" (Deuteronomy 18:15). The same sunshine melts butter and hardens concrete; and the same gospel saves some and destroys others (2 Corinthians 2:12). I"m compassionate. Here is a solemn warning against trusting in a majority or what is popular. The word is always used in the plural, and we should note that we never hear of “Saint So-and-So.” 1 All God’s true people are called saints or … [10] T. Brooks, The Biblical Illustrator (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1967), Hebrews, Vol. But Christ as a son over his own house ( Hebrews 3:6 ); Moses was a servant in the house, faithful, but Christ is as the son over the house. In Hebrews 3, the writer turns ... Chapter 5 continues the priestly theme by looking first, in verses 1-4, at the necessary qualifications to serve as a priest. It was the Lord who built the house; thus, He is greater than the house. [6] W. H. Griffith Thomas, Hebrews (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. Because He is superior over the angelic beings being the Son of God. Moses had been hearing this stuff for forty years, and he had had it. In looking over the whole story of the sins of the Israelites, and of God’s dealings with them, one would be apt to fix upon some other causes of their exclusion from Canaan, as the Jews, their posterity, do at this day. Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God ( Hebrews 3:12 ). Roddy put it squarely thus. The word wherefore immediately leads us back to that which is immediately preceding, and that is the declaration of the superiority of Jesus over the angels. Moses' mission pertained only to Israel, Christ's, ultimately, to the "whole creation" (Mark 16:15). You can"t have a house without a builder. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1965), p. 77. He laid the foundations of it, even before the world was (1 Corinthians 2:7), provided the blue prints of it in the dispensation of Moses, and extended it upward and outward to include all the families of man in the church of Christ; and, finally, he shall present all to himself in that glorious fulfillment of the everlasting kingdom at the last day (2 Peter 1:11). Apostasy comes under consideration again in Hebrews 6:1-8, where from its treatment there, it cannot possibly be doubted that the author is warning his readers against a present real, and impending danger, a threat to any Christian who might allow an evil heart of unbelief to develop within him. (1) They had a morbid fear of hunger and other looming dangers. When Solomon built the temple, he called it the house of the Lord. The common versions are therefore correct. In spite of the fact that the KJV translates this verse "believed not" instead of "disobedient," the English Revised Version (1885) is far preferable. We have no water. How may the stony heart be broken? (7-13) And of necessity of faith in Christ, and of stedfastly following him. ", "If we hold our confidence steadfast to the end. But here, the key to entering rest is revealed: belief. The real substance is Jesus. Jesus, the Son, ruling over the house, the builder of the house. How the Israelites Provoked God in the Wilderness. They said, "We can"t go in. David, as the human instrument through whom the words came, is not mentioned; and thus the author of this epistle takes his place alongside other New Testament writers in making God the author of the Old Testament (2 Peter 1:21). (See under Hebrews 1:8). . Moses gave to the people bread from heaven (Exodus 16:15); Christ gave the people loaves and fishes in the wilderness, a figure of him who is the Bread of Life (John 6:31,49ff). While it is said, Today means persevere as long as life lasts, or as long as there is any today. I, p. 245. They do always err in their hearts; but they did not know my ways. I believe it is Paul. The Old Testament prophecy named him "the messenger of the covenant" (Malachi 3:1), and Jesus referred to this phase of his work as follows, "The Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (John 12:49). In Hebrews 2:17, Jesus had already been mentioned as a merciful and faithful high priest, and it is his "faithfulness" that needed stress here. [15] H. B. Moffatt, The Biblical Illustrator (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1967), p. 287. Both were sent to the children of Israel, Moses from Midian, and Christ from heaven. They sent spies into the land, of which ten came back with an evil report bringing fear into the hearts of the people, which ultimated in unbelief. Moses' miracles were inferior to those of Christ, as in the changing of the water already noted, and because Christ raised the dead. Moses a Servant in the House; Christ the Son. We"re going to perish. Always when we get our eyes off the Lord and onto the enemy, terror fills our heart, and unbelief. Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness; Christ lifted himself upon the cross (John 3:14). T HE S ON OF G OD G REATER THAN M OSES, W HEREFORE U NBELIEF TOWARDS H IM W ILL I NCUR A H EAVIER P UNISHMENT THAN B EFELL U NBELIEVING I … And the simple question simply means that intelligence that has not been corrupted accepts the argument from design as truth; and the axiomatic nature of that truth was affirmed twice in the word of God: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalms 14:1; 53:1). And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. It was only in his human nature that the lesser dignity of "Apostle" could be imputed to Christ; because, in his eternal nature, he was equal to God (Philippians 2:6). The whole typical structure of Israel corresponds to many facts and events in Christianity. This passage shows that the exclusion of Israel grew out of moral necessity, their unbelief having betrayed them into outright rebellion against God. We can"t take the land." He said, "All right, because you"re not trusting in Me, you say that you"re afraid if you go in there your children will all be killed, I"ll tell you what. But God said, "Moses, come here, son. Why those long weeks of deathly silence, wherein even some parents speak no loving words of exhortation? ", "I wonder who built that house. We are told in the New Testament that the church is the building of God. 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