Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

3:7-11 Therefore. In contrast to Moses' faithfulness (vv. 1-6), the author refers to the people of Moses' day, citing Ps. 95:7-11. Hebrews attributes this psalm to the work of the Holy Spirit, thus emphasizing the authority of the words (cf. Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16; 4:25).

3:12-13 Drawing on several key words in Psalm 95, Hebrews warns against allowing the unbelief of a hardened, sinful heart to cause one to fall away (Gk. apostēnai, "turn away from, forsake, apostatize from"; cf. Luke 8:13; 1 Tim. 4:1). His counter to this danger is both to encourage personal commitment (take care) and to call on the church to walk together in mutual encouragement (exhort one another). as long as it is called "today." From the perspective of God's saving plans for world history, the church lives in a special moment in which the Lord has come, spoken, and gone, and believers await his return--faith is called for in this hour, and mutual exhortation sustains and strengthens faith.

3:14 For we have come to share in Christ. The evidence of the Christian truly partaking of Christ's salvation involves endurance to the end. The condition (if indeed) has been understood in various ways. Some have argued that the condition ("if") indicates that true Christians can lose their salvation. Scripture is clear, however, that true believers cannot lose their salvation, as evidenced, e.g., by John 10:27-29 ("no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand"), Eph. 1:4 ("he chose us in him before the foundation of the world"), and many other Scripture passages (e.g., John 6:39-40; Rom. 8:35, 38-39; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:3-5). Hebrews 3:14 should be understood in connection with v. 13, as is indicated by the linking word "for" (Gk. gar). That is, v. 14 is linked to the exhortation not to become hardened (in unbelief and sin). Thus the logic of the argument is that those who are hardened or who become hardened (v. 13) give outward evidence that they are not (and never have been) genuine believers who "share in Christ," because genuine believers do not become hardened; instead they persevere--that is, they hold on to their original confidence firm to the end. Of course, Scripture also encourages believers to pray for and seek to bring back any who have fallen away (James 5:20; 1 John 5:16), in the hope that they will turn back. Still, this passage should be viewed as a sober warning--intended as a means that God uses to keep Christians resolved in faith and obedient until the end. The ongoing experience of perseverance results in "confidence" and assurance that one does in fact "share in Christ." This verse then provides a grave warning to everyone who claims to be saved--that is, to examine oneself carefully to be sure that one is in fact a genuine believer, because if there is no evidence of perseverance in faith and obedience, then there is real reason to doubt that such a person has ever been saved.

3:15-19 Quoting Ps. 95:7-8 again for emphasis, the author draws several points from the failure of the exodus generation (see esp. Ex. 17:1-7; Num. 14:20-38). They had witnessed God's salvation in the exodus; in fact, they had left Egypt led by Moses, which means that they had personally witnessed many of God's mighty miracles. Yet in spite of this, they had responded in disobedience and unbelief. The result was their death and consequent inability to enter into the rest of the Promised Land. The parallel structure in Heb. 3:18-19 stresses that disobedience flows from unbelief.

4:1 Therefore. Verses 1-13 connect closely to the preceding argument (cf. 3:7-11, 16-19 with 4:2-10) and to the previous exhortation (cf. 3:12-14 with 4:1-2, 11-13). promise. Promises are important in Hebrews, especially those made and secured by God himself (see 6:12-20; 8:6; 9:15; 10:23, 36; cf. 11:13). There remains a future, end-time Sabbath rest from God that can be entered in some measure even in this life (4:3-10), and care must be taken to enter that rest. fear (Gk. phobeomai). Reverent fear before God, here concerning a person's spiritual state (e.g., Acts 10:35; Rom. 11:20; 1 Pet. 2:17; Rev. 19:5; cf. notes on Prov. 1:7; Acts 5:5; 9:31; Rom. 3:18; Phil. 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 1:17; 1 John 4:18). should seem to have failed to reach it. The author holds out the possibility that some in his audience lacked acquaintance with this spiritual "rest" since they did not possess true faith (see note on Heb. 4:2).

4:2 Comparisons between the exodus generation and the church continue. Both received the divine proclamation of deliverance (good news) and both were called to respond in faith. However, the exodus generation did not receive the promised benefit since they failed to respond in faith. Their failure serves to caution the Christian community against unbelief. The "good news" of the exodus included God's promised deliverance from Egypt, the covenant he established with his people, and the hope of entering the Promised Land (e.g., Ex. 6:1-9). The good news for the church includes the revelation and deliverance found in the Lord Jesus, the new covenant he established through his high priestly sacrifice, and the hope of eternity with him (e.g., Heb. 1:1-4; 2:14-18).

4:3-5 we who have believed. Faith in God's good news is necessary to enter God's rest (cf. 3:12, 19; 4:2; and more positively, see 6:12; 10:22, 37-39; 11:1-39; 13:7). The "rest" of God in Ps. 95:11 (they shall not enter my rest) is connected with God's resting on the seventh day after the six days of creation (quoted from Gen. 2:2). The fact that the exodus generation was not allowed to enter that rest proves that God's Sabbath rest (begun in Genesis 2) was still open. Even "today," at the time of the writing of Hebrews, this rest could still be entered. The implication is that until Christ returns people throughout the entire age can similarly enter into this rest.

4:6-7 Verse 6 restates the conclusions of vv. 2-5 (cf. 3:15-19). good news. See 4:2. Verse 7 advances the argument by suggesting that the today of Ps. 95:7-8 holds out to the worshiper the possibility of entering even now in a partial way into the end-time "rest" and blessing that the exodus generation missed. God's rest centered upon recognizing that his work of creation was now completed; Christians enter into his rest through recognizing that Christ's work of redeeming them from sin has also been completed.

4:8-10 For if Joshua had given them rest. One could conceivably argue that the "rest" that the exodus generation sought was their entrance into the Promised Land. However, that entrance occurred in the days of Joshua, and Psalm 95 (with its promise of "today" entering into God's rest) is subsequent to Joshua's day (referred to as "so long afterward" in Heb. 4:7). Therefore, the Sabbath rest remains possible for God's people to enter even now, in this life (v. 9). The promise of entering now into this rest means ceasing from the spiritual strivings that reflect uncertainty about one's final destiny; it means enjoyment of being established in the presence of God, to share in the everlasting joy that God entered when he rested on the seventh day (v. 10).

4:11 therefore (in light of the conclusion from vv. 9-10) strive to enter that rest. This again emphasizes the need for perseverance (cf. 2:1; 3:14; 4:14). It should be remembered, however, that salvation is based not on good works but on Jesus' high priestly sacrifice (e.g., vv. 14-16; 5:9; 10:10-14), and anything believers can do to please God comes from his working in them (13:20-21). The opposite of perseverance is disobedience, the sin of the faithless exodus generation (3:18; 4:6).

4:12-13 The warning continues: faithless disobedience will not go unnoticed. word of God. Usually this phrase in Hebrews refers to the message of salvation (13:7; cf. 4:2), but here the "word" is pictured as God's personal utterance, living, active, sharp, piercing, and discerning (v. 12), with eyes that expose (v. 13). The Word of God then acts as God himself, so that one's innermost thoughts and intentions are exposed. This happens constantly in Christians' lives.