Hebrews 3
Summary for Heb 3:1-6: 3:1-6 a The author compares Jesus to Moses, setting Jesus forward as the supreme example of faithfulness. The great status of Moses, a revered figure in Judaism, is used to show the incomparable greatness of Jesus. 3:1 b dear brothers and sisters who belong to God: Literally holy brothers. Speakers and writers of the ancient world often addressed religious gatherings as “brothers” (Greek adelphoi), referring to both men and women.• think carefully about this Jesus: Focusing on Jesus is a primary means of persevering in the faith (2:9 c; 12:1-2 d).
• God’s messenger (literally God’s apostle): This description might be highlighting the Son’s role in bearing a proclamation of God’s name and message (2:12 e; Matt 10:40 f; Mark 9:37 g; Luke 10:16 h).
3:2 i Jesus was faithful to God and to the task to which the Father had appointed him (5:7-10 j; 12:1-3 k; Phil 2:5-11 l), just as Moses had been (Num 12:7 m). Many Jews of the first century regarded Moses as the greatest person in history, of even higher status than the angels.
Summary for Heb 3:3-6: 3:3-6 n Jesus deserves far more glory for two reasons. First, a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. The Messiah is the one who builds God’s house (see 2 Sam 7:13 o). The implication is that Moses is part of the house (i.e., God’s people) that God has built. Second, whereas Moses was a servant in God’s house, Christ, as the Son, is the heir in charge of God’s entire house. Sons have greater status than household servants.
3:6 p We are part of Christ’s house if we keep our courage. The author could not give unqualified assurance to those who were drifting away from Christ and the church. Those who persevere in the faith have assurance that they are part of God’s house (see 3:14 q; Rom 8:9 r, 17 s; 11:22 t; 2 Cor 13:5 u; Col 1:22-23 v).
Summary for Heb 3:7-19: 3:7-19 w This passage presents, “as a warning to us” (1 Cor 10:6 x), the negative example of those who wandered in the wilderness for forty years and died there. The wilderness wanderings represent disobedience to God and its consequences (see Num 32:7-11 y; Deut 1:19-35 z; Ps 106:24-26 aa).
3:8 ab Israel . . . rebelled and tested God in places such as Massah and Meribah, where there was a shortage of water (Exod 17:1-7 ac; Num 20:2-13 ad), and especially at Kadesh, where the disobedient Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land (Heb 3:10 ae; see Num 14:1-25 af; Deut 1:19-46 ag; Ps 106 ah).
Summary for Heb 3:9-10: 3:9-10 ai Despite seeing the miracles God had performed on their behalf, the people of Israel tested God’s patience by refusing to trust him in the wilderness (Num 14:11 aj, 22 ak). The essence of their rebellion was that their hearts always turned away from God—they did not desire to obey him. The result was that God was angry with them.
3:11 al Rebellion has consequences.
• God’s anger is not merely an emotional reaction; it is his just displeasure toward sin (John 3:36 am; Rom 1:18 an; 1 Thes 2:16 ao).
• God’s oath (see Heb 6:13-20 ap; 7:20-22 aq, 28 ar) was that they would never enter Canaan, the place of rest from their wanderings (Deut 1:19-46 as; 3:20 at; 12:10 au; Josh 1:13 av).
Summary for Heb 3:12-19: 3:12-19 aw The author of Hebrews discusses the terms heart, day, today, hear, enter, rest, unbelief, and oath, all drawn from Ps 95 ax. Bible teachers of the ancient world would cite and then explain an Old Testament text, often highlighting significant words from the text, just as preachers do today. This form of exposition was called midrash. 3:12 ay hearts ... not evil and unbelieving: An evil heart stubbornly sets its will against the Lord due to unbelief, causing a person to turn away from the living God.
3:13 az Using the word “today” from Ps 95:7 ba, the author challenges his hearers to warn each other every day against the deceptive and hardening power of sin.
3:14 bb For if we are faithful: Those who persevere in the faith have assurance that they are indeed part of God’s family (see 3:6 bc; Rom 8:9 bd, 17 be; 11:22 bf; 2 Cor 13:5 bg; Col 1:22-23 bh).
3:15 bi This verse again quotes Ps 95:7-8 bj, the exhortation from that portion of the psalm. It sums up the author’s own exhortation in Heb 3:12-14 bk, focusing on the importance of listening and responding favorably to God’s voice.
Summary for Heb 3:16-19: 3:16-19 bl These verses contain a rapid-fire series of questions and answers, a common rhetorical technique. The three questions follow the progression of ideas found in Ps 95:8-11 bm: The people of Israel rebelled against God, God was angry, and God took an oath that they would never enter his rest. The answers are taken from other Old Testament passages that focus on the Israelites’ rebellion in the wilderness (Num 14 bn; Deut 9 bo; Ps 106 bp). The author drives home the terrible cost of disobedience to God.
3:19 bq Unbelief and disobedience are closely associated in Hebrews and in the Old Testament passages being discussed (Num 14:11 br; Deut 9:23 bs; Ps 78:22 bt, 32 bu). As a consequence of disobedience, they were not able to enter his rest by entering the land of Canaan (Deut 3:20 bv; 12:10 bw; Josh 1:13 bx).
Hebrews 4:1-13
Summary for Heb 4:1-2: 4:1-2 by The author transitions to the promise that the faithful will enter God’s rest and exhorts his listeners to take this promise seriously. Hearing is not enough: It must be combined with faith. 4:1 bz To fear God means to experience an appropriate reverence, even awe, for God and his will. It would be the worst of tragedies to fail to experience what God has promised.4:2 ca This good news is the message of salvation (2:3-4 cb).
• they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God: Some manuscripts read they didn’t combine what they heard with faith. In either case, the hearers were deficient in faith, distrusting God’s word of promise.
4:3 cc People who believe the Good News are the true heirs of God’s rest, the salvation that God offers through Christ’s sacrifice.
• God said: The quotation of Ps 95:11 cd reminds the reader that the unbelieving rebels in the wilderness would never enter God’s place of rest (cp. Heb 11:8 ce, 10 cf, 14-16 cg; 12:22-24 ch).
• since he made the world: God’s rest means much more than physical entry into Canaan (see study note on 4:4).
4:4 ci This verse quotes Gen 2:2 cj to demonstrate that the promised rest was established when God rested at creation.
4:5 ck This quotation of Ps 95:11 cl reiterates the point made in Heb 4:3 cm.
4:6 cn So God’s rest is there: Building on the discussion in 4:3-5 co, the author is about to argue that the promised rest is still available (4:7-10 cp). But those who wandered in the wilderness, even though they heard the good news that the Promised Land was open to them, failed to enter because they disobeyed God (see Num 14:1-25 cq; Deut 1:19-46 cr; Ps 106 cs).
4:7 ct So God set another time ... and that time is today: The logic here is that David wrote Ps 95 cu much later than the wilderness debacle, so God’s rest cannot be limited to that earlier generation. The words already quoted are from Ps 95:7-8 cv; these words encourage us not to harden our hearts when hearing God’s voice so that we might enter the rest that the people in the wilderness were denied. This opportunity is available today (see Heb 3:13 cw).
4:8 cx Joshua is the same name as Jesus (Greek Iēsous, Hebrew Yehoshua‘). It is normally translated Joshua in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament (see also study note on Exod 17:9). The author is making a word play on Jesus’ and Joshua’s shared name. Joshua did lead God’s people into the Promised Land (Josh 3–4 cy), but God had more in mind when he promised his people rest. God’s ultimate rest is provided by Jesus (Heb 3:13-14 cz; 4:3 da, 9-11 db, 14-16 dc).
4:9 dd a special rest: Jesus’ sacrifice functioned as a Day of Atonement sacrifice (5:1-3 de; 9:13-22 df; see Lev 23:26-28 dg, 32 dh). Through Christ’s sacrifice, God’s promised rest for his people is available.
4:10 di have rested from their labors: See Exod 20:8-11 dj.
• just as God did: Gen 2:2 dk.
4:11 dl let us do our best to enter: Failure to respond to the Good News with active obedience to God’s voice (4:1-2 dm) will have an outcome analogous to the outcome for the wilderness wanderers: we will fall.
• us ... we ... we: Obedience is not simply a personal matter; God’s people have a communal responsibility for obedience and should support each other in that endeavor (cp. 3:13 dn; 10:25 do; 12:15 dp).
Summary for Heb 4:12-13: 4:12-13 dq Echoing the call to hear God’s voice (3:7 dr, 15 ds; 4:7 dt; quoted from Ps 95:7 du), the author gives a beautiful epigram on the power and penetration of God’s word.
• alive and powerful: God’s word is an active, effective force. The word that created and governs the cosmos (Heb 1:2-3 dv) can deal powerfully with people.
• the sharpest two-edged sword: God’s word is able to penetrate the darkest recesses of people’s lives, exposing their innermost thoughts and desires (cp. Eph 6:17 dw; Rev 1:16 dx; 2:12 dy, 16 dz; 19:15 ea).
4:13 eb To be naked and exposed speaks figuratively of being vulnerable, helpless, or unprotected. The guilty are not able to hide from God’s penetrating word of judgment (cp. Rev 3:17 ec).
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