Today’s reading is Hebrews 3.
As the author of Hebrews writes to Hebrew Christians in danger of drifting away, he warns them not to repeat the sins of their fathers. He has crafted a picture that should clearly warn them all.
In Hebrews 2:14-16, he spoke of the Son helping the offspring of Abraham by delivering them from lifelong slavery through the fear of death. Surely, Hebrew Christians would catch the connection back to Moses delivering Israel from their lifelong slavery in Egypt. Now that our author has called the plagues, the Red Sea, and the Exodus to mind, he specifically compares Jesus and Moses. He becomes even more clear, citing Psalm 95 as his warning. This warning calls to mind the failures of Israel in the wilderness. They grumbled, complained, rebelled in the wilderness. Though they had seen God defeat Egypt, they did not believe He would care for them and they did not believe He would conquer Canaan. Even after delivering them from slavery, God did not let them enter His rest because of their unfaithfulness.
The author of Hebrew fears his audience is walking the same path, repeating the sins of their ancestors. He fears they, having been delivered from slavery, will test and try God by rebelling against Him. As we learned yesterday, Jesus is faithful. However, if these Christians do not maintain their faithfulness to Jesus, they will not enter the rest God has planned for them any more than that first generation of Israel entered God’s rest.
All of this is building on Hebrews 2:1-4. We must not drift away. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. We must maintain our faithfulness to Him. We must not repeat the sins of our ancestors. We must follow in the faithful footsteps of Jesus, God’s Son that we may enter into the rest He has promised us and provided by His conquest over death.
Tomorrow’s reading is Hebrews 3.
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Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family
- What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
- Why did the Israelites abandon faithfulness to God after being delivered from Egypt?
- How can we be tempted to abandon faithfulness to God after being delivered from sin and death by Jesus on the cross?
- What advice would you give to others to grow and maintain our faithfulness to God in Jesus Christ?
- What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?
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