Slices
Prepare
Are you able to follow God’s commands in the Bible, rather than glancing at them as exhortations or suggestions?
Bible passage
Warning against unbelief
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:
‘Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, “Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.”
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
“They shall never enter my rest.”’
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today’, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said:
‘Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.’
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Explore
Much of today’s passage goes back to the Old Testament. Verses 7–11 of Hebrews 3 directly echo verses 7–11 of Psalm 95.
Continuing on the note taken up in verses 1–6, the writer refers to Moses as a leader who faced multiple problems with his people: hardened hearts, rebellion, sin and unbelief are some. The passage warns against this disobedience when it starts with: ‘So, as the Holy Spirit says…’ It is not an exhortation but a mandate from God. Just as the Israelites in the wilderness were shown a destination, the New Testament believers are pointed to a divine and eternal rest. But to enter this, God seeks from us a heart that is not hardened against him and is free from rebellion. This comes with a sense of urgency: ‘today’ (v 13)!
The passage moves forward with a two-fold practical tip on how a believer has to practise this. The first is what we need to do for our own self: avoid ‘a sinful, unbelieving heart’ (v 12). The next is about the relationship with our fellow believers: ‘encourage one another daily’ (v 13). The final verses follow a Greek practice of asking and then answering questions to reinforce the points being made.
Respond
How serious are you regarding the divine warning to avoid rebellion and disobedience? Pray that you will focus on living God’s way for the rest of your earthly life.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 11,12; Psalm 51
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks to God for all SU Mission Enablers and Revealing Jesus Pioneers, and ask him to continue to bless them as they support Faith Guides across the country. (This week's prayer relate to this article.)
