Hebrews 3

Hebrews 3 (NIV)

In this chapter Paul continues his argument for the priesthood of Jesus to the Hebrews. He had quoted scripture in the previous chapter to provide proof of his divinity and his superiority to the Angels. Now he shows proof in scripture that Jesus is superior to Moses, so that they could see that the new law of Jesus was superior to that given to Moses. Near the end of the chapter he adds some counsel and some warnings to them as well.

Jesus Greater Than Moses
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,”[Num. 12:7] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

Paul says “therefore” meaning “in light of the argument I have placed before you in the previous paragraph”, fix your thoughts on Jesus as our apostle and high priest. This is something that the Hebrews understood since they were used to having a high priest in the temple. He compares him to Moses and show how he is even greater, thus proving again that the new law superseded the “old” law, the law of Moses. He calls them brothers in Christ, not only brothers to himself, but also brothers with Christ, putting them on the same level as himself and giving them honor. This is not a status thing, but a spiritual thing – showing them that God has made us all equal in our callings. Holiness is more important than earthly titles, which is something that Paul understood well. Giving the title of “High Priest” to Jesus lets the Hebrews know that they are to go to him with everything – no longer going to men, but to a power much higher. Just as Moses was faithful, Jesus was even more faithful (since we know Moses was disobedient at times, and Jesus was never disobedient). Moses was only a faithful servant, whereas Jesus was the son of God. Additionally, now we are no longer servants of God, but his children, having been adopted through Christ. Those who believed and served through Moses were servants, and it wasn’t until Jesus that they were consider heirs to the Kingdom of God.

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.’ ”[Psalm 95:7-11]
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.”[Psalm 95:7,8]
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.

These are the advice and warnings Paul gave to them. He knew that they were susceptible to the same behaviors as their ancestors, the ones who followed Moses out of Egypt. They were disobedient and hardened their hearts so much that an entire generation did not see the very promise they left Egypt to see. He tells them to give urgent attention to Christ, not to harden their hearts, not to deafen their ears to the instruction of Christ. He tells them that they must pursue holiness. Hardening of the heart is the beginning of many other sins, which is why it is so very important to stay sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is so important to be quick to obey, quick to repent and quick to change our ways, lest our hearts become hard and we do not hear his voice any longer. Then the enemy has a field day with us, tempting and pulling us into many other sins. We are to encourage one another daily. He reminds them that God was angry with their ancestors because they sinned and rebelled against him. They never saw the promise that was given to them because they disqualified themselves and ended up wandering in the desert until they died. Paul presses these Hebrews with these strong warnings against disbelief in the son of God because he knows how important salvation is. He understands the Hebrews and their comfort in the old laws, and so encourages and warns very strongly so they do not fall into the same sin as their ancestors.