Motivated by well wishers. One of the productive things done during the Lockdown.

Ok. I am gonna share some of my insights on the below Bible portion.

Hebrews 3:7-19 ESV

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

⁸ do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

on the day of testing in the wilderness,

⁹ where your fathers put me to the test

and saw my works for forty years.

¹⁰ Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;

they have not known my ways.’

¹¹ As I swore in my wrath,

‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵ As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

¹⁶ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Analytics

I have grouped sets of words and its corresponding count value.

Set 1: [you, your] = 8

Set 2: [heart] = 4

Set 3: [I, He, His, Holy Spirit, God, Christ, Me] = 15

Set 4: [unbelief, disobedient, sin, rebellion, sinned, unbelieving, evil, harden, provoked, rebelled] = 14

Set 1 refers to the reader (i.e, us). Set 3 refers to God. Set 4 refers to negative acts of humans. The values to the right side of equalTo symbol is the number of occurrence of the set in the above passage.

At high level one can say, this passage focuses more about God and more or less about a set of evil acts done by humans.

Background

Hebrews is a book in bible whose author is still unknown. Written between AD 60 and 70. Probably not written by Paul. B’coz all Paul’s letters starts with “Paul an apostle .. “ e.g. Timothy, Philemon, Titus.

Its a letter to the Hebrews. To encourage Christians in a time of trial. By focusing on absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

Dive into passage

The passage starts off.. The Holy Spirit speaks. “Therefore”. It implies that the passage is a conclusion.

Today if you hear His (God’s) voice, you should not harden your heart (become stone hearted) as in the rebellion also known as Testing Day in the Wilderness [TDW].

Surprise! It was not a testing day for man. Rather man tested God, thats why the name rebellion

Test Results: Man had to see God’s response for the test for 40 years // Man evaluated God’s response for 40 years.

Verse 10: God was provoked by Man (or) Man irritated God. Man becomes bad ; Man’s character becomes bad.

• There is a change seen. This implies: Man might have been good. But always goes off track and becomes bad.
• Man did not know God’s ways. Man did not know God ; God says like: “You don’t know me”, “You have not understood me correctly”. It implies God’s desire for man to know God and His ways in a much much deeper way.

Test result is still not complete, lets Dig more..

God made a promise in His anger. That Man shall not enter His rest - Heaven ?

Of course, that generation did not enter the promised land.

Verse 12: Partheko Pah! At last there arise a situation, even among ourselves, someone with evil, unbelieving heart. If so, be sure that it will take us away from the Lord.

Verse 13: Thats why. Have fellowship with one another. Share the concerns and pray for one another. Every day (or at least once a week). Still pondering: How can it be done everyday ?

• By doing so, it will help in overcoming the deceitful confusing SIN.

Verse 14: Keep firm the original confidence. The first salvation experience: I am a child of God. God will help me. This confidence, if I keep this to the end, till the day I die. I will share in Christ. Everyone are called to share in Christ. Provided I hold on to the confidence till the end.

Verse 15: Don’t hardened the heart if I hear God today.

Verse 16: People led by Moses from Egypt. Heard God. Yet rebelled.

Verse 17: God was angry with man. Because man sinned and man was killed by God in the wilderness.

Verse 18: The same man was disobedient and God promised that man will not enter God’s rest.

Verse 19: It is evident that because of unbelief they failed. Failed God. Failed to enter God’s rest! (Heaven?)

Interpretation

Verse 7: Holy Spirit God had been in the Old Testament. It was The Holy Spirit who said to the Israelites in the wilderness. His - Holy Spirit testifying God (the Father?)

Verse 8: It is a snippet from Psalm 95:7-11. It is a psalmist written by Holy Spirit’s leading.. So verse 7 states Holy Spirit says .. ?!?

• A warning by the Psalmist (maybe David). Book IV Psalm 90 states: Prayer of Moses.
• Also the incident is about wilderness.
• So Moses would have written this snippet. Maybe in his last days in the wilderness? But the 4^th line (Psalm 95:7-11) states: put me ; is it moses (the predicted psalmist) or Holy Spirit God. It is Holy Spirit God, just after verse 7 (in Psalm 95). Because verse 1 to verse 6 (in Psalm 95) looks like the psalmist.
• Warning directly by God. What kind of test did man gave God ?
• People tested God by questioning Moses. Even to the point of stoning Moses to death.

Little History

• People camped at Rephidim (post red sea split event, healing of bitter water scene).
• People suffering without water was not a new thing. But there is a sequence. No water -> Plenty of water -> No water
• God can provide and God did provide. Why all the drama happened ?
• What was God’s expectation ? To trust. Believe in Him irrespective of circumstances. Or especially in unfavorable circumstances.

People’s response: Hardened hearts.

Meribah: Strike the rock with same red sea stick (Ex. 17:1-7)

Verse 9: 40 years a period were God gave multiple chances for people to repent? or was it to kill that generation: planned mass murder by God?

Verse 10: Even after seeing God’s miracles like red sea splitting, the people grumbled against moses and God. This provoked God.

• God saw/evaluated the heart of the people.

• The people clearly did not understand God’s way.

Verse 11: God promised something negative for the people. God was angry.

Verse 12: Evil. Unbelieving heart - leads us to fall away from the living God.

Verse 13: Exhort ; Encourage ; sharing ; up-building one another everyday as long as it is called “Today”. Confusion of sin ; tricky sin ; never comes in form of sin. It will harden my heart.

• Please note the above point is a warning and a solution.

Verse 14: I am called to be with Christ. With God.

• If I hold on to the original confidence firm. God’s plan for all human revealed. Everyone in this world should share in Christ (end goal). If I hold on to the original confidence firm to the end.
• The task doesn’t get completed when a person accepts Christ. Rather the task starts there! The actual task is to hold on to the acceptance of Christ with same confidence till the end.

Verse 15: Warning repeated. In context. A solution to hold our original confidence. How to hold the confidence till the end? By not hardening the heart. By not grumbling. By not blaming God. By not being content.

Verse 16: The people were not unbeliever or idol worshipers. They were believers. People who accepted God. People who heard the truth. Yet rebelled.

Verse 17: Yet these people sinned! I am no immune to sin. God killed them. People who were believers and sinned. God killed them.

Verse 18: No good past is taken into account. People disobeyed. God swore that they won’t enter His rest.

Verse 19: Root cause ; Unbelief. Root expectation ; Belief in God especially in unfavorable conditions.

Applications

• Holy Spirit God speaks. So listen to God.
• Today if I am asked to do things. Do it. Don’t harden heart and disobey, but obey.
• Never question God. Especially in unfavorable scenes.
• Know God. Study the commandments. Find ways to obey God.
• Evil desire will lead me away from God.
• Encourage one another.
• Always trust God.
• Keep track of unbelief.

Please feel free to email me for suggestions/corrections.