CHAPTER 3

(A.D. 64)

MOSES

¹Wherefore, Holy Brethren, partakers of the Heavenly Calling (pertains to all Believers), consider the Apostle (presents the only time Christ is referred to as an Apostle) and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus (among the Jews, the High Priest was also considered to be the Apostle of God; consequently, the two Apostles are now compared, the High Priest of Israel and Christ Jesus);

²Who was faithful to Him Who appointed Him (should read, Christ was faithful to God Who appointed Him as Apostle and High Priest), as also Moses was faithful in all his house. (This presents the Holy Spirit through Paul handling Moses delicately; however, there are vast differences in the two.)

³For this Man(Christ Jesus) was counted worthy of more glory than Moses (finds Paul proclaiming the humanity of Christ, by which measurement he compares Moses), inasmuch as He (God)W ho has built the house has more honour than the house. (This proclaims the fact that the Lord built the House of Israel.)

⁴For every house is built by some man(presents the fact that even though men are the instruments used by God, they are, in fact, only instruments); but He Who built all things is God. (Christ, although humbling Himself to the likeness of sinful flesh, is still the Builder of all things, which means He is far greater than Moses [Jn. 1:1-3].)

⁵And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant (proclaims the position of the great Lawgiver as it relates to God), for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after (pertained to Moses and the entirety of the Law with all its ceremonies, etc., all pointing to Christ and the Cross, Who was to come);

⁶But Christ as a Son over His Own house (presents a clear distinction made between the Old Testament House of God and the New Testament House); Whose house are we (refers to the Church), if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (if we keep our confidence in Christ and the Cross).

ISRAEL

⁷Wherefore (as the Holy Spirit says (Ps. 95:7-11), Today if you will hear His Voice (presents words which were originally a warning to Israel not to provoke God, lest they be excluded from the rest He had promised them; this same warning is now given to Christians),

⁸Harden not your hearts (as Israel hardened their hearts against God in the wilderness, it is likewise possible for modern Christians to do the same), as in the provocation (Israel provoked God), in the day of temptation in the wilderness (the Lord didnt tempt Israel, they tempted Him!):

⁹When your fathers tempted Me (they tempted God through unbelief and rebellion), proved Me (registered unbelief toward God), and saw My works forty years. (The proof was all around them regarding the miracle-working Power of God that was exhibited daily, even for forty years, but they still wouldnt believe.)

¹⁰Wherefore I was grieved with that generation (and because of their unbelief), and said, They do always err in their heart (proclaims the seat of obedience or disobedience); and they have not known My Ways. (They could have known, but had no desire to know.)

¹¹So I swore in My wrath (is figurative, and denotes a determined purpose), They shall not enter into My rest.) (This refers here to a particular rest, which pertained to the land of Canaan, but was undoubtedly regarded as emblematic of the rest afforded by Salvation.)

¹²Take heed, Brethren (proclaims Paul warning Believers by the examples of Israels failures in the wilderness), lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief (the Greek order of words is, a heart evil with reference to unbelief), in departing from the Living God. (As stated, the problem is unbelief, and in modern terminology it refers to unbelief in Christ and the Cross.)

¹³But exhort one another daily (proclaims a constant frequency, which means the preacher should preach the Cross, and do so constantly), while it is called today (it must be done today; in other words, start now talking and speaking about the Cross, which is the only answer [I Cor. 1:17; Gal. 6:14]); lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (This actually says, the deceitfulness of the sin, which refers to a rejection of the Sacrifice of Christ.)

¹⁴For we are made partakers of Christ (refers to Rom. 6:3-5), if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end (if our confidence remains steadfast in Christ and the Cross);

¹⁵While it is said, Today if you will hear His Voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation (Vss. 7-8).

¹⁶For some, when they had heard, did provoke (should have been translated, For who when they had heard did provoke; all did except Joshua and Caleb [Num. 14:6-9]): howbeit not all who came out of Egypt by Moses. (This should have been translated, Was it not all who came out of Egypt through Moses?)

¹⁷But with whom was He grieved forty years? (This refers to Gods wrath continuing simply because their unbelief continued.)was it not with them who had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? (Unbelief caused the deaths of approximately two million people.)

¹⁸And to whom swore He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them who believed not? (They lost everything because of unbelief, and the modern Church is doing the same, which is the very reason that Paul wrote this Epistle.)

¹⁹So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief (and if the modern Believer registers unbelief toward Christ and the Cross, the results will be the same as it was with Israel of Old).