Hebrews Chapter 3
Today If You Will Hear His Voice
Now the author of Hebrews calls his readers “holy brethren”, just as Christ calls us His “brethren” (2:11). But this status is derived from our partaking of the “heavenly calling” (1), hence this chapter emphasises positive response to the voice of God (7-8,15). He once spoke on earth but now speaks from heaven (12:25).
God’s people in the OT had Moses to faithfully communicate God’s word to them; today, we hear God’s voice in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles (2-5). Repeatedly in this chapter, we are urged to heed His voice as long as it is called TODAY (7,13,15).
The author of Hebrews flashed back to the Exodus story, providing us an important lesson: yesterday, and the disobedient of yesterday are gone, but what comes tomorrow depends on our choices today!
The disobedient of yesterday were delivered out of the house of slavery to become God’s people, and they heard His voice speaking from the earthly mountain (Deut 4:12,20; 5:4,6,23). But their rebellious hearts refused to obey, a deadly case of cardiac sclerosis as the Bible calls it! (8,13,15)* As a result their corpses fell in the wilderness and they never made it to the Promised Land of rest (11,17-18)
God spoke from heaven when Jesus was baptised by John (Mt 3:17). But the Pharisees did not heed it and so rejected Jesus.
Saul of Tarsus heard a voice from heaven, this time from Jesus Himself. This Pharisee was not disobedient this time (Acts 26:13-19).
How many times must God speak to us before we listen? Today, if you will hear His voice…