THE BOOK OF HEBREWS |
James Deering, AncientPath.net
Hebrews Chapter 3 Overview[1]
Considering Christ, Hebrews 3:1-6
The writer moves in chapter-1 through the 33 ways The Son of God,
Jesus, is better than the prophets – He’s the object of the prophets
message – and He is better than the Angels.
In Chapter 2 the writer finishes with the Angels and in VS 5 and
following his focus shifts away from Angels to man. We learned that
Jesus had been temporarily made lower than the Angels in order to
suffer death for all men. He would partake of man to fully identify
with man and his sufferings in a fallen world (see Philippians
2:5-11).
Christ’s incarnation and suffering prepared Him for His office as High
Priest. Now He is able to fully intercede before God the Father on
behalf of all of mankind as their Royal High Priest.
Moving into Chapter 3 we move from heaven (Angels) to earth (Moses), as
Moses is the 1st High Priest of the Nation of Israel
(Exodus 17:19 ff).
The writer’s journey moves his readers up
the hierarchy from The Prophets who, through visions revealed God, to
Angels who, covering their persons in His presence revealed God, and
now to Moses who revealed God face-to-face. In each case The Son of
God, Jesus Christ, is found to be superior in the revelation of God,
in every way, because He
is God. Barclay says, “Only through Jesus Christ has a man real access
to God.”[2]
I. The Challenge to
Consider Christ, 3:1
A.
Consider Who We Are, 3:1b
1.
We Belong To Christ - “Holy”
2.
We Are Brothers In Christ Jesus -”Brethren”
3.
We Are Believers in Christ Jesus - “Partakers….”
B.
Consider Who He Is, 3:1a
1.
He Is The Son Of God, 3:1c - “Apostle”
2.
He Is The Son Of Man, 3:1c - “High Priest”
II. The Comparison of
Christ and Moses 3:2
A.
Why Consider Moses?
1.
Because of the Life He Lived
2.
Because of the Leadership He provided
3. Because of the Lord He Knew
4. Because
of the Law He was Given
5. Because of the Legacy He Left
6.
Because of the Lowliness He Exhibited (Num. 12:3)
B.
Moses Was Faithful in All His House, 3:2
1.
Christ Jesus Was Faithful in All His House, 3:2
III.
The Contrast of Christ and Moses, 3:3-6
A.
The Builder Is Greater Than the Building, 3:3-4
B.
The Son Is Greater Than the Servant, 3:5-6a
IV. The Call To Continuance In
Our Faith, 3:6b
V. The Disobedience
of a Hard Heart, 3:7-11
A.
The Exhortation to the Hebrews, 3:7-8a
B.
The Example of the Israelites, 3:8b-11
1.
The Rebellion, 3:8b-9
2.
The Retribution, 3:10-11
VI. The Deceitfulness of an Evil
Heart, 3:12-19
A.
The Peril We Need to Look Out For, 3:12
B.
The People We Need to Look Out For, 3:13
C.
The Past We Need to Look Back To, 3:14-15
D.
The Process We Need to Look Into, 3:16-19
BRIEF INTRODUCTION
“Let us again remember the conviction with
which the writer to the Hebrews starts. The basis of his whole thought is that
the full and supreme revelation of God comes through Jesus Christ, that only
through Jesus Christ has a man real access to God. He began by proving that
Jesus was superior to the prophets; he went on to prove that Jesus was superior
to the angels; and now he proceeds to prove that Jesus is superior to Moses. It
might at first sight seem that that is an anticlimax. But it was not so for a
Jew. In the thought of the Jew, Moses held a place which was utterly and
absolutely unique. He was the man with whom God had spoken face to face as a man
speaks with his friend. He was the direct recipient of the Ten Commandments, the
very Law of God. The greatest thing in all the world for the Jew was the Law,
and Moses and the Law was one and the same thing.
In the second
century there was a Jewish teacher called Rabbi Jose ben Chalafta and he was
commenting on this very passage which declared that Moses was faithful in all
His house, and he said: “God calls Moses faithful in all His house, and thereby
He ranked him higher than the ministering angels themselves.” For a Jew this
step that the writer to the Hebrews takes is the logical and inevitable step in
the argument. He has proved that Jesus is greater than the angels; now he must
prove that He is greater than Moses who was greater than the angels.”[3]
He was the child of a slave, and the son of a queen.
He was born in a hut, and he lived in a palace.
He inherited poverty, and enjoyed unlimited wealth.
He was the leader of armies, and the keeper of sheep.
He was the mightiest of warriors, and the meekest of men.
He was educated in the court, and he dwelt in the desert.
He had the wisdom of Egypt, and the faith of a child.
He was fitted for the city, and he wandered in the wilderness.
He was tempted with the pleasures of sin, and endured the hardships of
virtue.
He was backward in speech, and he talked with God.
He had the rod of a shepherd, and the power of the Infinite.
He was a fugitive from Pharaoh, but an ambassador from heaven.
He was the giver of the Law, and the forerunner of grace.
He died alone on Mount Moab (Nebo), and appeared with Christ Jesus in
Judea.
No man assisted at his funeral, yet God buried Him”
I.
THE BOOK OF HEBREWS Chapter 3 [NASB]
(Paragraph Form)
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of
a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of
our confession; He
was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For
He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the
builder of the house has more honor than the house. For
every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses
was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those
things which were to be spoken later; but
Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we
hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear
His voice,
Do not harden your
hearts as when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
And saw My works for forty
years.
“Therefore
I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
As I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall
not enter My rest.’”
Take care, brethren, that there
not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the
living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called
“Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if
we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said,
“Today if
you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as when they
provoked Me.”
For who provoked Him when
they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by
Moses? And
with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose
bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did
He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we
see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
THE VISUALIZED TEXT
Hebrews
3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
I.
THE CHALLENGE TO CONSIDER CHRIST, 3:1
1 Therefore,[5]
holy brethren[6],
partakers of a heavenly calling,
consider Jesus,
the Apostle[7] and
High Priest[8] of
our confession;[a]
II.
THE COMPARISON OF CHRIST AND MOSES, 3:2
2
He was
faithful
to Him who appointed Him,
as Moses also was
in all His house.
III.
THE CONTRAST OF CHRIST AND MOSES, 3:3-6
3
For
He has been counted worthy
of more glory than Moses,
by just so much as
the builder of the house[9]
has more honor than the house.
4
For every house is built by
someone,
but the builder of all things is God.[10]
5
Now[11]
Moses was faithful
in all His house[12]
as a servant,
for a testimony[13]
of those things which were to be spoken later;
6
but
Christ
was faithful
as a Son
over His house
—whose house we are,
if we hold fast[14]
our confidence and
the boast of our hope
firm until the end.[15]
V.
THE DISOBEDIENCE OF A HARD HEART, 3:7-11
7
Therefore,
just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if
you hear His voice,
8
Do not harden your hearts[16]
as [b]when they
provoked Me,
As in the
day of trial in the wilderness,
9
Where your
fathers tried Me by
testing Me,
And saw My
works for forty years.
10
“Therefore
I was angry with this generation,
And said,
‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they
did not know My ways’;
11
As I swore
in My wrath,
‘They
shall not enter My rest.’”[17],
[18]
VI. THE DECEITFULNESS OF AN EVIL HEART, 3:12-19
12
Take care, brethren,
that
there not be
in any one of you
an evil,
unbelieving heart [c]
that falls away from
13
But
encourage one another
day after day,
as long as it is still called “Today,”
so that
none of you will be hardened
by the deceitfulness of sin.
14
For
we have become partakers of Christ,
if
we hold fast
the beginning of our assurance
firm until the end,
15
while it is said,
“Today if you hear
His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as [d]when they
provoked Me.”
16
For
who provoked Him when they had heard?
Indeed,
did not all those who came out of Egypt
led by
Moses?
17
And
with whom was He angry 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 not able to enter
because of unbelief.[21], [22], [23]
End notes:
a.
Hebrews 3:2 Lit Being
faithful
b.
Hebrews 3:8 Lit in
the provocation
c.
Hebrews 3:12 Lit in
falling
d.
Hebrews 3:15 Lit in
the rebellion
Questions to be explored based on this study's
verses
ABOUT: (Questions to be explored based on this study's verses)
(Hebrews 3:1)
"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly
calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession." (NASB)
1. When you see the term "therefore" or
"wherefore" what are you supposed to do?
See what it's there for.
2. What does the word "holy" mean?
Set apart
- has two forms. 1. To be set apart from something (i.e., "Take him and set him
apart from us"). 2. To be set apart unto something (i.e., "As High Priest, he is
set apart unto God").
3. Who are the "brethren" here?
The brothers
and sisters in this local assembly who are believers - remembering that in this
particular assembly there are true believers and there are those who wish to
return to Judiasm.
4. What is the definition of "partaker"?
Those who share a part in something, partners.
5. What is the definition of "calling" as used
here"
Called of God, called or invited, esp. of the divine invitation to
embrace the salvation of God.
6. What is an "heavenly" calling?
See #5.
7. Consider the word "consider." (You consider
- 2p/pl/1aor/act/imperative)
This is one of the two only Greek commands in
this chapter. It is a call to perceive, observe, understand, to "fix one's eyes
or mind upon something."
8. What is the normal definition of an
"Apostle"?
Specifically one who has been called to this position and has been
an eye witness to the things of Jesus Christ while He was visibly on earth.
9. How is the word "Apostle" used here? (read
John 5:24 first) See
BibSac Note 1
as the most eminent teacher and witness to the things
of God.
10. What is the normal definition of an "High
Priest"?
Under Hebrew law, the God-called High Priest of the Aaronic family,
who was the head of the priestly order.
11. How is the word "High Priest" used here? See
BibSac Note 2
As members of the body of Christ believers are all
Royal (members of God's family) Priests, Jesus then is the High Priest of this
order. It is Jesus who stands before God Almighty in our stead and on our
behalf.
12. Make a list of the ideas and
responsibilities that come to mind when considering Jesus Christ as God's
Apostle to you, and Jesus Christ as your High Priest.
13. Have you
personally applied these two offices of Jesus Christ to your life?
(3:2)
"He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses
also was in all His house." (NASB)
1. If the "who" here is Jesus Christ, Apostle
and High Priest, then whom is the "Him" that appointed Jesus to those positions?
2. Consider Jesus Christ's faithfulness to God
the Father in fulfilling these positions or offices.
3. How was Moses "faithful"?
4. What are some of the possible meanings of
the term: "in all his house"?
(3:3)
"For He has been counted worthy of more glory than
Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the
house." (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the word "man"
here?
2.
Describe "counted worthy"?
3. List some of the things Moses would be
counted worthy for?
4.
List some things Jesus Christ would be counted worthy for?
5. Why was Jesus Christ "counted worthy of more
glory than Moses"?
6.
What is the writer alluding to when he speaks of "the builder of the house"?
7. What is the writer alluding to when he
speaks of "the house"?
(3:4)
"For every house is built by someone, but the builder
of all things is God." (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the word "for"
here?
2. Why
does the Holy Spirit repeat things in the scriptures? (builders, houses)
3. Who built all things?
4. How many is "all"?
"Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a
servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;" (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the word "and"
here?
2. What do
you know about Moses?
3. Whose house was Moses a faithful servant?
4. What was the testimony of Moses?
(3:6)
"but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house
whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope
firm until the end." (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the word "but"
here?
2. Whose
house was Jesus Christ a faithful Son?
3. Who is revealed as the "house" of the Son?
4. Please read this link before proceeding. See
BibSac Note 3
The last phrase in this verse seems to indicate that
one cannot know his relationship to God until "the end." Since the power
of God, through the effective work of Jesus and the Cross -- and not the power
of the individual believer -- Then one who has gone to the Father and given up
his will to Him, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (often referred to as
making Jesus your own personal Lord and Savior) is incapable of losing their
salvation. The book of Hebrews is addressing both saved and unsaved Jews
in the local assembly. The writer of Hebrews speaks in loving terms to the
unbelieving segment that their salvation is "near" and to "hold on" to their
current direction of being with and learning from the believing segment of that
local church that they might yet be saved if not snatched away by the devil or
the power of sin.
(3:7)
"Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF
YOU HEAR HIS VOICE," (NASB)
1. When you see the term "therefore" or
"wherefore" what are you supposed to do?
2. This verse continues into verse 8
"DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME,
AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS," (NASB)
1. How does one "harden" their heart?
2. Why was the 40 years in the wilderness (by
the nation of Israel) called "The Provocation"?
3. How long did it take the Israelites to make
the 11 day journey through the wilderness to Canaan?
(3:9)
"WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW
MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS." (NASB)
1. When did the Jewish fathers tempt God?
2. How was God "proved" by the provocation of
God in the wilderness?
3. How many years did this go on?
(3:10)
"THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND
SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART; AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS';"
(NASB)
1. When you see the term "therefore" or
"wherefore" what are you supposed to do?
2. Does God get "angry"?
3. How does He do that without violating His
righteousness?
4.
Which generation was God angry with according to this verse?
5. How long is a generation?
6. Who always went astray in their heart?
7. Who did not know His ways?
8. What was the result of going astray and not
knowing His ways?
(3:11)
"AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY
REST.'" (NASB)
1. What great benefit did that generation of
wayward, unknowledgeable people lose?
2. Where was Canaan?
3. What other names was Canaan known by in the
Old Testament?
4.
What is the relationship between the Seventh Day of God's creation, and the land
of Canaan?
(3:12)
"Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one
of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God." (NASB)
1. "Take heed, brothers and sisters, that an unbelieving heart doesn't
lead you away from the Living God, Jesus Christ."
(3:13)
"But encourage one another day after day, as long as
it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness
of sin." (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the word "but"
here?
2. What
does exhort mean? (You Exhort - 2p/pl/pres/act/imperative)
3. Why is it important to "Call Out" the
excellencies of Christ daily to each other?
4. "Instead, while in your unbelief, seek other
believers in this body of Christ daily and make your choice FOR Christ while it
is still "TODAY," lest any one of you be lead away from Christ by the
deceitfulness of sin."
(3:14)
"For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold
fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;" (NASB)
1. Consider "the end" as the end of "Today."
(3:15)
"while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO
NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME." (NASB)
1. No comment necessary.
(3:16)
"For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed,
did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?" (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the
word "For" here?
2.
How many is "some"?
3.
When did they hear?
4.
What did they hear?
5.
Who was provoked?
6.
Why was He provoked?
7. Out of all the generation who went into the wilderness, how many were
allowed to enter Canaan?
8. Why?
"And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it
not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?" (NASB)
1. Who was God grieved with for forty
years?
2. Is
"provoking the Lord God" sin?
3. Who had provoked the Lord God in the
wilderness?
4.
What happened to them as the result of their sin?
"And to whom did He swear that they should not enter
His rest, but to those who were disobedient?" (NASB)
1. Who did God promise they would not
enter Canaan (God's Rest)?
2. Is Unbelief disobedience?
3. Why?
(3:19)
"And so we see that they were not able to enter
because of unbelief." (NASB)
1. What is the significance of the
word "So" here?
2.
Who is the "we" see of this sentence?
3. Who could not enter in?
4. Why could they not enter in?
5. Where was "God's Rest"?
6. How does this apply to you?
Footnotes:
[1] David
Jeremiah, Hebrews The Supremacy & The Sufficiency of
Christ, Vol. 1, pp. 53ff
[2] William
Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, Westminster
Press, p. 22
[3]
William Barclay,
The Letter to the Hebrews, The Westminster Press,
Philadelphia, p. 22
[4]
I. M. Haldeman,
cited in Gleanings in Exodus, by A. W. Pink (Chicago, IL:
Moody Press, p. 16).
[5]
The author uses
different pictures to explain Jesus’ relationship to
believers: Hi is (1) the apostle (“one who is sent”) of God,
to whom we should listen, (2) our high priest, through whom
we come to God the Father; and (3) the ruler of God’s house
(“faithful as a son over God’s house”), whom we should obey.
[6]
Holy Brethren –
found only here in the New Testament. Holy because we have
been sanctified (cf. 2:11).
[7]
Apostle – The one
sent from God to represent God to us – see: John 5:24.
[8]
High Priest – The
one who represents us to God – Our Mediator
[9]
Christ is better
than Moses because Christ is the builder of God’s house
whereas Moses was but a servant in the house.
[10]
To the Jewish
people, Moses was a great hero; he had led their ancestors,
the Israelites, from Egyptian bondage to the border of the
promised land. He also had written the first five books of
the Old Testament, and he was the prophet through whom God
had given the law; therefore, Moses was the greatest prophet
in the Scriptures. But Jesus is worthy of greater honor as
the central figure of faith than Moses, who was merely a
human servant. Jesus is more than human; He is God Himself
(1:3). As Moses led the people of Israel out of Egyptian
bondage, so Christ leads us out of sin’s slavery. Why settle
for Moses when you can have Jesus who appointed Moses, the
author of Hebrews asks.
[11]
Hebrews 3:5-6
Christ as a Son and the one over the house is therefore
superior to Moses
[12]
Numbers 12:7 The
Lord said, “Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in
all My household.”
[13]
Knowing the Old
Testament is the best foundation for understanding the New
Testament. (1) We see how God used people to accomplish His
purposes, (2) God used events and personalities to
illustrate important truths, (3) through prophets, God
announced the Messiah, and (4) through the system of
sacrifices, God prepared people to understand the Messiah’s
work.
[14]
We believers are
now God’s house(hold), but to enjoy that position requires
that we hold fast to our moorings (same word in v. 14;
10:23)
[15]
Because Christ
lives in us as believers, we can remain courageous and
hopeful to the end. We are not saved by being steadfast and
firm in our faith, but our courage and hope do reveal that
our faith Is real. Without this enduring faithfulness, we
could easily be blown away by the winds of temptation, false
teaching, or persecution.
[16]
The Bible warns us
not to “harden” our hearts. This means stubbornly setting
ourselves against God so that we are no longer able to turn
to Him for forgiveness. Be careful to obey God’s Word, and
do not allow your heart to become hardened.
[17]
The quote is from
Psalm 95:7-11. The children of Israel challenged god’s
authority over them by their rebellion in the wilderness.
Because of this, they failed to enter into the rest of
dwelling in Canaan and they perished in the wilderness (See
Numbers 14:22-23).
[18]
God’s rest has
several meanings in Scripture: (1) the seventh day of
creation and the weekly Sabbath commemorating it; (2) the
promised land of Canaan; (3) peace with God now because of
our relationship with Christ through faith; and (4) our
future eternal life with Christ. All of these meanings were
probably familiar to the Jewish Christian readers of
Hebrews.
[19]
Remembering the
failure of the Children of Israel, the writer now applies
Israel’s experience to the dangers facing his readers.
[20]
Our hearts turn
away from the living God when we stubbornly refuse to
believe Him.
[21]
Israel’s disgrace is summarily
described as unbelief [provocation (3:15); sin (3:17); and
disobedience].
[22]
The Israelites
failed to enter the promised land because they did not
believe in God’s protection, and they did not believe that
God would help them conquer the giants in the land. So God
sent them into the desert to wander for 40 years. Lack of
trust in God always prevents us from receiving His best.
[23]
Although Moses was
faithful to God, the generation of which he was a part
perished in the Wilderness. This fact served as a warning to
the generation which heart the gospel of Christ and was in
danger of rejecting it. Ironside (Commentary: Hebrews,
p. 48) says, “There is every reason to doubt the salvation
of one whose nature does not delight in the will of God.”
2019-09-29
2024-03-18 update