AM October 29th Hebrews 3

October 29^th Superior to Joshua

7: Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8: Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10: Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11: So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12: Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13: But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14: For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15: While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16: For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17: But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18: And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19: So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

The writer says to these Hebrews The Holy Spirit says to you, Today if you will hear his voice do not harden your hearts (like you did when your fathers provoked the Lord in the wilderness) Then they tempted the Lord and proved him over forty years. The Lord said l was disgusted with that generation and said they are always going off the path in their minds and they do not know my ways. Therefore l swore an oath saying that, they will never enter into my rest. Now says the writer it’s the same with you Hebrews. Listen to what l am saying brethren, uncase an evil mind of unbelief should cause you to leave off listening to the living God. Encourage each other while you have an opportunity lest any one of you become hardened through the trick of sin to lead you astray. Because we will become part of what Christ is going to do if we believe in him right on to the end. Even though the Lord warned Israel in the wilderness yet they still rebelled against him – yet not all. Those who rebelled fell in the wilderness. Do you think that Gods curse - that they would not enter into his rest – was to those who believed or those who believed not? And then the writer answers his own question – Israel could not enter into rest because of unbelief. Joshua could only get Israel into the land. but Christ will get Israel into the everlasting Messianic Kingdom.

• What is the special message of the Holy Spirit to the Hebrews?
• What is the writer referring to when he speaks of 'the provocation'?
• What did those who left Egypt fail to enter into?