So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
God swore in His wrath that the wilderness generation would not enter His rest because through hardened unbelief and disobedience they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, after tempting Him and seeing His works forty years until He was grieved with them. He would have brought them directly and promptly into the promised land if they had submitted to be led and trusted and obeyed Him, but their repeated grieving of Him brought prolonged wandering in which all but two of the adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness, with only Caleb and Joshua who wholly followed Him excepted. The gospel was preached to them as well as to later believers, but the word heard did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it and was neither received with faith nor practiced. That oath stands as a present warning while it is called Today to hear His voice and not harden the heart as in the wilderness provocation, to take heed lest an evil heart of unbelief depart from the living God, for persistent disobedience and refusal of His invitation forfeit rest. Those who hear are therefore to exhort one another daily while it is called Today, cherish faith and not unbelief, look to God rather than men, and hold the beginning of their confidence and hope in Christ steadfast to the end as partakers of Christ in order to enter rest.
Israel's Exclusion from Rest
God swore in wrath that the wilderness generation would not enter His rest because of unbelief and disobedience. Their hearts were hardened, always erring and not knowing His ways. They tempted and proved Him for forty years though they saw His works, until He was grieved with them. That unbelief and hardened heart keeps people from sharing in the promised rest.
Their unbelief showed itself in turning from the living God. It showed itself in obstinate refusal of warnings, persistent backsliding and idolatry, and divorcing from God to follow the wisdom of men not under His direction. It showed itself in listening to the voice and policy of Lucifer, whose influence stirred murmuring, complaining, discord and rebellion, with pride and selfishness. It showed itself also in suspicion and distrust of fellow workers, in weighing their words and motives, blaming them when appearances were discouraging, and taking the judgment seat out of God's hands.
God would have brought them directly and promptly into the promised land if they had been willing to be led, submitted to Him, loved His leading, and trusted and obeyed Him. But their repeated grieving of Him brought prolonged wandering. All but two of the adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness and their carcasses fell there, though not all who came out by Moses provoked Him. Only the two who wholly followed Him, Caleb and Joshua, were excepted, and the children who entered Canaan were charged not to follow their fathers' course.
The gospel was preached to them as well as to later believers, and they heard Christ's word when they had heard. But the word preached did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it. They did not receive it with faith or practice it, and pride, selfishness, murmuring and unbelief kept it from benefiting them. They could not enter in because of unbelief.
Warning to Enter Today
The oath sworn in wrath still stands as a present warning while it is called Today to hear His voice and not harden the heart as in the provocation in the wilderness. Take heed lest there be in any an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, for persistent disobedience, hardened unbelief, and refusal of His invitation and call forfeit entrance into His rest. The wilderness generation was barred because they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, after tempting and proving Him and seeing His works for forty years until He was grieved with them. Their exclusion teaches that unbelief and hardened hearts keep hearers from sharing in the promised rest unless they heed God's voice, resist sin's deception, and remain faithful to the end.
Those who hear are to exhort one another daily while it is called Today and encourage one another so that none is led away or hardened. Give no encouragement to unbelief but cherish faith, talk faith and act faith, look to God rather than men, have patience after doing God's will, do not cast away confidence or draw back, and hold the beginning of confidence and hope in Christ steadfast unto the end as partakers of Christ in order to enter rest. Unbelief turns the heart from the living God and opens it to the deceiver, whose influence stirs murmuring, discord, and rebellion. The danger is set forth further in the fourth chapter of Hebrews, where the promise of entering His rest is still left and there is cause to fear lest any seem to come short of it.
Hardening comes through the deceitfulness of sin. Satan often presents temptation under the guise of goodness, and one violation of straightforward truthfulness prepares the way for a second, with wrongs repeated until unbelief is hardened and conscience and sensitiveness are deadened. Speaking words of unbelief casts reflection on Him who is too wise to err and too good to do harm, and requires humbling the heart before God and asking forgiveness. The warning applies especially to those in responsible positions, who must not by suspicion and distrust of fellow workers, by weighing their words and motives, by blaming them when appearances are discouraging, or by taking the judgment seat out of God's hands, forfeit rest through persistent murmuring and complaining.
The same experience will be repeated in the last years of God's people, when men greatly honored will pattern after ancient Israel. The perils of past ages will be encountered again intensified through Satan gaining influence over honored minds as he did over Solomon, whose honor did not preserve him. Standing just on the borders of the promised land and of the heavenly Canaan just before entering it, God's people must not repeat the sin of the unfaithful spies who magnified difficulties into insurmountable obstacles, leavened the congregation with unbelief, and led them to murmur, weep, rebel and turn back. Doubts, criticisms and complaints sow seeds of unbelief and distrust that yield an abundant harvest, let the golden opportunity pass by, and keep God's prepared work from being done because of wicked unbelief and rebellion.
Now while it is called Today is the time to hear the voice of the Lord and turn fully to Him, and those who do will receive mercy and abundant pardon. Trust Him alone rather than seek help from those who do not serve Him. Response is urgent because a person may not receive the invitation again, and those who persist in disobedience and refuse God's invitation and call will not enter His rest. There will be no second probation, His coming will be sudden and the unready will be found unready, and the coming judgment will bring the wrath the impenitent have been storing up when mercy will no longer plead for sinners.
God swore in His wrath that the wilderness generation would not enter His rest because through hardened unbelief and disobedience they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, after tempting Him and seeing His works forty years until He was grieved with them. He would have brought them directly and promptly into the promised land if they had submitted to be led and trusted and obeyed Him, but their repeated grieving of Him brought prolonged wandering in which all but two of the adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness, with only Caleb and Joshua who wholly followed Him excepted. The gospel was preached to them as well as to later believers, but the word heard did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it and was neither received with faith nor practiced. That oath stands as a present warning while it is called Today to hear His voice and not harden the heart as in the wilderness provocation, to take heed lest an evil heart of unbelief depart from the living God, for persistent disobedience and refusal of His invitation forfeit rest. Those who hear are therefore to exhort one another daily while it is called Today, cherish faith and not unbelief, look to God rather than men, and hold the beginning of their confidence and hope in Christ steadfast to the end as partakers of Christ in order to enter rest.
Israel's Exclusion from Rest
God swore in wrath that the wilderness generation would not enter His rest because of unbelief and disobedience. Their hearts were hardened, always erring and not knowing His ways. They tempted and proved Him for forty years though they saw His works, until He was grieved with them. That unbelief and hardened heart keeps people from sharing in the promised rest.
Their unbelief showed itself in turning from the living God. It showed itself in obstinate refusal of warnings, persistent backsliding and idolatry, and divorcing from God to follow the wisdom of men not under His direction. It showed itself in listening to the voice and policy of Lucifer, whose influence stirred murmuring, complaining, discord and rebellion, with pride and selfishness. It showed itself also in suspicion and distrust of fellow workers, in weighing their words and motives, blaming them when appearances were discouraging, and taking the judgment seat out of God's hands.
God would have brought them directly and promptly into the promised land if they had been willing to be led, submitted to Him, loved His leading, and trusted and obeyed Him. But their repeated grieving of Him brought prolonged wandering. All but two of the adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness and their carcasses fell there, though not all who came out by Moses provoked Him. Only the two who wholly followed Him, Caleb and Joshua, were excepted, and the children who entered Canaan were charged not to follow their fathers' course.
The gospel was preached to them as well as to later believers, and they heard Christ's word when they had heard. But the word preached did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it. They did not receive it with faith or practice it, and pride, selfishness, murmuring and unbelief kept it from benefiting them. They could not enter in because of unbelief.
Warning to Enter Today
The oath sworn in wrath still stands as a present warning while it is called Today to hear His voice and not harden the heart as in the provocation in the wilderness. Take heed lest there be in any an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, for persistent disobedience, hardened unbelief, and refusal of His invitation and call forfeit entrance into His rest. The wilderness generation was barred because they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, after tempting and proving Him and seeing His works for forty years until He was grieved with them. Their exclusion teaches that unbelief and hardened hearts keep hearers from sharing in the promised rest unless they heed God's voice, resist sin's deception, and remain faithful to the end.
Those who hear are to exhort one another daily while it is called Today and encourage one another so that none is led away or hardened. Give no encouragement to unbelief but cherish faith, talk faith and act faith, look to God rather than men, have patience after doing God's will, do not cast away confidence or draw back, and hold the beginning of confidence and hope in Christ steadfast unto the end as partakers of Christ in order to enter rest. Unbelief turns the heart from the living God and opens it to the deceiver, whose influence stirs murmuring, discord, and rebellion. The danger is set forth further in the fourth chapter of Hebrews, where the promise of entering His rest is still left and there is cause to fear lest any seem to come short of it.
Hardening comes through the deceitfulness of sin. Satan often presents temptation under the guise of goodness, and one violation of straightforward truthfulness prepares the way for a second, with wrongs repeated until unbelief is hardened and conscience and sensitiveness are deadened. Speaking words of unbelief casts reflection on Him who is too wise to err and too good to do harm, and requires humbling the heart before God and asking forgiveness. The warning applies especially to those in responsible positions, who must not by suspicion and distrust of fellow workers, by weighing their words and motives, by blaming them when appearances are discouraging, or by taking the judgment seat out of God's hands, forfeit rest through persistent murmuring and complaining.
The same experience will be repeated in the last years of God's people, when men greatly honored will pattern after ancient Israel. The perils of past ages will be encountered again intensified through Satan gaining influence over honored minds as he did over Solomon, whose honor did not preserve him. Standing just on the borders of the promised land and of the heavenly Canaan just before entering it, God's people must not repeat the sin of the unfaithful spies who magnified difficulties into insurmountable obstacles, leavened the congregation with unbelief, and led them to murmur, weep, rebel and turn back. Doubts, criticisms and complaints sow seeds of unbelief and distrust that yield an abundant harvest, let the golden opportunity pass by, and keep God's prepared work from being done because of wicked unbelief and rebellion.
Now while it is called Today is the time to hear the voice of the Lord and turn fully to Him, and those who do will receive mercy and abundant pardon. Trust Him alone rather than seek help from those who do not serve Him. Response is urgent because a person may not receive the invitation again, and those who persist in disobedience and refuse God's invitation and call will not enter His rest. There will be no second probation, His coming will be sudden and the unready will be found unready, and the coming judgment will bring the wrath the impenitent have been storing up when mercy will no longer plead for sinners.