Hebrews 3

CHAPTER 3

Jesus Greater Than Moses (3:1-6)

1 Therefore … fix your thoughts on Jesus. Let us daily think about Jesus, and meditate on Him (see Hebrews 12:2-3).

Jesus is here called an APOSTLE and high priest. As an apostle He is God’s representative among men. As a high priest He is man’s representative before God. As an apostle, He was sent forth to reveal God to men. As a high priest, He has reconciled men to God.

2 Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed him to be an apostle and high priest. The writer of Hebrews here compares Jesus to MOSES, who was faithful in all God’s house (Numbers 12:7). Moses was a great Jewish leader, who led the Jews out of bondage in Egypt to a new land. Moses received from God the Old Testament law, and passed it on to the Jews. Just as, in the New Testament, Jesus is the mediator between God and man, so in the Old Testament, Moses was the mediator between God and the Jews.

Why does the writer compare Jesus with Moses? The reason is that these Hebrews to whom he was writing were about to turn away from Christ. Because they had originally been Jews, they were now about to turn back to their old Jewish religion. Therefore, the writer reminds them that Jesus is far greater than their old leader Moses. The writer is, in effect, asking these Hebrews: What advantage is there in turning from what is greater to what is lesser?

3-4 Moses was like a steward in God’s house, that is, the Jewish nation. But Jesus, because He is Himself God, is the owner and builder of the house. Therefore, Jesus the builder and master of the house is greater than Moses, who was only a servant in the house. Servants do not build houses. The builder of everything is God—that is, Jesus Christ (verse 4).

5-6 Just as Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house, so is Jesus a faithful son over God’s house—that is, over God’s kingdom. Moses, by his own faithfulness and example, gave witness to Christ. He testified to what would be said in the future.

And we are [God’s] house (verse 6). We believers in Christ are the household of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 2:19,22; 1 Peter 2:5).

We are God’s household, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. Here, as in many other New Testament verses (see verse 14), it is written that we will remain members of God’s household only if we remain firm in the faith (see General Article: Can We Lose Our Salvation?). He who leaves the faith loses everything (see Mark 4:5-6,16-17).

Warning Against Unbelief (3:7-19)

7-11 These verses are quoted from Psalm 95:7-11. So, as the Holy Spirit says … (verse 7). These words are not merely words written in a book; they are words spoken by God’s own Holy Spirit.

Moses delivered the Jews from bondage in Egypt and led them out into the Sinai desert, which lies between Egypt and Israel. Moses eventually led them up to the border of Israel, the land which God had promised to give to Abraham’s descendants (the Jews). However, during the forty years they were in the Sinai desert, the Jews continually complained against God and against their leader Moses. In doing this, they tested and tried God (verse 9). That is, they tested God to find out how far they could rebel against Him before He became angry with them (Exodus 17:1-4,7). And after they had tested God a long time, the Jews finally did provoke God to anger. And God declared an oath that these rebellious and complaining Jews would “never enter my rest” (verse 11); that is, they would never enter the land (Israel) He had promised to give to Abraham’s descendants (Numbers 14:21-23).

12 The Hebrews to whom this letter was written were about to fall into temptation, just as those rebellious Jews in the desert had fallen into temptation. Therefore, the writer gives these Hebrews a warning: Do not be like those Jews in the desert who fell into sin, who rebelled against God, and who stopped trusting in Him (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-5).

Those ancient Jews who opposed Moses and who stopped believing in God did not get to enter the land—the rest—that God had promised to Abraham’s descendants. It is possible that this same thing could happen to us. If we, having once “believed,” then leave our faith and begin to oppose Christ, we too will not get to enter our rest, which is heaven.

13 We need to encourage one another daily to stand firm in the faith. When we try to follow Christ by ourselves, it is very easy to fall into temptation, to become discouraged, to turn back. But by joining together and encouraging one another, we can together go forward in the faith (see Hebrews 10:25).

Therefore, let us encourage one another, as long as it is called Today. Today the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. Today, therefore, let us listen, because tomorrow the opportunity to hear may not come again. But let us remember that, today also, Satan is trying to lead us into temptation. Satan is trying to harden our hearts by sin’s deceitfulness. Today we are in a struggle between spirit and flesh (Gal-atians 5:17). There is no rest today. Only “tomorrow” will our rest come—if we stand firm.

What is sin’s deceitfulness? It is sin in disguise. When Satan tempts us to commit a particular sin, he will say to us: “That’s not really a sin.” He deceives us. And when we begin to commit this disguised sin, we become even more deceived, even more blind. And as we continue to sin, our hearts become hardened. Therefore, we must encourage and admonish one another daily, so that we will not be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (see 2 Timothy 4:2).

14 Here the writer again warns us to hold firmly … the confidence (faith) we had at first. He warns us to stand firm till the end (see Mark 13:13 and comment). If we remain firm in our faith and do not turn back, we will get to share in Christ—that is, we will be given a share in His glory and in His inheritance (Romans 8:17).

15-16 The writer again quotes from Psalm 95:7-8. Those ancient Jews who heard and rebelled (verse 16) against God had seen God’s mighty works and miracles. Through Moses, God had led the Jews out of EGYPT in a miraculous way. Nevertheless, they rebelled against God and stopped believing in Him.

17 God became angry with those Jews, because they had disobeyed Him. All those who opposed Him fell (died) in the desert (Numbers 14:27,29-30).

18-19 Because of the Jews’ unbelief (verse 19), they were not allowed to enter into God’s rest, that is, into the land (Israel) which God had promised to give them (see Hebrews 4:6 and comment). From this we can see that unbelief is the primary or root sin of man.⁴ The reason is because unbelief cuts us offfrom God’s power to save us and make us holy. Without faith, we have no power to overcome sin.

Let these above verses, then, serve as a warning for us today. Just as those ancient Jews had seen God’s power and glory, so we too have seen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have begun to follow Him. Now perhaps some trial or temptation has fallen upon us, such as happened to those ancient Jews. By this our faith is being tested. Brothers and sisters, let us not be like those ancient Jews who fell away and stopped believing! There is one thing that will prevent us from entering our rest—and that one thing is unbelief. See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God (verse 12).