We saw in the last post that every person in ancient Israel died in the wilderness by partaking of certain sins. But, there is a very interesting point which we really don’t realize until we examine the Old Testament and the 1 Corinthians 10 accounts of the exodus in light of Hebrews 3-4. The point is that God did not judge Israel because they failed to perfectly follow the Law. He judged them for “unbelief.” They lacked faith, or belief, that God would do what he said he would do. God makes this emphatic assertion at least four times in chapters 3 and 4.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12 KJ2000)

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:19 KJ2000)

Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter into it, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (Hebrews 4:6 KJ2000)

Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:11 KJ2000)

We may wonder how this can be. Haven’t we all been taught that Israel failed because they did not and could not obey the Law? God never expected them to perfectly obey the Law. Israel always walked under the terms of the Gospel, just as we do. Look at 1 Corinthians 10 again:

¹ Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:1-4)

Do you see this? Christ accompanied Israel in the wilderness on their exodus from Egypt! The spiritual drink they consumed was the living water Jesus told the woman at the well he would provide. Not only that, they had been baptized. The Gospel had been preached to them! You don’t believe me?

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:2 KJ2000)

Who is “them” in this passage? Israel of the exodus, of course, for almost all of Hebrews 3-4 deals with the fact that Israel could not enter God’s rest because of unbelief. Both Corinthians and Hebrews make it clear that the Gospel was preached to Israel and that Israel failed to reach the promised land because they lacked faith, not because they failed to obey the Law. This is the critical point that the writer of Hebrews makes in his first four chapters.

The problem was, is, and always has been that men want to work for their salvation and their rewards. The common failing of almost all men is that they think that their good works get them closer to God, or gain them a better reward. The writer of Hebrews blasts this myth, saying,

For he that is entered into his [God’s] rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:10-11 KJ2000)

“The same example of unbelief,” ultimately, speaks of our dead works, each and every work that arises from our carnal nature, our flesh. So, do Paul and the other New Testament writers then preach that we should rest in the midst of our sins and not be concerned about our own sinful behavior?

Continue to Part 4

Part 1