Bible Diary - Hebrews 3:7-11
May 25, 2008
Am I hearing God’s Word? I believe this is another way of saying, “Do I hear the words of the Christ to me as I read Scripture?” The writer uses the words of Psalm 95 to show that faith provides the context for understanding God’s Word.
Exposition of Psalm 95: Hearing God’s Word in Faith
3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks!
3:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.
3:9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty years.
3:10 “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering and they have not known my ways.’
3:11 “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’”
Granting that there is still mystery in these words, I think I see at least two points for me to take seriously.
First, I must listen to the Holy Spirit speak to me through the words of the psalmist. Reading as much as I do, I sometimes find myself skimming without pausing to ponder what the words mean. I fail to listen, even though I know the rewards of reading often come from slowing down and listening carefully.
Second, as one with the usual allocation of clay feet, it is easy to yield to a wandering heart, which seems perilously close to a hardened heart, the “gift” of an angry God. I try to remember that only the mediation of the Son stands between me and the fate that I deserve on my own merit.
In other words, “Pay attention, Dave.”
Dave
-sdg-
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