“"Do Not Harden Your Hearts"”

Sunday, June 08, 2025

We’ve considered the first two chapters of Hebrews over the last two months. The first chapter focused on Christ’s superiority to angels and other messengers. Chapter 2 extended the comparison to us, illuminating not only Jesus’ superiority over us, but his similarity to us, at the same time. This was a valuable insight all its own, but the author was driving at the next point—that Jesus, because he relates perfectly both to man and to God, is the perfect mediator between us.

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

(Hebrews 2.17)

Of course, this unknown author is a bit of a tease—although this observation seems plain to us now, it is made in no other book of the New Testament! In the next chapter, he begins by restating the priesthood of Jesus.

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.

(Hebrews 3.1-2)

That’s right, he just leaves it there, ignoring that his audience wants to hear more about Jesus’ priesthood, which is surely a new concept for them despite making a great deal of sense! He’ll get back to it after a while, and develop the point over several chapters, but for now, he just moves on to talking about Moses! His point is, first, that Jesus repeats Moses’ faithfulness, and he’s still following the same pattern he established chapters 1 and 2, where he quoted Old Testament passages to establish each point. He doesn’t mention that he’s doing so here, but he’s clearly paraphrasing the Scripture—

“Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.”

(Numbers 12.7)

Yet, as Jesus outshone angels despite his similarities to them, he also surpassed Moses.

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

(Hebrews 3.3-6)

For a Jewish audience, it was a bold move to declare anyone greater than Moses—that was one of the charges that led to Stephen’s murder, after all (Ac 6.11)! It should have been perfectly acceptable to Jewish Christians, of course—but the purpose of this book is to dissuade them from taking their hearts back from Jesus, to go after Moses again.

The author’s next point in pursuit of that goal, is to draw his audience’s attention to the need for perseverance, and the alarming possibility of losing their promised reward. He does this by—again—quoting from the Old Testament, this time Psalm 95.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

        on the day of testing in the wilderness,

where your fathers put me to the test

        and saw my works for forty years.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;

        they have not known my ways.’

As I swore in my wrath,

        ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

(Hebrews 3.7-11)

He’ll really drop the hammer on them in the next chapter, telling them that this psalm was written for them, not just their ancestors; but for now he contents himself to pretend he’s merely creating an allegory between the ancient psalm, and their present needs.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

(Hebrews 3.12-13)

His audience knows the old stories. They were raised on them! Their fathers rebelled against God time and time again. David was raised on them, too, and he used their bad example as a warning to God’s people in his own time, that “today” they should guard their hearts against rebellious attitudes toward God. Following David’s example, the author extends the warning to his brothers and sisters, who had more to lose than David could have understood.

For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,

        “Today, if you hear his voice,

        do not harden your hearts as in the

                        rebellion.”

(Hebrews 3.14-15)

What’s the connection between observation and quotation? He means that David’s later admonition for Israel not to follow the bad example of their forefathers, implies that they faced a similar danger of being judged unfaithful and shut out. Their fathers lost their inheritance when they hardened their hearts against God, and Christians “today” are subject to the same risk. They know to avoid open rebellion, but rebellion begins as a hardening of the heart. That’s this chapter’s final point, relying on the ambiguity of the Greek verb πείθομαι-peithomai. In its negative form (ἀπειθέω) it usually implies action—disobedience. But the root means to be convinced, or persuaded, tying outward action to inward motivation—an unpersuaded, unbelieving, hardened heart.

And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

(Hebrews 3.18-19)

Jeremy Nettles

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