Encourage One Another

Hebrews 3:7-13 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
 
STAY faithful to God. Be faithful to one another. Encourage each other to remain in God’s truth.
   Hebrews points the Jews to remember a great sin among their ancestors in the Exodus journey. Numbers 13 describes Israel’s rebellion to refuse to go to the Promised Land. At God’s command, Moses sent 12 spies into the land, so Israel would be prepared to enter. But 10 spies expressed fear of the giants and fortified cities. Caleb and Joshua attempted to encourage Israel: Numbers 13:30 “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
   But the fear influenced the nation to rebel against God’s promise. In response, God judged them to 40 years of wandering. No person over 20 years old would enter the land. Instead of living in God’s promise, Israel died in the desert. Only the faithful Caleb and Joshua entered the new land.
   Hebrews urges the church to remember the hard lesson. We can look at Israel’s history and know there were many more rebellions against God. The 10 tribes of the nation Israel would be dispersed in exile. God also judged the tribes of Judah and Benjamin into a 70-year exile.
   The rebellion hasn’t stopped with the New Covenant. Throughout the generations, the church has also rebelled and still is rebelling. As Caleb encouraged Israel, Hebrews has encouraged the church to stay faithful to God. We must encourage each other to keep our minds fixed on the living God. It is easy to set our minds on the “giants and fortified cities” that confront us. They loom large when our minds become preoccupied with their threats.
   Hebrews reinforces the remedy for our fear as he repeats verse 8 in verse 15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” And then he summarizes the rebellion and God’s judgment again in verses 16-19.
   Repeating the point confirms the point. Have a soft heart for God’s Word. Trust him above the fear or rebellion that may cover your heart. Be willing to share your fears and doubts. Be alert to encourage others who have these giants in their lives.
   Listen to and learn from God’s Word. Help others do the same.