“Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, 4 while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.” Hebrews 2:1-4

“How many Old Testament saints failed to finish well, falling to one kind of evil or another? I believe that when the author of Hebrews warns us of the danger of “drifting,” he is speaking of the same problem. This is a danger that every Christian faces, and thus we would do well – as our text exhorts us – to listen more carefully to the message that God has for us in the person and work of His Son. As our text urges us, let us listen well to the Word of God, lest we drift into dangerous waters.

We should observe that this is the first “warning passage” in the Book of Hebrews. The writer has changed from exposition to exhortation. “Therefore, since God has spoken finally and fully in His Son, who is vastly superior to any other being, we should listen most carefully to what He has said.” There are two particularly important questions we must answer before going any further. First, who is meant by “we”? And second, “What is meant by the expression ‘drift away’?” ” (A Word of Warning and Exhortation, bible.org, Bob Deffinbaugh)

After the author of Hebrews has established his course of thinking in chapter one, he immediately moves on to his teaching. The audience of this letter is most likely Jewish Christians, most likely living in Jerusalem. And it appears that these followers are beginning to falter in their belief that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah.

Since Jesus was not the “militaristic” Messiah expected, many must have begun to question that Jesus was the right guy. As such, the author of Hebrews is exhorting them to stand firm in the faith. He is afraid of “faith-drift” — the same faith-drift that is endemic in our society today. If G-d does not answer our prayers right now, we cease in praying. If G-d does not solve our problems today, we find a different “messiah” — one whose instructions and promises fit our own world-view. That is why the author is so adamant that we do not drift away from the words of promise about Jesus. When things do not go our way, we need to trust, to persevere, to endure, and to keep on believing — with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave