July 10, 2021 — A Study on the Book of Hebrews

“Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:16-19

“C.S. Lewis speaks to the difficulty of persistence (from a tempting demon’s fictional perspective): “The long, dull monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather. You see, it is so hard for these creatures (humans) to persevere. The routine of adversity, the gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes, the quiet despair (hardly felt as pain) of ever overcoming the chronic temptations with which we have again and again defeated them, the drabness which we create in their lives and inarticulate resentment with which we teach them to respond to it — all this provides admirable opportunities of wearing out a soul by attrition. If, on the other hand, the middle years from prosperous, our position is even stronger. Prosperity knits a man to the World. He fells that he is ‘finding his place in it’ while really it is finding its place in him… That is why we must often wish long life to our patients; seventy years is not a day too much for the difficult task of unraveling their souls from Heaven and building up a firm attachment to the earth.” (The Screwtape Letters) 

Why would the author ask this rhetorical question: “Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious?” What point is he trying to hammer home? Perhaps it is to highlight the reality that it was not just a few who were rebellious — but an entire generation of followers. These were the people who escaped slavery in Egypt — to then go on to have contempt for G-d in the next phase of their journey when the going got to be too tough for their comfort levels. 

We need to be careful at the thought of rebelling against G-d — either overtly or covertly, just because life hands us some lemons. But this is one of the ways in which the “Evil One” gets the opportunity to place doubt into our thoughts. Just recently a friend of mine passed away after a short battle with cancer. There are people who will look at his death as an excuse to blame G-d and abandon G-d’s graciousness and goodness because they believe G-d turned away from my friend and his family. It is not at this time, at the loss of a family member or friend that we blame G-d and lose our faith. It is just at the times of loss that we need to see in G-d the ultimate hope of eternity. Paul will say that the losses we experience now can in no way compare to the eternal weight of glory that is to come, to be revealed to those who believe.

My friends, as I said just a few days ago, G-d never promised us a rose garden. But G-d did promise us eternal life with G-d — at the party that is to come.

Pastor Dave