Hebrews 3 reminds me of the monkey trap. In the simplest form, this device is an empty coconut with a small hole, just large enough for the monkey’s hand to fit through. The trap is baited with rice, and secured in place. The critter will reach in, grab a handful of rice and become trapped by its closed fist. Unable to release the tempting treat, the monkey is easily captured. Today’s lesson is about letting go. The chapter begins with a conclusion from the previous chapter. Therefore “fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest”. The author next compares Jesus to another icon of Jewish history. “Moses was faithful in all God’s house”. He declares that, “Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses”. He continues, “the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself”. The dual meaning of “house” is both of a physical structure, as well as the genealogical family. Referencing Numbers 12:7, in the midst of rebuking Aaron for undermining the authority He gave Moses; God declares “Moses was faithful as a servant”. In contrast, he explains that Jesus was not a servant, “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house”. Some might ask, where is God’s house? He says, “we are His house”. He clarifies that “we” includes everyone that holds “firmly… to the hope in which we glory”. This “Hope” is the confident trust that salvation is given to all who believe in the resurrection. We glory in God’s merciful grace, which is received through faith in Christ our Savior.
The writer continues with a word to the lost. Some are burdened, some are searching, some are in bondage. Quoting from Psalm 95, he writes “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did… during the time of testing in the wilderness”. Some today are in a wilderness season. God has endless compassion. We can stubbornly hold onto old hurts that distract us from true freedom. The Psalmist urges each of us to reject the rebellion of our past. Psalm 95 continues, “your ancestors tested and tried Me… for forty years”. Yet God did not abandon them. Sadly, “They saw what I did” and yet, “their hearts are always going astray”. Eventually, God allowed the hard-hearted Israelites to die in the desert. They were held captive by their own stubbornness. God vowed, “They shall never enter My rest”.
For the rest of the chapter, the author writes to his fellow-believers, warning about the tempting treats that can entice us. “See to it… that none of you… turns away from the living God”. He inserts a responsibility we have to our brothers and sisters; “encourage one another daily”. None of us are beyond temptation. We meet together to help resist becoming “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness”. When we gather together to “share in Christ”, we experience people giving with open hands. In a nutshell, the gospel says, we have access to forgiveness because Jesus is faithful. Our Redeemer never gives up on us. The author repeats the verse again for believers that are struggling; “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion”. Every day is a new day. The chapter closes with a series of questions intended to encourage us not to lose hope during trials. Speaking of the desert experience of Israel, he asks “Who were they who heard and rebelled?” The generation that witnessed the miracles of the exodus, turned to idols in the desert. They were given the Law through Moses, and yet they continued to rebel. “With whom was He angry for forty years?” They grumbled and complained, and looked back at captivity with fondness. He ends with a sad fact about the Israelites, and perhaps many today. “They were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Do not fall for the trap. We enter His house by faith. Not as servants, but as heirs to the promise. My friend, is it time to let go of the past and embrace God’s Grace?