Hebrews 3:16 (NET): For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership?
In keeping with our theme of blogging on all the 3:16 passages in the New Testament, our Hebrews 3:16 passage brings us to a part of a larger and very serious warning. While the writer of Hebrews was pointing his Jewish readers back to well-known events of their ancestors' past, and basically says ‘don’t roll that way’, a breakdown of how it all went sideways brings out a really important truth: Spiritually fantastic experiences have a real dark side in that they can cause us to confuse the experience with a personal love-based relationship with God. I call these spiritually fantastic experiences “mountain top moments”. For most Christians we may get to experience miracles, participate in overwhelming Spirit filled moments of worship, go to Christian concert, attend a Christian conference, or go on a retreat with fellow believers. For some, it may be a camping trip or literally climbing a mountain. For others it may be going on a short-term mission or showing up for an outpouring like happened at Asbury. The list can go on, but you get the point.
First, a bit of history review from the Old Testament. In Exodus, starting around chapter 7 and winding through chapter 24, we see the story of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the establishment of a nation. Jump over to the book of Numbers, and around chapters 13 and 14, we read about Israel failing to trust God and not moving into the land God has promised them. Instead, they end up wandering in the desert for 40 years until all the adults who rebelled against God’s command to take the promised land die off.
So before the Israelites even get to the wandering for 40 years part, each one of them has directly experienced the following major miraculous events:
The 10 plagues in Egypt
The miracle of Passover and the slaying of the firstborn
Being set free from slavery as a nation in a moment
The favor of God in that the Egyptians gave them tremendous wealth as they left Egypt
The crossing of the Red Sea
The Egyptian army being drowned as they pursued Israel
Multiple battles won miraculously (these were slaves, not trained warriors)
Plus, they experienced daily miracles like:
Following a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day
Having manna falling from the sky six days a week
Having water flowing from rocks in the desert.
The presence of the angel of the Lord
I think it is safe to claim that nobody in the rest of human history experienced anything like these supernatural experiences with God. As one reads these stories, one can imagine there were lots of high fives, cheering, and walking tall after these various miracles. However, sprinkled in amongst these stories are also stories of not trusting God, of abandoning God for an idol, of rank disobedience and rebellion. From all appearances, these “mountain top” experiences did nothing more than give these folks an emotional high and some stories to talk about. When the time came to apply the implied lessons of these miracles about how capable God was and how much he cared for them, there was no faith, only fear for their own well-being.
So what can we learn from this? It’s actually the same lesson that Jesus repeats in Luke 16 in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus when Jesus says, “If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (v31 NET) There it is – we have to have faith to take God at His word first and foremost. No number of “mountain top” experiences will replace that. The thing about those experiences is they get us pumped up and enthusiastic. They get our emotions running high. They help us to focus on God for the moment. They can be great for helping us to tune our heart better to God. But if that’s all we do, we are no better off than those who rebelled. That is the potential dark side of those moments, they give an illusion of having a relationship with God. We have to put that focus to work by developing our personal relationship with God. That boils down to learning to communicate with God (prayer, Bible reading, study) and surrendering to Him (“not my will be yours be done”). If we fail to work on these basics of our relationship with God, we too will be like those early Israelites and fall away when our faith gets challenged.
Just prior to 3:16 the writer of Hebrews gives us this encouragement:
”See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God. But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence firm until the end. As it says, “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”“ Hebrews 3:12-15 NET
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