Hebrews Chapter 3/Commentary by Mark Dunagan

Hebrews Chapter 3

“This writer began by proving that Jesus was superior to the prophets (1:1-2); he went on to prove that Jesus was superior to the angels; and now he proceeds to prove that Jesus is superior to Moses. It might at first sight seem that this is an anticlimax. But it was not so for a Jew. For him Moses held a place that was utterly unique. He was the man with whom God had spoken face to face as man speaks with his friend (Numbers 12:6-8). He was the direct recipient of the Ten Commandments, the very Law of God” (Barclay pp. 28-29). The Law given by angels (2:2) was delivered through a Mediator (Galatians 3:19, i.e., Moses). Christ, therefore, must be compared to Moses and shown greater than this one that the Jewish people held in such reverence (John 9:28). “In this chapter the author approaches the problem of proving Christ’s superiority to Moses with great finesse, as any criticism of their renowned Leader and Lawgiver would only antagonize his readers and prevent all further discussion” (Wilson p. 40). 3:1 “Therefore”: If through Jesus, God has spoken His final and saving word (1:2; 2:3), and if the High Priest I speak of is so sympathetic and faithful, then we need to consider Him. “Holy brethren”: “Literally, ‘brethren consecrated’, separated from the world and dedicated to God” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 271). Brothers who are set apart from the world and are dedicated to serving God. By addressing his readers as “holy brothers”, the author is speaking spiritually rather than racially. He means “holy fellow Christians”. Believers are often called “brothers” (Galatians 1:11) and “holy ones” (1 Corinthians 1:2; Colossians 1:2). “Partakers of a heavenly calling”: We are sharers in a heavenly invitation. The origin, nature, and destiny of which are heavenly, this calling is when God invites all men through the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14; Mark 16:15). The origin of this gospel invitation is heaven (Ephesians 1:18), and the destination of this calling is heaven (Ephesians 4:4; 2 Peter 1:10-11; 1 Peter 5:10). 1

“Once Jesus has taken part in flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14), now it is possible for men to take part in a heavenly calling (an invitation from heaven, or an invitation to heaven), that is, an invitation to salvation. By reminding the readers who they are and how they came to be such holy brethren, the writer is recalling the dignity with which God has invested them. For them to treat such dignity lightly would be insulting to God” (Reese p. 37). 3:1 “Consider Jesus”: “To consider attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon” (Thayer p. 334). This word indicates serious attention and careful study. These Christians had already confessed Christ, but every believer needs to examine continually the content of his Christian confession. The reason that these Christians needed to consider Jesus is that they were wavering; in contrast, Jesus did not waver. “Jesus was faithful. Are you going to be unfaithful? Jesus is God. Are you going back to Moses? When you could have Jesus as your high priest, are you going back to one of the Levitical priests?” (Reese p. 37). The truth about Jesus cannot be appreciated by a careless, occasional glance. One reason that people do not love God or love Him so imperfectly is because they give such little attention to who He is and what He has done for us. More people would become believers if they would simply take the time to “consider” Jesus. Jesus needs to be in our thoughts, the object of our attention—He deserves our best consideration. 3:1 “The Apostle”: The term rendered apostle means “one sent forth”. Jesus is an “apostle” in the sense that He was sent forth from God (John 17:3; 13:20; 20:21). Nowhere else is the title apostle ascribed to Jesus in Scripture, however, there is no problem in recognizing the appropriateness of this designation. He was God’s highest messenger to men (John 3:34). Moses had been sent by God to save the Israelites from bondage (Exodus 3:10). Jesus had been sent to redeem man from the bondage of sin. “And High Priest”: This has already been touched upon (2:17) and will be further explained in chapter 5:1ff. “Of our confession”: The confession here is their confession of Christ (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10; Acts 8:37). Notice the term “our”; this is a confession in distinction from what other men confess. This statement reminds the readers that there was a time when they did confess that Jesus is the Christ. “Now, before they abandon the church in favor of Judaism, they should meditate on what (and why) they once confessed about Jesus” (Reese p. 38).

This is a great way to approach someone who is becoming unfaithful. Why had they confessed Jesus at one time? I know some try to argue, “Well, I never really believed”, but often this is not true. Why would a person make a confession of Christ, if they really did not believe? God does expect us to hold to what we have confessed (Hebrews 4:14; 10:23). 3:2 “He was faithful to Him who appointed Him”: The characteristic or particular qualification of Jesus that is to hold their attention is His trustworthiness. Thank heaven, Jesus is still faithful (13:8). Jesus had the salvation of the entire human race on His shoulders, His task was to come and suffer a cruel death for our sins, to be tempted in all points as we are yet to remain sinless, and Jesus was faithful to this task. In contrast, these Christians were starting to be unfaithful. The faithfulness of Jesus should make all wavering Christians feel a sense of shame. We can depend upon Jesus (1 Peter 2:6). “As Moses also was in all His house”: “The attributing of faithfulness to Moses was not just a deduction by the author, but was based upon God’s statement in Numbers 12:7 ‘My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house’” (Wilson pp. 64-65). The particular “house” under consideration was the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. Notice that to elevate Jesus, we do not need to disparage Moses. Moses was a prime example of faithfulness, yet as great as Moses was, Jesus is even greater. “Whatever sins Moses committed were more personal than official. He may have been excluded from entering the Promised Land, yet when it came to functioning as God’s appointed messenger, Moses always delivered the whole message of God” (Reese p. 41). 3:3 “For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses”: “He has been deemed worthy of far higher honor than Moses” (TCNT). “Consider Jesus ‘for’ well does He deserve your attention! He deserves more honor than you give to Moses” (Reese p. 40). The reason or justification for the above statement is given in the next sentence. “By just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house”: Since Christ is the builder of His household; His glory far excels that of Moses who was but a servant in it and a member of it. “Men may marvel when they see a beautiful and well-constructed building, but it is selfevident that the real credit belongs to the person who planned, constructed, and furnished the building” (Reese p. 40). Moses is not the “house” in the above verse; rather, Moses was a servant “in” God’s household. The phrase by just so much means, “in proportion”, Christ is greater than Moses in the same degree 3

that a builder is greater than a house. The clear inference in the above passage is that Jesus is the author of the house that Moses served in, that is, He is the author of the nation of Israel, as well as the New Testament Church (Matthew 16:18). Once again, Jesus is placed outside the realm of created things. “In spite of the greatness of Moses, whose responsibilities in Israel made him unquestionably the leader of God’s people, he was still an integral part of those people, on the same plane with them in terms of their relationship to God. Christ stands on a higher plane and deserves to be considered as the Builder of the house, rather than a mere part of it” (Kent p. 65). 3:4 “For every house is built by someone”: Contrary to the claims of Evolutionists, things do not just “pop” into existence. “Design and existence always implies a designer” (Milligan p. 116). The Bible here agrees with the scientific principle that “something cannot come from nothing”. “But the builder of all things is God”: Through Jesus, God did build all things (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, anytime we find God building, Jesus is automatically included. Here is another claim that Jesus is deity. The writer notes that the “builder of all things is God”; yet he has already stated that Jesus is the builder (3:3; 1:2; 1:10-12). 3:5 “Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant”: Moses was indeed faithful! To elevate Christ in the minds of these Christians, the writer does not need to depreciate Moses. Moses was a faithful servant in God’s household (Numbers 12:7). Yet, the very passage in the Old Testament that commended Moses as being faithful also made it clear that he occupied the role of a servant. The status of Moses was not without dignity, but he was nevertheless a servant. Even Moses understood this, for he acknowledged that the Covenant he revealed was preparatory and that another would come who would be superior to him (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19). “For a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later”: “Whose duty was to bear testimony to the Message still to come” (TCNT). Moses’ purpose was to bear witness to the things to come (John 5:46 “for he wrote of Me”; Acts 3:22-23. “Moses was inferior to Christ, not only in respect to his personal position as a servant, but also in respect to his work as such; which was only to testify beforehand, typically and prophetically, to a fuller revelation to come” (P.P. Comm. p. 87). “Moses only bore witness to the greater things to follow his own day. Therefore, Jesus is superior to Moses by Moses’ own admission and prediction” (Reese p. 42). 4

3:6 “But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house”: Here we see another contrast. Moses was in the house and Christ is the builder (3-4), in this verse we find, in addition, that Moses was a servant in the house, while Christ is a Son over the house (Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 10:21). “His own house” (King James Version). There is no word “own” in the Greek text, yet it is clear that the house under consideration belongs to Christ. “Whose house we are”: The house under consideration is the church (1 Timothy 3:15). This implies that the old house (Israel) that Moses was in and served is no more. The nation of Israel is no longer God’s “house”, rather in the church, Jewish and Gentile believers are now the house of God (1 Corinthians 3:9; 1 Peter 2:5). “If we hold fast our confidence”: Yet remaining in this house is conditional (no predestination or once-savedalways-saved in this verse). The term “if”, as throughout the letter, stresses the fact that everything depends upon perseverance. Some have tried to argue that if one falls away such indicates that one was never really converted in the first place. Carefully note that the above warning is given to those who are in God’s house; this is a warning to Christians. 3:6 “Hold fast”: This means to keep secure, keep firm possession of (Thayer p. 340). See Hebrews 3:14 and 10:23. “Confidence”: “Free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage” (Thayer p. 491). “The absence of fear in speaking boldly, hence confidence” (Vine p. 138). “Originally, ‘frank speech’, hence the boldness which prompts it” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 274). This book stresses the need for such fearless courage to speak and stand for the truth (Hebrews 3:14; 4:16; 10:19,35). God expects Christians to be confident; confident that what the Bible says is true; confident that Jesus is the only way to the Father; confident that everyone needs to become a Christian; confident that God can take care of them; confident that God’s ways are right; and confident that if they serve God faithfully they will end up saved. Are we this confident? 3:6 “And the boast of our hope firm until the end”: The term boast can also mean “rejoicing, and the ground of glorying”. “And the hope which we boast of as ours” (Wey). Eternal life (Titus 1:2) for the Christian should not be a “timid” hope. Rather, we should rejoice everyday that we are saved, that we are on the right road, and that we have found the truth! (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:5-6). This attitude of excitement about our salvation and our future destiny needs to be strong and alive every day of our lives. Are we still excited about going to heaven? Do we rejoice and glory in our hope? “Boast of our hope” likely speaks about 5

“being proud of Jesus who is our hope” (Reese p. 43). Are we embarrassed as Christians, or are we proud of Jesus? Do we take pride in what we believe and Who we serve? Do we talk about what Jesus has done for us? (Romans 1:16). “Firm until the end”: The term “firm” means “steadfast, secure, unshaken”, the same expression is found in 3:14. The “end” is the end of their lives or when Christ comes (Revelation 2:10). The Christian must remain constant throughout their life, for there is no point at which a Christian can become careless or less than committed. 3:7 “Therefore”: ‘Since our continuing to be God’s house is on the condition of our steadfastness, therefore beware of failing, as the Israelites referred to by the Psalmist did” (P.P. Comm. p. 87). “Having shown that Christ was superior to Moses, the writer pauses to warn against a similar lapse of faith from Christ as was demonstrated in the days of Moses. The implication is that since Christ is superior, such a lapse would be all the more reprehensible” (Kent p. 68). Paul also appealed to the lapse of the Israelites in Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11. 3:7 “Just as the Holy Spirit says”: Verses 7-11 is a quotation from Psalm 95:7-11. The writer clearly teaches the Psalmist was inspired by the Holy Spirit, as are the rest of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16). “The relevance of this testimony to the crisis of the decision which now faced them is strikingly conveyed in the words ‘as the Holy Spirit says’. In describing this psalm as the authoritative utterance of the Holy Spirit the writer not only points to its inspiration, but he also emphasizes the peril of regarding Scripture as a dead letter, for its Divine Author continues to speak directly to mankind in it (Hebrews 4:12)” (Wilson p. 44). “Today if you hear His voice”: “Today” when David wrote this Psalm it was a reference to his own generation, but, when the Hebrew writer applies this Psalm to his readers, “Today” means “now”, right at the present. “The very time when the command is heard by the readers is the time it is to be obeyed” (Reese p. 44). God’s voice must not be neglected or ignored, nor put off until tomorrow. Immediate action is necessary.  God never says to any one, hearken to My voice and obey My commands “tomorrow”, His command is to do it now.  The best time to need God’s word is always “Today”, but it is never safe to presume that He will say it again “Tomorrow” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Compare with Peter’s urgency on Pentecost (Acts 2:40; 22:16). 6

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And why not today? Men have waited long enough for salvation. There may never be tomorrow for any man. The difficulty of obedience is only multiplied and compounded by delay, for the impulse to respond may disappear.  God did speak after David’s time, this time through His Son. These Christians had heard that message already (Hebrews 2:1ff). We need to be thankful that after speaking to the Israelites and being rejected time after time, He spoke to us in Jesus Christ.  The Bible teaches strongly against procrastination (Proverbs 27:1; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 55:6 “Seek Jehovah while He may be found”; Acts 24:25). 3:7 “Do not harden your hearts”: “It is to the heart God’s word is addressed, that moral center of our beings out of which are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)” (Wilson p. 45). The word “harden” means to render obstinate, or stubborn, and can be translated “do not close your minds” (Beck); “do not grow stubborn” (NEB). This is the same thing as a “seared conscience”.  These Christians had the final say or choice over whether they would be hardened or remain sensitive to the truth. In addition, they were in danger of closing their minds to the truth and going back into Judaism. It is within the power of man not to harden his heart.  Forsaking Christ is concrete evidence of a hardened heart and a closed mind.  Symptoms that one’s heart is being hardened include, listening to preaching without interest, or seeking to think about other things when the preaching is getting “too” close to home, offering excuses for not obeying God, seeking to live a shallow life, ridiculing the gospel, trying to convince oneself that it is not a credible message (Acts 26:24), seeking to find fault with the teacher, hypocrites in the church, or errors in the Bible in order to justify ones inaction. In addition, hearts are also hardened by procrastination (Proverbs 29:1).  Man’s encounter with the truth will either leave him a better man or a man who is worse off. Once a person hears the truth, they will never be the same; they are either more sensitive to the truth, or they are more determined to reject it (Acts 13:46).

3:8 “As when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness”: “Provoked” and “trial” recall several incidents from the period the Wilderness wanderings. The term “provoked” means, “to make bitter, literally, that which embitters or provokes the mind, or exasperation. The term “trial” refers to when the Israelites tried the patience of God. It is a trying or challenging of God by men. Psalm 95:8 called these times of provocation and trial by the names “Meribah” (strife) and “Massah” (temptation). The first occurrence was at Rephidim near the start of the Exodus (Exodus 17:1-7). At that time Israel complained over the lack of water, and God authorized Moses to strike the rock. This however was not the only instance (Numbers 20:13; 14:11,22,23). 3:9 “Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me”: A reading of the wilderness wanderings clearly reveals the Israelites constantly challenged God (1 Corinthians 10:1-12). The whole of their course was characterized by a progressive hardening of heart. “There in the desert they put God to the test to see if He was worthy of their trust” (Wilson p. 45). The wilderness wanderings were the scene of numerous miracles by God, yet the people frequently tried God anew, to see if He would do anything about their unbelief” (Reese p. 45). Their theme song went something like, “We don’t believe your promises to provide for us, and we demand the evidence”. This went on for a period of forty years. 3:9 “And saw My works for forty years”: The “works” included God’s miracles and His punishments upon the unfaithful and all the works of God’s mercy and judgment that this generation saw during the 40 years in the wilderness (Exodus 19:4; 20:22). “They saw the wonders at the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, the supply of manna, and yet still rebelled. Today men rebel against the God that fills their house with plenty, that gives them the sunshine and the rain, health, life breath and all things.” 3:10 “Therefore I was angry with this generation”: Observe how God reacted to unfaithfulness even among His own people. He did not say, “My grace will automatically cover their rebellion”; rather, He was angry with them. The word “angry” means more than just disappointed or kind of upset, rather it means “to loathe, to be disgusted, to reject, to abhor, and repudiate”. “Hebrew readers, are you listening? People who ‘harden their hearts’ and ‘provoke’ and ‘try’ Him offend God. Do you still think it wise to turn away from Jesus, when such actions are patently offensive to God, and make Him angry?” (Reese p. 46). “And said, 8

‘They always go astray in their heart’”: Note the term “always”; this was their perpetual habit. “Their hearts are always straying” (TCNT); “For their hearts were always looking somewhere else instead of up to Me” (Tay). Psalm 78:8 “a generation that set not their hearts aright”; Deuteronomy 9:28-29; Acts 7:51-53. Here we see the tremendous importance of guarding one’s heart (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 6:21), and the need to give God our entire heart, for a partial loyalty means one’s loyalty is placed elsewhere. “When we remember that his paragraph began with an exhortation to ‘think right about Jesus’ (Holy brethren consider Jesus), we are reminded that thinking is important. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Reese p. 46). 3:10 “And they did not know My ways”: They had been taught God’s ways by Moses, so the term “know” here must mean, “they did not approve” God’s ways. “It was not that they were intellectually unaware of what God wanted, but they did not know in the sense of ‘did not acknowledge’” (Kent p. 71). One lesson is that if our heart is not right, all the Bible teaching in the world will not profit us. 3:11 “As I swore in My wrath”: To swear means to “take a solemn oath”. It is as though God said, “As long as I live they shall not enter My rest”. God made this oath when He was wrathful. God is not passive when He sees sin. “Sin stirs His Holy indignation and He springs into energetic action to see that the sin is properly recompensed” (Reese pp. 46-47). “As I vowed in My anger” (NEB) (Numbers 14:21-23). “They shall not enter My rest”: Primarily on this occasion, the “rest” of the promised land, is a theme that will be further explained in chapter 4 (Deuteronomy 12:9). “The disobedience which excluded them from the earthly rest of Canaan also debarred them from sharing in the eternal rest of heaven” (Wilson p. 46). The historical occasion behind the above passage is when God swore to exclude the Israelites from entering the land, just after the spies returned (Numbers 14:28-30). 3:12 “Take care, brethren”: All are affectionately addressed as “brethren”, yet each is warned of the peril he faced. The readers are being warned about a possible similar fate that befell the Israelites. “Take heed” is a present imperative, something that these brethren must do constantly. Each believer must constantly monitor his own spiritual condition. “Look out”, “Be careful”, “and Beware then”. “Lest there should be in any one of you”: This can happen to anyone (1 9

Corinthians 10:12). “An evil, unbelieving heart”: Unbelief is not simply another point of view, and neither is it evidence of an open-mind, rather God indicts all forms of unbelief as being evidence of an evil and hard heart. The term “unbelief” here does not mean the inability to believe, but rather, the refusal to believe. Atheism is evil, it is not a sign of intelligence, and a heart that embraces such is a heart that is evil (see John 3:19ff). “One’s thoughts become evil if he permits unbelief to be the guiding and controlling idea in his mind” (Reese p. 47). “In falling away from the living God”: “It is perfectly safe to depart from the dead gods of the heathen, but it is otherwise with Him who lives to make His threatened punishments an awful reality (Hebrews 10:31)” (Wilson p. 46). Unbelief that is allowed in one’s heart will lead to apostasy. All apostasy first starts in the heart (Matthew 12:34; 15:18-20). To give up Christ, is to fall away from the living God. 3:13 “But encourage one another day after day”: Here is one way to prevent the apostasy mentioned in the above verses. Each Christian needs to see themselves as an encourager of their brethren. God’s cure for unbelief includes such things as mutual encouragement and exhortation. The expression “day after day” means that this is something that must be done constantly. Note this obligation to encourage is given to every member (Hebrews 10:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:11,14). “Christianity is not merely a private matter between a man and his God; Christianity also has corporate implications. Christians may not live in splendid isolation from fellow believers, and still fulfill the command found in Hebrews 3:13” (Reese p. 48). “As long as it is still called ‘Today’”: The word “Today” is picked up from Psalm 95:7, in order to add urgency here to the command to “take care” and “encourage one another”. Swift action is needed because “Today” does not last forever. Do not procrastinate; people may need your encouragement “today”. “While there is still time” (Tay). The day of grace, that is, while salvation through Christ is still attainable. 3:13 “Lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin”: A real danger does exist and no Christian is immune. Sin is deceitful! “Sin first gained its power over mankind by assuming an attractive disguise, but its hideous character is revealed by the Word of God which strips it of this fair façade. It is only when the mask is so pierced that sin loses its power to charm” (Wilson p. 47). We must be on guard against “the delusive glamour of sin” (Phi).

The Deceitful Nature of Sin     

Sin promises pleasure yet delivers heartache (Titus 3:3) Sin promises liberty and freedom yet delivers bondage (John 8:34) Sin promises “life” yet delivers death (Romans 6:23) Sin promises light and enlightenment yet delivers darkness (Acts 26:18) Sin promises “knowledge” yet brings the knowledge of guilt, shame and bitterness (Genesis 3).

Sin will always promise more than it can deliver, will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay and cost you more than you had bargained for. Sin will assure pleasure that it never imparts (Ephesians 4:22 “the lusts of deceit”). “All of Satan’s worms have hooks in them” (George Mark Elliott). “Sin deceives because its dire effects are not usually seen at once. The human heart is then fooled into thinking that there is no penalty at all” (Kent p. 74). 3:14 “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;” “A moment’s reflection on our position in Christ will show that it is a position to be maintained, at whatever effort” (Reese p. 49). The “beginning of our assurance” points back to the time when these individuals confessed Christ at their baptism. Once again, a person only remains a partaker with Christ IF they remain faithful to Him. “For we have become”, reminds us to consider what we have to lose! The term “partaker” means “sharing in”, or “real sharers with Christ” (Wms); “continue to share in all that Christ has for us” (Phi). Unbelief is a lack of confidence in God, resulting in confidence being placed in self or something else, which is the height of folly. How can we or anyone else be more trustworthy and knowledgeable than God? Do we still have the conviction we had when we were baptized? “Firm until the end”, indicates that, faithfulness is only useful if a person remains faithful until the end of their life. 3:15 “While it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me’”.

This holding fast our faith in Christ firm until the end is the same thing as “hearing His voice”. Verse 15 explains how long we must hold fast, that is, we must remain faithful to Christ as long as it is called “Today”. 3:16 “For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?” The very generation that had made such a “good start” in Egypt, ended up provoking God! In like manner the Hebrew Christians had made a good start. Will they too end up provoking God and failing to enter His rest? Confidence begun is not enough! Not merely did a few ignorant Israelites fail, but the entire nation! “Here is a solemn warning against trusting in the majority or what is popular, Israel’s failure was on a national scale, supported by the overwhelming majority” (Coffman p. 83).  God does not grade on a curve. If the entire nation is unfaithful, then the entire nation will end up lost!  Great leadership cannot make up for the determination to depart from God. This nation had the best leadership and all the opportunities in the world to believe and yet failed.  Safety is not found in the majority viewpoint. The fact the majority may reject a teaching in the Scriptures does not change the fact that such a teaching is true.  God will not alter His standards if most people reject them. 3:17 “And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?” A few reprobates, no! God did not fail to bring them to the Promised Land, rather, they failed due to their own sins. “Thus, we see the disgusting end of the disobedient in the wilderness. Sin does make God angry and sin will keep us from heaven. Grace did not automatically cover the rebellion of the Israelites. See Numbers 14:29-32. 3:18 “And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?”

There is no other explanation for the failure of this generation than disobedience. Their sin was not due to lack of information or ignorance. They had all the miracles, God’s faithful servant Moses instructing them, the courage and example of Joshua and Caleb, yet they refused to trust God. The term “disobedient” means, “to refuse to be persuaded; to refuse belief”. 3:19 “And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief”: “Unbelief” and “disobedience” are one and the same; therefore, true “belief” and “obedience” are the same as well. The same is true today; unbelief will exclude people from heaven (Hebrews 11:6). Notice how God pinpoints the problem. People will miss heaven because of unbelief, and there is no excuse for unbelief!