耶穌超越摩西

因此,同蒙天召的聖潔的弟兄姊妹,你們應當仔細思想那位我們公認為特使和大祭司的耶穌。 祂向委任祂的上帝盡忠,就好像摩西向上帝的全家盡忠一樣。 然而祂卻比摩西配得更大的榮耀,因為建造房子的人當然比房子更尊貴。 所有的房子都有建造者,但建造萬物的是上帝。 摩西以僕人的身分向上帝的全家盡忠,為將來要宣告的事做見證。 但基督是以兒子的身分忠心治理上帝的家。我們若堅強勇敢,持定引以為榮的盼望,我們就是祂的家了。

不可存剛硬的心

因此,正如聖靈說:

「你們今天若聽見祂的聲音,
不可心裡頑固,
像從前在曠野試探祂、悖逆祂一樣。
當時,你們的祖先試我、探我,
觀看我的作為達四十年之久。
10 所以,我向那世代的人發怒,
說,『他們總是執迷不悟,
不認識我的道路。』
11 我就在憤怒中起誓說,
『他們絕不可進入我的安息。』」

12 弟兄姊妹,要謹慎,免得你們當中有人心存惡念,不肯相信,背棄了永活的上帝。 13 趁著還有今日,要天天互相勸勉,免得有人被罪迷惑,心裡變得剛硬。 14 如果我們將起初的信念堅持到底,便在基督裡有份了。

15 聖經上說:

「你們今日若聽見祂的聲音,
不可像從前那樣硬著心悖逆祂。」

16 聽見祂的聲音卻又悖逆祂的是誰呢?不就是摩西從埃及領出來的那些人嗎? 17 四十年之久惹上帝發怒的是誰呢?不就是那些犯罪作惡並倒斃在曠野的人嗎? 18 上帝起誓不准誰進入祂的安息呢?不就是那些不肯信從的人嗎? 19 可見,他們不能進入上帝的安息是因為不信的緣故。

He calls upon us to hear and honour the word of Christ, who is more worthy than Moses. The punishment of persons who stubbornly harden their hearts.

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the celestial calling, consider the ambassador and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him who appointed him, even as Moses was in all his house. And yet this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who has prepared the house has more honour in the house.

  Every house is built by some man. But he who ordained all things is God. And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, to bear witness of those things that were to be spoken afterward. But Christ as a son has rule over the house – whose house we are, if so be that we hold fast the confidence and the assurance of that hope to the end.

Therefore as the Holy Spirit says: Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried me, proved me, and saw my works forty years long. 10 Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do ever err in their hearts; they have not acknowledged my ways. 11 So I swore in my wrath that they would not enter into my rest.

12 Take heed, brethren, that there be in none of you an evil heart in unbelief, that he should depart from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you grow hard-hearted through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 We are partakers of Christ if we keep sure until the end the first confidence, 15 as long as it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as when you rebelled. 16 For some, when they heard, rebelled – though not everyone who came out of Egypt under Moses. 17 But with whom was he displeased for forty years? Was he not displeased with those who sinned, whose bodies were overthrown in the desert? 18 To whom did he swear that they would not enter into his rest, but to those who did not believe? 19 And we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

We are Jesus’ house

Therefore, brothers and sisters who are partners in the heavenly calling, think about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. Jesus was faithful to the one who appointed him just like Moses was faithful in God’s house. But he deserves greater glory than Moses in the same way that the builder of the house deserves more honor than the house itself. Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant in order to affirm the things that would be spoken later. But Jesus was faithful over God’s house as a Son. We are his house if we hold on to the confidence and the pride that our hope gives us.

Respond to Jesus’ voice now

So, as the Holy Spirit says,

Today, if you hear his voice,
    don’t have stubborn hearts
        as they did in the rebellion,
        on the day when they tested me in the desert.
That is where your ancestors challenged and tested me,
        though they had seen my work for forty years.
10 So I was angry with them.
I said,Their hearts always go off course,
        and they don’t know my ways.
11 Because of my anger I swore:
        They will never enter my rest![a]

12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that none of you have an evil, unfaithful heart that abandons the living God. 13 Instead, encourage each other every day, as long as it’s called “today,” so that none of you become insensitive to God because of sin’s deception. 14 We are partners with Christ, but only if we hold on to the confidence we had in the beginning until the end.

15 When it says,

Today, if you hear his voice, don’t have stubborn hearts
        as they did in the rebellion.[b]

16 Who was it who rebelled when they heard his voice? Wasn’t it all of those who were brought out of Egypt by Moses? 17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with the ones who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And against whom did he swear that they would never enter his rest, if not against the ones who were disobedient? 19 We see that they couldn’t enter because of their lack of faith.

Jesus Greater Than Moses

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,(A) who share in the heavenly calling,(B) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge(C) as our apostle and high priest.(D) He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(E) Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,(F) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(G) “Moses was faithful as a servant(H) in all God’s house,”[a](I) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son(J) over God’s house. And we are his house,(K) if indeed we hold firmly(L) to our confidence and the hope(M) in which we glory.

Warning Against Unbelief

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(N)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(O)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
    though for forty years they saw what I did.(P)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(Q)
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (R)[b](S)

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(T) 13 But encourage one another daily,(U) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(V) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(W) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(X) 15 As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”[c](Y)

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(Z) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(AA) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(AB) if not to those who disobeyed?(AC) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
  2. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
  3. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8