Hebrews 3
The Message
The Centerpiece of All We Believe
3 1-6 So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God’s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.
6-11 Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in “the bitter uprising,”
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”
12-14 So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as God’s still calling it Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.
These words keep ringing in our ears:
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.
15-19 For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren’t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn’t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they’d never get where they were going, wasn’t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.
Hebrews 3
New American Standard Bible
Jesus Our High Priest
3 Therefore, (A)holy brothers and sisters, partakers of a (B)heavenly calling, consider (C)the Apostle and (D)High Priest of our (E)confession: Jesus; 2 [a]He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (F)Moses also was in all His house. 3 (G)For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now (H)Moses was faithful in all [b]God’s house as (I)a servant, (J)for a testimony of those things (K)which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as (L)a Son over His house—(M)whose house we are, (N)if we hold firmly to our (O)confidence and the boast of our [c](P)hope.
7 Therefore, just as (Q)the Holy Spirit says,
“(R)Today if you hear His voice,
8 (S)Do not harden your hearts as [d]when they provoked Me,
As on the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 (T)Where your fathers put Me to the test,
And saw My works for (U)forty years.
10 (V)Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 (W)As I swore in My anger,
‘They certainly shall not enter My rest.’”
The Danger of Unbelief
12 (X)Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart [e]that falls away from (Y)the living God. 13 But (Z)encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the (AA)deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ (AB)if we keep the beginning of our [f](AC)commitment firm until the end, 15 while it is said,
16 For who (AE)provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, (AF)did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (AG)whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear (AH)that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were (AI)disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of (AJ)unbelief.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 3:2 Lit being faithful
- Hebrews 3:5 Lit His
- Hebrews 3:6 One early ms adds firm until the end
- Hebrews 3:8 Lit in the provocation
- Hebrews 3:12 Or that leaves the; lit in falling away from
- Hebrews 3:14 Or assurance
- Hebrews 3:15 Lit in the rebellion
Hebrews 3
Expanded Bible
Jesus Is Greater than Moses
3 ·So all of you [L Therefore] holy brothers and sisters, who ·were called by God [are partners/partakers in a heavenly calling], ·think about [consider; focus on] Jesus, who ·was sent to us [or is our apostle; C a commissioned messenger] and is the high priest ·of our faith [or whom we acknowledge/confess; L of our confession]. 2 Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him just as Moses was faithful in God’s ·family [household; house]. 3 Jesus ·has [deserves; is worthy of] more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 [L For] Every house is built by someone, but the builder of everything is God himself. 5 Moses was faithful in ·God’s family [L all of God’s house; Num. 12:7] as a servant, and he ·told [testified to] what God would say in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are God’s house if we ·confidently maintain our hope [or maintain our courage and confident hope].
We Must Continue to Follow God
7 So it is as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
8 Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past
·when you turned against God [L as in the rebellion; Ex. 17:1–7],
when you tested God in the desert.
9 There your ancestors tried me and tested me
and saw the things I did for forty years.
10 I was angry with ·them [L that generation].
I said, ‘·They are not loyal to me [L Their hearts are always wandering]
and have not ·understood my ways [or discerned/obeyed my will].’
11 I was angry and ·made a promise [L swore an oath],
‘They will never enter my rest [Ps. 95:7–11; C referring to the generation of Israel that disobeyed God and so were not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Num. 14:23)].’”
12 So brothers and sisters, ·be careful [see to it] that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will ·turn you away from [desert; forsake] the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day while it is “today” [C meaning the time of opportunity to be saved; v. 7]. ·Help [Encourage] each other so none of you will become hardened ·because sin has tricked you [by sin’s deception]. 14 [L For] We all ·share in [or have become partners with] Christ if [indeed; in fact] we ·keep [hold firm] till the end the sure ·faith [conviction; confidence] we had in the beginning. 15 This is what the Scripture says:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past
·when you turned against God [L as in the rebellion; Ps. 95:7–8; C referring to Ex. 17:1–7].”
16 Who heard God’s voice and ·was against [rebelled against; provoked] him? ·It was [L Was it not…?] all those people Moses led out of Egypt. 17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? ·He was angry [L Was it not…?] with those who sinned, ·who died [L whose corpses/bodies fell] in the desert [Num. 14:29, 32]. 18 And to whom ·was God talking when he promised [L did he swear] that they would never enter his rest [v. 11]? He was talking to those who did not ·obey [or believe] him. 19 So we see they were not allowed to enter [C the Promised Land and God’s promised rest] because ·they did not believe [of unbelief/faithlessness].
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.