Read Hebrews 3:12–19
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving
heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one
another daily … so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s
deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:12–13
The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of
Israel erred in their hearts—their hearts wandered from God and His
Word. They also had hearts of unbelief; they did not believe that God
would give them victory in Canaan. They had seen God perform great
signs in Egypt, yet they doubted He was adequate for the challenge of
Canaan (Heb. 3:7–11, 16–19).
When a person has an erring and disbelieving heart, the result
will also be a hard heart. This is a heart that is insensitive to the Word
and work of God. So hard was the heart of Israel that the people
even wanted to return to Egypt (Num. 14:1–4)! Imagine wanting to
exchange their freedom under God for slavery in Egypt! Of course,
all this history spoke to the hearts of the readers of this letter, because
they were in danger of “going back” themselves.
Believers who doubt God’s Word and rebel against Him do not
miss heaven, but they do miss out on the blessing of their inheritance
today, and they must suffer the chastening of God.
Something to Ponder
When was the last time your heart was “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness”?