Bible Studies

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 26

by Clifford Tate 
08/29/20
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A Warning against Unfaithfulness & Unbelief Part 3

Hebrews 3:16-17 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?  KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version

The tragic reality of the entire Hebrew Nation (God's own chosen people) is that some who were delivered from the enslavement and captivity of the Nation of Egypt did not believe that Jehovah really was the only God, that is, God all by Himself. Instead of being thankful and grateful for their freedom, many of them murmured and complained and even questioned whether Moses should be leader (the man that God chose to lead the people out of Egypt). Therefore, we find these next words from the writer of Hebrews as a further warning to those Hebrews then and to us now and to everyone in every era and generation, "For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses." (Hebrews 3:16) (KJV). One of the most bald-faced, bodacious, and brazen acts of rebellion against the authority of Moses came from men named Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, here is the result of their rebellion as it is written, "Then Moses warned the people, Get away from the tents of these sinful men! Don't touch anything that belongs to them or you'll be wiped out. So everyone moved away from those tents, except Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their families. Moses said to the crowd, The LORD has chosen me and told me to do these things—it wasn't my idea. And here's how you will know: If these men die a natural death, it means the LORD hasn't chosen me. But suppose the LORD does something that has never been done before. For example, what if a huge crack appears in the ground, and these men and their families fall into it and are buried alive, together with everything they own? Then you will know they have turned their backs on the LORD! As soon as Moses said this, the ground under the men opened up and swallowed them alive, together with their families and everything they owned. Then the ground closed back up, and they were gone. The rest of the Israelites heard their screams, so they ran off, shouting, We don't want that to happen to us!"  (Numbers 16:26-34) (CEV).

The little English phrase 'did provoke' is translated by the Greek word parapikrainō (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning to embitter alongside, that is, (figuratively) to exasperate: - provoke. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of this verse, "Not only Moses, to speak unadvisedly with his lips; but they provoked Jehovah Himself, and the Angel of His presence, and His Holy Spirit, by their idolatry, ingratitude, and unbelief: and the aggravation of their sin is, that they did it when they had heard the Gospel, and while they were hearing it; which shows that the Gospel may be heard to no advantage; as when it is heard in a careless and indifferent manner; when it makes no impression, takes no place, and has no root; when the world and the things of it are the great concern of the mind, while hearing it; when it is not attended with the power and Spirit of God; when it is not received in love, nor mixed with faith, nor put in practice: and hence the Gospel heard, comes to be an aggravation of men's condemnation: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses; that is, they did not all provoke, but some did; which is another aggravation of their sin; they were just come out of Egyptian bondage; brought out of it by the Lord, with the mighty and outstretched arm of His power; and yet they provoked Him: and this was done by Moses; by the hand of Moses, as the Syriac version renders it; by his means, by him as an instrument; and yet they provoked him: but however all did not, yet these were but few; it seems only Caleb and Joshua, out of six hundred thousand; God will have a few to serve Him in the worst of times."

The writer continues the point to the Hebrew converts at the time of this letter being more specific with the actual state or condition of things during the exodus from the land of Egypt with these next words, "But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?" (Hebrews 3:17) (KJV). We can determine from these words that God's judgement against those Hebrews was sure, systematic, and severe. The sureness of His judgement against them came about because of their ingraditude and their distrust of His goodness to them and His power to keep and protect them. The systematic process of His judgement against them was the 40 year wilderness trek itself, because their journey to the land of Canaan from Egypt would have been only a short time period, if they had not murmured and complained and questioned God's authority through His servant Moses. The severity of His judgement upon them was their carcases, that is, the dead bodies of every Hebrew above the age of 20 years that came out of Egypt during the exodus, as it is written, "The LORD told Moses and Aaron to give this message to the people of Israel: You sinful people have complained against me too many times! Now I swear by My own life that I will give you exactly what you wanted. You will die right here in the desert, and your dead bodies will cover the ground. You have insulted Me, and none of you men who are over twenty years old will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own—only Caleb and Joshua will go in. You were worried that your own children would be captured. But I, the LORD, will let them enter the land you have rejected. You will die here in the desert! Your children will wander around in this desert forty years, suffering because of your sins, until all of you are dead. I will cruelly punish you every day for the next forty years—one year for each day that the land was explored. You sinful people who ganged up against Me will die here in the desert. Ten of the men sent to explore the land had brought back bad news and had made the people complain against the LORD. So He sent a deadly disease that killed those men, but He let Joshua and Caleb live." (Numbers 14:26-38) (CEV).

Here again is what Dr. John Gill had to say of this verse, "Not merely by committing personal iniquities, and particular provocations, which all men are guilty of, but by committing public sins; they sinned as a body of men; they joined together in the commission of sin; every sin is grieving to God, because it is contrary to His nature, is an act of enmity to Him, is a transgression of His righteous law, and a contempt of His authority; but especially public sins, or the sins of a multitude, and when they are persisted in, which was the case of the Israelites; they sinned against Him during the forty years they were in the wilderness; and so long was He grieved with them: the Alexandrian copy reads, 'with them that believed not'; which points out the particular sin these men were guilty of, and which was so grieving to God, and suits well with the Apostle's design: whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? and so never entered into the land of Canaan. They died in the wilderness; and they did not die common and natural deaths, at least not all of them; their deaths were by way of punishment; in a way of wrath; in a judicial way: the Syriac version renders it, 'their bones fell in the wilderness'; they lay scattered and unburied, and exposed to view, as an example of divine vengeance." Note: "The United States of America has sinned publically against the Lord God, Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, Jesus Christ for over 40 years now (since the legalization of killing babies in the womb) 'Roe vs Wade' and perhaps we are fast approaching the limit of His long-suffering/patience and His wrath against this Nation may be soon coming unless the killing of innocent babies is stopped. He has plans for each one of those lives, if you didn't know."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…