Letter to the Hebrews Volume 27

 A Warning against Unfaithfulness & Unbelief Part 4

Hebrews 3:18-19 And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version

Is the sacrifice of time, talent, and treasure important to our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ? Answer: You bet it is, however, many people who are outside of the forgiveness of God are sacrificing all those things for various different reasons, some to appease or try to make peace with their conscious, others to have their names held in high regard, and some are doing so with the thought that this will make them a 'good person' or even gain them entrance into heaven. All in all these things are wonderful if they are done for the only right reason and that is for the Glory of God. Those Israelites did not trust God and did not what to believe Him despite all that had just happened for their good, so this now is what the writer of Hebrews declares concerning them, "And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?" (Hebrews 3:18) (KJV). The English word 'sware' is translated by the Greek word omnuō meaning to swear, that is, take (or declare on) oath. The English phrase 'to them that believed not' is translated by the Greek word apeitheō meaning to disbelieve (wilfully and perversely): - not believe, disobedient, obey not, unbelieving. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of this verse, "God never acts by any kind of caprice, that is, impulse; whenever He pours out His judgments, there are the most positive reasons to vindicate His conduct. Those whose carcasses fell in the wilderness were they who had sinned. And those who did not enter into His rest were those who believed not. God is represented here as swearing that they should not enter in, in order to show the determinate nature of His purpose, the reason on which it was founded, and the height of the aggravation which occasioned it."

The first King of Israel (Saul) thought that he could do things his way to please the LORD, yet his efforts were rejected by the LORD because he did not obey the Word of the Lord to destroy all of the Amalekite people and all their animals. Here was the clear, crisp, and concise command of the LORD God to King Saul, "'When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the LORD All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay!' 'Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.'" (1 Samuel 15:2-3) (CEV). You see many times then and even now our Lord Jesus Christ commands us with task that might seem harsh, horrible, or horrific to us, but we cannot and do not see as He does, therefore, it is not our place, or purpose, or position to question His authority in and over our lives, but we are to hear His Word and sweetly, simply, and surely obey the Voice of the Lord. This might seem horrible what the LORD commanded King Saul to do to the Amalekite people, but He was righting a wrong or a horrible injustice to His chosen people Israel, remember our Lord Jesus told us that, "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay" (Romans 12:19). However. instead of obeying the Voice of the Lord, here is what Saul did, "And Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is just east of Egypt. Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn't want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak." (1 Samuel 15:7-9) (CEV). Just like the Hebrew people that came before him, King Saul thought he would and could help God out by altering or changing God's plan of action. Saul (like the early Hebrews that came out of Egypt) that he knew what was better for the Israelites than God did. Guess what? He didn't and neither do any of us now or during any era and generation of humanity.

King Saul actually believed that he had obeyed the Voice of the Lord and here is his exchange with God's Prophet Samuel, "Samuel finally caught up with Saul, and Saul told him, 'I hope the LORD will bless you! I have done what the LORD told me.' 'Then why,' Samuel asked, 'do I hear sheep and cattle?' 'The army took them from the Amalekites,' Saul explained. 'They kept the best sheep and cattle, so they could sacrifice them to the LORD your God. But we destroyed everything else.' (1 Samuel 15:13-15) (CEV). King Saul sounds like many people we here today who claim an affiliation, association, or attachment to Jesus Christ who explain away what the Lord Jesus says about magic, wizardry, witchcraft, and all the other things in Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and even have the gall to bring these things into the Church as if it were acceptable to Christ Jesus our Lord and try to persuade others to follow their way. Here is the conclusion of what the Prophet Samuel declared to King Saul, "'Why didn't you listen to the LORD? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?' 'But I did listen to the LORD!' Saul answered. 'He sent me on a mission, and I went. I captured King Agag and destroyed his nation. All the animals were going to be destroyed anyway. That's why the army brought the best sheep and cattle to Gilgal as sacrifices to the LORD your God.' 'Tell me,' Samuel said. 'Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey Him. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship. Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king!'" (1 Samuel 15:19-23) (CEV).

Unbelief (as I have declared before) is the sin that destroys, defiles, and damns every human soul to eternal torments with the devil (Revelation 20:10), because our Lord Jesus Christ will not override a man or woman's free will to choose not to believe Him and believe 'in Him', for if He were to do this, then He would have made robots or androids or some other creature that had no choice but to believe Him and obey Him. We know this is not the case because the devil and 1/3 of the created angels in heaven made the choice not to honor God and be obedient to Him, instead they chose to rebel and they were evicted or throne out of heaven for doing so. The writer of Hebrews then concludes this Chapter with the summarization that it was the Hebrews choice to disbelieve God, but the consequence of their unbelief was regretful as it is written here, "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:19) (KJV). It was their unbelief that kept them out of the land of Canaan, just as it is the unbelief of every human soul that keeps them from heaven. Again this little English phrase 'of unbelief' is translated by the Greek word apistia meaning faithlessness, that is, (negatively) disbelief (want of Christian faith), or (positively) unfaithfulness (disobedience): - unbelief. Let us not forget that the disbelieving devil and the fallen angels with him work very hard to keep human souls from believing the truth and this is why we find all the alternative spiritual practices around the world today and in all times in order to keep people from the truth of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and keep them in darkness, even while they think they are in light, for it is written, "If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost. The god who rules this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) (CEV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of this verse, "Unbelief (with rebellion which is the consequence of it) is the great damning sin of the world, especially of those who have a revelation of the mind and will of God. This sin shuts up the heart of God, and shuts up the gate of heaven, against them; it lays them under the wrath and curse of God, and leaves them there; so that in truth and justice to Himself He is obliged to cast them off for ever."

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…