Lessons From the Past

READ Hebrews 3

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear His voice, 8Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

The writer of Hebrews is giving us a little history lesson from that time when Moses was leading the children of Israel through the wilderness.  There was an entire generation of people who did not enter into the Promised land because of their unbelief and hardness of heart (read verses 8-11).  So, how is the “wherefore” at the beginning of verse 7 applied?

We are to “take heed” verse 12.  The root of the word “heed” means to take a look.  Once we have looked, we are to determine what we perceive or what we see.  There is always a lesson to learn when God says, “take heed”.

 We are to guard against unbelief which ultimately leads away from God.  The writer describes the unbelieving heart as “an evil heart”.  Anything that takes us away from God is evil. 

 We are to daily exhort (invite people near us) one another.  Time is of the essence in any person’s life.  We ought to be encouraging fellow believers every day to walk in the presence and glory of the Lord.  We do this to guard ourselves and others from being deceived by sin and developing a hardened heart.

May we heed every lesson that God has for us as we travel down life’s road.

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1.  What does it mean to you when God commands you to “take heed”?

2.  Does your fast paced lifestyle hinder you from taking heed to spiritual things? Explain.

3.  What is the danger when one begins to drift away from God?

4.  Are there people in your life that you should be exhorting?  Pray for them and intend to contact them on a daily basis.