FOR THIS REASON: Dia touto:
(Heb
2:2-4;
1:1,2;
12:25,26)Whenever you observe a
term of conclusion
like "for this reason", "because", "for", "therefore", etc, always take a
moment and ask the natural question "for what reason?" You will usually be
led to read the preceding verses (the immediate
context).
What attitude/action is the author calling for in his reader's
in view of this truth ("this reason")?
So first, what is "this reason"
(if you have time make your own observations of Hebrews 1 before you read
the following notes)? Jesus is superior to prophets and angels and because
of this superior revelation, the reader must make an appropriate response.
As the writer of Hebrews will do throughout this epistle, after presenting a
doctrinal truth, he makes a direct application of that truth to the
experience of his readers. This passage presents the first of those many
applications.
A W Pink adds that...
Therefore, signifies, for
this cause: because God has vouchsafed (granted or furnish often in a
gracious or condescending manner) so excellent a Teacher (His Son), He must
be the more carefully attended unto. The "therefore" looks back to
all the varied glories which set forth Christ’s excellency named in the
previous chapter.
Because He is God’s "Son,"
therefore give heed.
Because He is "the Heir of all things," therefore give heed.
Because He "made the worlds," therefore give heed; and so on.
These are so many grounds on which our
present exhortation is based. “Therefore is equivalent to, ‘Since
Jesus Christ is as much better than the angels, as He both received by
inheritance a more excellent name than they—since He is both essentially and
officially inconceivably superior to these heavenly messengers, His message
has paramount claims on our attention, belief, and obedience’,” (Dr. J.
Brown). (Hebrews 2:1-4 Christ Superior to Angels)
It was usual with the prophets to
preface their utterances with a “Thus saith the Lord,” and thereby arrest
the attention and awe the hearts of their hearers. Here the writer refers to
the Person of the Lord Himself as the argument for hearing what He said. In short, the new revelation in Christ is
superior to the old. You have received a revelation superior to that given
in the old testament, and it has been given to you through One Who is superior to the
angels. Now you must respond to this truth!
It is noteworthy that Hebrews 2:1-4
forms a "parenthesis", interrupting the discussion of Christ’s relationship
to angels, which is resumed in
Hebrews 2:5.
A T Robertson adds
Because Jesus is superior to prophets and angels and because the new
revelation is superior to the old. The author often pauses in his argument,
as here, to drive home a pungent exhortation.
The author often pauses in his argument, as here, to drive home a pungent
exhortation. The revelation spoken in the Son is the final and complete
revelation, given through Christ Who is superior to prophets and angels.
The author gives a strong exhortation to his readers to respond
to what they have just read in Hebrews 1. In a sense we see sound doctrine
flow seamlessly into serious
invitation. If you are a teacher, remember that to be effective, you must do more than present
biblical facts. Using sound doctrine as your foundation, you must also warn, exhort, invite.
And so we note that by the time the writer of
Hebrews gets to chapter 2 he is impassioned and concerned the salvation of his
hearers. Thus he exhorts his readers to respond to what he says.
In short, as any good Biblical teacher, he not only seeks for Christ to be seen
as superior but also to be accepted as Savior. His invitation includes both
exhortation and warning, what to do and what happens if you don't respond.
In the last chapter of
Hebrews
the writer sums up his message, writing
I urge you, brethren, bear with this word
of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. (see note
Hebrews 13:22)
God’s Word demands
a response, and a faithful teacher of the Word teaches for a response.
Matthew Henry
explains the writer's method this way:
The apostle proceeds in the plain
profitable method of doctrine, reason, and use, through this epistle. Here
we have the application of the truths before asserted and proved; this is
brought in by the illative particle therefore, with which this chapter
begins, and which shows its connection with the former, where the apostle
having proved Christ to be superior to the angels by whose ministry the law
was given, and therefore that the gospel dispensation must be more excellent
than the legal, he now comes to apply this doctrine both by way of
exhortation and argument.
WE MUST PAY MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION:
dei (3SPAI) perissoteros prosechein (PAN): (Deuteronomy
4:9,23;
32:46,47;
Joshua 23:11,12;
1 Chronicles 22:13;
Psalms 119:9;
Proverbs 2:1-6;
Proverbs 3:21;
4:1-4,20-22;
7:1,2;
Luke 8:15;
9:44)
Thus we are bound to pay all the more
heed to what we have been told, for fear of drifting from our course. (New
English Bible)
Must (1163)
(dei
from deo= to bind, tie objects together) means this is
necessary (binding) or needful. Dei marks a logical necessity and not
a moral obligation: we must rather than we ought. It therefore
speaks of an obligation out of intrinsic necessity or inevitability. It is
necessary that this happen. It is continually (present
tense) necessary...to
pay close attention.
The verb must is very strong and
emphatic and calls for the reader to take responsibility, giving us an
exhortation to perform a specific duty.
Why? So we do not drift. The verb is in
the
active voice meaning that
we must decide to do it. It is a choice we must make. To fail to do so can
have eternally damning consequences!
When the Son of God speaks to people, every consideration makes it
appropriate that we should attend to what is spoken.
Truth demands a response: “Now what are you going to do about this?” We can
know all the truth there is to know about Jesus Christ and yet go to hell if
we never make Him our own by being made His own.
The writer of Hebrews uses this strong
verb must (dei) again in his explanation of how we can
"please" God writing
that...
"without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to God must (dei) believe that He
is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (see note
Hebrews
11:6)
We must be sure to understand that it is not the gospel that slips, as the
King James Version seems to imply (It reads "Therefore we ought to give the more
earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we
should let them slip."). That is not the meaning at all. The Greek and
most modern translations make it clear that it is inattentive men who slip.
The Word will never drift from us.
Pay...attention (4337)
(prosecho from pros = toward + echo = to have,
hold) means literally "to hold toward", to hold (the mind) to, to apply
one’s self to, to attach one’s self to. The idea is to "take hold" of
something and pay attention to it, "putting your mind on it", especially in
the sense of being on guard. It means to turn the mind to something and
includes the idea of to act upon what one perceives (cf. Acts 8:6; 16:14).
Prosecho means to be in a continuous
state of readiness to learn of any future danger, need, or error, and to
respond appropriately - keep on the lookout for, be alert for, be on one's
guard against. Prosecho almost always warns of danger. Prosecho is not a call
simply to notice or sense something, but to be on guard against it because
it is harmful.
To pay...attention is to apply the
mind to a particular subject, to attend to it, to consider it and in the
present use is opposite of neglect of a so great salvation.
The Preacher's Commentary adds
that...
Our author’s antidote for such “drifting”
or slipping away consists of earnest heed, intense concentration, thoughtful
clarification. By such means the roots of an idea get deep into our
consciousness and consciences. (Briscoe,
D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. The Preacher's Commentary Series, New Testament.
2003; Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
A W Pink in quoting Dr Gouge
explains prosecho writing that...
The duty here intended is a serious,
firm, and fixed settling of the mind upon that which we hear; a bowing and
bending of the will to yield unto it; an applying of the heart to it, a
placing of the affections upon it, and bringing the whole man into
conformity thereunto. Thus it comprises knowledge of the Word, faith
therein, obedience thereto, and all other due respects that may any way
concern it.
Prosecho was commonly used to
describe the bringing of a ship to land. What a striking picture this
secular use congers up - Think
of our life as a "ship of faith" moving through the fog, avoiding the
dangerous reefs by keeping our focus on the Lighthouse on the shore.
Clinging with a devotion to the truth about Jesus. Holding the rudder firmly
in place towards the safe harbor of the Light of the World.
It is interesting that the two main verbs in this verse (prosecho and
pararrhueo) have nautical uses. Prosecho as mentioned above
can mean to moor a ship whereas pararrhueo was used to describe a ship
that had been carelessly allowed to slip past a harbour or a haven because
the mariner has forgotten to allow for the wind or the current or the tide!
This verse could be paraphrased
Therefore, we must the more eagerly
anchor our lives to the things that we have been taught lest the ship of
life drift past the harbour of salvation and be wrecked and lost forever.
What a picture...the ship slowly drifts to
destruction because the pilot is asleep at the wheel! How apropos this
picture is in regard to how most unbelievers simply drift along "the way
(that) is broad (and) that leads to destruction". Many are the drifters who
eventually plunge into everlasting torment and separation from God. The
point is that the majority of those who enter by the "wide gate" do not go
headlong, wantonly and intentionally into hell. Most people who populate
hell haven't been the most profane God haters and vile rejecters of
His Son. Most of those who are deceived and dead in their trespasses and
sins just slowly, almost imperceptibly
slip past the harbor of salvation and into the "sea" of eternal destruction.
One writer phrases it this way...
There is a tide in the affairs of men
which, taken at its ebb, leads to victory; neglected, the shores of time are
strewn with the wreckage.
The writers point is that his reader
(which includes all of us) must put our mind to the Son of God's teaching on
salvation lest we too one day find ourselves having forever
drifted past the harbor of salvation. Salvation once gained cannot be lost.
The writer's point is that the reader must be certain that genuine salvation
has been gained!
Guzik comments that...
Give the more earnest heed has not only
the idea of hearing carefully, but also in doing what we have heard - and we
must give the more earnest heed. (Hebrews 2)
Peter uses prosecho with a similar thought explaining that
"we have the prophetic word made more
sure, to which you do well to (present
tense - continually) pay attention
as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning
star arises in your hearts." (see note
2 Peter 1:19)
Much close" (4057)
(perissoteros) is a comparative adverb which can be translated "all the
more", "even much more", "more earnestly," "more superabundantly".
And so one could render it "we must all the more pay close attention".
The College Press NIV commentary has an
interesting note writing that while
"The word “better” could be
written across the book of Hebrews; the word "more" should be written
across our response. Some things require greater (perissoteros, “far more,
to a much greater degree”) diligence." (Girdwood, J., & Verkruyse, P. The
College Press NIV commentary Joplin, Mo: College Press)
I like William Barclay's rendition
of this section:
We must, therefore, with very special
intensity pay attention to the things that we have heard.
Why? God has spoken in His Son. We must
continually hold to the Words of Truth spoken by the Son Who alone is Truth.
There is nothing else to that needs to be said! No more
revelation is forthcoming for none is necessary.
TO WHAT WE HAVE HEARD: hemas tois
akoustheisin (APPNPD):
We have heard (191)
(akouo) means not just to hear sounds per se but implies hearing with
attention or hearing so to speak with the "ear of one's mind". “To hear”
implies “to obey.” This verb is more literally translated in this verse as
"to what we have been hearing"
As Pink notes that simply...
To “hear” is not
sufficient. There must be prayerful meditation, personal appropriation.
He uses this verb akouo in the next verse
writing that
"it was confirmed to us by those who heard" which implies that they heard
effectively or else they could not have passed it on.
In Hebrews 1 we have just heard the truth
about Jesus, as summarized below
Creator
Heir of all
One with the Father yet distinct in Person
Upholder of all things by His Word
Purifier from sin
Seated at the Right hand of the Majesty on high
Having a better name than the angels (begotten the Son of God)
God testifying He is His Father fulfilling the Davidic Covenant
Firstborn = His preeminence,
God, Lord, King, Victorious Warrior
Immutable
Eternal
Better than angels who serve Him, worship
Him, are created by Him & are sent out to serve believers.
Having heard, have you responded? If not,
will you respond in faith right now?
Or will you be like those the writer
records in chapter 4 warning that...
indeed we have had good news preached to
us, just as they also; but the word they heard (akouo) did not profit them, because
it was not united by faith in those who heard. (Hebrews
4:2)
Hearing does not necessarily equate with
believing. Jesus declared:
Truly, truly (Amen, Amen = trustworthy, trustworthy), I say to you, he who
hears (akouo) My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life,
and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John
5:24)
Dear reader don't drift past such a great
Savior Who offers a great salvation.
The idea of hearing is a key idea in Hebrews...
Hebrews 2:1 (note)
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have
heard,
lest we drift away from it.
Hebrews 3:7
(note)
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS
VOICE, 8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY
OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS
Hebrews 3:15
(note)
while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR
HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."
Hebrews 4:7 (note)
He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a
time just as has been said before, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT
HARDEN YOUR HEARTS."
Hebrews 5:9 (note)
And having been made perfect, He became
to all those who obey (literally "hear under",
listen
attentively
hupakouo
= hupo + akouo) Him the source of eternal salvation,
Hebrews 5:11 (note)
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you
have become dull of hearing.
Hebrews 11:8 (note)
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed (literally "hear under",
listen attentively
hupakouo
= hupo + akouo) by going out to a place
which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing
where he was going.
LEST
WE DRIFT AWAY: mepote pararhuomen (1PAPS): (Heb
12:5;
Matthew 16:9;
Mark 8:18;
2 Peter 1:12,13,15;
3:1)
(Habakkuk
1:6;
2:16)
Most authors agree that this first of
five major warning passages alerts the readers to the danger of apostasy,
a theme that is echoed in all five warning passages.
Hebrews 2:1-3
Hebrews 3:1-4:16
Hebrews 5:11-6:20
Hebrews 10:19-39
Hebrews 12:15-29
Bob Smith in well written online
text
Basics of Bible Interpretation
uses the warning passages of Hebrews to illustrate the importance of
considering the cultural/historical context as a guide to accurate
interpretation...
We are prone to interpret everything we
read in terms of our twentieth century Western culture, since that's the
sphere in which we live. It takes a conscious effort to research and absorb
some of the data that will make our thoughts conform to the time and culture
of the writer. Much of this can be accomplished through the use of Bible
Dictionaries, and books on the history and archeology of Old and New
Testament times. Edersheim's
The Life
and Times of Jesus the Messiah
(1883)
is a classic work on the cultural features of biblical times. Old and New
Testament introductions also help us get the feel and flavor of life in
Bible times. The bibliography in the Appendix will give you further source
materials on this subject.
To illustrate the principle we have
before us: it is helpful, when studying the Book of Hebrews, to
remember that it was written while the temple was still standing in
Jerusalem. This makes clear the need for the strong appeal to these early
Hebrew Christians to "go forth to him [Jesus] outside the camp, bearing
abuse for him. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which
is to come" (see notes
Hebrews 13:13;
13:14).
And, "We have an altar from which those
who serve the tent have no right to eat" (see note
Hebrews 13:10).
There was strong temptation for these
early Christians to be drawn back into the "shadows" of the temple worship
forms and away from the reality of Christian faith.
Observing this, we can better understand the strong warnings in the book.
After all, it was written to the Hebrews of the first century. Our
interpretation should be based on this historical/cultural setting, with
application to our contemporary Western scene flowing out of that
interpretation. It then becomes obvious that there are many similar
situations where modern men and women halt short of true faith, settling for
religious ritual instead. The same strong warnings can then be applied
properly to present situations. The following outline illustrates how
applicable this truth is, almost twenty centuries after its writing.
DON'T MISS MELCHIZEDEK!
We need to advance from the Aaronic
priesthood (the Law) to the Melchizedek priesthood, which portrays the
adequacy and resources of Christ as our risen, living Lord. In view of
Christ's availability to us as our great High Priest after the order of
Melchizedek, to strengthen us for every test and supply our every need,
consider these warnings from Hebrews:
1. THE DANGER OF DRIFTING,
Hebrews 2:1-3
The Problem: Inattention
The Possibility: Of drifting.
The Test: Are You Listening?
2. THE DANGER OF AN UNBELIEVING HEART,
Hebrews 3:12-4:16
The Problem: Hearing, but not Believing
The Possibility: Hardening of the heart.
The Test: How Well Do You Rest?
3. THE DANGER OF PROLONGED IMMATURITY,
Hebrews 5:11-6:20
The Problem: Being Long-Time Babies
The Possibility: Missing the value of Melchizedek's priesthood.
The Test: Are You Really Going Anywhere?
4. THE DANGER OF MISSING REALITY--Seeing just the shadow,
Hebrews 10:26-31
The Problem: Failing to Respond to Grace
The Possibility: of spurning the Son.
The Test: How Real Is Jesus Christ to You?
5. THE DANGER OF CONTRADICTION,
Hebrews 12:15-29
The Problem: The Practical Denial of Christ's Lordship
The Possibility: Of refusing Him the right to give orders.
The Test: How Well Do You Worship through Obedience to Christ?
(From the online text -
Bob Smith's well written
Basics of Bible Interpretation)
Kent Hughes is correct when he
says that the...
church's experience 2,000 years ago
intersects our lives in this way: drifting is the besetting sin of our day.
And as the metaphor suggests, it is not so much intentional as from
unconcern. Christians neglect their anchor-Christ-and begin to quietly drift
away. There is no friction, no dramatic sense of departure. But when the
winds of trouble come, the things of Christ are left far behind, even out of
sight. (Hughes,
R. K. Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul. Volume 1. Crossway Books;
Volume 2 or
Logos)
See more quotations on -
Backsliding or Drifting
Spurgeon wrote it is as if the
writer had said...
Seeing Christ is so excellent in His
person, and seeing the Gospel has such a glorious Author, let us take great
care that we esteem His person, revere His authority, reverence His
ministry, and believe His message; and let us take heed that our memories be
not like leaking vessels, suffering the word at any time to slip or run from
us.
We have heard them; do not let us forget
them. Let them not be like the driftwood which goes floating down the
stream. Let us make a desperate effort to retain them in our memories; and,
above all, to ponder them in our hearts.
Drift away (3901)
(pararrhueo
from pará = by, past, beyond + rhéo = flow) literally means to
"flow past" and so to glide, to be washed away, to drift away.
Figuratively as in the present verse pararrhueo means to slip
or drift away from belief. It is a picture of a gradual, almost unnoticed
movement past a certain point. It describes that carelessness of mind which,
perhaps occupied by other things, is not aware it is losing ground. It is
like a ship drifting without anchorage and so drifting away from its
moorings and from a place of safety to one of danger.
Pararrhueo is used only here in the NT and twice in the
Septuagint (LXX)...
Proverbs 3:21 My son, let them
(in the immediate
context, "them" is God's wisdom,
understanding and knowledge!) not depart from your sight; Keep sound
wisdom and discretion
Isaiah 44:4 And they will spring
up among the grass Like poplars by streams (pararrhueo -
running or flowing) of water.'
Pararrhueo was used to describe mooring of ships (to moor a ship
means to make it secure with cables, lines, or anchors) and the drift caused
by winds and tides if ships are not moored.
Kent Hughes writes that...
I have experienced this firsthand while
fishing the tidal inlets of the California coast, when winds or surging
tides have imperceptibly slipped the anchor from the seabed so that it hung
suspended, and I, intent on my fishing, unknowingly moved several hundred
yards and almost foundered on the rocks! Such dangerous drifting is not
intentional, but comes rather from inattention and carelessness—which was
precisely the problem with the pressured little church. They had become
careless about their moorings in Christ. At first, in calm waters, that was
not noticeable. But as the storms of opposition rose, some of them were
drifting farther and farther away from Christ toward the shoals of shipwreck
in their old world of Judaism." (Hughes,
R. K. Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul. Volume 1. Crossway Books
&
Volume 2)
The Greek writer Xenophon used pararrhueo to describe the river flowing by a certain place. It was used to picture
the snow slipping off from the soldiers' bodies, of a ring
slipping from one's finger or of a thought slipping out of one's memory. This verb thus presents a vivid picture of
individuals who let themselves drift away from the haven of the gospel of
Christ. One need not be violently opposed to the message to suffer loss but
just to "drift" away from it!
Ray Stedman writes that...
The danger highlighted is that of a
great loss occurring unnoticed. The cause is not taking seriously the
words spoken to them. Inattention or apathy will rob them of their treasure.
With these words, the writer reveals his shepherd’s heart, since he is not
content with instructing the mind with intriguing doctrine. He also longs to
reach the heart and move the will to action...It is not necessary to openly
renounce the gospel. One can remain lost by simply and quietly drifting away
from hearing it, or hearing it with no comprehension of the seriousness of
its message." (Hebrews
2:1-4
Great Danger in Ignoring the Son)
B F Westcott explains that...
"The idea is not that of simple
forgetfulness, but of being swept along past the sure anchorage which is
within reach. The image is singularly expressive. We are all continuously
exposed to the action of currents of opinion, habit, action, which tend to
carry us away insensibly from the position which we ought to maintain." (The
Epistle to the Hebrews; the Greek text with notes and essays. London:
Macmillan)
C. S. Lewis remarked:
“And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred
people who had lost their faith ** in Christianity, I wonder how many of
them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do
not most people simply drift away?” (**Editorial Comment: You cannot lose
something you never had. My personal opinion is that these are "professors"
but not "possessors." cp Titus1:16 Mt 7:21-23, 24).
Guzik writes that
If we do not give the more earnest heed,
we will drift away. Drifting is something that happens quite automatically
when we are not anchored to anything solid. If we are not "anchored" in the
superiority of Jesus, we will drift with the currents of the world, the
flesh, and the devil. One doesn't have to do anything to simply drift
away...An ungodly farmer died, and they discovered in his will that he had
left his farm to the Devil. In the court, they didn't quite know what to do
with it -- how do you give a farm to the Devil? Finally, the judge decided:
"The best way to carry out the wishes of the deceased is to allow the farm
to grow weeds, the soil to erode, and the house and barn to rot. In our
opinion, the best way to leave something to the Devil is to do nothing." We
can leave our lives to the Devil the same way - doing nothing, drifting with
whatever currents will drive us. (Hebrews 2)
A W Pink writes that drifting (or
not drifting) speaks of not persevering (or of persevering) explaining
that...
Perseverance in the faith, continuance in
the Word, is a prime prerequisite of discipleship, see John 8:31 ("Jesus
therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If
you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine");
Col. 1:23 ("[You will be presented before Him holy and blameless and beyond
reproach] if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and
steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have
heard...), etc. Many who heard, and once seemed really
interested in spiritual things, “concerning the faith have made shipwreck”
(1 Tim. 1:19).
PREDISPOSITION TO
"SPIRITUAL DRIFTING"
Ponder the following thoughts regarding
some issues that predispose one to "drifting" through life:
1). The passing of time. A slow drift, given enough time, will carry you to another
continent and its dark uncharted waters. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians
"Behold now is the acceptable time. Behold
now is the day of salvation." (2Corinthians
6:2)
2). Familiarity with truths about God
and Jesus (a common trap in "Christian" America). We all have a tendency
to begin to regard the
things we become familiar with as commonplace. The initial venture into the mysteries of Christ
may be exhilarating, but repeated exposure to the truth may eventually
result in "vaccination" which then even prevents one from getting the real
"disease"!
3). Busyness. Busy people can soon be weighed down by all the cares
of life.
A snowflake is a tiny thing, but when the air is full of them, they can bury
us. Even so, the cares of each day can insulate us from the
excellency of Christ, and result in our continuing to drift toward
destruction. As someone has wrote:
“It is strange: but life’s currents drift
us
So surely and swiftly on,
That we scarcely notice the changes
And how many things are gone.”
Matthew Henry explains the danger
and propensity for drifting writing that...
the great loss we shall sustain if we do
not take this earnest heed to the things which we have heard: We shall let
them slip. They will leak, and run out of our heads, lips, and lives, and we
shall be great losers by our neglect. Learn, (1.) When we have received
gospel truths into our minds, we are in danger of letting them slip. Our
minds and memories are like a leaky vessel, they do not without much care
retain what is poured into them; this proceeds from the corruption of our
natures, the enmity and subtlety of Satan (he steals away the word), from
the entanglements and snares of the world, the thorns that choke the good
seed. (2.) Those meet with an inconceivable loss who let gospel truths,
which they had received, slip out of their minds; they have lost a treasure
far better than thousands of gold and silver; the seed is lost, their time
and pains in hearing lost, and their hopes of a good harvest lost; all is
lost, if the gospel be lost. (3.) This consideration should be a strong
motive both to our attention to the gospel and our retention of it; and
indeed, if we do not well attend, we shall not long retain the word of God;
inattentive hearers
will soon be forgetful hearers.
Mike Yaconelli tells a cow story
that illustrates the subtle nature of drifting...
“I live in a small, rural community.
There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and, every once in a while, a
cow wanders off and gets lost.… Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and
chances are he will reply, ‘Well, the cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green
grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead to the next tuft of green grass
and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on a tuft of grass
right next to a hole in the fence. It then sees another tuft of green grass
on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on
to the next tuft. The next thing you know, the cow has nibbled itself into
being lost.’ (Morgan, R. J. Nelson's complete book of stories,
illustrations, and quotes. Page 41. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
F B Meyer described drifting
writing that...
Gradually and almost insensibly we lose
our watchfulness over our thoughts; our relish for the society of God’s
people; our delight in God’s house; our interest in the salvation of others;
our sensitiveness of conscience as to the conventionalities of trade or
society. We do not realize it; we are not specially concerned; we have no
idea that the white ant is eating out the substance of our furniture, and
the dry-rot undermining the rafters of our house. Strangers are devouring
our strength; grey hairs are indicating our decay—to all eyes but our own.
We grow grey almost imperceptibly; the strength of our manhood is very
slowly undermined; the degrees of spiritual declension are as the fall of
the year through the last days of summer. But it need not be if we would
regard ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word. (Meyer, F. B. Our Daily
Homily. Vol. 4, Page 190. Pleasant Places Press)
The best defense against
slipping away is to flee for refuge and lay hold of the hope (Biblical hope
is not "hope so" but a confidence that God will do good to us in the future)
set before us a hope which is like "an anchor of the soul...both sure and steadfast". (Hebrews
6:19) (see topic
The Blessed Hope)
Vance Havner wrote that...
We need a heart warming.… The early
Christians did not need a shot in the arm every Sunday to keep them going.
They knew Jesus and they upset the world and worried the devil and gave
wicked rulers insomnia and started something the jails couldn’t lock up,
fire couldn’t burn, water couldn’t drown, swords couldn’t kill.…You may
belittle experience and speak of the dangers of emotion, but we are
suffering today from a species of Christianity as dry as dust, as cold as
ice, as pale as a corpse, and as dead as King Tut. We are suffering, not
from a lack of correct heads but of consumed hearts!
Someone has wisely written:
"Use well opportunity, drift not with
the tide; killing time is not murder, it's suicide!"
Indeed, eternity will magnify that which we have done in time.
Dr
Robertson McQuilkin the godly dean of a seminary (who retired at an
early age in order to care for
his debilitated wife) did not want to drift (although it describes a
believer who does not finish well, the truth of his poem is applicable to
the careless, drifting unbeliever)
I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon
—or do I mean, too late?
That I should end before I finish or finish, but not well.
That I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart.
Few, they tell me, finish well…
Lord, let me get home before dark.
(From “Let Me Get Home Before Dark,” 1981)
Vincent comments
"The idea is in sharp contrast with giving earnest heed.
Lapse from truth and goodness is more often the result of inattention than
of design. Drifting is a mark of death: giving heed, of life. The log drifts
with the tide: the ship breasts the adverse waves, because some one is
giving earnest heed."
Adam Clarke comments on "drift away":
"Lest at any time we should leak
out.” This is a metaphor taken from unstanch vessels; the staves not being
close together, the fluid put into them leaks through the chinks and
crevices. Superficial hearers lose the benefit of the word preached, as the
unseasoned vessel does its fluid; nor can any one hear to the saving of his
soul, unless he give most earnest heed, which he will not do unless he
consider the dignity of the speaker, the importance of the subject, and the
absolute necessity of the salvation of his soul."
F B Meyer explains drifting...
Men ruined by drifting: — Life’s ocean is
full of currents, any one of which will sweep us past the harbour mouth even
when we seem nearest to it, and carry us far out to sea. It is the drift
that ruins men: the drift of the religious world; the drift of old habits
and associations; the drift of one’s own evil nature; the drift of the
pressure of temptation. The young man coming from a pious home does not
distinctly and deliberately say, “I renounce my father’s God.” But he finds
himself in a set of business associates who have no care for religion; and,
after a brief struggle, he relaxes his efforts and begins to drift, until
the coastline of heaven recedes so far into the dim distance that he is
doubtful if he ever really saw it. The business man, who now shamelessly
follows the lowest maxims of his trade, was once upright and high-minded.
But he began by yielding in very trivial points to the strong pressure of
competition; and when once he had allowed himself to be caught by the tide,
it bore him far beyond his first intention. The professing Christian, who
now scarcely pretends to open the Bible or pray, came to so terrible a
position, not at a single leap, but by yielding to the pressure of the
constant waywardness of the old nature, and thus drifted into an Arctic
region, where he is likely to perish, benumbed and frozen, unless rescued,
and launched on the warm Gulf Stream of the love of God. It is so easy, and
so much pleasanter to drift. Just to lie back, and renounce effort, and let
yourself go whither the waters will, as they break musically on the sides of
the rocking boat. But, ah, how ineffable the remorse, how disastrous the
result! Are you drifting? You can easily tell. Are you conscious of effort,
of daily, hourly resistance to the stream around you, and within? Do the
things of God and heaven loom more clearly on your vision? Do the waters
foam angrily at your prow as you force your way through them? If so,
rejoice; but remember that only Divine strength can suffice to maintain the
conflict, and keep the boat’s head against the stream. If not, you are
drifting. Hail the strong Son of God. Ask Him to come on board, and stay
you, and bring you into port.( F. B. Meyer, B. A. in The Biblical
Illustrator)
The danger of drifting illustrated...
In the early part of this century, an
American ship was wrecked off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England.
The sea had been calm and the weather clear, but the vessel was caught in a
treacherous current that slowly lured it off its course. Before the captain
and the crew realized what had happened, the ship had crashed into the
rocks.
The compass of God's Word
will keep you from spiritual shipwreck.
Another illustration on the danger of
drifting ...
The danger and deceitfulness of slowly
drifting is illustrated by the story of the English explorer, William Edward
Parry, who took a crew to the Arctic Ocean. They wanted to go farther north
to continue their chartings, so they calculated their location by the stars
and started a very difficult and treacherous march north. They walked hour
upon hour, and finally, totally exhausted, they stopped. Taking their
bearings again from the stars, they discovered that they were farther south
than they had been when they started. They had been walking on an ice floe
that was moving south faster than they were walking north. How many people
think their good deeds, their merits, and their religiousness are taking
them step by step to God, when in fact they are moving away from Him faster
than they are supposedly walking toward Him. That is the tragedy of drifting
from what we have heard. They awake one day to find, like Parry’s crew, that
all the time they have been moving in the wrong direction. A person should
never be satisfied with religious feelings, with coming to church, with
being married to a Christian spouse, or with church activities. He will be
drifting into a hell unless he has made a personal commitment to the Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. The job of the preacher is to comfort the
afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
Riddle: How can a man drift too far
and still be saved?
Read the testimony of a man who
drifted too far and yet was saved...
Seven-year-old Roger Woodward along with
his seventeen-year-old sister was enjoying a boat ride on the Niagara River.
They were guests of a man from Niagara Falls, New York, and were boating
above the falls. But when the boat developed motor trouble and capsized, all
three were thrown into the river. The man went over the falls and was
killed. Roger’s sister was plucked from the river about twenty feet from the
edge of the falls by two tourists. But Roger went over the falls wearing
nothing but his swimming trunks and an orange life preserver.
The “Maid of the Mist” tourist boat was
just turning away from the falls when the crew spotted him, floating in the
basin. Pulling him from the water, they rushed him to the hospital where he
remained three days with a slight concussion and was released.
Thirty years passed and Roger Woodward
returned to Niagara Falls to give his testimony at the Glengate Alliance
Church. The audience was hushed as he told his miraculous story, the panic
he felt as he drifted helpless toward the precipice, the anger he felt
because no one on the shoreline could help him, the flashbacks he
experienced as he inwardly said goodbye to his parents and his dog and his
toys.
He said, “It wasn’t the hand of fate
[that saved me]. It wasn’t the hand of luck. It was the Spirit of the Living
God that saved my life that day and saved my sister and gave us hope that
one day we could come to know Him.” (Morgan, R. J. Nelson's complete
book of stories, illustrations, and quotes. Page 654. Nashville: Thomas
Nelson Publishers)
Spurgeon has these expository
comments on Hebrews 2...
As if our apostle had said,—Seeing Christ
is so excellent in His person, and seeing the gospel has such a glorious
author, let us take great care that we esteem His person, revere His
authority, reverence His ministry, and believe His message; and let us take
heed that our memories be not like leaking vessels, suffering the word at
any time to slip or run from us.
That is to say, because Jesus is so
great, because the truths which he came to reveal are so infinitely
important, “therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things
which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip; “for,
sometimes, we seem to let them slip. We grow old; our mind is dull; our
heart is occupied with other matters, and we let these heavenly things leak
out, or drift by us, as if we were not concerned in them.
We have heard them; do not let us forget
them. Let them not be like the driftwood which goes floating down the
stream. Let us make a desperate effort to retain them in our memories; and,
above all, to ponder them in our hearts.
It is well to give heed to what you
are now hearing, but it is also important to give heed to what you have
heard. Oh, how much have we heard, but have forgotten! How much have we
heard, which we still remember, but do not practice! Let us therefore listen
to the words of the apostle here: “We ought to give the more earnest heed
to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them
slip;”— as it were, slipping through our fingers, and flowing down the
stream of time to be carried away into the ocean of oblivion.
Drifting away...
Whoever strives to withdraw from
obedience withdraws from grace. --Thomas à Kempis
If thou wilt fly from God, the devil will
lend thee both spurs and a horse. -Thomas Adams
Withering is a slow process, barely
perceptible at first either to one who is being withered or to those who
look on. -Donald Grey Barnhouse
It is possible to be diligent in our
religion, yet distant in our relationship. -John Blanchard
A declining Christian must needs be a doubting Christian. - William Gurnall
If you find yourself loving any pleasure
more than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better
than the house of the Lord, any table better than the Lord's table, any
persons better than Christ, or any indulgence better than the hope of
heaven—be alarmed. - Thomas Guthrie
Taking it easy is often the prelude to
backsliding. Comfort precedes collapse. -Vance Havner
Collapse in the Christian life is seldom
a blowout. It is usually a slow leak. - Paul E. Little
We are all constantly backsliding but for
the grace of God. - Dick Lucas
Backsliding is caused by slack abiding. -
Ernest Plant
If we know anything of true, saving
religion, let us ever beware of the beginnings of backsliding. - J. C. Ryle
It is a miserable thing to be a
backslider. Of all unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose it is the
worst. A stranded ship, an eagle with a broken wing, a garden covered with
weeds, a harp without strings, a church in ruins—all these are sad sights,
but a backslider is a sadder sight still. - J. C. Ryle
It is dangerous to backslide in any
degree, for we know not to what may lead. - C. H. Spurgeon
It may be hard going forward, but it is
worse going back. - C. H. Spurgeon
Most observers classify this present
section of Hebrews as the first of the five major "warning" passages in
Hebrews.
