Hebrews 3:1-19

3:1-6 | To show the superiority of Christ over Moses, the writer uses two analogies: 1) the builder is greater than the building (Eph. 2:19; 1 Pet. 2:4-5); and 2) the Son is greater than the servant (Ex. 14:31; Num. 11:11; 12:7; Matt. 21:33-40; John 8:35). To consider means “to look at, observe, contemplate, fix one’s attention in such a way that the significance of the thing is learned.” Intentionally fixing our gaze on Christ helps us see how much greater He is than even one as important as Moses, the central figure of the Old Covenant.

3:1-2 | Twelve times in the Book of Hebrews, Jesus is referred to as the High Priest of those who believe. Perfectly divine and perfectly human, He was uniquely qualified for this role. he knew both God and humanity, so He could speak to humanity for God and interced to God for humanity (John 13:3; 1 Tim. 2:5).

3:1 | This is the only time in the NT that Jesus is given the title Apostle (from a Greek word that means “one who is sent and who represents the one sending”). Jesus was sent as God’s final and authoritative revelation.

3:6 | To hold fast means to grasp what one already possesses and make it sure in one’s life. This is not about holding fast to faith but to the confidence of faith (John 6:39; 8:31; 10:28).

3:8 | The phrase Do not harden your hearts comes from Psalm 95:7-11. Psalm 95 is a call for God’s people not to rebel as the wilderness generation of the Israelites did when they refused to trust God and enter the land of Canaan (Num. 13-14). every time the Spirit of God speaks to someone and they refuse to respond, their hearts harden. If a person continues this pattern, they reach a point where they are unable to believe (3:15; 4:7; 6:4-6).

3:11 \ God’s plan for rest included rest from wandering in the wilderness, rest from the oppression of Israel’s enemies, and rest from anxiety and worry - to be enjoyed when the people entered the land of Canaan God had promised them. Only thier unbelief kept the Israwelites from this (Deut. 28:65; Lam. 1:3).

3:12 | The Israelites were guilty of departing from the living God because they refused to believ His promises and live by faith. Beware means “to see, watch look out for.” Believers are to be on guard lest they be overtaken by the evil of an unbelieving heart.

3:13 | Exhort can also be translated as “encourage.” Believers should encourage other Christians daily, bolstering them against the inevitable trials and temptations of life.