Disciples Digital Library

After expounding on the “ household of God ” and demonstrating the superiority of the Son over Moses, the “ servant of God ,” the letter to the  Hebrews  continues with a lesson drawn from the story of Israel. During its sojourn in the wilderness, the Israelites complained bitterly against Moses for leading them to a place lacking sufficient water.

The letter continues using the example of Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness to summon believers not to make the same error of unbelief and thereby fail to enter God’s “ rest .” In the desert, Yahweh decreed that the generation of Israelites freed from Egyptian bondage would not enter the promised land. And so, disciples who fail to “ hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end ” will face a similar fate.

The first chapter of Hebrews stresses the supremacy of the high priest who now sits at the “ right hand of the majesty on high .” First, the eternal sovereignty of God is described (“ Your throne, O God, is to times everlasting ”), then, the qualifications of the Son for the priesthood are stated (“ You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness ”).

Mark highlights the unbelief behind the inability of both his opponents and the disciples to perceive exactly who Jesus was  -  Mark 8:1-21 .  Despite all they had seen, the disciples remained dull of hearing and ran the risk of submitting to the same unbelief that characterized the opponents of Jesus, especially the unbelief and hostility of the Pharisees. Regardless of his many miracles, they still could not comprehend who he was, the Messiah of Israel and the savior of the world.