“Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest'” (Hebrews 3:10-11 ESV).
The passage quoted above reminds us that it is possible to reach a point where God will no longer protect us from the consequences of our decisions. Such was the case with the overwhelming majority of Israelites who departed from the nation of Egypt. We can grasp the full impact of the statement “They shall not enter my rest,” by taking a moment to look at the Old Testament account of that period in Israel’s history.
You see, the Biblical book of Numbers tells us that God instructed Moses to count every male who was eligible for military service during that time. The result of that census is given to us in Numbers 1:45-46…
“So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel— all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.”
So when God swore in His wrath, “They shall not enter my rest,” He was not speaking of a narrow group of individuals. If we count spouses and those who were unfit for military service, it’s likely that over one million human beings were subject to this edict. Of that number, only two individuals (Joshua and Caleb) survived to enter the land of God’s promise.
Finally, we should note how God “…was provoked with that generation.” This offers a personal application as it relates to our relationships with others. For instance, if others seek to provoke us in various ways, it helps to remember that God lived through a similar experience with His people during their Exodus from Egypt. Our author will return to this subject in the following chapter with a message of encouragement for those who endure such provocations (and/or other forms of temptation) …
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).