Daily Devotions
Hebrews
So I swore in My wrath...
Text: Hebrews 3:11
AN EXPRESSION OF GOD’S WRATH
God had every right to be angry with the children of Israel! The following text describes His wrath.
“So I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest”
Hebrews 3:11
1. So I swore in My wrath
This was a solemn judgment that God made! The word “swore” tells us that His word of judgment was nothing short of an oath!
2. They shall not enter My rest
The children of Israel was on the verge of entering Canaan. However, they were suddenly attacked by fearful cowardice and unbelief. They refused to enter into the Promised Land. Going by what they had decided, God swore that the children of Israel had forfeited the opportunity given to them to conquer Canaan! For the next forty years they would wander in the wilderness till the next generation grew up replace this unbelieving generation.
UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF THE WRATH OF GOD
Only when we fully appreciate the context would we understand the wrath of God expressed.
1. The children of Israel had seen how God’s power was displayed in Egypt ten times over. (The power of God was evident in the unleashing of 10 plagues. Cf. Exodus 7-12).
2. The children of Israel had also experienced the power of God on their way to Canaan.
a) The crossing of the Red Sea (Cf. Exodus 14)
b) The provision of Water at Marah (Cf. Exodus 15:22-27)
c) The provision of Manna (Cf. Exodus 16 )
d) The provision of Water from a Rock (Cf. Exodus 17:1-7)
e) The special appearance of God at Mt Sinai (Cf. Exodus 19-20)
Daily, the Lord’s Presence was manifested to the children of Israel. Yet on the verge of entering Canaan they balked. God’s word to Moses, when Israel refused to enter into Canaan, helps us understand His wrath better.
“How long will these people reject Me? And how long
will they not believe Me, with all the signs which
I have performed among them?”
Numbers 14:11