Do you remember from an earlier article how chapter 2 mentioned “gifts of the Holy Spirit” [see Hebrews 2:4] as one of the ways that God testified to the salvation that Jesus (and those who heard Jesus) spoke? Those were gifts or “distributions” [see NASB footnote] of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit’s very words are shared in chapter 3.
So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”Hebrews 3:7-11 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.3.7-11.NIV
However, what the author of Hebrews introduces as the Holy Spirit’s words also matches some verses from Psalm 95. Does that mean that books of the Bible (like Psalms) are the words of the Holy Spirit? Yes! While I suspect that the Holy Spirit allowed different authors’ personalities, styles, intellect, and even feelings to show through different kinds of writing in the Bible, He was the one who inspired it all. Although you’ve probably read it before, I encourage you read (or re-read) 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
So, what did the Holy Spirit say in Psalms and Hebrews? If I could paraphrase some of His instructions:
- Listen when God talks to you, and follow His loving, perfect instructions. Don’t be stubborn and resist.
- Don’t test God. Don’t see how far you can push Him until He has to discipline or punish you.
- Don’t abandon God. Don’t go another way.
Some years back, the band Fleetwood Mac recorded a song, “You Can Go Your Own Way”. When it comes to God’s way, though, going our own way is a really bad idea. Why? Well, for one thing, God will be angry with us if we go another way (according to this passage), and I really don’t want that. Also, the consequences of God’s anger here were that His rest would not be enjoyed by those who had rebelled. (God’s way is also better for us, which He offers out of His love for us, not to try and rob us of anything.)
For the Israelites, that meant not being able to settle in the Promised Land for a whole generation. This Psalm talks about an event prior to Mount Sinai, where the Israelites complained about not having water in the wilderness. We could read more about that event in Exodus 17:1-7 [see also Deuteronomy 33:8]. However, a further reading of the Israelites’ behavior during their time in the wilderness shows that this wasn’t the only “incident”.
For us, I think that we’d probably think about our rest as spending eternity with God, free from the brokenness of this world, and free from the pain and suffering that resulted from humankind’s sins. However, if you ask most Americans what they could use right now, how often would it be “rest” – plain old physical, mental, and emotional rest? While we will eventually reach an ultimate rest with God (who is the source of all that is truly good), I also think that we can find rest in Jesus even while we are on this earth, knowing that He’s got us.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for January 18, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 