To prevent these Hebrews falling, the Spirit repeats the direful oath of God to apostates in the wilderness; the form of which was opened, Hebrews 3:11: compare Numbers 14:30. The matter sworn was, that they should be so far from possessing, that they should not so much as enter into the land of promise, Canaan, which was God's property, as the whole earth is; he promised it to them, could only dispossess their enemies, did give it in possession to their seed, and made it a type of heaven, and of his rest there; he swore this in his severe vindictive justice, so as his sentence was irreversible; which oath stands good against all total and final apostates from him, who have thereby forfeited any title to God's eternal rest. Them that believed not; those who were unbelieving under all God's miracles of mercies and judgments, which they saw, and so became obstinately disobedient to God's commands, and broke his covenant, Hebrews 8:9 Jeremiah 31:32, and apostatized from him, and so perished in their gainsaying.

Continues after advertising
Continues after advertising