v1: The great privilege in Christ; we are holy, no longer worldly, but set apart for God; we are brothers, no longer alone, but part of God's family in Christ. We share in the heavenly calling, no longer without purpose, but called by God.

Our lives must reflect this privilege and calling; through our hearts set upon Him, through lives of obedience and service.

Jesus Christ is our apostle, the one sent from God, like angels (ch 1-2), like Moses and Joshua (ch 3-4), but greater than all these. Jesus Christ is our high priest (ch 7-8).

v2: Christ was faithful, fulfilling the task to which God had appointed Him. "House", ie; family, or dynasty, as in 2 Sam 7.16.

v3: Christ is greater than Moses. Christ built the house; He is son over His own house (v6), and the heir of all things (1.2), to which He was appointed.

v4: Both God and Christ are described as the builder of the house.

v5: Moses' role in building the house of God was to testify about what would follow; he was a prophet pointing forward to Christ.

v6: We persevere as part of God's house, also v14. Christ the faithful one enables us to be faithful too. We have courage and hope.

v7: The writer quotes Ps 95.7-11; the mistakes of the people of Israel are recorded for our benefit, as in 1 Cor 10.6. These things were written by the Holy Spirit, and are therefore accurate and authoritative. The Holy Spirit is referred to also in 10.15. Other scriptures are attributed to Christ, 10.5, and to God, 8.8; 13.5.

Our responsibility is to hear His voice, recognising God's voice above all human voices. "Today" brings a sense of urgency. Obedience is to be something we do, not something we plan to do in the future, when circumstances are different.

This is reinforced by the verb tense; 'says, not 'said.' This reflects the divine authority of the original Psalm and its unchanging relevance. See also 10.15, "the Holy Spirit also bears witness."

v8-9: In the wilderness, in spite of witnessing the mighty miracles of God for forty years, the people hardened their hearts and tested God. The time of testing was two - way. God tested the people, to see what was in their hearts, Deut 8.2. The people tested God by their disobedience, which is the emphasis here.

v10-11: For that reason, God was angry with that generation which died in the wilderness. In rebellion and disobedience, they persistently went astray in their hearts, having an attitude against God. They were ignorant of God's ways; and they missed out on God's blessings.

Here, 'rest' does not mean inactivity. Rather it means entering the inheritance God has promised to us. The children of Israel, apart from Joshua and Caleb, missed out on the inheritance, their bodies lying across the wilderness (v17-18). As Christians, we can miss out on God's promises by unbelief, by becoming hardened. This is a strong theme in the letter to the Hebrews.

v12: In application; make sure that the same attitude is in "none of you". The description of this attitude is clear; sinful, unbelieving, departing from the living God. These are serious words for a serious condition. We see that there is personal responsibility for personal unbelief. Disobedience is more than the breaching of a set of rules; it is a grieving of the One who loved us.

v13: The danger of the deceitfulness of sin, offering much but delivering little. In response, there is the importance of mutual encouragement.

Sin hardens the heart, causing unbelief. Beware the deadly spiral of sin and unbelief, each feeding the other. Whilst there is personal responsibility for such attitudes, there is also the necessity to encourage others to obedience and true faith.

Again, we read "today"; there is urgency in our encouraging each other. The writer's strategy to prevent his readers from falling into the errors of their forefathers is 'enoucrage one another daily.' See also 10.23-24.

v14-15: The true Christian has come to "share in Christ"; we are called to press on in that confidence, and hold firmly that confidence.

v16-18: The writer addresses those who professed to know Christ; those who came out of Egypt professed to know God, but they grew complacent, and unbelieving. Although led by Moses, the servant of God, they did not continue in faithfulness. They lived close to God (Num 12.8), but still they rebelled. It is not sufficient to know godly people, we must know God.

v19: They missed out because of unbelief; they rebelled, they sinned, they did not obey; as a consequence, they did not enter His rest.