WHEN GOD’S WORD DOES NOT PROFIT US
Hebrews 4:2 NKJV
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
No, the title was not clickbait. It was taken directly from our verse for today. The word that was proclaimed to the nation of Israel did not profit them. But why?
Hebrews was written to Jewish believers who were under pressure to abandon their new found faith in Christ and go back to Judaism. The author was reminding these believers what had happened to their ancestors. The people who were led by Moses out of Egypt had a problem. They would believe in God for a little while, but whenever they encountered a problem, a challenge, or some difficulty, they would begin to complain. Often, their complaints were against Moses. Almost always, they complained against God. When they ran out of water, they complained. When they were tired of eating the manna that God supernaturally provided, they complained. When God said don’t collect manna on the Sabbath they disobeyed. Time after time these Israelites refused to believe what God had said to them.
Even though the Lord had promised them their own land, a land flowing with milk and honey, they would not believe Him. This culminated in the famous story of the twelve spies coming back from the promised land and declaring that the people were too strong and that taking the land was impossible. When the people heard of the strong people and fortified cities, they cried all night and refused to even attempt to enter the land. Two of the twelve spies believed what God had said and offered encouragement to the people, but the people threatened to kill them. The people of Israel did not believe the good news, the gospel, so because of their unbelief, the gospel did not profit them. It was not the large people or the strong cities that kept the Israelites out of the promised land; it was the failure of the people to mix faith with what they heard.
APPLICATION
For God’s Word to profit, it has to be believed and acted upon. We must mix faith with what we hear. This is something we know in regard to salvation. Two people can hear the same message. One goes to sleep, the other responds, and becomes a new creation in Christ. One is bored and the other is born again. One remains the same, and the other has a changed life. This is not a function of God choosing to bless one and ignore the other. This is a direct result of one mixing faith with God’s Word and the other treating God’s Word as totally unimportant.
Paul wrote the Romans and said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because the gospel was the power of God to salvation. To everyone? No, to everyone who believes. The writer of Hebrews is saying the same thing. The gospel is powerful and life changing to anyone who will mix faith with what they hear.
PRAYER
Thank you, Father, for Your word that is living and powerful. I believe it now and will continue to believe more and more for the rest of my days here and into eternity.