SOUNDING
OUT:
Give More Earnest Heed (Part 1 of 3)
We find in Hebrews chapter 2, verses
1-4, a strong warning against neglecting God's Word.
God not only warns us, but He also gives reasons for
the warning. Over the next three newsletters we will
cover all four verses. In this first one we will look
at the warning. In the next one we will see the reason
why. Then we will close with verses three and four,
Hebrews
2:1-4:
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to
the things which we have heard, lest at any time we
should let [them] slip.
2 For if the word spoken
by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if
we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began
to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us
by them that heard [him];
4 God also bearing [them]
witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to
his own will?
Hebrews
2:1[KJV]
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to
the things which we have heard, lest at any time we
should let [them] slip.
Hebrews
2:1[NIV]
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what
we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Hebrews
2:1: [NAS]
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to
what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
2:1.
“Therefore” shows that
this admonition arose directly from the preceding material.
Since the Son is so supremely great and has been given
a name above every name, we should pay careful attention
to the realities of what God has done for us in Christ
Jesus. Although this urgent warning is set in this particular
context of God communicating to us through His son,
it can be transferred and applied to all of scripture
because all scripture is equally inspired of God. Since
it is all God-breathed, we must give all of
it careful attention.
Ought is dei. It is
not just a simple word for an obligation; it is a stronger
word which means "it is imperative" or "it
is necessary." Our word “ought” doesn’t
do it justice. The more recent translations use “must”
instead of “ought.”
Must:
1. Means to be obliged or required by morality, law,
or custom.
2. Means to be compelled, as by a physical necessity
or requirement.
3. Is used to express a command or admonition.
4. Is used to indicate logical probability or presumptive
certainty.
5. Is used to indicate something that is absolutely
required or indispensable.
This word means, in everyday English, something
like the following: “Given my circumstances, what
I do next must be both logical and necessary.
In other words, I am in such a compelling set of circumstances
that my next move is almost without choice. The impact
of must is to almost remove our choice. After
all, if we must do something what choice do we really
have. If we believe the must we defer
the option to choose. If on the other hand we do not
believe the must, we can opt not to
do it. The force or impact of the must negates our will
to do the opposite.
However we know only too well that freedom of
will is never forfeited. My next move is just dictated
by my circumstances; I must choose to do what is required.
Circumstances are so forceful that, to be logical, I
have only these necessary options open to me. Anything
else is insane. If I must do something, then what I
do next must be logical. What I do next is
also necessary if I’m to survive!
To give the more, earnest heed
translates a verb meaning "to pay careful attention"
and an adverb (based on an adjective in the comparative
degree) meaning "even more extremely." The
result is an exceptionally strong exhortation. "Because
of these things," he is saying, "it is absolutely
necessary for us to be extremely careful to pay attention."
No matter how much heed we give now, we can always give
more. An interesting use of this verb is “to safely
bring a boat to dock in port.”
We are to hold to the things which
we have heard lest we let them slip.
This is the only place it occurs in the New Testament.
Now this is an interesting term in the Greek. It denotes
something which flows by or glides by, as if being swept
along by a river. The emphasis it stresses is the relatively
little effort that is required to instigate the action.
You can see the emphasis on how easy it is from the
only occurrence of the root word.
John
7:38:
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The
word translated slip was used by Greek
writers of sliding on snow or of foul language slipping
into a conversation. The writer urges extreme care lest
his readers slip from steadfast obedience
to what they heard. Perhaps you heard someone say “that
escapes me” or “that slips my mind.”
Slip may be better translated "lest
we drift away (from them)," as in the later versions.
The same word is used in the LXX in Proverbs.
Proverbs
3:21:
My son, let not them depart [drift away] from thine
eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Proverbs 3:21: [LXX]
My son, do not slip away, but keep my counsel and intent.”
Indeed
Paul may be alluding to this Proverb to which His Hebrew
readers were familiar. Paul follows up this urgent warning
with a reason. This is in itself a figure of speech, an
aetiologia [Cause shown or reason given]. This
is where we will pick it up next week.
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