Mouse
Traps
(2-22-04)
Hebrews
3:1-14
PR 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. PR
4:24 Put away
perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. PR 4:25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
PR 4:26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. PR 4:27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your
foot from evil. PR 5:1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, PR 5:2
that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
It would be good for all people to live morally, legally, and righteously, wouldn’t it? Yes! It would be good,
but that would be a limited good. What I mean is that their goodness and morality would only be of benefit for this generation
and for this life time. That is not all, we often want people to do right for our benefit and blessing because we want our
lives to be pain free and not because we are deeply concerned for their souls. We have selfish motivations. That goodness
serves only the recipients of their action even if it reaches a second or third generation in its results. All this is fine
except eternity is missed if only they are good people.
The proverbs, as are all good life guides, are often written
for the momentary peace and well being they might provide. (It is possible that many of the proverbs found in scripture have eternal relationships
with God in mind) When we look at much of scripture it is written to people who are called to conduct
their lives in a certain way because of a relationship with God and an eternity to be mindful of. Some things are entirely
useless if that relationship to God is nonexistent. (Old Testament ceremony and law, New Testament practice such as the Lord
Super or baptism as examples. If these things are practiced without faith what is gained?)
Our reading from Hebrews 3:1ff shows that in the absence
of faith going through the motions will not provide the blessings desired or expected. HEB 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
The loss of all those Israelites in the desert does not compare with all
the world including the Israelites, who since Jesus’ coming have remained “unbelieving”, What a loss!
The Mouse Trap was their ‘Habits
of Life’. It would not allow them to accept that what Jesus was providing was not what they thought they were waiting
for. The trap was their traditions became more important than maintaining their relationship with God. (Lk.10:31-32) They could not recognize that God’s hand was in the events around them and for that reason
they would not trust and obey.
In Verse
10 we see The Mouse Trap of their habits: “…`Their hearts are always going
astray, and they have not known my ways.'” From our discussions over the last several weeks you might recall that
habits are learned whether good or bad ones. They had a bad habit of “always going astray” Why? Because they were
unwilling to learn God’s ways and learn new actions. They determined to keep on doing what they were doing even if it
killed them.
Let us
encourage each other everyday to step out of the habits of our life. (John 3:8) Let’s encourage each other to reach
for the rest still being offered. (Heb.3:15-4:2)
