Philip Dampier's Blog

“For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’” When someone quotes a verse from the Bible today we like them to give us the exact location of the quote. Our writer does not do that.…

“For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ although his works were finished from the foundations of the world.” The Hebrews writer is determined that his readers understand that even though those who wandered…

“For good news came to us just as it did to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” What was and is the good news? Their good news was given by God and two of the…

“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” The psalmist (Psalm 95) is obviously not talking about the Sabbath. That was a form of rest enjoined upon the Hebrews but was not the…

“So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” This is the point being made by the writer all along. Disobedience is a result of not truly believing in God. The reason the stated people missed out on God’s promise wasn’t because God was unable to deliver…

“And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those that were disobedient?” Verse 11 contains the oath that they would not enter the promised rest. The following verses make it clear who this applied to. Why does the author go to such great…

“And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?” Here is a great example of cause and effect. The long-lasting rebellion of sin provoked God to deny the sinners His promise. Because of this provocation, they died…

“For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?” You may be thinking, “I get it, I get it,” but obviously the writer of Hebrews knows that many do not get it. Many then and many now think that…

“As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” The need to hold our confidence in Jesus to the end is emphasized by reminding the Jewish believers of what happened to their forefathers. We have all the same elements as…

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. The Word of God is replete with the use of the preposition “if.” All these wonderful blessings we experience in Christ because of the love of God are introduced with the…