Hebrews 3 concludes with a stern warning not to follow the example of the Israelites, who fell away into unbelief soon
after the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. The author quotes extensively from Psalm 95, twice urging the listener,
“do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Psalm 95:8). Today’s Call to Worship and one of our hymns are also
taken from this psalm. We will sing three verses of O Come Before The Lord Our King—Psalm 95 before the sermon
text, and then respond by singing a further verse drawn directly from the quoted portion of the psalm (“Take heed and
harden not your heart as did your fathers”). Both the Scripture reading and the Confession of Sin this morning are taken
from Numbers 14, which details another Israelite rebellion prior to conquest of the promised land. Hymns throughout
the service call us to listen to His voice (O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing), to turn to Him when caught in passions
of the mind (Calm Content), and to run to Him when we fall into sin (Come Ye Sinners, Poor And Needy). Our final
hymn, Come Down, O Love Divine, is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to burn away sinful desires that might turn us from
the Lord’s path. If the Israelites were punished severely for turning away from the leadership of Moses, how much
more will those of us who follow the greater Moses? —Henry C. Haffner
