IN OUR DISCUSSION thus far we have come to the point where we are to study the quotation found in chapter 3, taken from Psalm 95. In the first six verses of this chapter the Apostle compared Moses with Christ and the children of Israel of that day with the Jews of his own time. The nation at the time of the Exodus was God's house; the Jews of Paul's day were told by him that they would constitute the house of God "... if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end" (vs. 6). There are four classes of conditional sentences in the Greek. The third one always expresses doubt, with the possibility of accomplishment. This type of a condition Paul used on this occasion. He therefore expressed doubt regarding their remaining the house of God. In this connection let it be said that nowhere did any sacred writer ever express doubt concerning the salvation of one who was really and truly born again--a member of the household of God at the present time. The fact that he expressed doubt in the sentence just quoted shows that he was not speaking to the house of God today which is the church of the living God but was addressing the Hebrew nation of his time.

After throwing out the warning mentioned above, Paul reinforced his exhortation by quoting from Psalm 95. This appeal begins with an exclamation which in and of itself implies grave apprehension and doubt: "Today, oh that ye would hear his voice!" Both David and Paul indicated that the nation as a whole would not receive the admonition and harken to the voice of the Lord.

In order for us to get the real message of this quotation, we must examine Psalm 95 from which this quotation is taken and study it in the light of related predictions and historical facts. We must always bear in mind that there was always an historic occasion which caused God to give forth any portion of His Word. If we can thus orient any passage to its original setting, we can then the more easily understand its import.

In this connection let us always bear in mind that the Old Testament saints were urged to look forward to the appearance of Jehovah upon the earth. This expectation of His presence is set forth in Genesis 3:15 and is echoed in many passages following it. Repeatedly in the Psalms we see the exhortation, "Wait for Jehovah." David was sustained by the hope that possibly Jehovah might appear in his lifetime: "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living. Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah" (Psa.27:13,14). Again, we see the same thing in Psalm 37. In this passage David gave the spiritual content of the law under which Israel was living. He therefore urged them not to fret themselves because of evildoers. On the contrary, they were to trust in Jehovah, and do good, dwelling in the land--Palestine, which God gave to them--and feed upon His faithfulness. They were to delight in Him and commit their way to Him. As an encouragement to such a life of consecration, the Psalmist spoke of the glories of the Millennial Age and Israel's place in God's plan at that future time: "And he [God] will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noonday" (Psa.37:6). In the following verse he urged them to rest in Jehovah and to wait patiently for Him. This appeal appears again in verses 9 and 34. Throughout the psalm the unstable condition of the wicked is set forth. At the same time promises are made to the righteous and to those who are perfect and who are waiting for Jehovah. From a study of this passage we can see that the Old Testament saints were urged to look forward expectantly to the appearance of Jehovah during their own lifetime. When the Lord announced to Hezekiah that he was to die and that he was to set his house in order, he lamented the fact that in the noontide of his days he was to go down to the gates of Sheol and would be deprived of the residue of his life. Furthermore, he wailed that he would not see Jehovah, "even Jehovah in the land of the living" (Isa. 38:10,11). Thus the Israelite was urged to look forward to the appearance of Jehovah upon earth to establish His reign of righteousness. He did not know when the Almighty would appear. He was therefore to regulate his life with this possibility in view.

In the exhortation for the Hebrews to look forward to Jehovah's coming, nothing is said regarding which appearance was in view. Such exhortations are to be studied in the light of those predictions that foretell the entire redemptive career of Messiah, which consists of His first coming, His rejection by His own people, His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the throne of God where He is to remain throughout the present dispensation, and at the close of which He will return to the earth and reign here for one thousand years. The Old Testament saint who understood the passages which thus outlined Messiah's redemptive work would instantly know that such exhortations referred to His first coming.

When we study Psalm 95, we see that David pleaded with his brethren to come before Jehovah--their Creator, God, and King--and worship Him. Moreover, when the first seven verses of the passage are read in the light of other predictions that Messiah would come and call the nation to repentance, it becomes evident that this psalm records a vision which was granted David, and in which he was projected into the first century of the Christian Era. In it he saw Messiah's first appearance upon the earth; he therefore pleaded with his brethren to come and accept this Lord and to harken to His voice.

The second half of verse 7 gives the plaintive wail of the writer: "Today, oh that ye would hear his voice!" This utterance shows that the Lord revealed to David the fact that the people of Israel would not harken to the voice of King Messiah when He would make His appearance upon the earth.

Following this exclamation is an earnest appeal in verses 8 to 11, urging the people to profit by the experience of the Jews of Moses' day and not to do as they did. They hardened their hearts and rebelled against God in the wilderness. They therefore were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. David accordingly pleaded with His brethren to accept Messiah whenever He would make His appearance upon the historic scene.

When one remembers that in Hebrews 3:1 the Apostle pleaded with his Jewish brethren to "... consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus," one sees that he was making the same appeal that David did in Psalm 95. When we read Hebrews 3:7-11 in the light of 3:1, we see that the Apostle Paul was accurately applying this prediction of David to the Jewish people to whom Christ came.

In the preceding studies we have seen that the indications thus far lead to the conclusion that the Epistle to the Hebrews was addressed to the entire nation of Israel, which at that time had already been evangelized. A very small minority had accepted the message. The great bulk of the nation had been indifferent to it and had refused to consider the claims of Jesus. The use to which the Apostle put Psalm 95 shows conclusively that this interpretation is the correct one. As we proceed with the exposition, we shall receive further absolute and conclusive proof establishing the thesis that the Epistle to the Hebrews was written to the entire nation, and that it was God's call to the Hebrews of the first century to accept the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.