“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” – Hebrews 3:19 –

Scripture reading: Hebrews 3:7-19

“But there are giants!… and we feel like grasshoppers! The land is amazing, we agree! The land is good! Yes! But we will never be able to overcome them! We will never be able to conquer the land! You should have seen those enormous walls! These people will swallow us up alive! If they all unite against us, we will have a huge problem!” That’s how the people of Israel responded, when they were just at the edge of the Promised land.

Almost there! And yet, they did not enter… Why? Unbelief! What a horribly ugly sin, unbelief is.

Verse 10 shows us that unbelief makes us go astray and keeps us from knowing God.

Verse 12 shows unbelief comes from an evil heart that departs from the living God.

Verse 13 shows unbelief hardens our heart and deceives us.

The Lord hates unbelief. He swore an oath (Ps. 95) that unbelievers would not enter into His promised rest… This oath is still true today…

In contrast, Joshua and Caleb responded in faith… They said: “Let us go up at once! We are well able to overcome it! It is an exceedingly good land! If the Lord delights in us, He will give it to us! The Lord is with us! Don’t fear!” What a beautiful gift of God, faith is. It makes us strong and courageous, it makes us realize that if God is for us, who shall be against us?!

Have you found rest in God’s promises?

Suggestions for prayer

Pray that God will help you kill all remaining vestiges of unbelief in your life, and that the Lord will give you strong and courageous faith, that honors Him and doesn’t fear people and difficult circumstances.

Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.