The second warning in Hebrews begins, at least, in this chapter. Some interpreters think it is fully contained in this chapter while others include the first several verses of chapter four. We can say that the warning is about disbelief, much worse than just drifting away, and that it prevented a generation from entering into God’s rest. There will be more about God’s rest in the next chapter. The key to the warning is in the twelfth verse:
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:12 NIV
The literary skill of the author is on display as this warning from Moses’ time is woven into his presentation of Jesus as greater than Moses.
Some questions that crossed my mind are: How to I avoid disbelief and drifting away? How can I help others avoid this? How can I help those who are in a state of disbelief or have drifted away? The first two things that come to mind are:
1) I often pray Mark 9:24: I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!
2) To keep in touch with Christians who are isolated, on the fringe, loners. Some by choice; others due to circumstances, such as health, social anxiety, etc.
Well said and well thought out Barb. As the writer says …