September 7: Hebrews 2:1-13

Let’s talk about drifting. We get a warning in Hebrews 2:1: “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.” Let’s define drifting. The Cambridge Dictionary describes it this way: “moving slowly, usually with no one or nothing controlling the direction” An example sentence: “He fell asleep at the wheel of a drifting ship.” Okay then. Armed with this description, I’d like to dissect this verse. It hits at the heart of Hebrews – the author does not want us to lose our focus on Jesus!

First of all, we “must listen very carefully to the truth.” We can’t get bored with it or think we know it or yawn over it. We need to pay attention to the truths in God’s Word. The only way to do that, dear friend, is to read it. And look at you! That’s exactly what you’re doing this month as we study together. Oh, how we need daily time with God and His Word. I love our 4 R method, because it helps us focus. We pray first and ask for help. We are not always careful listeners. So we Request. And then, after we Read, we Record. We search for that nugget of truth – that verse that we want to ponder and then we write it out so we get it firmly in our brains and literally on our paper. Finally, we Respond to the One who spoke. Let’s pay attention to the truth so we are not deceived.

Now let’s look at the scary results of not listening. We inevitably drift. Drifting is slow. It’s not an intentional running away from God and His good truths. It’s basically negligence. It’s what the Cambridge dictionary implies with the phrase ‘asleep at the wheel’. Our natural, sinful inclinations are to “not bother” with things that are hard to think about. We gravitate towards what is easy, familiar, and comfortable. We will always default to what “feels” nicest for us and if we are not careful, that leads us down some really dark paths away from the godly living that keeps us safe and at peace.

In this first part of chapter two, we are warned. We’re reminded yet again that Jesus is not an angel. Despite the difficulty of wrapping our minds around the truth that He is God in human form, we need to learn and know it and worship Him accordingly. Jesus is the one crowned with glory and honor because “by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone” (vs 9).  We are brought salvation by the suffering of God the Son. Oh, we cannot neglect this great truth! He is the One we should look to each day! He is worthy of our praise and attention – our careful attention.

My verse: Hebrews 2:3, “So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?”

My response: Help me not to ignore “this great salvation” but to live in humble gratitude for it, being eager to share the truth of it to others!