Since the Lord has done everything possible to secure our salvation, nothing but a dreadful fate awaits us if we refuse His offer. The author of Hebrews has previously talked about the fact that anyone convicted of sin under the Mosaic law faced harsh penalties. If breaking the law of Moses was a serious offense, the author asked, "How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29) Today we are reminded of the gravity of our situation. We are sinners in need of a Savior. A Savior has been provided for us. If we reject Him, there is no acceptable sacrifice for our sins.
"See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away Him who warns us from heaven?" (Hebrews 12:25) In Chapter 12 the author has been talking about the event that occurred when the children of Israel reached Mount Sinai. The Lord spoke from the cloud while the earth shook and while smoke and fire bellowed from the mountaintop. Yet shortly afterward, while Moses was on the mountain with God, the people rebelled against the Lord who had brought them out of Egypt and they made a golden calf to worship. Three thousand people died as a result of their refusal to worship the Lord. If their offense was serious, how much more serious is it to refuse to worship the holy Son of God who has done everything possible to offer us salvation? People often incurred grievous penalties on earth for breaking the law, but rejecting the Son of God has consequences on our earthly lives and on our eternal souls.
Looking back to the day when God addressed the nation from Mount Sinai, the writer says, "At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.'" (Hebrews 12:26) This quote can be found in Haggai 2:6. In the second chapter of Haggai we find the Lord referencing the event at Mount Sinai and the giving of the first covenant. But the Lord also appears to be speaking of a new covenant, for He says, "In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come." This verse is generally understood by mainstream Christian scholars to be a reference to the coming of Christ. Christ is the One who is "desired by all nations". The entire creation eagerly awaited His advent, just as the entire creation eagerly awaits the final redemption of all things. (Romans 8:19-21) What has shaken the world more than the advent of Christ? In Acts 17 we find it said that the gospel message has turned the world upside down. The gospel message has continued to turn the world upside down to this very day. Our souls were created to worship Christ, and this is the primary desire of our souls. Some reject Christ, it's true, and try to fill up the empty space in their souls with other things. Some even try to numb the sense of emptiness with various addictions. But nothing other than Christ will ever satisfy our souls, because communion with Him is what we were made for.
"The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken---that is, created things---so that what cannot be shaken may remain." (Hebrews 12:27) Many scholars view this verse as a reference to the destruction of the temple that was not far off in the writer's day. The old order of things was about to disappear. The old covenant had been done away with in Christ, and now there was no more need for the sacrificial system or the Levitical priesthood or the law. The new covenant, and the age of grace, has come. Since Christ is the King of an eternal kingdom, nothing can ever do away with the new covenant. It will stand forever. Old things were done away with to make room for the new. The old covenant had its purpose, but the new covenant is superior.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" (Hebrews 12:28-29) The author quotes Deuteronomy 4:24. That chapter deals with the nation's acceptance of the law and their agreement not to fall into idolatry. The Lord warned them: "Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." (Deuteronomy 4:23-24) If the consequences of forgetting the terms of the old covenant were dire, how much worse will the consequences be if we do not keep the terms of the new covenant? How much worse is our fate if we reject the best God had to offer us: His Son?
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