Let’s read through the book of Hebrews one verse at a time in 2023. Every day explore a single verse and its cross references. AI-generated text draws the passages together. RSS feed.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’
These cross references all point to the same theme: God's people have a tendency to go astray from His ways. They reject His truth, disobey His commands, and grieve His Holy Spirit. This is seen in the Israelites of the wilderness generation, as well as in the people of the New Testament era. Thus, these passages serve as a warning to all believers to remain faithful to God and to not forget His ways.
| Passage | How It’s Related (AI-Generated) |
|---|---|
| Psalm 67:2: that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. | Both passages refer to the ways of God being made known to the world. Hebrews 3:10 is a quote from Psalm 95, where God is expressing His disappointment in the Israelites for their lack of understanding of His ways. Psalm 67:2 is a prayer for God's ways to be made known to the world, so that all nations may experience His saving power. |
| Psalm 78:8: and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. | Both passages emphasize the importance of faithfulness to God. Hebrews 3:10 speaks of the lack of faithfulness in the generation that provoked God, while Psalm 78:8 speaks of the need for another generation to be steadfast in their faith and not repeat their fathers' mistakes. Both passages urge readers to remain faithful to God and not stray from His ways. |
| Psalm 95:10: For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” | Both passages refer to God's displeasure with a certain generation for their lack of understanding of His ways. Hebrews 3:10 is a quote from Psalm 95:10, which is a lament from God about the Israelites' lack of faithfulness. In Psalm 95:10, God expresses His frustration with the Israelites' lack of understanding of His ways and their tendency to go astray in their hearts. |
| Isaiah 63:10: But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. | Both passages refer to the Israelites' disobedience to God and the consequences of their actions. Hebrews 3:10 refers to how the Israelites' hearts were always astray and they did not know God's ways. Isaiah 63:10 speaks of their rebellion and how it grieved the Holy Spirit, causing God to become their enemy and fight against them. |
| Jeremiah 4:22: “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.” | Both passages illustrate the spiritual state of people who do not know God. Hebrews 3:10 speaks of a generation that does not know God's ways, and Jeremiah 4:22 explains that these people are foolish and do not understand how to do good. The passage in Jeremiah further emphasizes the spiritual state of these people, noting that they only know how to do evil. |
| Hosea 4:12: My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. | Both passages point to the same truth that God's people have gone astray. Hebrews 3:10 speaks of how the generation provoked God, by always going astray in their heart and not knowing His ways. Hosea 4:12 shows how the people had left God and were instead inquiring of a piece of wood and relying on their walking staffs to give them oracles. This is an example of how far they had strayed from God. |
| Mark 3:5: And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. | Both passages discuss hardness of heart. In Hebrews 3:10, God is provoked with the Israelites in the wilderness and expresses his sorrow over their lack of knowledge of his ways. In Mark 3:5, Jesus looks around with anger and grief at the hardness of heart of those around him, and then heals the man's hand. |
| John 3:19-20: And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. | Both passages refer to the same problem: that people choose to ignore God's ways and instead follow their own desires. Hebrews 3:10 speaks of the generation of Israelites in the wilderness who failed to recognize God's ways and instead went astray in their hearts. John 3:19-20 further emphasizes this point, indicating that people choose to reject the light of God and instead cling to their own evil works. |
| John 8:45: But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. | Both passages highlight the truth of God's ways and how people often reject them. In Hebrews 3:10, God is provoked with the generation of Israelites in the wilderness for their lack of understanding and knowledge of His ways. In John 8:45, Jesus speaks the truth, but people still reject it. Both passages demonstrate how even when the truth is revealed, it can still be rejected. |
| Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. | Both passages address the importance of recognizing God's ways and not grieving the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 3:10 speaks to the consequences of not following God's ways, as God was provoked with Israel's generation for not knowing His ways. Ephesians 4:30 speaks to the importance of not grieving the Holy Spirit, by whom believers are sealed for the day of redemption. This emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's ways and following them, so as to not grieve the Holy Spirit. |
| 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12: and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. | Both passages address the consequences of refusing to accept the truth of God. Hebrews 3:10 speaks of God's displeasure with the Israelites in the wilderness who did not know his ways, while 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12 speaks of the strong delusion God sends to those who refuse to love the truth so that they may be condemned. In both cases, the result of rejecting the truth is divine judgment. |
| Hebrews 3:12: Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. | Both passages address the danger of an evil, unbelieving heart. In Hebrews 3:10, God is speaking to the Israelites in the wilderness and is provoked with them because they always go astray in their hearts and do not know His ways. In Hebrews 3:12, the author of Hebrews is warning his readers to take care and guard against having an evil, unbelieving heart that could lead them to fall away from the living God. |
Heavenly Father, we come before You with humble hearts, asking for Your forgiveness for the times we have gone astray in our hearts, not knowing Your ways. We thank You for Your grace and mercy and for Your patience with us. Help us to be wise in doing good, and to seek You and Your ways. Give us hearts that are steadfast and faithful to You, and help us to not grieve Your Holy Spirit. Strengthen us to love the truth and to stay away from wicked deception. May we never have an evil, unbelieving heart that leads us away from You. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.
This reading plan reads through a single verse each day, six days a week, paired with the most-popular cross references for the verse. AI-generated (and human-reviewed) text provides an opening thought and concluding prayer along with an explanation for how each cross reference relates to the verse. In 2023, this reading plan works through Hebrews one verse at a time. Every seventh day is a catchup day. Want more info? Try this blog post.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.