Fri Apr 17

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the words hear and harden.

Reading

Hebrews 3:7-19—Don’t Harden Your Hearts

Optional Reading

Ps 95:1-11

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

God speaks by the Bible—even to us today.
We must hear, believe, and obey God.
If we harden our hearts instead, we are in grave danger.

Questions

(Some read the ?s before the notes/ ask them after.)

When does the Bible become outdated and irrelevant?
If we hear God, what must we not do?
How can we avoid grumbling and complaining?

Notes

(See Saturday for authors.)

An alternative to considering Jesus is hardening your heart. It is a bad alternative. A terrible alternative, with eternal consequences. Says who? Says God the Holy Spirit, speaking through the human author of Psalm 95. Before we consider what the Holy Spirit is saying in more detail, let’s note that God speaks through His word. He spoke to the original hearers and He speaks to us. As Kistemaker reminds us, at no point does Scripture become outdated and irrelevant.

So, what does the Holy Spirit say to us from Hebrews 3 and Psalm 95? If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. God gives us this lesson with two negative examples from Israel’s history. As the Israelites were early in their wilderness journey from Egypt to the promised land, they complained and grumbled against the Lord because they needed water. God told Moses to strike the rock and water flowed from it. Moses named the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling). (See Ex 17:1-7) Then, as they neared the promised land nearly 40 years later, they again grumbled for lack of water. This time, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but he struck it as the previous time. Water flowed, but God judged Moses and Aaron and refused them entrance into the promised land. Here the place was named, by God, Meribah.

Unlike Israel, may we believe God and trust Him, no matter what. Don’t harden your heart. Don’t turn against Him in rebellion. Don’t turn back from faithful Jesus!

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday notes for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 95c, 2a

Prayer

Ask God for help to keep from grumbling and complaining.
Pray for the hearing of God’s word preached this Lord's Day.
Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.