God is not provoked by those who believe in Jesus

Hebrews 3:16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? One thing we don’t want to do is provoke God. Right? How did those who came out of Egypt provoke God? They didn’t believe God’s word to them and hardened their hearts. The Holy Spirit identified who is in God’s house in Heb. 3:6. “Whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” Let’s consider the complaining of the Israelites who came out of Egypt. Did they hold fast to the promises of God in the midst of their trials? Did they boast of their hope in God’s faithfulness firm until the end? No, in fact, they thought God was provoking them by giving them difficult circumstances. The trials brought out who was in God’s house. Those God justified by faith, believed and trusted God because they knew He had to be faithful to His promises. The Spirit’s commentary on that generation is that the entire generation of Israelites whom Moses led out of Egypt were unbelieving. Their unbelief, hard hearts, and disobedience provoked God. What has God promised through Christ? He promised to deliver us from sin and death and bring us to a new world where we will share in the glory of God. Through the cross, He delivered us from sin and death. As we live to love with Him, He brings us to the Promised Rest. He who is faithful must do it or else He is a liar. Our trials cannot prevent Him from being faithful nor us from arriving joyfully in glory. Holding fast our confidence and boasting in our hope firm until we get there is foundational to living to love with Jesus. We can’t love with Him if we don’t trust Him. His love can’t flow through a bitter, hard heart, (which by the way is the root word in the Greek word for provoke). We must not be like those who provoked God by not believing Jesus is faithful to keep His promise to bear fruit in our lives for the glory of God (John 15:4-8). If we have trusted in Christ, then we have come out of Egypt. Between the day we first believed and when we arrive in glory, we are sojourning through a wilderness where there will be many trials and temptations. This world is not our home. We are not pursuing or expecting to live the American dream (for those of you who live here in the US). We can expect tribulation and persecution. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” So remember, those who think God is provoking them when they encounter various trials prove that they are not in His house—yet. As Paul wrote, “Love is not provoked.” If we live to love with Jesus, we will overcome unbelief, repent of any hard-heartedness and bitterness toward God, and He will bring us to glory, for His glory. God is not provoked by those who believe in Jesus.