Thomas Aquinas

Above the Apostle proved that Christ is of greater excellence than Moses; here he concludes that Christ is to be obeyed all the more. And he does this through the authority of the prophet David in Psalm 94. In this he does three things: first he sets forth the authority, which contains a certain exhortation; second he expounds it, at the place, "see, brothers"; third from the authority and the exposition he argues, in chapter 4, at the place, "let us fear therefore." Concerning the first he does three things. For first he suggests the authority of the words that follow; second he sets down the exhortation, which is contained in the authority, at the place, "today if the voice"; third he sets down a certain comparison, at the place, "as in the provocation," etc. The authority of the words is from this, that they were not uttered by human invention, but by the Holy Spirit. Hence he says, "wherefore, as the Holy Spirit says." As if to say: Christ is of more abundant grace than Moses; therefore if we have listened to Moses, we ought not to harden our hearts against listening to Christ. He himself alleges the words of the Old Testament on behalf of the New, lest it be believed that they are to be referred only to the Old Testament; rather they are also to be referred to the New, and to another time. And they are the words of the Holy Spirit, because, as it is said in 2 Peter 1:21: prophecy was not at any time brought by the will of man, but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit. For David himself says of himself, in 2 Kings 23:2: the Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me. In this, therefore, he shows the authority to be true, namely because it is from the Holy Spirit, against the Manichean.

Then when he says, today if the voice, etc., he sets down the admonition, where he does three things. For first he describes the time when he says "today"; second he adds the benefit, at the place "if the voice"; third he subjoins his own admonition, at the place "harden not." The time is "today," namely the time of day. For the time of the old law was called night, because it was the time of shadow. Below, 10:1: for the law, having a shadow of the good things to come. But the time of the New Testament, because it drives away the shadow of the night of the law, is called day. Romans 13:12: the night is past, and the day is at hand. This time is also called day, on account of the rising of the sun of justice. Malachi 4: unto you that fear my name the sun shall rise, et cetera. This day is not followed by night, but by a clearer day, namely when we shall see the sun of justice itself with unveiled face in its wheel, when we shall see him through his essence. And in this day a benefit is shown to us. For there follows, if you shall hear his voice, because we hear his voice, which was not the case in the Old Testament, in which only the words of the prophets were heard. Above, 1:1: God, formerly speaking to the fathers in the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us in the Son. Isaiah 52:6: therefore my people shall know my name in that day, for I myself who spoke, behold, I am here. Canticle 2:14: let your voice sound in my ears. For in this a benefit so greatly desired is shown to us. Luke 19:42: in this your day, the things that are to your peace, et cetera.

If therefore the benefit is so great, behold the admonition: harden not your hearts. A hard heart tends toward evil. That is hard which does not yield, but resists what impels it, and does not receive an impression. And thus a man's heart is called hard, when it does not yield to the divine command, nor easily receives divine impressions. Ecclesiasticus 3:27: a hard heart shall fare ill at the last. Romans 2:5: according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath. Now this hardening is caused from two things. From one as it were negatively, namely from God not bestowing grace. Romans 9:18: God has mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardens. From the other, positively, and in this way the sinner hardens himself, by not obeying God, and by not opening his heart to grace. Zechariah 7:12: they made their heart as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by the hand of the former prophets. Harden not your hearts, therefore, that is, do not close your hearts to the Holy Spirit. Acts 7:51: you always resist the Holy Spirit.

Consequently he sets down the comparison when he says: as in the provocation. And this is a comparison from a past deed; for the faithful are instructed about the things that are to be done in the New Testament from the things that were done in the past, according to that saying of Romans 15:4: whatever things were written, were written for our instruction. Now he does two things concerning this: first he proposes the example in general, setting down the fault; second in particular, at the place, where they tempted me, et cetera. But in order that we may follow the exposition of the Apostle, it is necessary to set forth in this text the senses that agree with the exposition. Now we read that, among other faults of the sons of Israel, two were most gravely punished. One was the disobedience which they showed in the affair of the spies, concerning which see Numbers 13 and 14. On account of this deed the Lord, being indignant, willed to destroy the whole people. Hence he swore that none should enter the land of promise, except two, namely Caleb and Joshua. Now this he specially calls a provocation, because, although by other sins they had offended God, yet by this one they provoked him; for just as an unripe fruit, which is opposed to a ripe one, is not fit for eating, so then the wrath of God was inflexible. Psalm 77:40: they provoked him in the desert, and tempted him in the place without water. Baruch 4:7: you provoked him who made you. The other sin was the sin of temptation. For they frequently tempted God, because at one time over water, at another over meat, and at another over bread: so that they tempted him ten times. Numbers 14:22: they have tempted me now ten times. Job 19:3: behold, you confound me ten times. And therefore he says "according to the day of temptation." Now someone might think that the provocation and the temptation were the same sin, so that the Apostle meant to say: harden not your hearts as in the provocation, which was in the day of the temptation. But this is against the exposition of the Apostle. It must therefore be said thus: harden not your hearts as in the provocation, and again as in the day of temptation, so that there are two sins. Hence Psalm 77:41: they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

Consequently he pursues the faults in particular, when he says, where your fathers tempted me, et cetera. And concerning this he does two things: first he sets down the sin of temptation; second the sin of provocation, at the place, and I said always. Concerning the first he does three things. For first he sets down the sin of temptation; second he shows its gravity, at the place, they proved; third he sets down the penalty, at the place, wherefore I was offended. He says, then, that in them was the sin of temptation in the desert, because there your fathers tempted me; and he speaks in the person of the Lord. Here it must be known that to tempt is to take a trial of a thing which one does not know. Hence the fact that someone tempts God proceeds from unbelief. But it must be known that sometimes someone tempts God, not with the intention of tempting and making trial, yet he behaves in the manner of one tempting. For he who uses his own thing for its usefulness does not properly tempt: for instance, if someone fleeing runs upon his horse, even if he puts it to the test, yet not with the intention of tempting. But when what he does is of no use, then he tempts. Likewise, if someone exposes himself to some danger, compelled by necessity, under hope of divine help, he does not tempt God. But if without any necessity, then he tempts God. And thus he himself says, Matthew 4:7: you shall not tempt the Lord your God, because there was no necessity that he should cast himself down. Thus these people tempted the Lord, because they doubted the power of God, crying out against Moses, as though God could not give them food, though they had experienced his power in greater things; and therefore it was the sin of unbelief, which is the greatest.

Then the gravity of the fault is set down, when he says, they proved me, et cetera. For the greater the benefits of God someone receives, and the greater certainty of divine power he has, and afterward doubts, the more gravely he sins. But these people saw signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, the opening of the sea and other miracles, and yet they did not believe. Hence Numbers 14:22: the men who saw my majesty, and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now ten times, et cetera. And therefore he says "they proved," that is, they wished to make trial, and "they saw," that is, they experienced, "my works," that is, the effects which could not exist unless he who wrought the works were of infinite power. And all this not in one day, but for forty years, during which they remained in the desert, because they always had manna and the pillar of fire and of cloud; or, they proved that they saw me, namely because in nothing did I fail them. Yet what he says, "forty years," according to the intention of the Apostle is referred to what precedes, but according to the intention of the Psalmist it is referred to what follows, so that it is said he was offended or hostile toward them in the fortieth year. And thus reads the text of Jerome.

Then when he says, wherefore I was offended, the penalty of the sin is set down; and there is a double reading, namely "offended," or "near," and it comes to the same thing. Wherefore, that is, on account of the sin, I was offended, that is, indignant — not that wrath is in God, except by way of likeness, because he punishes as one who is angry; concerning which penalty it is frequently found in Exodus 22: let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled, etc., and in the book of Numbers. For often they were laid low. Hence 1 Corinthians 10:5 treats of the penalty of this sin. Or, "I was near," namely by punishing them. For when the Lord comes to the aid of the good, and punishes the wicked, then he is near to them; but when he overlooks the sins of men for the sake of repentance, and overlooks the affliction of the just, so that their merit may increase, then he also seems far off. Job 22:14: the clouds are his covert, and he does not consider our things, and he walks about the poles of heaven. Or "near," as regards divine mercy, because this very fact, that he punishes them temporally, is a great sign of mercy. Augustine: burn here, cut here, that thou mayest spare forever.

Then when he says, and I said, etc., he sets down the sin of provocation in particular. And this is clear from what is said below, to whom I swore that they should not enter, et cetera. And concerning this he does two things. For first he sets down the fault; second he adds the penalty, at the place, to whom I swore in my wrath, et cetera. Now he sets down a twofold fault. One is in obstinacy in evil; the other is in withdrawal from good. And this latter he sets down, at the place, but they have not known my ways. He says, then: I was thus near to them, namely by punishing them. And I said, namely by eternal foreknowledge, these always err in heart. Deuteronomy 31:27: you have always acted contentiously against the Lord. Jeremiah 13:23: if the Ethiopian can change his skin, et cetera. Thus, then, in one way someone provokes God when he obstinately clings to evil; in another way, when he despises the good. Hence he says, but they have not known my ways, that is, not with respect to simple ignorance, but to affected ignorance, so that the sense is: they have not known, that is, they were unwilling to know. Job 21:14: we do not want the knowledge of your ways. Psalm 35:3: he would not understand, that he might do well. Or, "they have not known," that is, they have not approved, as the Apostle says, 2 Timothy 2:19: the Lord knows who are his.

Consequently he shows the penalty when he says, to whom I swore. In this word he sets down immutability, in that he wills oaths to be firm. For when God or an angel is found to swear, it is a sign of the immutability of that concerning which he swore. Psalm 109:5: the Lord has sworn, and he will not repent, et cetera. Yet sometimes he swears only under a condition, namely that if they do not repent, these evils will befall them. He also indicates that this penalty is not for a threat, but rather for extermination, because he says "in wrath." Psalm 6:1: Lord, rebuke me not in your wrath. He swore, therefore, in wrath, if they shall enter into my rest. The construction is defective, after the manner of one who is angry, who cuts short his words. And the word "if" is taken for "not," that is, they shall not enter into my rest. Now there is a threefold rest. One is temporal, concerning which Luke 12:19: you have many goods laid up for many years, take your rest, et cetera. The second is the rest of conscience. Ecclesiasticus 51:35: I labored a little, and found much rest. The third is the rest of eternal glory. Psalm 4:8: in peace, in the very same, I will sleep and take my rest. It can, therefore, be explained that what is said here refers to each of these, so that it is said: but they entered neither into the rest of the land of promise, nor into the rest of conscience, nor into the rest of eternal enjoyment.