HEBREWS 2:1
“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”
When I was in school, my teachers were quite regularly saying to me, “Mr. Willis, please pay attention!” My mind wandered a lot. I didn’t have ADHD (that was pretty much unheard of back then), but I did get bored easily in class. When I became a Christian in 1977, my attention changed dramatically. The teachers were shocked at the difference in my attitude and my grades. The word in today’s verse for “pay much closer attention” fit me perfectly back then.
The Greek word is prosechó which means “to pay attention, to give heed, to be cautious, to devote oneself.” (Lexical Summary). It comes from two Greek words, pros (toward) and echo (to hold). Figuratively it means to hold your mind towards something. The writer of Hebrews makes the transition from discussing Jesus with “for this reason” and then tells us what to do. He basically says, “Listen closely so you won’t slip away.”
ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)
Well, this is a no brainer! There is certainly a clear Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid and an Application to make. We are told exactly what we should do. There is another little word here that is interesting. The Greek word dei is there before prosechó. It means behoove, ought to, should. In other words, we are told it behooves us to pay very close attention to what we have heard. Don’t fake your attention. Press the mute button on all the distractions.
The Promise to Claim is if we do that, we won’t slip away. Allowing distractions in your life can only lead to backsliding or passivity. Your salvation was expensive. It cost Jesus His physical life. Don’t cheapen His grace by getting busy with temporal things. Pay attention to the eternal. That’s the Application to Make.
Finally, the Sin to avoid is clearly implied. If we don’t pay attention, we will drift away. HELPS Word-studies has a great definition of the Greek word here. “Pararrhyéō (drift away from) only occurs in Heb 2:1 where it refers to going spiritually adrift – ‘sinning by slipping away’ (from God’s anchor). Pararrhyéō (gradually drift away) means to ‘lapse’ into spiritual defeat, describing how we slowly move away from our moorings in Christ.” Don’t let that happen to you! Pay attention to what you hear?
Help me, Lord, to pay close attention to Your Word and live by it.
