“1 So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What then? If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Absolutely not! Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar, as it is written: That you may be justified in your words and triumph when you judge.”
Chapter 3 begins with a defense to an objection that Paul anticipates after he defends the Gentile Christians in Chapter 2. You can hear the Jews saying, “Well then, if the law doesn’t bring about salvation, and it’s not important to be Jewish ethnically or in practice, and if the salvation of God has come to the Gentiles also, then what good is it to be a Jew?” Paul responds to this objection, “Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the very words of God.” (v. 2) God communicated with the Fathers of the Jewish nation in a way that no other people group experienced. God told the patriarchs how He would save the world from sin, and He promised Israel that they would be a part of it. The Israelites are God’s chosen people!
“For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.” — Deuteronomy 7:6-7
“For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?” — Deuteronomy 4:7-8
Yet, even as God’s chosen people, Israel sinned against God and turned from Him to worthless idols. This is perhaps demonstrated most clearly through the incident of the golden calf, which happened only minutes after Moses descended the mountain with the first iteration of the written law in hand. (See Exodus 32) The writer of Hebrews highlights that the reason Israel could not enter the promised land with Moses is because of their disobedience and unbelief.
“As it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” — Hebrews 3:15-19
“For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.” — Hebrews 4:2
Will the fact that some of the Jews did, both then and now, not have faith mean that God will not hold up his end of the bargain? Will God abide by his promises? Paul says, “…will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Absolutely not! Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar,…” (v. 3b-4a)
God will not be able to be accused of wrongdoing or of breaking His covenant; not with Israel and not with us. He will do exactly as He has said He will do. He will do this so that on the day of judgment He will be justified and triumphant in His judgment.
The examples we have in the Bible of Israel’s shortcomings are a parable of what our lives will look like apart from God. When we choose to disobey God, when we do not honor Him, and when we sin, there will be consequences. God is just to judge those in opposition to Him, and He will triumph over the ungodly. Yet, at the same time, God is merciful. God is faithful to do what He has promised. Paul will show in the coming chapters that when we are faithful to repent of our sins, confess, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in His resurrection, God is faithful to lift the weight of sin off of our shoulders and give us new life in Christ and will be faithful to do those things which He has promised to us!