2:1 Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away.
Long ago when I was in Bible College, one of our lecturers was fond of saying, “If you find a “therefore”, ask what it’s there for!” By this he meant that “therefore” is a linking word, tying together a cause, which has been already stated, with the result or action that is about to be stated. Here, “therefore” refers back both to the fact that God has spoken through His Son (1:2), and that the Son is exalted above both the prophets and the angels. Because of these things, we need to pay earnest attention. It is as if chapter 1 takes the Gospel and puts it in bold capitals, highlighted and heavily underlined, to declare to us “THIS IS IMPORTANT!”
we ought to pay greater attention
There have always been those who hear the word of God preached, but are not seriously moved by what they hear. The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel that many who came to hear him were only treating his words like entertainment, as if he were a singer with a beautiful voice singing love songs (Ezek. 33:30-32) Jesus told the parable of the seed that was sown, some along the path, some in rocky places, some among weeds, and only some in good ground where it would grow. (Matt. 13:1-11). We can be sure that many who heard Jesus preach came only in the hope of seeing miracles, whilst the religious authorities dismissed Him as an unlearned troublemaker. Paul and the other apostles had likewise been dismissed by many.
Yet the writer here is not speaking to those who have not received the word at all, but to believers. Unfortunately, the reality is that believers do not always “give earnest attention” to the truths of the faith. Often it is simply a case of “familiarity breeds contempt.” We have become so used to the truth that we no longer have a sense of the impact of it. Sometimes we have allowed ourselves to become so busy with other things that we have let our attention to the word of God slip. To us, as to the Hebrew Christians of the first century, the writer says, “Wake up. Pay attention. This is important.”
to the things that were heard
Some of those to whom he was writing had actually heard Jesus speak, others had received teaching from the apostles. What was important was not how they heard, but what they heard. They had heard that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Saviour of mankind, who had given His life to pay the price of their sin. They had heard that salvation was a free gift of God’s grace. They had heard that they could not be justified by observing the Law or its rituals, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. These things were – and are – the great foundations of faith, which they were in danger of letting go if they returned to reliance on the rituals of Judaism. How easy it is for us, having come to God by faith and accepted His grace, to then attempt to go on either in the flesh or the Law. How quickly Christians try to return to self-righteousness and legalism.
lest perhaps we drift away.
The verb translated “drift away” gives a picture of water running away through a hole in a bucket. There can be many different holes in our buckets – business and busyness, laziness and tiredness, hurts and disappointments, just to name a few. Not only that, but we have an enemy who is constantly and actively trying to snatch the Word away from us. We need to be vigilant, not just some of the time, but always.