The Proclaimer

Drifting Past Home

The Bible is filled with rhetorical questions, but none more potent than that found in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?”  There are many that have never obeyed the gospel that are neglecting the great salvation found only in Jesus Christ.  But the writer speaks to Christians, those identified as being in danger of drifting away from “the things that were heard” (Heb. 2:1).  For this reason they needed to “give the more earnest heed” to those things.

What they heard was the word “spoken unto us in his Son” (Heb. 1:2), and because these things were spoken to us by God we need to “give the more earnest heed to them.”   The word rendered “heed” (prosecho) means “to keep holding the mind to something.”  This instruction is in stark contrast to the neglect of verse three.  The point is we can neglect our salvation by not “ earnestly heeding” the word of God.

This verse warns of drifting, that which is not a conscious digression but that which, if not arrested, can clearly lead to full blown apostasy (see Heb. 6:4-6).  The Greek word rendered “drift away” (pararreo) has an interesting connotation.  Often it is used to refer to things that slip away such as an arrow from its quiver, or a ring from the finger.  The Septuagent uses the word in the translation of Proverbs 3:21 in exactly the same way as the Hebrew writer, “Son, do not wander away (or, escape from the mind), but keep my counsel and intention.”  Here the writer wants his readers to heed his admonitions. 

The word pararreo literally means “to flow by” or “flow past.”  If when traveling we expect to reach our destination we must hold a specific course.  The imagery of this verse is that of a great ship that a contrary wind causes to drift past its harbor so that it is prevented from reaching its home port.  The great aircraft of our day require navigational instruments that must constantly be monitored so that the proper course is maintained.  If the plane gets off course corrections must quickly be made.  Many a life has been lost when proper precautions were not met to maintain the right course.

So it is in the journey of our life.  Our chart and compass is the word of God.  If we do not heed (“keep holding our mind to”) that word we will not get home.  If we do not make the proper corrections when we get off course we will drift right past our destination – heaven.  We neglect this great salvation when we neglect the word of God.  To keep from neglecting God’s word we must not only study it (2 Tim. 2:15), but we must apply it to our lives.          

                                                                                           -- Clark Dugger

The Proclaimer