“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” – Hebrews 10:35-39 (NIV, 1984)
“Do not throw away your confidence,” “You have need of endurance,” and “We are not of those who shrink back.” These three phrases packed into a small passage of five verses remind us of a need to persevere. God here brings to our immediate attention the fact that utter discouragement is a very real possibility. Our defense against this weariness is to look forward to the coming future that is completely ensured by our God. Rather than a magical formula or a work of sheer human effort, God’s Word provides the Truth on which to stand. Though currently unknown and presently not experienced by us, we will receive the ultimate promise if we hold on.
“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay.” Though we wait for the Lord’s return and the justice He will bring, He is actually coming without delay. His timing is impeccable, and He does all things right. Though it feels long to us humans, the time until His return is short – just a little while. With that in mind, be warned by the next phrase of God’s Word.
“But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Shrinking back is an action of fear. I shrink back from big spiders and powerful thunderstorms and scary noises in the night when my husband is travelling. However, shrinking back from my faith in Jesus Christ is unacceptable. He is one hundred percent reliable. Furthermore, my shrinking back from faith in Jesus causes God Almighty to have no pleasure in me. Now, none of us likes for any particular person to avoid us because he or she finds no joy in relating to us. But multiply that feeling by infinity to apprehend what it would be like to know that God finds no pleasure in you. The one Person I want to rejoice in my existence is my Maker, Provider, and King. If He does not rejoice over me, I am doomed.
This is precisely why the distinct and direct connection is made between shrinking back and being destroyed. “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed.” If I walk away from my confidence in Jesus, I walk directly to my doom. True faith is equated with my preservation. Therefore, despite hardship, I will endure. Come what may, I desire to do God’s will now in order to receive what He has promised. In just a short while, I will see Him . . . If I don’t shrink back.