Verse 11: "Concerning Him there is much to be said, and it is hard to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing (hard of hearing)."
Nothing delights us more than to see our children grow and mature. How does your Heavenly Father feel about you? Are you green and growing or are you ripe and rotting?
The writer moves from exposition to exhortation in these verses that come before us this morning. g a huge problem. They are suffering from arrested development, continuing childhood, intentional infancy. Pilgrims should make progress!
We are coming to our third warning in the book of Hebrews. The first warning had to do with drifting - Hebrews 2: "Paying...attention." The second warning had to do with doubting - Hebrews 3: "Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." Now the third warning has to do with dullness - Hebrews 5: "[they are] hard of hearing."
It's the peril of spiritual immaturity.
"Concerning Him" refers us back to the whole high-priestly ministry of Christ in the order of Melchizedek that He just made reference to in verse 10. One principle we can learn from this is: Spiritual truth is not mastered in one big swallow.
When he speaks of this subject of priesthood, he says 2 things: (1) "there is much to be said" and (2) "it is hard to explain." The author finds he would like to say a lot more about this priesthood. Yet, when he actually comes to the saying of it, he is finding it difficult; and he is frustrated to explain it. The reason is that the readers have become "hard of hearing."
Now the author proceeds with the reason why he is frustrated: "since you have become sluggish in hearing (hard of hearing)." It is epitomized in that old statement: "Don't confuse me with the facts! My mind is already made up!"
They have closed their ears to truth that would make them uncomfortable, things that would demand something from them. This is spiritual pride: "You can't tell me anything I don't already know!" The unteachable spirit.
"You have become sluggish." We need to recognize this is a process that has developed over time. The apathetic attitude toward spiritual things has created this. In the book of Revelation those 7 letters written by Jesus end with the statement: "He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
Hannah Hurnard in her book The Hearing Heart said: "In Hebrew an 'obedient heart' is the same word as a 'hearing heart.' If one hears the Voice of God, it should mean obedience, and if one obeys one will hear." (13)
