They Had Tasted of the Heavenly Gift
This group not only had seen the heavenly light but had
tasted of the heavenly gift. The heavenly gift could be one of several things. The Holy Spirit is spoken of in Scripture as a heavenly gift, but, since He is mentioned in the next verse, I do not think He is the gift meant here. The greatest heavenly gift, of course, is Christ Himself (God's "indescribable gift,"
2 Cor. 9:15) and the salvation He brought (
Eph. 2:8). Christ's salvation is the supreme heavenly gift, and no doubt the one referred to here.
This great gift, however, was not received. It was not feasted on, but only
tasted, sampled. It was not accepted or lived, only examined. That stands in contrast with Jesus' work on our behalf. Having tasted death for every man (
Heb. 2:9), He went on to drink it all.
Jesus told the woman at Jacob's well, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water" (
John 4:10). Jesus was speaking of the gift of salvation, the "living water" that leads to "eternal life" (
v. 14). Those who drank it—not sipped it or just tasted it, but drank it—would be saved. A short time later in Galilee, Jesus told His hearers, "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever" (
John 6:51; cf.
v. 35). Eternal life comes from eating, not simply tasting, God's gift of salvation in Christ.
One of the presalvation ministries of the Holy Spirit is that of giving the unsaved a taste of the blessings of salvation. This is part of His ministry of drawing men to Christ. But tasting is not eating. The Holy Spirit will give us a taste, but He will not make us eat. God placed the blessing of salvation to the lips of these New Testament Jews, but they had not yet eaten. The tasting came from what they saw and heard, as many today have seen the transforming power of Christ and heard the gospel.
They Had Partaken of the Holy Spirit
Partakers (Greek, metochos) has to do with association, not possession. These Jews had never possessed the
Holy Spirit, they simply were around when He was around. This word is used of fellow fishermen in
Luke 5:7, and of Christ in relation to the angels in
Hebrews 1:9. It has to do with sharing in common associations and events. In the context of
Hebrews 6:4, it refers to anyone who has been where the Holy Spirit has been ministering. It is possible to have an association with the Holy Spirit, to share in what He does, and not be saved. As we have seen (
2:4) these Jews had heard the word and had seen and even participated in numerous signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. They were actually involved in some of His work.
The Bible never speaks of Christians being associated with the Holy Spirit. It speaks of the Holy Spirit being
within them.
Here, however, are some persons who are simply associated with the Holy Spirit. Like perhaps most of the multitudes whom Jesus miraculously healed and fed, they partook of the Holy Spirit's power and blessings, but they did not have His indwelling. They did not possess the Holy Spirit, nor did the Holy Spirit possess them.
They Had Tasted the Word of God
Again these readers are spoken of as having
tasted something of God, this time His
word. The Greek term used here for word (rhēma, which emphasizes the parts rather than the whole) is not the usual one (logos) for God's Word, but it fits the meaning in this context. As with His heavenly gifts, they had heard God's utterances and sampled them, tasted them, without actually eating them. They had been taught about God. No doubt they regularly came to the assembly of the church. They may have listened carefully and even thought carefully about what they heard. They took it all in, possibly with enthusiasm and appreciation. But they could not say with Jeremiah, "Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart" (
Jer. 15:16). They tasted but they did not eat, just like the nation to whom Jeremiah spoke.
MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews.
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