REST = cease
from works with the idea of release from anxiety, worry, insecurity. This
is what is offered to us in Jesus Christ.
When applied to Israel, rest applied to Canaan, a land. Israel was an
earthly symbol of what Jesus offers us of a heavenly kingdom. Josh 22:4
speaks of "rest" in Canaan. For believers "rest" refers not to a land BUT
to a life, to all we have in Christ. Wayne feels that some in the audience
do not yet know Christ, reasoning from the conditional "if's", the
subjunctive mood, and the 5 warnings in Hebrews 1st: 2:1-4 Warning against
neglect. 2nd: 3:7-4:13: Warning against unbelief.
What does the "40
years" refer to? Nu 13:25ff: The spies into Canaan had begun to look at
their circumstances and taken their focus off what God has promised. When
they took their eyes off of God, fear began to enter in. They so provoked
God that they were denied the very thing that they had wanted. So Israel's
"rest" was a land but they were refused entry to Canaan bc they failed to
believe God.
Failure to Believe is not ignorance but stubbornness as they refused to
obey God and thus they were refused rest.
1). We must
receive the promise of God's rest while it is still time: "Promise
remains" is present passive meaning "caused to remain" but when God
decides the time is up, it is over.
Why fear? "Fear" in Heb 4:1 is aorist passive meaning bc of what happened
to Israel, take this to heart and let it cause you to tremble. This is
serious. Have you heard and heard what God has said but you've never
really heeded, never embraced Christ, never entered into His rest. Then
you are in Heb 4:1. Peter said we need to make sure of our calling and
election (2 Pe 1:10). If you've missed the promise, then come on in. The
promise remains.
"Seem to have come short" means to essentially to be found to come short.
"Come short" is same as Ro 3:23 ("come short of the glory of God"). When
you "come short" of something, you can miss it an inch or a mile, but you
still miss it! So those in Ro 3:23 have missed it a "mile". There are
others who have missed it by only an "inch". E.g., the man Mk 10:21 And
looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, "One thing you
LACK…" where "lack" is the same word for "come short". Jesus was telling
him "you are coming short in just one thing". Isn't it amazing how some
can come so close…they're in a good church, they know the Bible, they know
the message, they're "good" people, but they lack one thing…they've never
confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior of their life.
When you come so close yet are still short, you might even presume that
you have entered into the rest, and so this is why it is so important to
continue to encourage one another daily while there is still time. Coming
to Bible study means nothing if Christ is not in your heart. You can know
a lot in your head but the real issue is to make certain of your calling
and election. Many will say to Jesus in that day "Lord, Lord" but He will
say "I never knew you." (Mt 7:21,22).
2). God has a way for us to enter His rest:
First you must hear
(Heb 4:2…have had good news preached). When you hear Ro 10:17 occurs so
that when God's word is spoken to my heart, faith is energized. We have to
respond, to believe, to be fully persuaded to the point that I am willing
to wholly commit. Jesus explained this truth to Nicodemus…it's not enough
to "know' but you must "believe". Faith comes from hearing. What is the
response? Mt 16:24 Jesus said ""If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must
deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Jesus teaches the same
thing in Lu 14. We come on His terms not ours. The fullest expression of
faith is obedience. James says that if you say you have faith, show me
your works. You don't get saved by works but the works prove that you are
saved. When you hear, faith is energized but one still has to respond to
what God said. "United" describes the "mixing" of that faith in an
inseparable union.
3). We must humbly receive His rest:
"Enter that rest" is
present tense expressing the idea that we continue to enter that rest and
middle voice is our own choice. So the rest of God does not cease when you
enter into salvation.
"Finished" = we entered into something that was a finished work from the
foundation of the world…all that was necessary has been provided. But you
never find a person who has entered into the rest of God who goes around
bragging about it. Ps 40 describes a man in miry clay (which was to keep
the animals from getting out and the harder they tried to get out, the
deeper they sank). We are like that helpless animal, crying out from our
helpless estate and He inclined His ear unto us and delivered us from the
miry clay, setting our feet upon the rock, placing a new song in our
heart. A true realization of the sovereignty of God in salvation and the
fact that you have just become a part of His plan humbles the person who
has just become a part of His finished work.
Man was made to enjoy His rest: Genesis 1:24-31: describes God's creation
activity on the 6th Day.
Genesis 2:1-2 Thus the heavens
and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 And by the seventh
day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had done.
Comment: "Rested" is the Hebrew
verb shabath or shavath [7673] to repose, (intrans.) to
desist (from exertion), cease, leave off (Job 32:1; Jer. 31:36; Hos. 7:4),
rest; to come to an end; to keep or celebrate the Sabbath (Lev. 23:32, a
cognate acc. construction), observe the sacred day (considered by some a
homophonous root); to be ended, (trans.) to sever; to put an end to (war,
Ps. 46:9; contention, Prov. 18:18), have an end (Gen. 8:22; Is. 24:8; Lam.
5:15); to destroy; to cause to rest, let rest; to bring to an end,
abolish; to cease to exist (Jer. 31:36), to remove, take away (Ex. 12:15;
Lev. 26:6; Ps. 119:119; Is. 30:11; Jer. 7:34; Ezek. 23:27, 48; 30:13;
34:25). The primary idea of shavath appears to be to sit down or to sit
still. It describes men (Ex. 23:12; 34:21) and land which lies fallow
(Lev. 26:34, 35 [cf. 25:2]). It is the opposite of laboring or toiling
(Gen. 2:2, 3; Ex. 31:17). The traveler rests (abstains) from traveling
(Is. 33:8). The elders rested from the gate (i.e., did not go to the forum
to the Sabbath). The seventh day “put a stop to” the week’s work. Other
related meanings of shavath are: to put away (Ex. 12:15), to put down (2 Kgs.
23:5), to be lacking (Lev. 2:13), and to eliminate (Lev. 26:6). The most
basic meaning is found in Gen. 8:22. There will be no “interrupting” (cf.
2 Chr. 16:5). Finally, God was not tired in Gen. 2:2, 3. Shavath may imply
rest, but not in every case. God’s work was completed, and, therefore
there was no need to continue. He did not need to rest like a weary man;
He only “stopped” His creative activity.
Then God rested on
the 7th Day the first day of man's existence on earth was experiencing
God's rest. Man was created in the finished work of God's rest. Adam and
Eve lived totally dependent on God…that is rest. No anxiety, no fear, etc,
but from Gen 3 on you see a restless man after he sinned. When you see a
sinful man apart from God, he is restless.
4). The Rest in Heb 4:6-7 is graciously offered only for a time:
In v6 "some" may be
referring to Jews. Ro 11:5 refers to a remnant of Jews getting saved and
the time is still open. 2 Co 3:14-15:"But their minds (referring to Jews)
were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant
the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to
this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart". But the
writer is saying there is still opportunity. There is still a remnant so
don't go back under the Law, because when Moses is read there is veil over
your heart and you will shut down the very opportunity you have to enter
true rest, when the veil is taken away (2 Co 3:16). "Through David"
probably refers to the Psalms. Heb 4:7 "fixes" means that He places a
boundary on the day.
5). When we enter salvation, we have entered His eternal rest:
In 4:8 he refers to
Joshua to emphasize that Canaan was not the ultimate rest. Jesus is our
Sabbath rest. Mt 11:28 Jesus said: "Come to Me, all who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Find a person who has not entered
His rest and you've got a religious person who is as miserable as you can
find. We can partake of Christ's life as our very life as we are willing
to take His yoke upon us, yielding to Him. This is the crucified life of
Gal 2:20. And this life in His rest is not passive, because He will wear
you out. But now it's not you from now on but all Him. His rest is ceasing
from self-effort. Ps 46:10 "Cease striving and know that I am God." 3
tenses of God's rest: (1) Salvation = rest from the penalty of sin (no
condemnation) and we don't have to "do" something to make sure we're in.
(2). Sanctification: Where daily we continue to enter His rest by abiding
in Him, with the result that we are resting from the power of sin in our
life. We all have a war going on inside: spirit against flesh. When I
chose to remain at the Cross, He will give me rest. Gal 5:16 says when we
obey (walk by) the Spirit, then we will not carry out the desire of the
flesh, but can rest from that fleshly desire. Have you ever tried to
overcome sin in your own power? Have fun! You won't last long. Instead,
just get up tomorrow and acknowledge that the victory is not me overcoming
anything because all my self-effort make me weary and heavy laden. The
victory is Jesus overcoming me. "Lord Jesus, I just want to look at You
today. Whatever happens I'm just trusting You. You be my life. You live
Your life through me." What is that life? Peace, just as the angels
announced : "Peace on earth. Good will toward men." Relax. Rest. Finally
we'll rest when we are freed from the presence of sin in glory, the
ultimate rest. So what's the message? . Abide in Him. ENTER HIS REST
><>><>><>
KENT
HUGHES ON REST
(Hughes,
R. K. Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul. Volume 1. Crossway Books;
Volume 2)
But now, faced with
a new challenge, they simply did not trust God and so failed to enter
their rest. Many, perhaps thousands, were believers (they believed in
God), but only two really trusted God and found rest. We must keep this
subtle distinction between belief and trust clear if we are to understand
what kind of faith is necessary to have rest in this life. New Testament
scholar Leon Morris says that faith here in Heb 4:2 is “the attitude of
trusting God wholeheartedly.” So we must understand that the opening line
of v3, which says, “Now we who have believed enter that rest,”
specifically means, “we who have wholeheartedly trusted enter that rest.”
Thus, it is spelled out in no uncertain terms that faith that pleases God
is belief plus trust.
Belief, the mental acceptance of a fact as true, will simply not bring
rest to any soul. Acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
Savior of the world will not give us rest. Trust in him is what gives rest
to our souls. “Trust brings rest,” says Alexander Maclaren, “because it
sweeps away, as the north wind does the banded clouds on the horizon, all
the deepest causes of unrest.” First, trust in Christ’s sacrificial death
begins our rest by giving us rest from the burden of guilt for our sins
and a gnawing conscience. Second, trust in his character as an almighty
God and a loving Savior gives us rest as we place our burdens on him. Just
as a child sleeps so well in his parents’ arms, so we rest in God.
Few have lived as
stressful and frenetic a life as Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland
Mission. But Taylor lived in God’s rest, as his son beautifully attests:
Day and night this was his secret, “just to roll the burden on the Lord.”
Frequently those who were wakeful in the little house at Chinkiang might
hear, at two or three in the morning, the soft refrain of Mr. Taylor’s
favorite hymn [“Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou
art”]. He had learned that for him, only one life was possible—just that
blessed life of resting and rejoicing in the Lord under all circumstances,
while He dealt with the difficulties, inward and outward, great and small.
Fellow-Christians, there is a rest for you. It is not beyond your
capacity. You can have it if you wish.
Divine Rest
We note first that he twice quotes Psalm 95:11—“They shall never enter my
rest” (vv. 3, 5; cf. 3:11, 18). His purpose is not to imply that his
readers will not enter the rest, but rather to show that God calls the
rest being offered “my rest” because it is the rest he himself enjoys.
This in itself is a stupendous revelation. It means that when we are given
rest by him, it is not simply a relaxation of tensions, but a rest that is
qualitatively the same rest God enjoys—his personal rest that he shares
with us!
To catch something
of the idea here, imagine yourself invited by Prince Charles to enjoy his
“rest.” You are picked up by the Royal limo at Heathrow and whisked into
London and through the gates of Windsor Palace where you are shown its
glories. Then the two of you motor north in his 1968 Aston Martin to
Balmoral Castle where you relax before a fire, scratch the ears of the
royal hounds, and don a kilt and explore the royal trout streams. You are
sharing what Prince Charles calls “my rest”—his personal rest.
The sublime fact
that we share God’s personal rest, the rest he enjoys, ought to set our
hearts racing!
Cosmic Rest
In verses 3b, 4 the author further reveals the character of this rest by
relating it to the rest God entered when he finished creating the
universe, his cosmic rest: “And yet his work has been finished since the
creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day
in these words: ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all his work’ ”
(vv. 3b, 4). He refers in these verses to Genesis 2:2. The fact that there
is no morning or evening mentioned in that verse, as there was with each
of the first six days, means that the seventh day, God’s Sabbath, still
continues. God’s rest began with the completion of the cosmos and
continues on and on—and thus is available to all his children. Its
fullness is available to all.
Ideal Rest
The character of God’s rest is the ideal of all rests. First, it is
joyous. Job 38:7 tells us that at creation, “the morning stars sang
together and all the angels shouted for joy.” They were, of course,
echoing the joy of the Creator that he carried into his Sabbath-rest.
Second, his rest is satisfying. This is the repeated implication of his
multiple assertions regarding creation that “it was good” (Genesis 1).
When he smote his anvil the final time, sparking his final star a million
million million light-years away, and put his final luminous touch on the
firefly, he sat back in everlasting satisfaction.
Third, it is a working rest. God finished his great work and rested, but
it was not a cessation from work, but rather the proper repose that comes
from completing a great work. Jesus referred to his Father’s ongoing work
saying, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am
working” (John 5:17). God’s repose is full of active toil. God rests, and
in his rest he keeps working, even now.
So we see that his rest is a joyous, satisfying and working rest.
Fellow-Christians, God does not offer us just any rest. He offers us, in
his own words, “my rest”—the repose of his soul—divine rest. It is cosmic
in its origination, as old as the universe. And as such, a continuing
Sabbath is available to all. It is the ideal rest, for it comes from a
loving, almighty God.
Furthermore, it is available right now! Verse 3, which introduced this
section on the nature of our rest, says, “Now we who have believed enter
that rest.” The verb “enter” is in the present tense, which means that as
believers we are in the process of entering. There is a now and then to
our rest. Now, in Christ, we have entered and are entering our rest. Our
experience of rest is proportionate to our trusting in him. A wholehearted
trust, for example, brings his rest into our souls in all its divine,
cosmic and ideal dimensions. But there is also a future rest in Heaven—the
repose of soul in God’s rest, forever joyous, satisfied and working—“work
that never becomes toil nor needs repose.”
What a balm the author is offering to the storm-tossed church: “You can
have God’s rest now, regardless of the seas you encounter. But you must
trust if you are to have it.”
THE AVAILABILITY OF REST
Some of the members of the little church had become so disheartened that
they thought the rest really was not available to them. It may have been
available to the Israelites in the desert, they thought, or to David’s
hearers when he re-offered it in Psalm 95, but rest was not really
available to them in their difficult circumstances. So in verses 6–10 the
author argues that the rest remains. Notice that verses 6 and 9, the
opening and closing sentences of this section, assert that fact..
A Rest Remains (I)
The opening assertion in verse 6 is straightforward: “It still remains
that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel
preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.” Those who
formerly had the gospel (good news regarding the entry to Canaan) did not
enter the land of rest because of their lack of faith, which produced
shameful disobedience. The point here is that nothing can prevent the
promised rest from taking effect except distrust and disobedience. God’s
promised rest stands. Anyone can have it.
A Rest Remains (Ii)
Twice in chapter 3 (vv. 7, 15) the author has quoted Psalm 95:7, 8 to draw
attention to the promise of rest, and here in verse 7 he does it again:
“Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time
later he spoke through David, as was said before: ‘Today, if you hear his
voice, do not harden your hearts.’ ” In David’s day the rest was offered
by the Holy Spirit saying, “Today, if you hear his voice…” Today meant
“now” in their time—and that is what it means today. The only way this
rest will be missed is through a hardened heart, a disbelieving heart that
shows contempt for God in disobedience. The tone here is one of urgency.
Now is the day of salvation!
A Rest Remains (Iii)
In developing his point that rest remains, in verse 8 the author uses an
argument that appears very subtle to modern-English readers: “For if
Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another
day.” The words for “Joshua” and “Jesus” are exactly the same in the
Greek—Jesus was named after Joshua. The Old Testament “Jesus” (Joshua) had
led his followers to the land of Canaan. But that was not the real rest
but only a type. And that is why the real rest was offered by David in his
“Today” and now to us in our “Today.” So the great truth is, there was a
“Jesus,” the son of Nun, who failed to lead his people to true rest. But
now there is another Jesus, the Son of God, who can. He is the pioneer and
captain of our salvation—the ultimate Joshua (cf. 2:10).
Dost ask who that may
be?
Christ Jesus it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
(Martin Luther, 1529)
A Rest Remains
(Iv)
Now comes the
sublime statement of availability: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest
for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from
his own work, just as God did from his” (v9, 10). When God finished the
cosmos, he rested in the Sabbath-rest that works. When Christ cried, “It
is finished,” he forever rested from his atoning work. But the resting
Christ works, even as the working God rests. Christ is the Lord of the
Sabbath! When we believed, we finished with our works-righteousness and
entered God’s rest. Yet we long to serve Christ.
This will all eventuate in the eternal Sabbath-rest and the beatitude of
the Holy Spirit. “ ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds
will follow them’ ” (Revelation 14:13).
The writer has used every angle to show his friends and us that we can
know and experience this rest. If we learn anything from this text, we
must understand that the rest is there if we want it. “There remains,
then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” (v. 9). Praise be to the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
THE CHALLENGE TO REST
The preacher
properly closes this section with a challenge to his church: “Let us,
therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall
by following their example of disobedience” (v11). How, then, do we “make
every effort” (or, as some translations have it, “do our utmost”) “to
enter that rest”?
Our passage suggests two things. First, we must do our utmost to focus on
the rest. We must strive to comprehend that it is a divine rest—the rest
that God personally enjoys—“my rest” (v3, 5), as he calls it. It is a
Sabbath-rest as old as the universe. It is joyous, satisfying and
productive. We must do our utmost to grasp this. There is no room for
mental laziness. Think with all you have on God’s rest as described by the
Holy Spirit and as offered to you in this passage.
Second, we must do our utmost to combine the hearing of the good news of
the offered rest with genuine faith—that is, belief plus trust. In the
midst of life’s uneven seas, we are called, as was the early church, to
believe in the mighty God of the Exodus, he who parted seas, brought forth
water from the rock, and fed his people with manna. Even more, we are to
believe in the Bread of Heaven who gave his life for us and rose from the
dead and ascended to God in mighty power. Do we believe that our God is
such a God? Do we really believe it with all our heart? We must make every
effort to do so!
Finally, can we add to this belief trust? This was the bottom line for the
wavering church. Could they trust God to take care of them? There is no
rest in this life without trust.
As believers, those who have experienced the initial reality of
Augustine’s dictum—rest for the restless heart—what is the greatest
problem we face? Do we believe God can meet it? Can we—will we—trust him?
If so, God’s Word offers rest: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for
the people of God” (v. 9). “Now we who have believed enter that rest”
(v3).
><>><>><>
RAY
STEDMAN ON REST
Notes: 4:2 Many find
it difficult to believe that the same gospel which is preached today (that
is, the gospel of Christ) was also proclaimed to Israel in the wilderness.
But note the two phrases we have had the gospel preached to us (v. 2) and
those who formerly had the gospel preached to them (v. 6). No distinction
is made in these uses of gospel. Also Paul states in 1 Corinthians 10:3,
“They drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock
was Christ.” This implies an understanding on the part of some at least
that the events they experienced, the sacrifices they offered, the ritual
they fulfilled, were all designed to teach them truth about a Redeemer who
was, to the eyes of faith, their ground of atonement with God, though he
had not yet appeared in history. Of course these same elements could be
experienced mechanically, without faith, and were thus meaningless as far
as personal salvation was concerned.
Dreams of Utopia have haunted human minds for millennia. When Sir Thomas
More, in 1516, wrote the book Utopia, he chose the name because in Greek
it means “no place.” Many attempts have been made in history to find or
create such a place where life approaches perfection, but none has
succeeded. Yet the dream has not faded, probably because it represents a
vestigial human memory of something we once had and still yearn for, a
greater Sabbath. On the seventh day of creation (Sabbath means “seven”)
God was said to have “rested from all his work” (Gen 2:2). This was not
total inactivity, for God has been active throughout all history. It is
probably best described as a rest of a perfectly functioning creation, as
a mechanic rests from his work when his machine runs perfectly. That is
what men have dreamed Utopia would be: a properly functioning society.
A Promise Requires a Response (4:1–2) In Hebrews 4:1 we are given the
first hint that the promise of rest given to Israel envisaged more than
entering the Promised Land. It is, he says, a promise which still stands,
that is, was not satisfied by entering Canaan, but still exists at the
time of his writing. Furthermore, his readers stand in danger of missing
it unless they are careful. The Greek construction of the phrase that none
of you be found to have fallen short of it indicates that wrong behavior,
such as disobedience or long-continued grumbling, suggests the heart is
unchanged and unbelieving. Be found refers to God’s knowledge of the heart
and his actions based on that knowledge.
Notes: 4:2 Many find it difficult to believe that the same gospel which is
preached today (that is, the gospel of Christ) was also proclaimed to
Israel in the wilderness. But note the two phrases we have had the gospel
preached to us (v. 2) and those who formerly had the gospel preached to
them (v. 6). No distinction is made in these uses of gospel. Also Paul
states in 1 Corinthians 10:3, “They drank from the spiritual rock that
accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” This implies an understanding
on the part of some at least that the events they experienced, the
sacrifices they offered, the ritual they fulfilled, were all designed to
teach them truth about a Redeemer who was, to the eyes of faith, their
ground of atonement with God, though he had not yet appeared in history.
Of course these same elements could be experienced mechanically, without
faith, and were thus meaningless as far as personal salvation was
concerned.
In v2, we are given the reason for the Israelites’ unbelief in the
wilderness. Even though the gospel of God’s deliverance from an evil heart
was proclaimed clearly through the sacrifices, the tabernacle ritual and
the preaching of Moses, it met with a lack of faith among those who
perished. The writer will declare in 11:6 that “without faith it is
impossible to please God.” Without a personal response to the promise of
salvation, no one may be saved. Declared many times in Scripture, this
fact invalidates completely the teaching of universalism that everyone is
already saved by virtue of Christ’s death and that God will reveal that to
them at the end, no matter how they lived. This teaching ignores the need
for repentance: turning from ungrateful rebellion to a thankful acceptance
of God’s provision. Ro 10:17 indicates that the gospel (“the word of
Christ”) has power to awaken belief in its hearers; if that belief is
acted upon by a willing response (faith), it results in salvation (divine
life imparted).
The Time for Response Is Today (4:3–7)* 4:3–4 Did all those who died in
the wilderness also perish eternally? Clearly not, since Moses, Aaron and
Miriam are included in their number. Some, then, died before Canaan
because they were unbelieving in relation to the picture of rest (Canaan)
but did not perish eternally. But the majority were not only unbelieving
about Canaan but also unbelieving about the redemptive provisions that
pointed to Christ, and these we must presume to have been lost eternally.
In v3–10, we learn thefull meaning of the word rest. First, it is a rest
which believers of the first century (and today) can actually experience
(v. 3). The writer uses the present, but not the future, tense, we...enter
that rest. Jesus had declared, “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). That is the same promise
of rest which the writer, in verse 1, has declared still stands. If
believed, it requires a response, for though the promise is still valid,
so is the threat that follows: Just as God has said, “So I declared on
oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” Now is the time to
enter it (today—v. 7), and now is the time to lose it, if one tests God’s
patience too long.
Second, this true
rest has been available since creation (vv. 3–4), and some who may not
have entered Canaan could have entered God’s rest still. God calls this
rest my rest. This means not only does he give it, but he himself also
enjoys it! He experienced rest when he ceased the work of creation, as
recounted in Genesis 2:2–3. As we have seen, this does not imply
subsequent idleness, for God continues to maintain his creation, as 1:3
attests. He is endlessly active in the work of redemption too, as Jesus
declared in John 5:17. It does mean he ceased creating; he has rested from
that work since time began. What that means for God’s people will be made
clear in verse 10. The third factor the writer stresses is that entering
this rest must not be delayed. Again, he quotes Psalm 95:7, Today, if you
hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
Delay hardens the
heart, especially when we are fully aware that we have heard the voice of
God in the inner soul. Every shrug of the shoulder that puts off acting on
God’s urging for change, every toss of the head that says, “I know I
should, but I don’t care,” every attempt at outward conformity without
inner commitment produces a hardening of the heart that makes repentance
harder and harder to do. The witness of the Spirit must not be ignored,
for the opportunity to believe does not last forever. Playing games with
the living God is not only imperti nent, but also dangerous.
There is a line, by
us unseen,
That crosses every path.
The hidden boundary between
God’s patience and His wrath.
Today is a word of
hope. All is not lost while today lasts. Though there has been some
hardening, it can yet be reversed if prompt repentance is made. The
situation is serious, though, for Today is never more than twenty-four
hours long and that’s all anyone is given at a time!
The Rest Obtained Is New-Creation Rest (4:8–11)* Though Jesus is not
compared here with Joshua in terms of relative greatness, it is apparent
from verses 8–10 that the work of Joshua in leading Israel into the rest
symbolized by the Promised Land was far inferior to the work of Jesus. He
provides eternal rest to all who believe in him. The fact that God repeats
his promise of rest through David in Psalm 95, centuries after Israel had
entered Canaan, is used to indicate that Sabbath-rest is the substance and
Canaan-rest but a shadow. There was an experience of rest for Israel in
Canaan (from armed invasion, natural disasters, failure of crops) when
they were faithful to God. But even at best that rest was outward and
essentially physical, and could not satisfy the promise of rest to the
human race which was intended from the beginning. The author specifically
states, There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.
In verse 10, we learn at last the nature of that rest. It means to cease
from one’s own work, and so, by implication, to trust in the working of
God instead. In Ephesians 2:8–9 Paul asserts, “For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God—not by works, [we are to rest from our own works!] so that no one can
boast.”
The use of the term sabbatismos (“Sabbath-rest”) suggests that the weekly
sabbath given to Israel is only a shadow of the true rest of God. Paul
also declares in Colossians 2:16–17 where he lumps religious festivals,
New Moon celebrations and sabbath days together as “a shadow of the things
that were to come, the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Thus rest
has three meanings: (1) the Promised Land; (2) the weekly sabbath; and (3)
that which these two prefigure, that cessation from labor which God njoys
and which he invites believers to share. This third rest not only
describes the introduction of believers into eternal life, but also
depicts the process by which we will continue to work and live, namely,
dependence on God to be at work through us. “It is God who works in you to
will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil 2:13).
This is in many ways the lost secret of Christianity. Along with seeking
to do things for God, we are also encouraged to expect God to be at work
through us. It is the key to the apostle’s labors: “I can do everything
through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13). Also, “I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Note, “I no longer live”—that is, I
do not look for any achievement by my own efforts. Rather “Christ lives in
me” and the life I live and the things that I do are “by faith”—that is,
done in dependence on the Son of God working in and through me.
This makes clear that truly keeping the sabbath is not observing a special
day (that is but the shadow of the real sabbath), but sabbath keeping is
achieved when the heart rests on the great promise of God to be working
through a believer in the normal affairs of living. We cannot depend on
our efforts to please God, though we do make decisions and exert efforts.
We cease from our own works and look to his working within us to achieve
the results that please him. As Jesus put it to the apostles, “Apart from
me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). They must learn to work, but always with
the thought that he is working with them, adding his power to their
effort. That is keeping the sabbath as it was meant to be kept!
Learning to function from a position of rest is the way to avoid burnout
in ministry or any other labor. We are to become “colaborers with God,” to
use Paul’s wonderful phrase. This does not mean that we cannot learn many
helpful lessons on rest by studying the regulations for keeping the
sabbath day found in the Old Testament. Nor that we no longer need time
for quiet meditation and cessation from physical labor. Our bodies are yet
unredeemed and need rest and restoration at frequent intervals. But we are
no longer bound by heavy limitations to keep a precise day of the week.
Paradoxically, we read in verse 11 the exhortation to make every effort to
enter that [sabbath] rest. Of course, effort is needed to resist self
dependence. If we think that we have what it takes in ourselves to do all
that needs to be done, we shall find ourselves rest-less and ultimately
ineffective. Yet decision is still required of us and exertion is needed;
but results can only be expected from the realization that God is also
working and he will accomplish the needed ends. This is also the clear
teaching of Psalm 127:1, “Unless the lord builds the house, its builders
labor in vain. Unless the lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand
guard in vain.” Human effort is still needed, but human effort is never
enough.
Failure to expect God to act caused the disobedience of Israel in the
wilderness, and a similar failure destroys thousands today. It is called
overachieving now, but it is the cause for most of the breakdown of
Christians under the pressure of stress or responsibility. Pastors and
teachers particularly have often been taught that they are personally
responsible to meet the emotional needs and to solve the relational
problems of all in their congregations. Many sincerely attempt this but
soon find themselves overwhelmed with unending demands and a grow ing
sense of their own failure. Relief can come only by learning to operate
out of rest and by sharing responsibility with others in the congregation
whom God has also equipped with gifts of ministry.
><>><>><>
J
VERNON MCGEE ON REST
(McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
Let us therefore
fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you
should seem to come short of it [Heb. 4:1].
We have come to the first “Let us” in this Epistle to the Hebrews.
Constantly Paul urges the Hebrew believers to go on with the Lord; he is
constantly challenging them. This is the first “Let us,” but there is a
whole lot of “Let us” in this epistle.
“Let us therefore
fear.” There are always those folk who are eager to find fault even with
the Word of God, and they will say that this statement is a contradiction
of other statements in the Bible. We are told in Romans 8:15, “For ye have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear….” And in 2 Timothy 1:7
Paul wrote, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.” Well, I have an answer for those folk
in a message I have called, “When It Is Not Wrong to Fear.” I hope that
you are afraid of a rattlesnake. If I see one coming down the road, I
don’t simply move to the right-hand side, I give him the whole road! There
are certain things that you and I would do well to fear—“Let us therefore
fear.” I wish there were more concern among believers today about
ignorance of the Word of God. In a church I pastored, a man was on our
church board who was on about every board in town because he had a lot of
money. He actually boasted of how many boards he was on. Then one day he
boasted to me of how ignorant he was of the Word of God! The writer to the
Hebrews said, “Let us therefore fear.” That man should have said to me
with great concern, “Oh, my ignorance of the Word of God! I am afraid of
it.” There are very few believers who are afraid of their ignorance of the
Scriptures.
When Paul says, “Let
us therefore fear,” he is speaking of a good fear. When I take my
grandsons for a walk, I warn them not to go out into the street. I want
them to be afraid to go out into the street—that is a good fear. The Word
of God says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge …” (Pr
1:7). That is the kind of fear you and I are to have.
The fear he is
talking about is for a purpose: “Lest, a promise being left us of entering
into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” He is going to
talk a great deal about rest in this chapter. The word rest occurs eight
times here. There are several different kinds of rest, including Sabbath
day or creation rest, and Canaan rest. Here he is speaking of Canaan rest.
He is saying to believers, “Be afraid, because you do not want to miss
it.” How many believers are missing that rest today? Have you entered into
rest? Do you know, Christian friend, what it is to really trust Christ and
rest in Him?
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it [Heb. 4:2].
Here is the “rest” of salvation, the rest of trusting Christ as Savior.
They heard the gospel but did not believe it.
CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO JOSHUA
Moses led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but he could
not lead them into Canaan. Joshua led them into the land, but we will see
here that he couldn’t give them rest. Many of them never found rest—they
never really laid hold of their possessions in the land. The world, the
flesh, and the Devil rob many of the blessing God has for them. You and I
live in a mean, wicked world. This world is not a friend of grace; it is
not the friend of believers. Many of us have not discovered that yet.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn
in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were
finished from the foundation of the world [Heb. 4:3].
He is discussing here salvation rest, the rest of trusting Christ. Let me
ask you a question: If you knew a man who professed to be a Christian and
whom you really believed was a born-again believer, and he suddenly
stopped living the Christian life and began acting like the world, if he
stopped going to church, stopped giving to the Lord’s work, and stopped
all his participation in Christian activity, would you think that he had
lost his salvation? If you were that person, would you feel that you had
lost your salvation? If you think that this would cause you to lose your
salvation, may I say to you that way back in your mind and deep down in
the recesses of your heart, you are not really trusting Christ. You are
believing that those activities add to your salvation, but they do not.
You are to completely trust Christ. Don’t misunderstand me. I believe that
if you are trusting Christ you are going to be doing those things, but
doing those things has nothing in the world to do with your salvation. My
friend, have you really entered into rest?
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God
did rest the seventh day from all his works [Heb. 4:4].
This is the Sabbath. God rested on the seventh day, and that was the
Sabbath day. However, the Sabbath today is not a day you keep or observe.
Have you entered into the real Sabbath today? Do you know what it is to
trust Christ and Christ alone for your salvation? Are you trusting
anything else? Is He it? Have you entered into rest?
I had a good friend
who was a doctor and who observed Saturday as the Sabbath. We used to play
tennis together, and we got pretty well acquainted with one another. One
day after we had played three sets of tennis, we sat down on the bench,
and we began to have what you would call a religious argument. He looked
at me and said, “McGee, do you keep the Sabbath day?”
“Yes, I keep the Sabbath.”
He looked at me real
hard and said, “What day?”
I said to him,
“Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then
I start all over again on Saturday.”
He said to me, “What
in the world do you mean?”
“Well, the way I
understand the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Sabbath day is now this day of
grace in which we live, and Christ, after He died on the Cross and came
back to life, went back to the right hand of the Father and sat down. He
sat down, not because He was tired, but because He had finished your
redemption and mine. So now He tells me, ‘You rest in Me.’ I have a
Sabbath day every day—I rest in Christ.”
That doctor friend
looked at me in amazement. “Well,” he said, “that’s better than having
just one day, isn’t it?”
I said, “It sure is.
Seven days a week is a sabbath of resting in Christ.”
And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to
whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief [Heb.
4:5–6].
It is unbelief that robs you of the rest of salvation, that robs you of
the rest of satisfaction and blessing which God can give to you. Oh, the
wonderful rest that He wants to give to us!
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To-day, after so long a
time; as it is said, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts [Heb. 4:7].
He is not saying tomorrow, but today. Today is the day for you and me.
Today, right now, wherever you are, look at your watch or clock. What time
is it? Well, this is the time of salvation. Now, right now you can trust
Christ to save you. “To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.”
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken
of another day [Heb. 4:8].
Joshua is the Old Testament or Hebrew word for “savior”; Jesus is the
Greek or New Testament word, meaning “savior.” In the verse before
us—Joshua: “For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward
have spoken of another day.” When Joshua was old and stricken in years,
there was yet very much land to conquer. The people of Israel had not
entered into all the blessing God had in store for them. Joshua wasn’t
able to secure it for them. But, my friend, if you trust Christ, Christ
can let you enter into the Canaan of the present day, in which there will
be fruit and blessing and joy in your life. Oh, how we need this today!
What robs us of it? Unbelief.
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God [Heb. 4:9].
Here the writer is projecting into the future when all the people of God
are going to find a heavenly rest. Heaven will be a place of deep
satisfaction, of real joy, and real blessing. “There remaineth therefore a
rest to the people of God.”
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from his [Heb. 4:10].
We shouldn’t get the impression that when God rested on the seventh day He
sat down and said, “My, I’m tired. I’ve been working for six days, eight
hours a day, from sunup to sundown, and I’m weary! I’ll pull up the
rocking chair and rest.” That is not the thought behind “rest” at all. The
thought here is the rest of completeness. Creation is finished. God has
never been in the business of creating since then. There were just so many
atoms which He needed for His universe, and He just made them all at once.
He hasn’t made any more since then. Now there have been quite a few
changes taking place in the universe, but it is just those original little
atoms rearranging themselves.
You and I live in a universe where creation is over with—except in the new
creation. That new creation began yonder at Calvary and the Day of
Pentecost. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Sons of God are the only things God is creating today—through faith in
Christ. And there is a rest that He has promised to them. God has promised
a heavenly rest, but, my friend, He wants us to enjoy ourselves even now.
As someone has said, “All the way to heaven is heaven.” We ought to enjoy
this life. That is what the writer is talking about here: God rested, He
ceased from His labors, and He is finished. Therefore, you do not have to
lift your little finger to do something toward your salvation. Isn’t it
really a matter of conceit on our part to think that you and I as sinners
could do anything that would cause God to say, “Oh my, what a nice little
fellow you are! I’m so happy to have you in heaven because you are going
to add a great deal to it”? Well, my friend, that is not the picture at
all. He did it all for us. Even our righteousness is filthy rags in His
sight. He cannot accept our righteousness, because we really do not have
any. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). Therefore He
offers a finished salvation to us, and when we trust Christ we become new
creations in Him.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief [Heb. 4:11].
I think the supreme satisfaction that can come to a child of God is that
he is in the will of God, doing the work of God, and trusting and just
resting in Him. That is the glorious place to which God wants you and me
to come. Mary came to that place. She sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha was
back yonder in the kitchen with those pots and pans. Martha wanted to
serve Christ, but she just didn’t know what real rest was. She probably
decided she was going to bake something and reached for a pan. It was not
big enough and she was going to put it back and get a bigger one, but she
dropped it on the floor. What a time she had with those pots and pans! She
was really worn to a frazzle and finally lost her temper. But Mary was
just sitting at Jesus’ feet, doing nothing—she had already done her work.
We need to learn to find our satisfaction sitting at Jesus’ feet.
“Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest.” Someone will say, “Do I have to labor
to enter into rest?” Yes, my friend. This is sort of like the Irishman who
said he intended to have peace in his home even if he had to fight for it.
Fighting for peace? Yes! I wish America had learned that lesson. May I say
to you, you must win a war before you can have peace. You have to have a
victory before you can have peace. He says here, “Let us labor in order to
rest.” After all, when you have worked at something and come to the end of
the day and sit down, isn’t there a satisfaction in what you have done?
Oh, today, we need to lay hold of God! To lay hold of God in prayer, and
in faith, and to be used of Him. Oh, my Christian friend, let us labor
toward that end.
“Lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” The only thing in
the world that can rob you of that rest is unbelief. Ever since I retired
from the pastorate my prayer has been, “Oh, God, help me to trust You.” I
was a pastor for forty years, and very frankly, I look back and have to
say that I wish I had trusted Him more. Many times I was so fearful and
unbelieving. So today I want to simply lean back and trust Him. How
wonderful He is! He is worthy of our trust.
><>><>><>
KENNETH WUEST ON REST
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)
Translation. So we
see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
(4:1) Having reminded his readers that the generation which came out of
Egypt did not enter into the rest of Canaan because of unbelief, the
writer now proceeds to warn them of a possible failure on their part of
entering into rest in Messiah. The words “being left” are the translation
of a present participle. The idea is “there being left behind and still
remaining.” The writer wishes to emphasize the fact that the promise of a
spiritual rest in Messiah is still available to the first century Hebrews.
He is fearful lest any of them should come short of this rest. The words
“come short of” are the translation of a verb which could be rendered
either “should seem to have fallen short, should be judged to have fallen
short, or, should think that he has fallen short or come too late.” The
historical background and the context are decisive for the last. These
persecuted Jews had expected to find the fulfilment of all promise in
Messiah, including freedom from stress and strain such as they were
experiencing in the persecutions (10:32–34). The Old Testament Jews were
taught to believe that tribulation was a mark of God’s displeasure with
Israel. They did not understand that that which was a mark of God’s
displeasure with His own in Old Testament times, was a mark of His
blessing and a means of purging and refining the lives of saints in New
Testament times. Thus, they found it hard to believe that rest was
attainable in Messiah. Their professed faith was being sorely tried by the
adverse circumstances in which they found themselves. Thus, they were in
danger of renouncing their professed faith and of returning to the First
Testament sacrifices under the stress of this persecution. The writer
proceeds to show that this promise is still open.
Translation. Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left behind and
still remaining of entering into His rest, anyone of you should think that
he has fallen short of it or has come too late.
(4:2) To understand this verse we must identify the pronouns. “Us” refers
to the first-century Jewish readers of this letter, “them” to the
generation which came out of Egypt. The words “the gospel was preached”
are the translation of a verb which means “to announce good news.” The
character of the good news must be defined by the context. The good news
which was announced to the first-century readers of this epistle was that
of a spiritual rest in Messiah. The good news given to the generation
which came out of Egypt was that of a temporal, physical rest in a land
flowing with milk and honey, offered to a people who had been reduced to
abject slavery for 400 years and who had lived on a diet of leeks, garlic,
and onions during that time.
But the writer says that this good news did not profit this generation,
“not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” The verb is
sugkerannumi. It means “to mix together, commingle, to unite one thing to
another.” Thayer says, “the word heard did not profit them, because it had
not united itself by faith to them that heard, i.e., because the hearers
had not by their faith let it find its way into their minds and make it
their own.” Those who heard did not assimilate the good news by faith.
They did not make the promise of rest in Canaan their own. The words “Unto
us was the gospel preached” are a periphrastic perfect participial
construction in the Greek text. This speaks not only of a complete work
accomplished in the past, but also of the persistence of the finished
results in the present. The announcing of the good news of Canaan to the
generation which came out of Egypt, and the proclamation of the good news
of a spiritual rest in Messiah to the first-century generation was so
thoroughly done that the memory of these messages was indelibly impressed
on the minds of their respective hearers. There was therefore no excuse
possible that the message had not been clearly and forcibly delivered in
both instances. The participle is in the passive voice. The literal
rendering is, “For we have in times past been completely evangelized with
the present result that the message of good news is in our minds, even as
they.” The word “evangelized” is the transliteration of the Greek word
here. We could translate, “We have been completely good-newsed.”
Translation. For to us (first-century Jews) was the good news (of rest in
Messiah) thoroughly announced, with the present result that we have it
indelibly impressed in our minds, as well as the good news (of rest in
Canaan) thoroughly proclaimed to them (the generation which came out of
Egypt), good news that was indelibly impressed on their minds. But the
word of the report did not profit them, not having become united by faith
to those who heard.
(4:3) In this verse, the writer enforces his declaration of the previous
verse to the effect that faith is the God-ordained way of appropriating
that which God has for the individual. In the words, “We which have
believed do enter into rest,” he says that the entering into rest is a
fact which characterizes believers. And this is in accordance with the
implication of the words of God, “As I have sworn in my wrath, if they
shall enter into my rest.” The meaning is, that we who have believed have
entered into rest in accordance with God’s declaration to the effect that
those who did not believe should not enter into rest. The point the writer
makes is that faith is the condition of entering into rest. The words
“although the works were finished from the foundation of the earth,”
assume the reader’s acquaintance with the account of creation in Genesis.
The providing of a rest is implied in the completion of God’s works. The
unbelieving generation which came out of Egypt did not enter into Canaan
rest, although God had provided that rest into which they might have
entered.
Translation. For we enter into this rest, we who believed, as He said, As
I swore in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works
from the foundation of the world were constituted.
(4:4) What was implied in the previous words is now stated. The reference
is to Genesis 2:2.
Translation. For He spoke in a certain place concerning the seventh day
thus, And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.
(4:5) The words “in this place” refer back to the words “If they shall
enter into my rest” in verse 3. They are cited again to emphasize the fact
that the rest was not entered into by Israel.
Translation. And in this place again, if they shall enter into my rest.
(4:6) The writer now proceeds to show that those under Moses have failed
completely of the rest in Canaan through unbelief, that those under Joshua
had entered into the temporal, physical, and material rest in Canaan, and
that the rest under Joshua was not a complete and final one since God
invited Israel into rest during David’s time. The words “it remaineth” are
the translation of apoleipo. The idea is “remains over from past times.”
The promise of rest had not been appropriated in the first instance, and
in the second instance the character of the rest was not final, so that
the promise of rest still holds good. The rest was not provided for
nothing. God’s provision of a rest implies that some will enter into it.
But the appropriation of that rest is still future. Some, therefore, must
enter into it. The words “they to whom it was preached” are the
translation of one word euaggelizomai, an aorist passive participle. One
could translate, “They who were the subjects of the announcement of the
good news.” The word “unbelief” is the translation of apeitheia made up of
peitho “to persuade” and Alpha privative which makes the compound word
mean, “non-persuasible,” thus, “disobedient.”
Translation. Since therefore it remains over (from past times) that
certain must enter into it, and they who were first the subjects of the
announcement of the glad tidings, did not enter because of disobedience.
(4:7) The word “limiteth” is the translation of horizo which means “to
mark out the boundaries of,” thus, “to put limitations upon, and thus “to
define.” The “again” is the writer’s, as in verse 5, calling attention to
another added detail. God in Psalm 95, defines or designates a day in
which the promise of rest is offered. The words “after so long a time” are
not part of the quotation from the psalm, but refer to the fact that God,
five hundred years after His offer of rest to the generation under Moses,
makes another offer of rest. This offer is accompanied by the warning that
the people should not harden their hearts. The words “as it is said” are
from a verb in the perfect tense, “as it has before been said, and is
still on record.” The words refer to the citations in 3:7, 8, 15.
Translation. Again, a certain day He designates, Today, speaking by means
of David after such a long time, just as it has been said before and is
still on record, Today, if His voice ye will hear, stop hardening your
hearts.
(4:8) The Greek form of the Hebrew name Jehoshua is Iesous. This Greek
word refers to the Lord Jesus in the New Testament except in two places
where the context clearly indicates that it speaks of Joshua, Acts 7:45
and in this passage. The Greek name refers to either Joshua or Jesus. The
argument of the writer is that if Joshua had given Israel a complete and
final rest in Canaan, then God would not, five hundred years afterward,
have spoken of a rest for Israel as He did in Psalm 95. The writer has now
proved that Jesus the Messiah is better than Joshua since He provides a
better rest than Joshua did. The rest into which Joshua led Israel was a
temporal, physical, and material rest, whereas Jesus leads into an eternal
and spiritual rest. Since Jesus is better than Joshua, the New Testament
is superior to and takes the place of the First Testament.
Translation. For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He not have
spoken of another day afterward.
e. Exhortation to enter into rest in Messiah, and warning against
continued unbelief (vv. 9–13).
(4:9) The writer
uses here a different Greek word for “rest.” In his previous references to
the idea of rest, he has used katapausis, meaning “a cessation from
activity,” thus “a rest,” a general word for the idea of rest. Now, he
uses sabbatismos , the word used of the Sabbath rest. The word points back
to God’s original rest, and speaks of the ideal rest. It is a Sabbath rest
because the believer reaches a definite stage of attainment and has
satisfactorily accomplished a purpose, as God did when He finished the
work of creation. It is not the believer’s rest into which he enters and
in which he participates, but in God’s unique, personal rest in which the
believer shares.
Translation. Therefore there remains over a rest for the people of God.
(4:10) The writer goes back to katapausis as the word for “rest” in this
verse. The person who has entered into His (God’s) rest, has ceased from
his works as God did from His own private, peculiar, personal works. The
word “his” before “rest” is the general personal pronoun, referring here
to God. The words “his own” are the translation of the same personal
pronoun, and the translation should be “his.” The last mention of the
pronoun “his” in the Greek text is the word idios (ijdio") which speaks of
private ownership, of individuality, of uniqueness, and should be
translated “His own.”
Translation. For the one who has entered into His rest also himself has
rested from his works, even as God rested from His own works.
(4:11) The words “let us labor” are the translation of spoudazo which
means “to hasten, make haste, to exert one’s self, endeavor, give
diligence.” It is used in the papyri in such senses as “do your best, take
care, hurry on the doing of something.” The verb speaks of intensity of
purpose followed by intensity of effort toward the realization of that
purpose. These first-century Jews who were on the point of renouncing
their professed faith in Messiah and of returning to the abrogated
sacrifices of Judaism, are exhorted to give diligence, take care, exert
themselves, hasten to enter the rest in Messiah. The readers are warned
not to fall as did the generation under Moses. That generation died a
physical death in the wilderness. Those to whom this warning was issued,
would die in their sins and be lost forever. The example of the wilderness
wanderers should deter them from committing the same sin of unbelief.
><>><>><>
WARREN
WIERSBE ON REST
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Christ Is Greater in
the Rest He Gives (Heb. 3:7–4:13)
This long section is
the second of the five exhortations in this epistle. In the first
exhortation (Heb. 2:1–4), the writer pointed out the danger of drifting
from the Word because of neglect. In this exhortation, he explains the
danger of doubting and disbelieving the Word because of hardness of heart.
It is important that we understand the background of this section, which
is the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and their experiences of unbelief in
the wilderness.
To begin with, we
must understand that there are spiritual lessons in the geography of
Israel’s experiences. The nation’s bondage in Egypt is an illustration of
a sinner’s bondage in this world. Much as Israel was delivered from Egypt
by the blood of lambs and the power of God, so a sinner who believes on
Christ is delivered from the bondage of sin (Col. 1:13–14). Jesus Christ
is “the Lamb of God” whose death and resurrection have made our
deliverance from sin a reality.
It was not God’s
will that Israel remain either in Egypt or in the wilderness. His desire
was that the people enter their glorious inheritance in the land of
Canaan. But when Israel got to the border of their inheritance, they
delayed because they doubted the promise of God (Num. 13–14). “We are not
able” wept the ten spies and the people. “We are able with God’s help!”
said Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. Because the people went backward in
unbelief instead of forward by faith, they missed their inheritance and
died in the wilderness. It was the new generation that possessed the land
and entered into their rest.
What does Canaan
represent to us as Christians today? It represents our spiritual
inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:3, 11, 15–23). It is unfortunate that some
of our hymns and Gospel songs use Canaan as a picture of heaven, and
“crossing the Jordan” as a picture of death. Since Canaan was a place of
battles, and even of defeats, it is not a good illustration of heaven!
Israel had to cross the river by faith (a picture of the believer as he
dies to self and the world, Rom. 6) and claim the inheritance by faith.
They had to “step out by faith” (Josh. 1:3) and claim the land for
themselves, just as believers today must do.
Now we can understand what the wilderness wanderings represent: the
experiences of believers who will not claim their spiritual inheritance in
Christ, who doubt God’s Word and live in restless unbelief. To be sure,
God is with them, as He was with Israel; but they do not enjoy the
fullness of God’s blessing. They are “out of Egypt” but they are not yet
“in Canaan.”
With this
background, we can now better understand one of the key words in this
section—rest (Heb. 3:11, 18; 4:1, 3–5, 8–11). The writer mentioned two
different “rests” found in Old Testament history: (1) God’s Sabbath rest,
when He ceased from His Creation activities (Gen. 2:2; Heb. 4:4); (2)
Israel’s rest in Canaan (Deut. 12:9; Josh. 21:43–45; Heb. 3:11). But he
saw in these “rests” illustrations of the spiritual experiences of
believers today. The Sabbath rest is a picture of our rest in Christ
through salvation (Heb. 4:3; see Matt. 11:28). The Canaan rest is a
picture of our present rest as we claim our inheritance in Christ (Heb.
4:11–13; note the emphasis on the Word of God). The first is the rest of
salvation; the second is the rest of submission.
But there is a third rest that enters into the discussion, that future
rest that all believers will enjoy with God. “There remaineth, therefore,
a rest to the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). This word for rest is the Greek
word sabbatismos—“a keeping of a Sabbath”—and this is the only place in
the New Testament where this word is used. When the saints enter heaven,
it will be like sharing God’s great Sabbath rest, with all labors and
battles ended (Rev. 14:13).
We may diagram these
rests in this way:
Past
Present
Future
God’s Sabbath rest
Salvation rest
Heaven
Israel’s Canaan rest
Submission rest (victory in Christ)
With this background of Israel’s history and the “rests” involved, we may
now examine the passage itself. The writer gives a threefold admonition.
Let us take heed (vv. 7–19). Take heed to what? To the sad history of the
nation of Israel and the important lesson it teaches. The writer quotes
from Psalm 95:7–11, which records God’s response to Israel’s tragic
spiritual condition. God had delivered His people from Egypt and had cared
for them, revealing His power in many signs and wonders. Israel saw all of
this and benefited from it, but the experience did not bring them closer
to God or make them trust Him more. All that God did for them did not
benefit them spiritually. In fact, just the opposite took place: they
hardened their hearts against God! They put God to the test and He did not
fail them; yet they failed Him.
The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of Israel
(except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb) erred in their hearts (Heb. 3:10), which
means that their hearts wandered from God and His Word. They also had evil
hearts of unbelief (Heb. 3:12); they did not believe that God would give
them victory in Canaan. They had seen God perform great signs in Egypt.
Yet they doubted He was adequate for the challenge of Canaan.
When a person has an erring heart and a disbelieving heart, the result
will also be a hard heart. This is a heart that is insensitive to the Word
and work of God. So hard was the heart of Israel that the people even
wanted to return to Egypt! Imagine wanting to exchange their freedom under
God for slavery in Egypt! Of course, all this history spoke to the hearts
of the readers of this letter because they were in danger of “going back”
themselves.
God’s judgment fell on Israel in the wilderness at Kadesh Barnea. That
entire generation was condemned to die, and only the new generation would
enter the land. God said, “They shall not enter into My rest” (Heb. 3:11).
But what message does this bring to a believer today? No believer today,
Jew or Gentile, could go back into the Mosaic legal system since the
temple is gone and there is no priesthood. But every believer is tempted
to give up his confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s
life of compromise and bondage. This is especially true during times of
persecution and suffering. The fires of persecution have always purified
the church because suffering separates true believers from the
counterfeit. True believers are willing to suffer for Christ and they hold
firmly to their convictions and their confession of faith (see Heb. 3:6,
14). We are not saved by holding to our confession. The fact that we hold
to our confession is proof that we are God’s true children.
It is important that we take heed and recognize the spiritual dangers that
exist. But it is also important that we encourage each other to be
faithful to the Lord (Heb. 3:13). We get the impression that some of these
believers addressed were careless about their fellowship in the local
assembly (see Heb. 10:23–25). Christians belong to each other and need
each other. Moses, Caleb, and Joshua did try to encourage Israel when the
nation refused to enter Canaan, but the people would not listen.
It is clear from this section that God was grieved with Israel during the
entire forty years they wandered in the wilderness. The Jews had not been
out of Egypt long when they began to provoke God (Ex. 16:1ff). After He
supplied bread for them, they complained about a lack of water (Ex.
17:1–7). Moses called that place “Massah and Meribah” which means
“provocation and trial.” These same words are used in Hebrews 3:10.
The sin of Israel is stated in Hebrews 3:12—“departing from the living
God.” The Greek word gives us our English word “apostasy.” This is the
only place this word is used in Hebrews. Does “apostasy” mean abandoning
one’s faith and therefore being condemned forever? That does not fit into
this context. Israel departed from the living God by refusing God’s will
for their lives and stubbornly wanting to go their own way back to Egypt.
God did not permit them to return to Egypt. Rather, He disciplined them in
the wilderness. God did not allow His people to return to bondage.
The emphasis in Hebrews is that true believers have an eternal salvation
because they trust a living Saviour who constantly intercedes for them.
But the writer is careful to point out that this confidence is no excuse
for sin. God disciplines His children. Remember that Canaan is not a
picture of heaven, but of the believer’s present spiritual inheritance in
Christ. Believers who doubt God’s Word and rebel against Him do not miss
heaven, but they do miss out on the blessings of their inheritance today,
and they must suffer the chastening of God.
Let us fear (vv. 1–8). Believers today may enter and enjoy their spiritual
inheritance in Christ. We must be careful lest we fail to believe God’s
Word, for it is only as the Word is “mixed with faith” that it can
accomplish its purposes. The argument in this section is given in several
propositions: (1) God finished His work and rested, so that His rest has
been available since Creation. (2) The Jews failed to enter into their
rest. (3) Many years later (Ps. 95), God said that a rest was still
available. That “today” is still here! This means that Joshua did not lead
Israel into the true rest, because a rest still remains. (Note that the
name “Jesus” in Heb. 4:8, kjv, ought to be “Joshua.” “Jesus” is the Greek
form of “Joshua.”)
The Canaan rest for Israel is a picture of the spiritual rest we find in
Christ when we surrender to Him. When we come to Christ by faith, we find
salvation rest (Matt. 11:28). When we yield and learn of Him and obey Him
by faith, we enjoy submission rest (Matt. 11:29–30). The first is “peace
with God” (Rom. 5:1); the second is the “peace of God” (Phil. 4:6–8). It
is by believing that we enter into rest (Heb. 4:3); it is by obeying God
by faith and surrendering to His will that the rest enters into us.
Let us labor (vv. 9–13). “Give diligence” is a good translation of this
admonition. Diligence is the opposite of “drifting” (Heb. 2:1–3). How do
we give diligence? By paying close attention to the Word of God. Israel
did not believe God’s Word, so the rebels fell in the wilderness. “So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).
><>><>><>
JOHN
MACARTHUR ON REST
(MacArthur,
John: Hebrews. Moody Press
)
Hebrews 4 continues
the warning to informed but unresponsive Jews that began in 3:7. These
Jews not only knew the basic truths of the gospel but had even renounced
Judaism. Still they did not trust in Christ. The warning, of course,
applies to anyone who is hesitating in committing himself fully to Jesus
Christ, and can be summarized: “Do not harden your hearts like Israel did
in the wilderness.” The Israelites had left Egypt, but they often longed
to go back. They refused to trust the Lord completely and, oppressive and
disappointing as it was, the old life still had an appeal. They halted at
the crucial point of decision. Consequently, they were not allowed to
enter the Promised Land and into God’s rest. So it is with many who are
drawn to Jesus Christ. Unbelief forfeits rest-that is the writer’s
thought.
The Meaning of Rest
The English rest and the Greek word (katapausis) that it translates here
have similar meanings. The basic idea is that of ceasing from work or from
any kind of action. You stop doing what you are doing. Action, labor, or
exertion is over. Applied to God’s rest, it means no more self-effort as
far as salvation is concerned. It means the end of trying to please God by
our feeble, fleshly works. God’s perfect rest is a rest in free grace.
Rest also means freedom from whatever worries or disturbs you. Some people
cannot rest mentally and emotionally because they are so easily annoyed.
Every little nuisance upsets them and they always feel hassled. Rest does
not mean freedom from all nuisances and hassles; it means freedom from
being so easily bothered by them. It means to be inwardly quiet, composed,
peaceful. To enter God’s rest means to be at peace with God, to possess
the perfect peace He gives. It means to be free from guilt and even
unnecessary feelings of guilt. It means freedom from worry about sin,
because sin is forgiven. God’s rest is the end of legalistic works and the
experience of peace in the total forgiveness of God.
Rest can mean to lie down, be settled, fixed, secure. There is no more
shifting about in frustration from one thing to another, no more running
in circles. In God’s rest we are forever established in Christ. We are
freed from running from philosophy to philosophy, from religion to
religion, from life-style to life-style. We are freed from being tossed
about by every doctrinal wind, every idea or fad, that blows our way. In
Christ, we are established, rooted, grounded, unmoveable. That is the
Christian’s rest.
Rest involves remaining confident, keeping trust. In other words, to rest
in something or someone means to maintain our confidence in it or him. To
enter God’s rest, therefore, means to enjoy the perfect, unshakeable
confidence of salvation in our Lord. We have no more
