By
Randall L. Broad
Read: Ezekial 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27
Today
in the reading from the Book of Hebrews the author reminds the Jewish
Christians in Rome who are being persecuted of an ancient promise established
by God, made to the believers of the Old Testament, and still unfulfilled in
New Testament times. It is a promise of eternal rest for the faithful.
1Therefore,
since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that
none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For we also have
had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they
heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those
who obeyed. 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God
has said,
“So
I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” And yet his works have been finished
since the creation of the world.
4For
somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh
day God rested from all his works.” 5And again in the passage above
he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
Hebrews 4:1-5
The
key phrase here is “… the promise of entering his rest still
stands (v. 1). And
because the promise is not yet fulfilled the author of Hebrews encourages his
audience to remain steady in their new
faith and not backslide into the protection of their old religion. It is human
nature to seek comfort and protection in the familiar and change in life is not
only difficult to achieve, but to sustain. At the first sign of confrontation
or persecution people tend to revert back to what they think God expects of
them. So the author reminds them their ancestors also wanted to turn back and
return to their familiar chains in Egypt despite being witnesses to the
miracles by which God led them from bondage. For this God became angry and
declared … They shall never enter my rest (v. 3). The New
Testament believer understanding of this is rooted in the idea that despite
knowing all of God’s promises and seeing His power they still lacked faith He
would deliver them to the Promised Land.
It
is important to understand, the Book of Hebrews requires knowledge of the Old
Testament because the author frequently references haunting events underlying
the history of the Israelites. As such, Hebrews is one of the longest books in
the New Testament and is written in the purest Greek style. Tradition credits
Paul as the author but too much of the internal and external evidence does not
support that conclusion. Thus many scholars and theologians today accept the
author as unknown. However, they do agree whoever wrote Hebrews was
well-educated, articulate, and knowledgeable of Jewish history. The main theme
of the entire narrative is the story of the Messiah who died as a substitute
for our sins, claimed His throne as the eternal High Priest, sat down to His Sabbath-rest when his work was done (v.
1:3), and became an advocate for those who have faith in Him (v. 6:20). Then,
Just as His Father took a Sabbath-rest on the seventh day; Jesus also took his
rest after His work was finished on earth–and the same Sabbath-rest is promised
to every believer when their purpose is fulfilled.
1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in
all their vast array. 2By the seventh day God had finished the work
he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3Then
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all
the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis
2:1-3
God
made the Heavens and the Earth in six day and on the seventh day he rested with
His creation and established the Sabbath as a day of rest for Adam and Eve and
for all generations to come (Genesis 1:1-2:3).
But
it is not about the ‘weekly’ Sabbath as we understand it …
God
didn’t rest because He was tired or it was the end (… or beginning) of the work
week as people practice it now. He rested because all of creation was finished.
God rested because His work was complete. The faithful honor God on the Sabbath
weekly, but our true rest will come when we have
fulfilled our purpose. New Testament believers are not the first to hear this
gospel–The Old Testament believers also heard the same gospel preached to them
… but
the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the
faith of those who obeyed (v. 2). “Faith”
is the key in the mind of the author of Hebrews. The Israelites fled the
bondage of Egypt in search of an end to their long history of suffering and for them the
promise of the Sabbath-rest was an earthly one. Yet God established the weekly
Sabbath long before to be a time and a place for Adam to put aside the work of
the world and dwell in His sacred presence–it was meant to be a moment of
worship entered into by faith.
But
Adam fell to the lies of the enemy and generations later the Israelites
believed religion was more important than faith. But as they fled Egypt, their
lack of faith led to testing and quarreling with their deliverer–both God and
Moses–and they would be delivered over to death in the wilderness. And so:
6Therefore
since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who
formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their
disobedience, 7God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This
he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already
quoted:
“Today,
if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8For
if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another
day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for
anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from
his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so
that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:6-11
Generations
later God spoke again through one of the psalmists about the Sabbath-rest.
7...
For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his
care. Today, if only you would hear his
voice,
8“Do
not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in
the wilderness,
9where
your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10For
forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose
hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11So
I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”
Psalm 95:7-11
Though the author of Hebrews
ascribes King David as the author of Psalm 95 many scholars today are not as
certain. However one thing we can be certain of is like the writer of Hebrews
the author of Psalm 95 knew those who did not hear God’s voice; who hardened
their hearts; and angered Him through quarreling (Meribah–Exodus 17:1-7) and
testing (Massah–Numbers 20:1-13) would never enter His rest (v.11). And so the
author of Hebrews reminds the new Christians it still remains for some to enter that rest (v. 6), and he encourages
them to remember the Word of God.
12For
the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is
hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
of him to whom we must give account.
14Therefore,
since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not
have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have
one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16Let
us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:12-16
Verse
twelve onward focuses on the two keys to entering the Sabbath-rest. The first
paragraph declares the power of the Word of God. God’s Word convinces
powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully. The Sword of the Lord
humbles, makes men meek and obedient, destroys sin, and teaches doctrine. The
second paragraph declares the two parts of Christ’s ministry: the one revealed
to us here on earth and the other as our advocate in Heaven. God has
promised there will be rest for those who are faithful (c.f. Isaiah 11-10,
32:17-18; Jeremiah 6:16; Matthew 11:28-29; Galatians 6:9; and 2 Thessalonians
3:13).
“God has always declared man’s rest to be in him,
and his love to be the only real happiness of the soul; and faith in his
promises, through his Son, is the only way to entering that rest.”[1]
The
promise of rest was made on the seventh day of creation and is the
fulfillment of God’s purpose. In
the Old Testament, obedience was believed to be the way to enter God’s rest.
When Jesus was asked what the works of God was, He replied. “… The work of God is this: to believe in the one he
has sent" (John 6:29). His words are the resounding declaration of the message
that was preached to every generation from Adam to now: some harden their
hearts and others embrace the gospel with faith. But we can all take comfort in
this–God’s grace is for all, and combined with our faith we can endure anything
because the time of our Sabbath-rest will come when our purpose is fulfilled.
Walk
with the Lord …
Ephesians
1:17
(RLB231102)
©
Copyright 2019: Randall L. Broad
Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.
[1] Henry,
Matthew. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson , 1997: 1207.
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