For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
“So, I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’”
Hebrews 4:3
The story of Israel’s failure to enter into rest was preserved for future generations…for you and me. Modern man and especially God’s church has a lot yet to learn about the importance of the Lord’s rest.
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11
In that great book of Hebrews, Chapter 4, Paul gives believers momentous warnings and asks us to compare ourselves with ancient Israel to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes and fall short. Is the church in these last days repeating the same mistakes as Israel of not resting because of unbelief and therefore falling short? Let us not spend a lot of time surmising that the experience of “belief” is to merely acknowledge doctrinal precepts about Jesus and going to church each week. We are told that the devils believe (James 2:19). Belief is more dynamic than we might think.
Failure to Believe
Paul outlines the deadly results of the Hebrews’ failure to enter into the rest God had provided. He then acknowledges to his readers that we “who have believed DO enter that rest.” So right away, we see a connection between belief and rest. But there is more.
The “belief” in Paul’s argument is not the kind of experience of the devils. On the contrary, it is all about trusting God even when things look their bleakest, and we feel our weakness; or when we feel strong and confident! It is trusting God against the influence of the world and traditions of people who appear as angels of light. It is sad that a person can be a believer but still live outside God’s will. Here is where Israel failed. They believed in God’s existence, but they didn’t trust God’s promises to protect them from their enemies, and they became disobedient to God.
The failure to trust God will always result in disobedience, excuses, and rationalization about sin, no matter how big or small the offense.
Author
We live in a world where obedience and compliance are signs of weakness. To the modern Christian obeying God’s law has been called legalism in some circles. Somehow, we have been duped into thinking the Grace of God and faith is a license to disobey. In our ignorance about God’s will and His requirement of obedience, we have gone so far as to say things like, “the law of God has been done away with.” We can’t connect the dots between faith, belief, and obedience.
God’s Wrath and His Deadly Oath
Verse 3 of Hebrews 4 is an eye-opening statement. Because of His wrath, God swears that the Israelites will not enter into His rest. What has angered God so much that He makes an oath, a covenant, of prohibiting His people from entering into His rest?
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them.” Hebrews 4: 1,2
Did you catch that? The good news (gospel) preached to you and me in 2022 was also preached to them (God’s people in the Old Testament)! The Good News of Jesus! Image that! How many of us think that the Old Testament did not contain the gospel about Jesus! How wrong is that! The sermons they received were not from notes of a preacher behind a podium, but it was taught through the experiences of great patriarchs of old AND daily from a School Master of priestly services. This teacher was the ceremonial laws and services of types and ceremonies God instructed Moses to write down and then give to the people to follow. If followed, it would teach them about Christ, God’s plan of salvation, and the experience of faith. It was meant to change the heart and mind about the nature of God. It was designed to build trust.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24
The death of an innocent lamb in the sanctuary services was probably the most explicit message of the substitutionary death of the sinless Son of God for our sins. What great news of escape from the wages of sin and death for them and us at the expense of God the Father and Jesus Christ!
The daily services of the priest and sacrifices signified the earned work of Jesus on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary. It showed us his continual intermediation for all of us!
We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, Hebrews 8:1
Many other services had the gospel of Jesus Christ. They all taught the good news of grace, forgiveness, atonement, and mercy. Those services were “shadows” pointing forward to the nature of Christ and His coming as the sacrificial lamb of God (Hebrews 10:1).
But sadly, the gospel “did not profit them.” It did them no good because they could not find in themselves the desire to trust and obey God. Yes, they were somewhat faithful to follow the forms and ceremonies, but their heart was somewhere other than on the God who rescued them.
They wanted to be like the other nations. So, they began to break God’s eternal law of ten commandments willfully. They had other Gods; they rationalized away others. They put heavy burdens on the one law meant to give rest (The Sabbath commandment). This angered God, and as a result, they failed to enter into His rest. What is this rest? Why is it so important? How does it apply to the modern believer?
Without Faith, God is Not Pleased
But without faith, it is impossible to please Him…Hebrews 11:6
Like the Hebrews of old, many people fail to enter into God’s rest because of unbelief or lack of faith (aka trust). The people of God believed in the existence of their God, but they did not have faith or trust in Him. Their actions proved they did not trust Him. God had made many promises, but they simply did not trust God to perform what He said He would do.
James understood the connection of works (actions) with faith. These “works” are undeniable proof that absolute trust is in the believer’s heart and not merely lip service.
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18
Often, we read this passage from James and think that “works” are good deeds. But, in the context of the book of James, works are equated with belief (trust) and obedience to God’s will as found in the ten commandments.
Abraham’s Faith and Obedience.
And the Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. James 2: 23, 24
How was Abraham’s belief signified? It was not lip-service, but it contained action or obedience. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 8:11
Here again, we see the connection between faith and obedience (works).
Now we can see the problem with Israel; They failed to grasp that faith and trust are the same things, and genuine faith will result in corresponding actions of obedience to God’s word. Although they had plenty of proof that God would keep His promises, they let other things of disbelief rule their life. This did not give them rest in their hearts nor from their enemies. Here is the nature of their problem. Their lack of faith led to disobedience, and they did not enter into the promised rest.
“…those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience.”
Hebrews 4:6
Paul’s Argument for Rest
Paul begins to compare the works of God at creation. And He compares His rest on the seventh day as a model for us. Interestingly, the first 24 hours of Adam and Eve were spent in “rest.” This could not be rest as we think of it, i.e., taking a nap. Why would Adam and Eve be physically tired? God does not tire; He doesn’t sleep. This “rest” of God was the rest of the relationship. God set aside weekly time for his creation to have a date with Him. To this day, it gives you an invitation of time for complete attention to a relationship with your creator. “The Sabbath was made for man,” But the jews made it into something else…a religious requirement for God’s acceptance. To this day, many think about the Sabbath in legalistic terms like this, but the Sabbath is all amount relationship and faith if “remembered” correctly.
Although the work of creation didn’t make God tired, it didn’t allow dedicated time for a relationship with His creation. There may have been no need for the Sabbath had there been no humans made in His image.
“…although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Hebrews 4: 3-5
Paul partially quotes the “certain place” mentioned here and references the creation story and the seventh day in Genesis. Probably because his audience knew these passages well. The entire wording is:
And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2,3
Then Paul quotes from another “place” or passage of Scripture. This time it is from David in the Psalms.
“So, I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Psalm 95:11
Paul compares the “rest” God desires for the benefit of His people of ceasing from their labors on the seventh-day Sabbath. Right away, we should notice three main points in Paul’s argument regarding rest.
1.) Jesus, our Creator (See John 1), rested from His work. He is our example of rest. We don’t see Jesus taking naps on the Sabbath; we see Him going about the work of salvation. If we follow his example, it is less about physical rest and more about focusing on a relationship with Him through service. For it to become a “do nothing” day is not the spirit of the Sabbath.
2.) God blessed the seventh day for a reason. The seventh day is blessed and sanctified (set aside) by God Himself as a witness to His creative powers and the concept of spiritual rest. Every Sabbath testifies that God made the heavens and earth. This should have an impact on evolutionary thinking. There is no reason for an astronomical-related seven-day week other than the fact that God made the cycle of six days of work and one day of rest. The process always begins, as with the example of the creation week, with the first day and ends with the seventh day. Therefore, the cycle of work and then rest is not a day of our choosing, reasoning, or convenience but the one God blessed and sanctified at the beginning for all mankind.
“…Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it…Genesis 2:3
3.) Those who fail to enter His rest are because of unbelief and disobedience. This Israel did when they disobeyed God and followed “strange gods.”
God desires to give His people rest that is physical, spiritual, and also a testimony. The gift of the Sabbath rest, planted in the heart of the Ten Commandments, demonstrates that they trust God. Keeping the Sabbath made no sense to the world because they didn’t acknowledge God as Creator. Since God is the Creator, He knows how crucial physical rest can be. Why do Christians fail to believe that God desires His people to prosper and be in health even as the soul prospers? 3 John 1:2
Jesus is the rest we need, both physically, spiritually, and as a testimony. Jesus used Sabbath language when he said,
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
He can give both physical and spiritual rest because He was the one who claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath.
And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:5
Israel’s Failure to Trust God
The literal and spiritual rest God wanted for Israel was to have their own land and to live peaceable lives. This rest was to testify to their loyalty to the true (and only) Creator God. If they obeyed God, it would demonstrate the power of obedience and faith in the living God to the world. By obedience to Him, they would be a stark contrast to the rest of the world. They would bring a knowledge of the only true God even to the Gentiles.
“Arise, shine, for your light, has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth.
And thick darkness over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you,
and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light
and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60: 1-3
But Israel failed to enter into this rest! God brought them to the borders of the promised land and desired to end their wandering in the desert; God was ready to give the land promised them and rest from their enemies:
See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and their descendants after them.” Deuteronomy 1:8
At God’s direction, the people left Horeb and reached the hill country at Kadesh Barnea. Again, God tells them to take the land as He had promised and not be afraid or discouraged by what they see!
“See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 1:21
But the people said, “hold on. What is the hurry?” Instead of believing God and moving forward as God directed, they wanted to spy out the land, so they came up with the idea to send spies to scope out the land.
“Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” Deuteronomy 1:22
Like today, we think forming a committee to determine the “route we are to take” is very practical. But, instead of moving forward at the Lord’s command by faith and what He has already assured us, we look for human ways to move forward.
Moses sent spies into the land as they requested. All but two spies (Joshua and Caleb) gave stories that created fear and doubt in the people’s minds. This should be a clear message to leaders in the church today. Messages should be one of faith and trusting God. If God says to move forward, spies are not needed. Joshua’s message was the right one,
“…do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” Number 14:9
Here at Kadesh Barnea, the people rebelled against God because of a lack of trust in Him and His word. They went so far as to accuse God of hating them and seeking a way to destroy them!
But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than us; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’” Deuteronomy 1: 26-28
Because of this rebellion, God took away the promised rest because they failed to trust and obey Him.
When the Lord heard what you said, He was angry and solemnly swore: “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,
Deuteronomy 1:34, 35
But here is where they made another mistake. When they heard that they were not going to “see the good land,” they decided to move forward as God had said originally. But it was too late. They moved without the blessing or command of God.
“We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. Deuteronomy 1:41
They assumed God would support their works, their fight, and be with them. The Lord told them not to go and gave them a promise of defeat. But they went anyway.
But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight because I will not be with you. Your enemies will defeat you. You rebelled against the Lord’s command, and in your arrogance, you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down Deuteronomy 1: 42-44
Israel had failed to hear and obey God. They were fearful and afraid because they did not trust in the command and promises of God. They didn’t believe God. Some of God’s people kept their faith and trusted God. A list of these can be found in Hebrews 11. But even those of faith could see further than just land on this earth. They looked to the heavenly land. They have not received this promise to this date because the ultimate promise is heaven, not a piece of land on earth.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them , and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth…. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11: 13,16
Looking back at this story, meant for us, what can we learn? What is the rest we are to enter? Is there a land promised to us to free us from our enemies…to be safe…to have a relationship with Jesus after all the work has been completed? Yes! As mentioned above in Hebrews 11:13, it is a heavenly country
The promises of God were canceled by those who did not trust God…those with unbelief. They trusted in their own efforts and did not take God at His word. Paul brings us to a conclusion:
Israel and Us-Rest or Not?
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a particular day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Hebrews 4: 6-9
The conclusion of the story of Israel, who failed to enter into rest, is very perplexing to the modern follower of God. These phrases confuse us because we don’t want to hear what we think we are hearing.
“Since therefore it remains that some must enter it.” (Some of us have not entered God’s rest). Like Israel, our unbelief or lack of faith keeps us from rest.
Some will not enter into God’s rest from their enemies “because of disobedience.”
We can talk about grace, mercy, faith, and eternal security all day long, but if some of us disobey God, we will not enter into the land promised by God.
He designates a particular day. Paul connects this phrase with what David said in Psalm 95:8
We are asked to “not harden our hearts.” We are to” hear His voice”!
For if Joshua (Jesus) had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.
Hebrews 4:8
Moses brought them to the borders of the promised land, but it took Joshua (Jesus) to lead a new generation into the promised land finally. Moses represents the law that can bring conviction of sin, but faith in Jesus completes the trip into the promised land.
We are confused because of our eerily similar failures. We stand on the border looking at the land promised to us (heavenly). We are much like Israel, which failed to move forward because of unbelief. We don’t trust God. We don’t have faith in His promises. We don’t have a testimony to the world.
We think the Sabbath commandment is legalistic and only for the Jews, while the other nine do not fall into that category. Why? It is because resting in God is not convenient and misunderstood. It cuts across the tradition of the church. It threatens the modern church. God says, “Remember.” The church says to forget. The commandment says the seventh day; the church says the first day.
Tradition, routine, and the works of our hands constrict our trust. We say we trust God, but our actions speak otherwise. When God tells us something in scripture that cuts across tradition and feelings, we balk. We form committees to discuss the “route we should take” instead of listening to the simple command to “hear His voice.” When God says go, and we wait, we miss the opportunity to be empowered by God’s Spirit and His promises of victory.
The story of God’s salvation, the gospel, and what Paul wants us to hear does not profit us if we fail to trust God and move forward at His command. Our testimony is of no effect if we are like the other nations around us.
But if we can find rest in Jesus both physically and spiritually, a testimony of our belief will shine. “Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God Hebrews 4:9 NIV