In the Book of
Hebrews chapters 3 and 4, the writer talks about entering the rest of
God. He quotes from from Psalm 95 verses 7 to 11. Psalm 95, in turn,
tells of the time when the children of Israel had opportunity to
enter the promised land. The promise that was given to Abraham
generations ago. It was written to the Jewish believers who were
experiencing hardship and persecution. The writer wanted to comfort
his readers, whoever they were.
In the letter, the
writer first of all shows that “Jesus is better”. Better than
Angels, better than Moses and Christ’s sacrifice was better than
the blood of bulls and goats.
He tells the readers
there is a rest of God they can enter into.
Twelve spies were
sent to Canaan to view the land. Ten of the spies were fearful and
returned saying there were “giants in the land” and advised the
people not to enter. The other two spies -Joshua and Caleb- however,
told of the blessing they would receive if they did enter. Sadly the
ten who expressed caution won the day and so The Israelites did not
enter. God was angry because they did not believe. He then said the
would not enter His rest.
The passage in
Hebrews gives us a clue that it is due to unbelief:
Hebrews 3:7-15
as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear
his voice,
8do
not harden your hearts
as you did in the
rebellion,
during the time of
testing in the wilderness,
9where
your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years
they saw what I did.
10That
is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts
are always going astray,
and they have not known
my ways.’
11So
I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never
enter my rest.’ ” b
12See to
it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving
heart that turns away from the living God. 13But
encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so
that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We
have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original
conviction firmly to the very end. 15As
has just been said:“Today, if you hear his voice,do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” c
Believing God is the
key to entering God’s rest.
What is God’s
rest?
Is it stopping
working as the verse Hebrews 4:10
implies? “for anyone who enters God's rest also rests
from their works, just as God did from his.”
Do
we not still do work to earn
wages? Don’t
we have household chores to do? Of course we do! So the Rest of God
is about something different.
Learning that your heavenly Father accepts you, knowing that He loves you, whatever circumstance or situation you may find yourself in, I believe, is the key to knowing that rest.
This is not easy to do. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to “make every effort.” Heb 4:11 “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
It needs to come from revelation. Sometimes we still have to push through to gain it. We can strive in prayer, strive to gain what God has for us, and go through painful and difficult times; very much like the recipients of this letter were. But, they could still know The Rest of God. Knowing and believing their Father was in control, knowing they were safe in His hands; that He would take care of them. This indeed would have been a comfort to them. In the difficult times we are experiencing (Not as bad as they) this can be a comfort to us too.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl give a hint to this: Matt 13:44-45 44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Seeking God, making an effort, was worth everything. Let us then discover the Rest of God.
