“Therefore 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, God 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.’
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let 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
The previous sections of this book have been discussing the people of Israel and how their disobedience to God prohibited them from entering the “rest” of the Promised Land, and how that relates to our obedience to God and our faith in Jesus. The previous passage told us to live out our faith in Jesus Christ so we can enter God’s rest – eternal life with Him. Now, this section starts with a “therefore” that builds on all of that.
Some will not enter that rest, but some will enter it because it would go against God’s character for His plan for humanity to go unfulfilled. God prepared His rest for humanity, so that means at least some will enter into it. Nothing can stop God’s promises from being fulfilled. But, we should also have a healthy fear of God’s promises; just because they will be fulfilled does not mean that they’ll always be fulfilled for us if we choose disobedience over obedience and faith.
The author of Hebrews is focusing on two specific generations in this passage: the generation of Israelites that wandered into the wilderness and was prevented from entering the Promised Land, and those alive in his own generation in the first century. That early generation of Isrealites set the pattern for disobedience even after God did miraculous works for them. The word used here for disobedience could also mean disbelief, and the two are tied together. The only reason Israel would disobey Almighty God was if they didn’t fully believe in His provision for them, in spite of seeing it with their own eyes.
The author is using this example of the people of Israel to encourage the believers in his own generation to believe in God and obey Him in all things. He quotes Psalm 95 yet again, encouraging the people to not harden their hearts but to obey God when He speaks to them. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (For more on this, check out this post.) There is always time to repent and begin a life of obedience to God, as long as the day is called “Today”!
The use of the name “Joshua” in verse 8 is very interesting. The names Joshua and Jesus are very closely related; Joshua is the Hebrew form and Jesus is the Greek form. The two names both have the same meaning – one who saves. Using the name Joshua in the English brings back memories of the people of Israel, as Joshua was their leader right after Moses, and Joshua led them into the Promised Land. The Greek text, however, says “Jesus” here. What’s up with that?
The original readers of this text would have gotten the connection between the two. Joshua brought them into God’s rest of the Promised Land, but he could only go so far. Jesus is the one who truly provides salvation and will bring us into God’s rest of eternal life! Joshua could only go so far in the physical world; Jesus saves our souls as well.
In verse 9, we see the author clarifying this “rest” a bit. There are different kinds of rest that people would experience – the sleeping kind of rest, rest as in peace rather than a time of war, etc. It appears that the author of Hebrews made up this term for “Sabbath-rest” to explain this a bit more. It’s like when we don’t have a word for what we want to talk about, so we make one up; Biblical authors did that, too. It is likely that the author was referring to the rest that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This rest is for the people of God, which refers to all believers in this New Testament context.
The author explains this idea of Sabbath-rest a bit more in verse 10. To enter this rest means to rest from our works, just as God rested on the seventh day of Creation (Genesis 2:1-3). In our productivity-driven culture, we often think of resting as lazy and it has a negative connotation. We need to keep striving and doing all the things, right? Wrong! If the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, could take a day off, then so can we. We often forget that taking a day of rest each week is actually a command from God; for more on that, check out this post and Exodus 20:8-11.
There is some question as to whether this verse refers to taking a Sabbath day’s rest while here on earth, or whether it refers to eternal life as has been implied previously. I believe it is both. Taking a Sabbath rest while living on this earth is being obedient to the command that God has given us and the model that He set for us, which will lead us to living out our faith in Jesus Christ that will get us to God’s rest of eternal life. It’s a both-and situation, not an either-or.
Finally, the author wraps up this section by exhorting people to do just that: “Make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience” (verse 11). The example he is referring to is that of the people of Israel; don’t follow their disobedience, but instead live out God’s commands in order to demonstrate your faith in Jesus Christ.
What pattern are you following in your life? Are you following the Israelites’ pattern of disobeying God? Or are you following the pattern of living out your faith in Jesus Christ through obedience to what God commands you?
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