Hebrews 2:5-4:13

Compiled notes from my BSF group


Hebrews 2:5–18


“The world to come” refers to Jesus’ millennial reign after His second coming.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 2:5 (The Message) = God didn't put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we're dealing with here.


* Hebrews 2:5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come. Christ, as bearer of the new revelation (see 1:2-3 and note), is superior to angels who had participated in bringing the revelation at Sinai (see 2:2 and note).


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews2
Jesus the human In verse 5 he writes, "It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking." To support this point, he quotes Psalm 8:4-5: "But there is a place where someone has testified: ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.’ " The psalm says everything will be put under humans. But the Son of God is the heir of everything (Heb. 1:2). That means that he must be human. Jesus had to be made lower than the angels at one stage, crowned with glory and honor at another stage. He is the representative and the pioneer, the trail blazer, for all other humans. "In putting everything under him [humanity], God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:8-9). We do not yet see glory and honor for other humans, but we do see it for Jesus, our representative.


Why was he so honored? Verse 9 tells us it is "because he suffered death." His example would be meaningful to readers who were facing persecution and threats. In this world, we suffer and die. In the next, we have glory and honor.


Of course, Jesus’ death is far more significant than just as an example. Verse 9 tells us that "by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." He died for us, in our place. The author will enlarge on this concept later.


God subjected the world to come to Jesus, not to the angels.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 2:6-8 = Awed by the marvelous order and immensity of God's handiwork in the celestial universe, the psalmist marveled at the high dignity God had bestowed on puny mortals by entrusting them with dominion over the other creatures (see Ge 1:26-28 and notes).


* Excerpt from "Learn the Bible in 24 Hours" by Dr. Chuck Missler (p. 243)
The Son's superiority because of His humanity was the second line of argument in this book. Why his humanity? Because sovereignty over the earth was promised to man, not angels (Genesis 1). Through sin, man lost this sovereignty to Satan and his angels. But the Messiah has regained dominion for man. Man will be associated with Him in rule. The Messiah became a man to reclaim dominion of the earth, which was originally committed to man. That was the end run on Satan's presumed victory in Eden. The Son is also superior in the salvation He offers. Why His salvation? Because He manifested divine grace. Here the writer cites Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8. The Son was to overcome the Prince of Death to free the believer from the fear of death and to help man. All these reasons are why He is superior to the angels.


When Jesus was for a time “made lower than the angels”, He died on the cross to atone for the sins of the world by the Grace of God.


The 3 enemies from which Christ’s death freed us are 1) the devil, 2) death, and 3) sins.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 2:14 him who holds the power of death. Satan wields the power of death only insofar as he induces people to sin and to come under sin's penalty, which is death (see Ro 5:12; 6:23 and notes).


* Hebrews 2:17 merciful and faithful high priest. See v. 18; 5:2. high priest. In Israel the head of the priestly order, the only one who could enter into the very presence of God in the Most Holy Place in the temple - to make atonement for the people of God (see 9:7 and note; 13:11; Lev 16:1-34 and note). make atonement. See NIV text note. In order for Christ to turn aside the wrath of God against guilty sinners, he had to become one with them and die as a substitute for them (see notes on Lev 16:20-22; 17:11; Ro 3:25; 1 Jn 2:2).


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews2
"For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants" (v. 16). Jesus wanted to save us, so he became one of us. "For this reason, he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people" (v. 17).
Here the author has come to the end of a section, and he begins to lay a foundation for later parts of the letter. He summarizes by saying that Jesus was fully human so he could save us. He will write more about the atonement in later chapters, and more about Jesus’ mercy and faithfulness. But now he just mentions them as hints of things yet to be discussed. He mentions Jesus as high priest, too, which he will also develop. But after these hints, he goes back to wrap up this section: "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" (v. 18). The readers were facing suffering and temptation. They were afraid of death, and the author is saying, Jesus has been there. He can help. Jesus is not just a heavenly being—he was made flesh so he could suffer and die for us, and pave the way for our exaltation into glory. We are his family, and he will bring us through. On the other side of death is tremendous glory.


Jesus came the first time to conquer death and sin. His mission was not to destroy Satan. The Old Testament spoke of prophesies the Messiah would fulfill in order to atone for the sins of the world and to ultimately become the King of kings.


The ultimate destruction of Satan has already been prophesied (Isaiah, Revelation), and it will be done by God after the Thousand-Year Reign of Jesus (Revelation). During the Thousand-Year Reign, Satan will be bound and imprisoned.


The reason why Satan is the Prince of the World is because when Satan successfully seduced Adam and Eve to sin against God, he won over the title deed of Earth from Adam and Eve. By fulfilling all prophecies pertaining to the Messiah, Jesus Christ became the only perfect being who could open the 7-Seal Scroll (Revelation 5). It is not until that point does Jesus wins back the title deed to Earth.
Satan is the Prince of Death because he can tempt us to sin and to come under sin's penalty, which is death.


So, the death of Jesus conquered Satan’s hold over Earth. However, Satan is still free to roam in the world because the time has not come yet for Jesus to reclaim Earth.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Romans 6:23 = For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews2
Many children to glory Jesus is our representative not only in death but also in ruling the universe. The journey he has taken, we will also take. This is the greatness of the salvation that Jesus brings: the greatness of ruling all things. But it comes through death—Jesus had to die, and we have to die, too, before we can enter into glory and reign with Christ. "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering" (v. 10). God’s plan is for many children to be given glory. To save us, the Messiah had to become one of us, and die. Verse 11: "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." Jesus makes humans holy, and he became a human. Psalm 22, a messianic psalm, supports that. Verse 22, as quoted in Hebrews, says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." Jesus put himself at our level so he could bring us up to his level. This is the great salvation he offers us, the great salvation we do not want to neglect or drift away from. Then Hebrews quotes from Isa. 8:17: "I will put my trust in him." (Isa. 8 is also a messianic passage; verse 14 is about the stone of stumbling.) Even the Messiah had to trust in God. He depended on God to take care of him after death. The next verse, Isa. 8:18, also says that we are in Christ’s family. "Again he says, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’ " The image has changed from brothers to children, but the point is still the same: Christ is a human, just as we are. If we hope to be exalted in the way that he was, we need to follow him. Verse 14: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil." Jesus became human so his death would be effective for us. The devil and death can no longer keep us captive: they have been conquered. Jesus freed "those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (v. 15). Death still strikes us, and it is still an enemy, but it cannot hold us permanently. Jesus gives us courage in the face of death.




Hebrews 3:1–6


We can "fix our thoughts on Jesus" by 1) reading the Bible daily (Joshua 1:8), 2) thinking about God's Word constantly (Deuteronomy 6:6-7), and 3) treasuring God's word in your heart (Psalm 119:11).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


*Joshua 1:8 = This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.


* Deuteronomy 6:6-7 = These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.


* Psalm 119:11 = I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews3
Hebrews 3: Think about Jesus and Be Faithful. How can we be faithful? How can we help one another? Hebrews 3 addresses these questions. They are as important today as they were in the first century.


We can look up to Jesus as our role model, remembering the life that He lived. We are tempted often in this world, and when Jesus was man, He, too, was tempted by Satan and the world. However, He was able to resist the temptation and remain loyal to God. Whenever we run into problems we feel to be too big for us to solve on our own, especially when we feel we are tempted, we should thus immediately think of Jesus and think how He would do to resolve the problems.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews3
The first word in Hebrews 3 is therefore, which means that it is drawing a conclusion based on previous things. Chapter 2 explained that Jesus became a human being so he could save human beings. He is our high priest and intercessor because he was a human. He suffered, so he knows the struggles we go through, and he can sympathize with our weakness. He can help us. He not only atoned for our sins, he is able to help us in our temptations.


No matter what Christians do in life, including meditation, our focus is always on Jesus. Whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God, and ONLY God. Transcendental meditation or any other practice that worships other gods have demonic roots and pull Christians away from God. God told us again and again that there is only ONE God, and we should not worship idols (throughout the Old Testament). The most obvious reason is when we stray away from God, we head right into Satan’s trap, allowing him to seduce us away from God. Again, Satan tempted Jesus for 40 days and nights in the dessert, and it was a time of trial for Jesus. It was a difficult time, but Jesus conquered Satan’s temptations.


For me, the most memorable similarity between Jesus and Moses is that they both led their people out of slavery (Moses, from Egypt; Jesus, from Satan). The most memorable difference between them is that Moses sinned against God and could not enter the promised land, whereas Jesus was perfect and never sinned thereby becoming the ONLY way through whom we all can enter Heaven, enter the presence of God.


More similarities:

- Both are faithful to God (Hebrews 3:2).
- Both are sent by God to lead His people.
- Both led God's people from bondage. Moses led them from bondage under the Egyptian pharaoh. Jesus led them from bondage under the devil.



More differences:

- Jesus is worthy of greater honor than Moses (Hebrews 3:3).
- Jesus is the creator; Moses is the created (Hebrews 3:4).
- Jesus is the Son of God who is in charge of God's house, while Moses served in God's house (Hebrews 3:5-6).



Even more:
http://www.enerspace.com/moses.htm


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 3:5-6 (The Message) = Moses did a good job in God's house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.


* Hebrews 3:5-6 (NIV) = "Moses was faithful as servant in all God's house, " bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house.


* 3:1-6 The faithful high priest who is worthy of our trust because he is greater than Moses.


* 3:2 A comparison of Christ and Moses, both of whom were sent by the Father to lead his people - the one to lead them from bondage under the pharaoh to the promised land, the other to lead them from bondage under the devil (2:14-15) to the Sabbath - rest promised to those who believe (4:3,9). The analogy focuses on faithful stewardship.


* 3:3 The builder...has greater honor than the house. Jesus is the actual builder of the house (or household), whereas Moses was simply a part of it.


* 3:4 God is the builder of everything. Jesus is here equated with God, making it beyond question that Christ is greater than Moses.


* 3:5-6 a servant in all God's house...a son over God's house. The superiority of Christ over Moses is shown in two comparisons: (1) Moses was a servant, whereas Christ is a son, and (2) Moses was in God's house, i.e., a part of it, whereas Christ is over God's house.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews3
Think about Jesus
Based on that foundation, the author writes, "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess" (Heb. 3:1). Since Jesus is the basis of our salvation and the one who enables it to be applied to our lives, we need to concentrate on Jesus. We need to make sure that nothing distracts us from a focus on Jesus. This is the only place in the Bible where Jesus is called an apostle. The word means "one who is sent," and Jesus was sent from God to us. He had a message, and we are to pay attention to what he said, but we are also to pay attention to Jesus himself, because he as a person is part of the message of God. His death has meaning for us only because of who he is: the Son of God. Hebrews is the only book in the Bible that calls Jesus our high priest. As an apostle, he speaks to humanity on behalf of God. As a high priest, he speaks to God on behalf of humanity. He is our mediator, who bridges the gap between us and God. That’s why we need to look to him. What are we supposed to see in Jesus? Verse 2 tells us: "He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house." The readers respected Moses, so our author is saying, Moses was a really faithful person, but let’s compare Moses with Jesus. "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself" (v. 3). Jesus, at the right hand of God, has been given more honor than Moses. "For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything" (v. 4). God made everything through his Son (Heb. 1:2); that in itself gives Jesus more honor than Moses.
Servant or Son?


The author now shifts to a different analogy, the difference between a servant and a son: "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future" (3:5, quoting from Num. 12:7). Moses was faithful, saying what God wanted him to say, but he was faithful as a servant. The best that he could be, the best that any human being could be, was a faithful servant. "But Christ," v. 6 says, "is faithful as a son over God’s house. Jesus Christ is in a class by himself. Moses was faithful, but if you look to him as an example of faithfulness, you are looking to an inferior example. Before Jesus, he was the best example available. But now that Jesus has been revealed, we should look to Jesus as our example. Our religious life centers on him, not on Moses.


Then we are told, "And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast" (v. 6b). If we keep our faith in Christ, then it shows that we are his people. This is a general statement; it is not talking about whether a person can leave for a time and then come back to Christ. This verse does not tell us to relax, but to be diligent.




Hebrews 3:7–19
Numbers 13–14


Some of the most disastrous ways we can squander our time is by refusing to LOGICALLY consider the validity of the Bible and God’s warnings and promises. With the coming of the Internet Age, we now have the world’s information within our fingertips. It is no longer difficult for the average Joe to conduct simple literature research. All we have to do is ask and seek. However, if we avoid asking and seeking because we’re imprisoned by our emotions (because we’re afraid, because we’re proud, because we’re angry, etc.), then every second we refuse to seek the Truth is wasted.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 3:7 - 4:13 An exposition of Ps 95:7-11, stressing Christ's superiority over Moses, and a warning (the second; see note on 2:1-4) against disobedience and unbelief.


* 3:7-11 This quotation from Ps 95:7-11 summarizes the inglorious history of Israel under Moses' leadership in the desert. Three time periods are alluded to: that of the exodus, that of the psalmist and that of the writing of Hebrews. The example of Israel under Moses was used by the psalmist to warn the Israelites of his day against unbelief and disobedience. Similarly the author of Hebrews recalls the psalmist's words to warn the readers of this letter.




Hebrews 3:15–19


Israel broke fellowship with God by doing the following:
- They hardened their hearts (Hebrews 3:15)
- They sinned against God (Hebrews 3:17)
- They disobeyed God (Hebrews 3:18)
- They had unbelief (Hebrews 3:19)


God's response with Israel's rebellion:
God was angry with them for forty years and their bodies perished in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:17). God also 
swore that they would never enter his rest (Hebrews 3:18).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 3:16-19 The argument is pursued with a series of rhetorical questions. The important truths are that the people who failed to enter Canaan were the ones who had heard God's promise concerning the land and that they refused to believe what God had promised (v. 19) - an action described as rebellion (v. 16), sin (v. 17) and disobedience (v. 18). Consequently, God in his anger closed the doors of Canaan in the face of that whole generation of Israelites (Nu 14:21-35).




Hebrews 4:1–13


There are two meanings of rest that appeared in Hebrew 3 & 4.


1. rest (verb) To take a break from work: For example, God rested from all his work (Hebrews 4:4); also, Christians no longer need to "work" to gain salvation because Christ has finished the "work" on the cross
2. rest (noun): Salvation; relief from the yoke of this life: For example, to enter God’s rest (Hebrews 4)


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 4:1 promise of entering his rest. See Ex 33:14; Dt 3:20 and note. still stands. God's promise to bring his people into circumstances of "rest" in his creation, while conditional, was open-ended. It was grounded in God's convenanted promises to Abraham (see Ge 15:12-21; 17:1-8, 22:15-18), was later reinforced by God's covenant with David (see 2Sa 7:5-16 and notes; cf. 1Ki 5:4 and note) and eventually came to be focused on the Messiah (see Isa 11:1-9 and notes). Through the Messiah's reign, God's promise of rest will ultimately be fulfilled in the new creation (see Isa 65:17; 66:22; Rev 21:4).


* 4:3 we who have believed enter that rest. Just as entering into rest in Canaan demanded faith in God's promise, so the ultimate salvation-rest is entered only by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. his work has been finished since the creation of the world. God rested from his work on the seventh day of creation (see v. 4; Ge 2:2), and thus his rest is already a reality. The rest God calls us to enter (vv. 10-11) is not our rest but his rest, which he invites us to share.


* 4:6-8 Israel's going into Canaan under Joshua was a partial and temporary entering of God's rest. That, however, was not the end of entering, as shown in the continuing invitation of Ps 75:7-8.


* 4:9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest. God's rest may still be entered by faith in his Sons. Since the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT (the Septuagint) that the author and his readers knew well made no verbal distinction between the Sabbath "rest" (Hebrew shabbat [see, e.g., Ge 2:2; Ex 20:11; 23:12]) and the condition of "rest" that Israel, if faithful, was to experience every day in the promised land (Hebrew nuah / menuhah [see, e.g., Ex 31:14; Dt 3:20]), the writer associates these two in a way that suggests he saw in the weekly Sabbath-rest a sign and pledge of the promised life of rest. The fact that neither the Hebrew nor the Septuagint made any verbal distinction between God's "rest" in Ps 95:11 and his "resting place" in Ps 132:14; Isa 66:1 (see note on Ps 132:8) may have reinforced this striking conceptual association.


* 4:10 rests from his own work. Believers cease their efforts to gain salvation by their own works and rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross. The believer's final rest may also be view here (see Rev 14:13).


* 4:11 make every effort. Not a call to earn one's salvation by works, but an exhortation to enter salvation-rest by faith and not follow Israel's sad example in the desert.


It is easy to take a break from work. We do it all the time. When we are tired, we stop working. It’s the natural thing to do. Entering God’s rest is more complicated, because it’s not as natural to do.


In order for us to completely relinquish our yoke of this world, we need to place our faith completely in God’s hands. We need to see past the needs and wants of this world and trust that God will provide. This is very difficult to do because we live in a world where “seeing is believing”. We need food and shelter to stay alive. And to get food and shelter, we need money, or some similar means for transaction – things that we have come to learn that it is best to depend and rely on ourselves. Thus, when we are told to leave such things in God’s hands, to trust that as long as we follow God’s Way, God will provide, we waiver. Really? God will just miraculously make me not hungry, make me not cold? How am I supposed to buy a week’s worth of grocery with faith? The cashiers don’t want my faith; they want my money!


“God will provide” is such an ambiguous term. What does that mean really? Well, sometimes it could mean a miracle. When Jesus fed 5000 men with 2 fish and 5 loaves, that was a miraculous act. But sometimes, it may not take a miraculous miracle for God to provide. For example, a friend of mine needed a heart surgery that she couldn’t possibly afford. But she had to have it otherwise she’d die, and so she went ahead and started budgeting for it, getting ready to take out a loan. At the same time, she also never lost faith and knew that God will always look out for her. When she called up her insurance company, she was told that the insurance company was willing to get the hospital to pay for half of it, and the rest, the insurance company was willing to absorb. She was able to have this life-saving surgery without having to spend a single penny. For people who have had to deal with medical insurance, we know this is not the norm. Insurance companies and hospitals are generally not this generous, especially not this generous TOGETHER. It sounds like a miracle, but it’s not as obvious as feeding 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves, so it leaves people wondering if it is or is not a miracle. But hey, that’s not the point, is it? God will provide.


We need to remember that God granted us free will, including the will to choose whether we want to return to Him. If He performs obvious miracles in our lives whenever we need help, that doesn’t leave us much free will to choose, does it? We will all obviously choose Him because He provides but not because we LOVE Him. If God performed obvious miracles just because we asked for it, then our free will to choose is nothing but an illusion. God doesn’t want us to follow Him just to follow Him. God wants us Home because He loves us, and he wants us to return because we love Him. And so, if the situation requires a miracle, then a miracle will happen. If it doesn’t, then God will send forward blessings in disguise. God will provide. One way or another, He will provide.


Coming back to the issue of relinquishing our yoke of this world, it is thus easier for the poor to follow because they already have nothing to lose but have everything to gain. However, those who have achieved great wealth and power are less willingly to let go of that to follow God because they need to let go of their wants and needs of this world first, and not many can do that. This is why Jesus told a rich ruler, “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:25).”


It is therefore difficult to be relieved from the yoke of this life if we cannot see that there is more to this life than “to survive”. We need to realize that we are God’s children, and our souls will exist forever. Our time on this Earth in this mortal body is limited, and our main goal in this life isn’t about achieving great wealth and power.


Before Jesus returned to Heaven, He told His disciples to bring the Good News to as many people as they can, to as many places as they can. As disciples of Jesus, our main goal in this life is therefore to SAVE SOULS. That’s it. Follow God’s Way to save as many souls as we can. The rest, we need to place our faith in our God and simply trust that He will provide.


Still lacking faith to trust in the Lord? Jesus fed 5000 men with 2 fish and 5 loaves. Materialism is nothing when we’ve got Jesus.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews4
Hebrews 4: Entering God's Rest
The letter to the Hebrews weaves theology and practical application. After each doctrinal section, it urges the readers to do something as a result. This often takes the form of "Therefore, let us do such and such." As part of that pattern, chapter 4 begins with the word therefore, meaning that the exhortations we read in chapter 4 are built on a point made earlier. So our study of chapter 4 must begin with a review of chapter 3. Chapter 3 tells us to look to Jesus, because he is superior to the angels and to Moses. To make the point, he quotes Psalm 95:7-11: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, `Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, `They shall never enter my rest'" (Heb. 3:7-11). Don't be like your disbelieving, disobedient ancestors, he says. They refused God so many times that he set them aside and shut them out. Don't test his patience, he seems to say. Listen to what God is saying now. To develop this point, he elaborates on the last part of the quote from Psalm 95: "They shall never enter my rest." What is this rest, and what can we learn from it in connection with Jesus? This brings us to chapter 4.


How we enter "Therefore, 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" (4:1). We can paraphrase the thought in this way: God makes it possible for us to enter his rest, so we need to make sure that we accept his offer. If we do not keep our faith in him (the main exhortation of this book), we will fail to enter. How do we enter? Verse 2 tells us, "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." The author urges us to be diligent, then he talks about the gospel. This implies that we enter God's rest by means of the gospel. The ancient Israelites had the gospel in a veiled form, in symbols such as the bronze snake, the washings, the sacrifices and festivals. But despite the miracles, the people did not have faith in God and the message did not do them any good. We do not have to make the same mistake. "Now we who have believed enter that rest" (v. 3). Believe what? Believe the gospel. All who look to Jesus, who have faith in Jesus, are entering God's rest. But wait! Didn't God rest thousands of years ago? How can it be possible for us to enter something that is long gone? The author deals with this by bringing up the objection: "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' " (vs. 3-4). Genesis tells us that God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2). That is, he had finished the creation. (He continues to work in the sense of upholding all things.) But the author of Hebrews observes that God's work has been finished ever since, which means that God is still resting. God is still in his rest, and it is open for humans to enter. It was available for the ancient Israelites; otherwise there would be no point in saying, "They shall never enter my rest" (v. 5). Even though they refused to enter, God's rest was available to them. Still available for us God's rest is available to us, too: "It still remains that some will enter that rest" (v. 6). The offer is still open, and it is made even more clear and compelling through Jesus Christ. The Israelites at the time of Moses, "who formerly had the gospel preached to them, did not go in, because of their disobedience" (v. 6). Their disobedience was evidence of their lack of faith. They did not believe that God would give them what he had promised. "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'" (v. 7). Many years after Moses, God again spoke about rest, urging people to not harden their hearts and thereby fail to enter his rest. Hear him today, David urged. The offer was still good. People could enter God's rest, could be secure in his promise, if they listened with faith and willingness. The author then eliminates another possibility: "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day" (v. 8). The "rest" that Psalm 95 was speaking of was not the promised land. It was something that the Israelites, with few exceptions, failed to enter. They did not respond to God with faith and willingness. Our Sabbath-rest The author then concludes: "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God" (v. 9). Is he bringing up a new subject? No — he is still on the same subject, using different words to develop it further. He is saying, Since people did not enter God's rest in Moses' day, nor in Joshua's day, and yet we are still exhorted in the Psalms about God's rest, the conclusion is that this rest still remains for the people of God today. It is still available. Why does he call this a Sabbath-rest? He is not slipping in a command for the seventh-day Sabbath. That would be totally out of context. His exhortation throughout this book is telling Jewish people to look to Jesus. He is not urging them to do a better job of keeping Jewish customs. The ancient Israelites, who had the Sabbath, did not enter the rest he is talking about. God's rest is entered by faith — by believing the gospel (vs. 3-4). The author is not interested in a day of the week — he is concerned about how people respond to Jesus. A person who keeps the weekly Sabbath but rejects Christ has not entered God's rest. We enter God's rest only by believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why then does he call this a Sabbath-rest? By using this word, he indicates that this is what the Sabbath pointed to. Just as the bronze snake pointed to Jesus' crucifixion, and the washings pointed to forgiveness, and the sacrifices pointed to Jesus, similarly, the weekly Sabbath pointed to something spiritual: our rest through faith in Christ. It is available — we may enter God's rest. Don't put it off — do it today! "Anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his" (v. 10). God rested from his creative work, but what kind of work do we rest from? What do we quit doing when we come to have faith in Christ? The work of trying to earn our salvation, the work of trying to qualify for the kingdom. When we look to Jesus for our salvation, we quit looking to ourselves. Practical applications The author again draws a practical conclusion: "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience" (v. 11). Since the rest is available to us, let's enter it with faith. Ironically this requires effort, not passivity. If we disobey God by refusing his Son, we will fall!


Why should we be so careful to respond? "For the word of God is living 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" (v. 12). Just as Psalm 95 said, we must hear God's message with faith and obedience. His word contains both promise and command. It calls for our response. And as Hebrews 4:13 says, nothing is hidden from God's sight. He sees everything we do and knows our thoughts, and we must give account to him. That is why we must respond, while it is yet today, with faith in Jesus Christ. Then comes another practical application: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess" (v. 14). Again, the exhortation is not to a day of the week, but to Jesus Christ, our Savior. Here's the thought of the entire chapter: Since God's rest is available to us and God judges us on how we respond, we need to keep believing in Jesus, because he is the one we need. He became human, so he understands our weaknesses, but he lived without sin, so he can be our Savior. Hebrews 2:16-18 tells us that Jesus became human so he could save us humans. "He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Since Jesus has done this, we can be sure that he will help us now. "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin" (4:15). Jesus knows what it's like to suffer and to be tempted to quit. He can strengthen us, if we trust him. We need rest, and Jesus offers us rest. Today, if you hear his word, believe it, and enter his rest.