Heb 3:1–4:13
"Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ” Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words 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 of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
A photographer was snapping pictures of first graders at an elementary school, making small talk to put his subjects at ease.
“What are you going to be when you grow up?” he asked one little girl.
“Tired,” she said.
Busyness, and its sibling, tiredness are the twin banes of the modern lifestyle. Work, school and family among other things can so crowd our schedule that it feels impossible to juggle all our responsibilities within the confines of a day. Even Christians are not immune to this - the Christian book of the year for 2013 was Kevin DeYoung’s ‘Crazy Busy’!
So we all look forward to a respite from our tasks and responsibilities. The idea of rest has an appeal to everyone regardless of age, gender and ethnicity. We eagerly await our evenings, weekends, vacations and retirements - any time when we can just switch off, take a break and feel what it is like to be at rest.
The theme of rest is prominent in our passage this morning. The writer of Hebrews has shown forth the supremacy of Christ and the greatness of his salvation, not just for the purpose of theology but to call forth a response of strong, persevering commitment on the part of his listeners. His audience has been facing increasing pressure to abandon their faith and return back to their old religion of Judaism. This pressure involved the threat of persecution and the loss of their wealth, possessions and perhaps even their lives. As the return of Christ seemed farther and farther away, these Christians were troubled and left wavering in their faith.
The writer of Hebrews offers them the promise of a respite - God’s rest, which is available to them through the work of Jesus Christ. He seeks to explain the character and appeal of God’s rest. Attaining that rest meant they had to persevere in their Christian walk. Hebrews 3:7 - 4:13 is the longest warning passage in the book and it lays out the danger of turning away from God to return back to the arms of the world. Such a falling away would mean their inability to enter into God’s rest. But the passage has implications apart from this warning - it has a message to convey about our priorities and commitments.
Heb 3:1–6 "Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope."
The whole passage is setup by a comparison between Moses and Jesus. Moses was the messenger of God (apostle) to God’s house under the old covenant, the nation of Israel. He was also the mediator between Israel and God - the high priest. Though Aaron was the ordained high priest, we see that even when Aaron sinned, it was Moses’ intercessions to God on the behalf of the Israelites that turned away God’s wrath from them. Indeed, Moses was found to be faithful in all his ways and dealings.
But, the author tells his listeners to look at Jesus, the apostle and high priest of the new house of God which consists of all believers who have been saved through his work on the cross and have been thereby added to the community of God’s people. He is the messenger of a greater covenant and he is the greatest high priest. Moreover, he is worthy of more glory because Moses was faithful to God as a servant who had been entrusted with the care of God’s possession but Jesus is faithful as the Son to whom the house belongs by right.
This comparison is not intended to portray Moses in a negative light but to show forth the greater glory of Jesus. Both Moses and Jesus were faithful to God and their examples were to be imitated by their followers, those who belong to God’s house. The writer says ‘we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope’ - this is another restating of his conviction that perseverance in Christian living upto the end of one’s life is the mark of a true Christian. A Christian is someone who holds fast to their faith and maintains their trust in God inspite of circumstances, because he or she looks forward to the joy and hope that is theirs in Christ, the hope of salvation on the last day. A Christian needs to imitate Jesus, who held fast in his suffering by looking forward to the joy that was set before him.
But the Israelites did not imitate the faithfulness of Moses, and the result of their failure is what the writer pays attention to in the following verses.
Heb 3:7–11 "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”
These verses are a quotation of Psalm 95:7-11. Psalm 95 was read every Sabbath day by the Jews and it is also cherished by Christians throughout history. Verse 1 to the first part of verse 7 is a call to worship God with joy and thankfulness. Verse 6-7a is the familiar
Ps 95:6 - 7 "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."
But verses 7-11, quoted here and perhaps not as widely read in our circles, is a warning against disobeying God; a warning that is vividly illustrated by the recounting of the history of Israel when they were unfaithful to God, in the wilderness where they wandered during the time after they left slavery in Egypt and before they entered the promised land, Canaan. The Psalm essentially says that worship which is true and acceptable to God is that which is backed by the sincerity and conviction of a faithful, obedient heart. An utterance of worship that is not complemented by a lifestyle in tune with the voice of God is hypocritical and false.
The writer’s commentary on this Psalm runs all the way to Heb 4:10 but there is a neat division between the portion till the end of chapter 3 and the portion in chapter 4. In this first portion, he warns his listeners to persevere in their faith in order to avoid the fate of the unfaithful Israelites in the wilderness.
The Psalmist is saying, "Today, if you hear God's voice, do not harden your hearts as your forefathers did at Meribah (rebellion) and Massah (testing)" where the Israelites turned against God and Moses because of a lack of water (Ex17.7) They put God to the test and God responded by giving water from the rock but that was not enough to satisfy the hearts of the Israelites. They continually instigated God and his servant Moses by grumbling and complaining until things came to a head at Kadesh-Barnea (Num 14:20).
At Kadesh-Barnea, Moses sent out 12 men to spy on Canaan. They were all enthralled by the goodness of that land flowing with ‘milk and honey’ but 10 of them came back and said that it was impossible to defeat the people of the land and take it from them. Only 2 of them, Joshua and Caleb, trusted God to be strong enough to help Israel overcome the Canaanites. But the nation of Israel sided with the other 10 spies and rebelled against the leadership of Moses. They were on the verge of returning back to Israel, away from the promised land. God decided to kill the entire nation by plague but Moses interceded on their behalf. But God’s anger was not quenched; he declared that everyone aged 20 and above, all those who had seen his mighty works and still did not believe in him, would not enter the promised land. They were condemned to wander for 40 years and die in the wilderness. None of that generation, except Joshua and Caleb, entered the promised land which was the rest that Israel sought from its sufferings in Egypt.
Heb 3:12–14 "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."
A severe judgement befell those who rejected Moses. They lost entry into the promised land of Canaan but a greater judgement awaits those who reject Christ due to an unbelieving heart that is unwilling to hear and respond in faith to the message of the Son. That punishment is a ‘falling away’ that prevents one from attaining salvation on the last day when Jesus comes back for his people.
This warning is to each individual in the community (‘any of you’) but the community has the responsibility to 'exhort' each other; to encourage each other to hold on to their commitment and faith inspite of circumstances. As an isolated individual, it might be easier to fall prey to the pressures and temptations of the world (diminishing our moral conscientious ability, leading to hardening by sin) but a watchful community can reveal them for what they are, through the bonds of loving fellowship.
And this period of testing and encouragement is daily - ‘every day as long as it is called today’, we are called to respond to God’s voice in faith. It is those who follow this firm pattern of commitment to God till the end of their earthly days who get to share in Christ and enter into his salvation on the last day.
Heb 3:15–19 "As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."
The writer concludes this portion of his argument by once again pointing to the failure of the Israelites in the wilderness. Didn’t all of them come out of Egypt with Moses in the exodus, eyewitnesses to all the plagues on Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea? And yet weren’t they also the ones who sinned against God out of disobedience and unbelief? Aren’t they whose bodies litter the sand of the wilderness outside the promised land?
It was not enough to have been in the exodus but they also needed to take possession of the land. Similarly, for a Christian, it is not enough to have begun on the journey of faith but it is essential to finish it well.
Heb 4:1–2 "Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened."
In chapter 4, the writer moves on to a new portion of his argument but the first two verses are a transitory portion from the previous chapter.
The Israelites heard the good news that was proclaimed to them through Moses; the good news that the God of their fathers would deliver them from Egypt and bring them into the promised land, making them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation if they would obey his voice and keep his covenant (Ex 19:3-6). But due to their lack of faith, they could not obtain the promises God had in store for them. Similarly, we are not to be satisfied by a mere hearing of the gospel but we need to appropriate it by a genuine, persistent faith [Bruce, F. F. (1990). The Epistle to the Hebrews (Rev. ed., pp. 105–106). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.]
But what is fascinating is the writer’s insistence that the promise of entering God’s rest still stands - that Canaan was not the final resting place promised by God. In verse 3-10, the writer once again returns to Psalm 95 because he is fascinated by two words/phrases in that Psalm: ‘today’ and ‘my rest’. If the Israelites had finally entered the rest of God during the time of Joshua, after the conquest of Canaan, why does God speak of ‘my rest’ again in Psalm 95? Why does the psalmist mention that ‘today’ God is still offering a promise of rest? Indeed, what does God mean by ‘my rest’ - is it just a rest that God gives to his people or is it something more?
Heb 4:3–8 "For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words 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 of another day later on."
Intrigued by ‘my rest’ and by the fact that the psalmist warns the people of his generation that they too would miss entering God’s rest if they hardened their hearts like their forefathers, the writer casts his mind back to the first time God’s rest is mentioned in the Bible. That is in Genesis 2:2, where at the end of six days of creation, ‘God finished his work that he had done and rested on the seventh day from all his work.’ The Bible never says (after that seventh day) that God stopped resting and once again began to create: his providential and sustaining care still maintains the universe but he has not needed to create something out of nothing again. Thus, based on the Biblical narrative, it is evident that God has been at rest since that seventh day.
So God’s rest is not just a rest that God gives, but the eternal rest that God himself enjoys in heaven. God has made the promise of his rest available to his people since the beginning. It is the rest that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden, and then threw away by their rebellion, condemning themselves to strife, toil and labor. It is the supernatural rest that transcends the limitations of our human existence and is therefore a reason to hope for all humans. It is the rest that motivated Abraham to forsake his settled life in his country and become a wanderer in a foreign land, believing the promise of God that one day he would enter a city whose designer and builder is God himself. And as it was for Abraham, it is the rest that is the inheritance of all those who respond in faith and obedience to God.
The nation of Israel were led into Canaan, their promised land, by Joshua but they did not enter God’s final rest. Canaan was just a type of the eternal rest that is promised to God’s people. For the children of Israel had been settled in Canaan for four centuries when the psalmist proclaims ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ If Joshua had brought them into rest, then God would not have needed to speak of another day saying ‘Today, do not harden your hearts.’ God would not have had reason to warn them that they were in danger of missing out on ‘my rest’ if they did not hear his voice.
Even in David’s time, when Israel had wealth, prosperity and security, they did not heed the voice of God. They were sent into exile once again out of Canaan but the promise of God’s rest still remained. And as the years passed and while they lived under the rule of the Roman empire, into their midst came another Joshua (the Greek equivalent of Joshua is Jesus) who proclaimed to them ‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Mt 11:28). The rest promised by this greater Joshua, Jesus, is far superior to the rest of Canaan. He is the Word of God incarnated in the flesh, and if we who listen to him respond in obedience and faith, we can look forward to entering into the eternal rest of God.
When we put this whole passage together from the beginning of chapter 3 to this verse, we have seen the writer call his listeners to imitate the faithfulness of Christ. He has pointed to them the negative example of the Israelites who died in the wilderness after having failed to enter into the promised land. He calls them to persevere in their journey of faith to the end.
But that perseverance is not sought in a vacuum. Amidst the reality of the circumstances and the persecution which this church faces, the writer is exhorting them to continue in their commitment to Jesus Christ, to continue in their lives of service and seeking after the things of God, though that might mean the loss of their wealth, their social status, even their very lives. For what is the loss of these perishable things compared to the glorious promise of entering God’s rest?
Heb 4:9–10 "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his."
And what a rest that will be! It is no ordinary rest or retirement. It will be the reward for the faithful labor carried out by God’s servants in this world and on that day, they will rest once and for all from their works just as God did. They will enter into the resting place of God himself - but it is more that that.
This rest is a Sabbath rest - the Sabbath in the Old Testament was not just a day of rest from labor but one in which rest and praise belonged together. This Sabbath rest will be one of celebration and joy expressed in the worship of a glorious God. It is what Hebrews 12:22 calls a ‘festive gathering’ of the saints around the throne of God and this festival will last for eternity.
In light of this glorious promise, the question for us today is simple: how do we live? How do we respond to the voice of God today? What is the strength of our commitment to God? What are our priorities - do we devote our energy to the pursuit of the things of this world or do we give our time and our resources to what counts for eternity, even if doing so means we will have diminished possessions, money and security in this world? [David A. deSilva (2000). Trinity Journal, 21(1), 24.]
Sadly, the answers to these questions in our Christian churches today are disheartening. The Christian church is facing increasing persecution in various parts of the globe from governments and extremists but paradoxically, it is these persecuted Christians who most vividly demonstrate what it means to live for eternity - they are willing to put everything on the line for the joy of knowing and worshipping their Savior, giving up their time, their resources and their safety. Perhaps, those environments have exposed to them the true worth of this world and its treasures.
Conversely, the church in the Western world that is blessed with freedom, safety, prosperity and an abundance of resources has shamefully misused its privileges. Christians have chased after the security and comfort of this world, relegating the things of God to an afterthought. The time we devote to God is contained within a neat box of weekly Bible studies and Sunday services and even those are not safe from the encroachment of work, school and play. And then, when the slightest hint of troubles pop up to threaten our livelihood or our lifestyles, we are quick to rely on ourselves and take away even more from our pursuit of eternity, even though we have seen and can testify to God’s faithfulness in the past toward us and our families.
It is imperative therefore that those in the community of God’s people continue to exhort and encourage each other, every day ‘as long as it is called today’ to turn their eyes away from the distractions of this world and instead, to live out a life of visible, faithful commitment to God. For the things of this world are transitory and bound to end in dust. They will not rescue us when trouble and sufferings come. But our Savior has invited us to cast our burdens on him, awaiting a day when we will enter a place, a city, where there will be no more mourning, crying, pain or death, a city where we will be welcomed by his voice saying “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your master”, a city where we will gather around the throne of God in celebration - for there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
Heb 4:11–13 "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
So in the course of our journey in this world, let us not chase after the perishable things of this world but let us strive to enter into that eternal rest by responding in faith to the word of God.
This word of God, Psalm 95 (and Hebrews 3 to 4), is alive because the one whose voice it is is alive; and it is active because it speaks to us today, every day; it can penetrate the inner depths of our hearts, laying bare our thoughts and intentions and exposing the hypocrisy and disobedience of those who are unfaithful to the one who speaks.
But for those who listen to the voice of God and in return commit their lives to him, the word of God holds forth the sure promise of the peace that is given to them by the Son, the joy of eternal fellowship with the Triune God, and the steadfast hope of entry into the promised land where God resides - for them, a Sabbath rest awaits.