Study Notes and Questions for Hebrews 4:1-4:14

Study Notes and Questions for Hebrews 4:1-4:14 SABBATH REST, A GLIMPSE OF ETERNITY Gerald Neufeld Notes: Hebrews 3:1-4:14 forms a major block of teaching that contains both exposition and exhortation on faithfulness. This block may be divided into a passage that describes three ways in which Jesus is greater than Moses (3:1-6) and then another passage (3:7-4:14) which uses Psalm 95 as further proof since Moses was never able to provide the rest that was promised; so Hebrews 3:7-11 quotes Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3:12-4:14 is a pastoral commentary and application of this Psalm. This pastoral commentary can be further divided into two parts: 3:12-19 contains warnings and solutions against unbelief; 4:1-14 describes the rest God promises His children and warns how this rest can be lost through not believing God s good news. So in review: 3:1-6 Jesus is greater than Moses (recall Moses was most revered among all Jewish leaders) 3:2 Moses was faithful in all God s house; Jesus was the builder of that house 3:5-6 Moses was faithful as a servant; Jesus was faithful as a Son 3:5 Moses testified to what was to come; Jesus was what was to come 3:7-11 Psalm 95:7b-11 describes the Israelite rebellion at Kadesh-barnea and God s punishment 3:12 Warning: the rebellion was caused by not believing God s promises of salvation. They had only left Egypt a few short months before and were now ready to enter the Promised Land and their rest from the slavery of Egypt and their pilgrimage through the desert. However, as a result of their fear they did not trust God s promises to them, despite all the sign, wonders and miracles that were performed for them, which resulted in all out rebellion. 3:13-18 Solution: We are just as vulnerable to the deceitfulness of sin (the temptation to doubt) as the Israelites were. The way we combat such unbelief is through community and personal commitment. First, we must care enough about one another that every day we are involved in one another s lives exhorting each other not to let distrust of God creep in and destroy our relationship with Him. Second, we must take care to hold on to our original confidence we had in Christ s words and work in our lives. 3:19 Warning: Unbelief is a constant and ever present temptation to drift away (Hebrews 2:1) ultimately resulting in rebellion against God s word. We must be vigilant using all means to combat it. Perseverance of the faith is a personal and community project. We meet at Sunday school, Sunday service, small groups meetings and prayer meetings etc. for the purpose of keeping our faith alive and active through mutual encouragement. As well we spend time in our daily devotions, Bible study and prayer. Faith will keep us from failing (4:1-13) The pastor now continues his exposition specifically focusing on one verse; Psalm 95:11, which is on the theme of rest. His main concern is how this story of Israelite unbelief relates to his own Jewish Christian congregation. Even though they have suffered already a great deal economically, emotionally and physically he was concerned that they would be like the Israelites and also lose the promise of rest. 1

Although the promise to the Israelites was many years before the current time that the preacher was writing, this promise of rest still stands because the original promise was not completed. R.T. France also notes that Insofar as the literal entry to Canaan is concerned, of course, the promise was, in fact, fulfilled to the following generation under Joshua, even if only gradually and painfully, but it will become clear as the argument proceeds that our author is thinking not of literal possession of territory but of a more ultimate rest, of which God s promise in the wilderness was a foreshadowing (France, 66). We should again keep in mind when studying this passage that the pastor understands the present rest he wants for his congregation is a rest that has been already inaugurated but which still awaits a future final and complete consummation. 4:1-2 Therefore ties this section with the pastor s concern for his congregations dedication and commitment in their original confidence and his concern that they like the Israelites will give in to the deceitful temptation of unbelief. promise of entering his rest still stands God s promises are an important theme with the sermon (17 times). God s promises never fail and so the promise of rest that He gave the first Israelites still is available to them. It is clear from this statement that the preacher s understanding of this promise had not been fulfilled otherwise God would not have restated the promise to David (Hebrews 4:7-8). We know from the previous passage that the reason the exiles did not enter this rest was because of their unbelief (3:19). let us fear [sans NIV] The preachers conclusion then to the danger of not entering God s rest because of unbelief is to fear. This is an astonishing conclusion. The outcome of this fear is given in the next phrase, which is a fear not to enter God s rest. But the question remains: what is it that we should fear? The whole previous passage is clear on this. We are to fear unbelief. We are to be concerned, fearful even, that we will stop trusting God. This reason is reiterated in the next verse (Hebrews 4:2); we have heard the gospel just like the Israelites but it did not benefit them because they did not believe it. Teaching on fear is not unique to our preacher. Jesus said, Fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell (Luke 12:5 NASB); and Paul writes, Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:13 NASB) and again in his letter to the Romans he writes, You stand fast only through faith, so do not become conceited but fear (Romans 11:20 NASB). Such fear is a concern over one s spiritual state (Romans 11:20; 1 Peter 2:17; Revelation 19:5). It is more than simply being careful but includes a reflection upon the awesome dimensions of God s power (Brown, 150). Yet there is a paradox of fear in Hebrews; he speaks of freedom from fear of death (2:15), of threats of rulers (11:23,27), of what man can do to us (13:6). The gospel sets us free of fear but also increases fear (10:26-31). This is because the stakes are higher both in the consequence of rebellion and the greatness of the blessings and promises (Johnson, 69). failed to have reached it Since this rest was still an open promise the warning about unbelief is also a present warning. Just like the exiles who wanted to go back to Egypt because of the dangers they saw in entering the Promised Land, this congregation was thinking about going back to their Jewish religion because of the same reasons. Unbelief (lack of trust in God s deliverance) was just as much a danger to them as it was to the exiles. 2

This is what people said when they heard the report from the spies sent into the Promised Land: Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. (Numbers 14:1 4 ESV) seem to have failed The pastor thinks it is possible that some in his congregation are drifting away from believing that God is really in control and has their best interests in mind. 4:2 However, it is possible not to enter this rest just like the Israelites did not enter it because they did not believe in the good news that is, God s promise to them by being united by faith with Joshua and Caleb who had listened and believed God s promises about His own character and His rest for them. He promised them the good news of compassion, love and kindness for the forgiveness of every kind of iniquity, transgression and sin but whose justice will not be deminished: The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty. (Exodus 34:6 7a ESV) And He promised the good news of rest from economic and military strife. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them. (Numbers 14:8 9 ESV) See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 1:2 NIV) So the pastor is making a comparison in showing his congregation that they are in a very similar situation as the Israelites. Just like the Israelites, they too are in a desert awaiting to enter the land of rest that was promised them. And like the Israelites, they too are being tempted to not believe the promise that God would go before them and that even though from a human point of view everything looked very difficult and bleak, God s promises would not fail and He would give them all they needed. Then the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them. 3

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. (Numbers 13:31 14:4 ESV) So the Israelites distrusted God, they did not have faith in His promises to care for them, to give them victory and to forgive them; and so they gave up on God, complained about how He was doing things, and wanted their old life back. The result was that they never entered His rest, falling in the wilderness; the consequence however for the pastor s friends was much greater not entering God s rest; that is, heaven. His main point is then: fear unbelief, for the result of unbelief is not entering heaven. Of course, this fear should not be a debilitating fear; a fear that leaves us paralyzed in our spiritual life. It should be the very opposite. It should simply be the recognition of our sinful nature which is so deceitful. We can live with confidence in our rest in God but we must live with intention (see v. 11). 4:3-11 This is a complex sequence of verses that outlines what our preacher wants us to understand about times of God s rest; it maybe helpful to outline it before we begin. There are five different times of rest that our preacher refers to: 1) God s Sabbath day rest from Genesis 2:2. This is the predominant theme of rest. Although God rested on this day this did not mean ceasing from activity. He continued (and continues) to uphold His creation through His word. He continued to work out salvation-history culminating in the work of His Son. And He continues to fulfill His will even now. However, the day was very different from the other six days: it was blessed and it was made holy and it had no end. 2) Israel s promised rest from slavery in Egypt in the land of Canaan; Israel s rebellion and their (at least the first generation) inability to enter it. 3) Joshua taking Israel into the Promised Land. But this is not the rest that God planned for them. We know this because if it were, then God would not have spoken of another day. 4) David, many years later, states that God is still offering His people a time of rest if they do not harden their hearts. 5) This brings us to the time of the pastor and his sermon where he states that there still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. He therefore ties the ultimate rest back to God s Sabbath day rest and that the offer continues to be available even till today. Associating rest offered to New Testament Christians with God s Sabbath day rest is very significant. We can enter this rest now but we still await to enter it fully and completely in the new heaven and new earth. This Sabbath rest is a glimpse of the final rest we will have with God. 4:3a,5 (2) rest for the first Israelites as stated in Deuteronomy implies entering Canaan and freedom from slavery, hostility and the instability of wandering in the desert. The Israelites did not receive the rest in full because of their unbelief (at least for the first generation) but the preacher s congregation is different; they have believed and so will enter that rest. 4

4:3b-4 (1) The concept of rest is much older than even the rest promised to the Israelites. To the Jewish congregation it meant a present and future rest that is a reflection of the Sabbath day rest when God rested from His creative work. The Canaan rest was therefore a type of the rest (v. 8) whose fulfillment looked to the future. That rest now offered to those who believe in the Good News as revealed by the final words and work of the Son. So this future rest that is still offered by God is a rest that can be entered in now because of the final work of the Son on earth, but which still awaits its full completion at the end of history (Lane, 67-68). By linking the concept of rest with God s rest from creation the pastor has also expanded on its definition to include much more than the absence of war in Canaan. It is rather a sharing of the eternal rest of God; that is, it is a heavenly Sabbath rest that is available to the Hebrew Christians (France, 66). This reference to God s Sabbath day rest is not incidental. The pastor and his friends were certainly familiar with a Jewish Sabbath day service. At the synagogue on the Sabbath there would have been a call to worship from Psalm 95:7b-11 that related directly to God s Sabbath rest in Genesis 2:1-3 (Lane, 68). Because the Exodus generation failed (were not permitted to) enter this rest, the implication is that God s Sabbath rest is still open (ESV Study Bible). 4:7 (4) The preacher again quotes the first verse from his selection of Psalm 95 emphasizing the word Today. He points out to his congregation that the Holy Spirit spoke this psalm through David who lived so long afterward from the time of the rebellion at Kadesh-barnea. This promise of rest was still valid in David s day and required a trust in God s word. Of course, for the hearers of the preacher s letter David s today was a long time ago. So this offer of rest which began at the time of the exodus but was not fulfilled, was again offered during the time of David and was now still being offered to these Jewish Christians who were about to experience even greater persecution. The implication of all this is that this offer of rest is much greater than the cessation of human conflict but finds its ultimate fulfillment in God s own Sabbath-day rest that is now available ( Today ) which is still looking forward to the final day of consummation. 4:8 (3) The Today of David s day shows that God was speaking through David of another day later on when the rest would be fulfilled. Even though the exiles eventually did enter the land with Joshua s leadership the rest they experienced was not finally fulfilled. Although the preacher does not explicitly point it out the name of Joshua and of Jesus are the same inviting a comparison to the Jesus who brought his people into Canaan with the Jesus who now gives his people rest on a far higher level (France, 67). 4:9 (5) there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God This is where our preacher ties the rest offered in the New Covenant with the God s Sabbath day rest of creation. We enter this rest through trust, faith and obedience to Jesus as our Saviour and High Priest. We recognize that within ourselves there is no work or labour we can do that will make us whole and acceptable to God. We come to Christ and find rest as Jesus has invited us to do Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). This we can experience even today it is an inaugurated rest, a rest that has already begun, but is not yet consummated. Entering the full rest of God is something to which we look forward. We have a token of eternity now but the full measure of which is still to come. The last two chapters of Revelation give us a glimpse of what this will be like. There will be a new heaven and new earth, there will be no sun 5

or moon, and there will be no darkness or night. All of time will be forever holy! God in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty will move all of creation into His realm where He is and we will be with Him. We shall see Him, reflecting the radiance of His glory. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:1 4 ESV) And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night there. (Revelation 21:22 25 ESV) If we accept Christ s invitation to lay down our burdens and find our rest in Him, we will abide in Him and Him in us. We will be in union with Christ and we will live in the realm of the holy. For us then this holy time of rest is not restricted to one day a week but every day ( today ) is holy. To enter into God s rest is a matter of hearing the word of the Lord as Jesus said, Come unto me and rest. We finally admit we are weary and broken. Out of our bondage, sorrow and night we come to Jesus, into the freedom, gladness and light that he gives us when we come to rest in him. And we look forward to that day when our faith shall be sight and we shall live fully in the realm of God. In the meantime, as God fills us with his Spirit, we live in the realm of the holy, seven days a week (Bell, 4). 4:10 (1) has rested from his works This rest is not cessation of hostilities now but a spiritual rest. Therefore rest is available now in the sense that we receive the grace and peace of God through faith in Christ and not through our own efforts to gain righteousness. It ultimately looks forward to our complete sanctification and eternal rest in God. However, this does not imply that a Christian has no responsibilities and becomes passive or worse believes this gives him a license to do anything he pleases (see v. 11). 4:11 (1) (5) let us be diligent to enter that rest (NASB) seems to be counter-intuitive. But it is referring to the perseverance of faith we must have in believing the words and work of the Son as well as good works as a response to our salvation (see chapters 12-13). The Israelites, because of their unbelief, were disobedient and so fell in the wilderness. To keep this from happening to us we must be intentional (diligent) about our faith. We are to pay close attention to what we have heard (2:1); and not to neglect our great salvation (2:3); we are to keep our eyes on Jesus (3:1) and not to harden our hearts (3:8); we are to take care against an unbelieving heart (3:12) and we are to encourage one another every day against the deceitfulness of sin (3:14) and we are to fear drifting into unbelief as that will keep us from entering God s rest (4:1). This is living the intentional life, day by day, hour by hour, in union with Christ. It is wanting to see His name glorified in everything we do and to be completely satisfied and content in all that He gives us even suffering no matter how difficult that is. 6

4:12 The preacher concludes his commentary on Psalm 95 by highlighting its challenge to hear his voice (Hebrews 3:7). There is a strong link between this verse and the previous. We are to be diligent to hear the word of God; that is, the good news (v. 2). Why should we be diligent? For this word of God is alive and active. word of God likely means God s truth revealed in Scripture that has been given to us by human means. In Hebrews 13:7 the preacher states, Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. living and active The word of God is alive and effective. It has life and produces life. In this sense, the Word is God as revealed in Jesus and made effective through the Holy Spirit. It is a sword which pierces and divides the soul and spirit. That is, it reveals to us our true selves. Our soul is our natural self, our human nature. Our spirit is our new birth in Christ when we are born again (1 Corinthians 2:14-15); we become spiritual persons through the regenerating work of the Spirit of God. So the word of God reveals to us if we are spiritually alive or spiritually dead. Although our sinful nature is deceitful (Jeremiah 17) the word of God reveals to us the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:9 11 KJV) 4:13 Nothing is hidden from God and when we diligently read and apply the word to our lives we will see our own heart as it really is. 4:14 Since then this verse concludes the preacher s exposition of Psalm 95 stating through Jesus faithfulness we now have a great high priest who is our intercessor (7:25). Biography Bernard Bell, Entering God s Rest, Sermon Text in Series: Our Story Of Origin, Catalog No., 1566, Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino, January 27, 2008. Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews, The Bible Speaks Today, New Testament Series Editot, John R.W. Stott, Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1982. Donald Guthrie, Hebrews, The Tyndale New Testament Commentary, Leon Morris, Gen. Ed., Nottingham, England:Inter-Varsity Press, 1983. F.F. Bruce, The Epistle To The Hebrews (Revised), The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Gordon D. Fee, Gen. Ed., Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990. R. T. France, Hebrews, The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Revised Edition, Volume 13, Gen. Ed., Tremper Longmann II & David E. Garland, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2005. Dennis E. Johnson, The Epistle To The Hebrews, Institute of Theological Studies, Course Notes, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Outreach Inc. 1999. William L. Lane, Hebrews, A Call To Commitment, Vancouver, British Columbia:Regent College Publishing, 2004. 7

Questions Study it: 1. [4:1] The passage begins with Therefore so what is that therefore, therefore? 2. [4:1b] What is it that we should fear? What is the result if the thing feared happens? 3. [4:2a] The preacher states that the good news was preached to both the Israelites and the New Testament congregation. What was the good news that the Israelites heard? What was the good news that the congregation heard? 4. [4:2b] Why did it not benefit the Israelites? What does united by faith mean? Who is being united? 5. [4:3-11] List all the different ways the preacher talks about rest. Name the recipients of the rest in each case and identify what kind of rest is given in each case. 6. [4:8] We know that the Israelites eventually did enter the Promised Land. In what sense then did they not enter God s rest. 7. [4:9] How does the preacher link God s Sabbath day rest with the rest that his friends and congregation could experience? 8. [4:10] What does it mean for a person today to rest from his works? 9. [4:11] How is being diligent to enter that rest compatible with resting? i.e., what does it mean for God to rest on the seventh day and what is a Christian s equivalent rest? 10. [4:12] Explain the metaphor the preacher is using. What does soul and spirit mean in this context? Live it: 1. What does rest look like to you? Do you experience it today? Do you look forward to this rest you will have with God? 2. How do you view Sunday? Is it a day of rest in order that you are recharged for another six days of work, or is it the goal and culmination of the week? Do you see it still as a holy day apart from the other six days or are all days alike to you? If all days are the same, have all the days of the week become holy? Or has Sunday just become common like the other six days? 3. What does being diligent mean to you with respect to your faith? How do you encourage others in their faith? How have others encouraged you? How do you personally encourage yourself? 4. In the last while, how has the careful reading of God s word revealed to you that your sinful human nature is still at work within you? 8