Thursday: Conquering a Heavenly City
The logical development of the key ideas in Hebrews 4 becomes particularly evident when reading Hebrews 4:8-11. Joshua did not give Israel rest. Consequently, since God is no liar, there must be another “rest” that remains for the people of God. This group is not made up exclusively of Jewish believers. It includes all those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.
Read Galatians 3:26-29 and note the characteristics of God’s post-cross covenant people. What does it mean that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, neither male nor female in the context in which Paul is writing?
Image © Lars Justinen Goodsalt.com
At times, Hebrews 4 has been used to emphasize the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, while others have used it to challenge the validity of this Sabbath rest, in light of the fact that there is another (end-time) rest. Neither position reflects the biblical text well. Instead, the text suggests that the end-time focus on God’s special rest has been present since Creation and that the celebration of Sabbath rest offers a small, weekly taste of that end-time rest. Indeed, for the Jews the Sabbath has been understood to be a small precursor of the “olam haba” (“the world to come”).
The Sabbath-like rest that remains for the people of God, echoing God’s rest on the first Sabbath in earth’s history, means that we can cease from our own works and trust Him to fulfill His promise of salvation for us.
Contrary to arguments of some interpreters, the context does not support the suggestion that the Sabbath commandment had been fulfilled in the rest of salvation that Christ brought, making it unnecessary for Christians to obey it. The ultimate rest we are promised through what Christ had done for us does not replace the biblical seventh-day Sabbath; on the contrary, it enhances it.
In a world that highly values self-made people, hard work, and go-getters, resting in Jesus and trusting that His grace is sufficient to save and transform us is truly countercultural.
| How can you help others find rest in Jesus when they think that their sins have been too grievous, that their hearts cannot be changed, and that their cases are truly hopeless? What biblical reference would you share with them? |
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There is a tendency for Seventh-day Adventists to take the bull by the horns on the meaning of Hebrews 4, to emphasise that the Seventh-day Sabbath was not done away with. In doing so we run the risk of missing the message of the passage. It comes back to the meaning we ascribe to the word "rest".
I worked hard yesterday I have a paved area at the back of our house and I wanted to lay a 19mm polypipe under the pavers so that I could water the garden at the back of our house without tripping over tangled hoses and breaking my leg. It was hard demanding work. Pavers are heavy and it takes a lot of effort to lift them. Polypipe has a mind of its own and getting it into the trench I made was frustratingly difficult. Then there was the task of getting the pavers seated so that they were all level again. I was exhausted after 4 hours of working and had to take a rest. But I could look out on my paved area and it looked like it had never been disturbed. I could not see any evidence of the polypipe I had layed. I was content with what I had done.
It is a poor illustration but it does give the notion that "rest" that the author of Hebrews is talking about is much more than simply ceasing from work. It is analogous to the the idea of a job well done. Not our work in this case, but that the work of the salvation has been done. When we have that sort of "rest" as the basis of our belief it puts in perspective our relationship with God and others. It raises the bar on our Sabbath-keeping, not as some intricate time-keeping ritual, but as an evidence that we are "rested" and "complete" in the saving grace of Christ. And if we get that right, then we have something to share with others.
I would like to further extend (as briefly as possible) what I wrote about yesterday in response to the first paragraph of today's lesson - particularly with respect to the "Sabbath rest" that is being unpacked in Hebrews 4:8-11.
In Hebrews 4:8 the writer emphasises that failure of Israel to enter "Sabbath rest" in the Promised Land was due to "disobedience". Recall that disobedience is being out of harmony with something. And what was the something they were out of harmony with? Exactly the same thing Adam and Eve fell out of harmony with in Genesis 3 - out of harmony with that which is absolutely essential for the "abundant life" that had been lived prior to Genesis 3*. And recall that the essential pre-conditions necessary for abundant life are:
(1) Living in ongoing connection with God - the Source of the breath of life ('life-energy' so to speak), and
(2) Living in ongoing harmony with God's 'mechanisms/protocols' of life ('laws'/principles).
Reflecting awareness of the above, in Hebrews 4:10 the writer points out that entry to rest is the result of ceasing from "his works". While such is often referred to as attempts to earn salvation by "works", and is the case in some instances, I believe there is a broader application of this concept: ceasing from living life in a way that seems good in our own eyes (see Proverbs 21:2 principle and Judges 21:25, also Judges 14:3).
Most people I interact with aren't trying to earn their way to salvation - in fact most are even interested in the notion of salvation. But what they are doing is living life in a way that seems good in their eyes because it pleases them well. Therefore, for most people that I interact with, it isn't an issue of ceasing from trying to earn salvation, it is an issue of ceasing to do what seems right in their own eyes and pleases them well because doing so is unfortunately putting them out of harmony with what is necessary for true life that does not pass away (1 John 2:16,17; Romans 8:13).
So, Hebrews 4:11 therefore encourages us to make every effort to learn from this tendency and where it leads so we don't automatically follow the same 'human-default' path. This verse reflects awareness of how human neurobiology operates resulting in, as a generalisation, our default tendency to live life on subconsciously-directed 'autopilot'. This verse therefore hilights the necessity to instead be active and intentional (ie engaging the conscious elements of our mind) in our 'way of living' so that we are in harmony with ('obedient' to) that which is necessary for abundant life/'rest' rather than out of harmony with (ie 'disobedient' to) such.
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* It is very useful to keep in mind that Genesis 3 to Revelation 20 is the story of God's ongoing efforts to collaboratively work with humanity to 'fix' what got broken in Genesis 3 so that any and all members of humanity who were genuinely willing could once again return to experiencing the abundant life they were originally created to live. (John 10:10; John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9).
There is a richness in the concept of divine rest. The book of Hebrews expands the concept quite dramatically. For the author of Hebrews, "DIVINE REST" involves a "FAITH RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS" that leads to resting in the One that created us, knowing that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
It also includes resting in His finished work on the cross. RESTING IN CHRIST is "TRUSTING HIS GRACE FOR OUR SALVATION"; but the rest in Hebrews 4 includes much more.
Christ's goal for Israel was to get them into the Promised Land. His purpose was not for them to wander in the wildnerness for "40YEARZ". Their hearts would always be restless until they arrived safely in their homeland. When the covenant promise was fulfilled,they would find 'lasting peace' and 'heavenly rest'.
THE LESSON IS:
Whatever challenges we face on this earth, the rest that Christ offers is not temporary. SABBATH REST foreshadows the eternal rest that JESUS desires for us in heaven's PROMISED LAND. Then, and only then, our hearts will be in 'permanent peace'. Our rest in Christ today is preliminary to the glorious day in which we will be at rest with Him in eternity.
THE QUESTION IS:
Reflect on these three events in salvation history-CREATION, THE CROSS , and THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. How does a deeper understanding of each of these events provide the basis for PEACE and REST in CHRIST?
God's people are “whosoever believeth” from “all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues”, who “walk in the law of the Lord”(John 3:16, Rev 7:9, Ps 119:1). Israel is a nation of faith, not blood, and as Paul writes to the Galatians, “ if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise”(Gal 3:29).
2 Sam 12:13, 1 John 1:9, Matt 11:28-30; 12:31, John 3:16, Rom 3:25,26 are a few of the passages in God's word that I would share with anyone who is not sure of God's forgiveness for their sins.
I thought of two aspects related to 'Rest' which came to mind as I was peeling away the onion skins to dig down deeper and find its spiritual application.
To mind came the parable of the prodigal son. I noticed that, before he could come home, he had to come to terms with his errors of judgement, even acknowledge his rebellion against his father's house; his eyes were opened and he understood that he had walked away from the 'Pearl of Great price'; its value only capable of comprehending after experiencing the world's utter lack of lasting values.
To acknowledge, facing one's errors in judgement about what is good and right - the right way -, is essential and takes place before we are willing to turn around and start our way home. This is the first rest - a dead stop of the mind seeking another way to enter Christ's 'Rest. (there is no backdoor)
The other aspect can be seen as the son now lives in the father's house with a much better understanding and greater appreciation of this privilege than ever before. Tasks to participate in house-holding are not burdensome, they are a joy because he knows that he is participating in building his own inheritance.
One can easily transfer the prodigal son's experiences leading to convince/prompt him to come home to now eagerly participate as the heir in the household of his father, to our own lives and the kingdom of our heavenly Father. We are His sons and daughters coming home from a long journey through the darkness of this world to gratefully accept the Rest our Father offers as we live in the Light of His/our home.