A Rest Remains, Do Not Fall Short Of It!

“Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it. For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good since they did not join in with those who heard it in faith. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my anger, ‘They “\will never enter my rest!’ ”And yet God’s works were accomplished from the foundation of the world. For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works,” but to repeat the text cited earlier: “They will never enter my rest!” Therefore it remains for some to enter it, yet those to whom it was previously proclaimed did not enter because of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:1-6 NET

God’s promise of His people entering His rest was first bestowed upon God's chosen people, the Hebrews. However, due to their disobedience and rebellion, God reoriented His focus toward the Gentiles in the New Testament. He had initially distanced Himself from the heathen nations at the Tower of Babel, where they rallied around Nimrod as their king, in Acts God was declaring His glory and His salvation to the gentile nations outside of Israel so that they could once again enter His rest.

On the seventh day of creation, God chose to rest, not because He was tired, but because what He had created was deemed good. The scripture does not declare that He completed creation; it emphasizes that He paused to rest—a moment to recharge, so to speak. For humanity, entering into rest means ceasing our labors and allowing our bodies to regenerate and heal. While this concept may differ for God, it holds profound importance for us. Remember, the Sabbath was created for man’s benefit, not man for the Sabbath. Embracing this rest is essential for revitalization and spiritual renewal.

 

However, God’s perspective on rest, or Sabbath, is strikingly different from how we usually see it. For God, rest isn’t simply a moment in time; it reflects a profound way of life. Entering into God’s rest means reaching the limits of our own abilities and efforts and fully embracing a deeper relationship with Him. It’s not just about recognizing the ‘seventh day’ or setting aside one day each week; it’s about placing our trust in God’s provision for our needs every day. This concept goes beyond mere idleness or waiting for God to act on our behalf. Instead, it calls us to actively engage with Him, to listen intently to His voice each day, and to respond with obedience as He guides us on the paths He has prepared for us. Embracing this vision of rest transforms our lives through a deeper connection with God.

 

The writer of the book of Hebrews reveals a striking truth: the people of God were proclaimed the ‘good news’ then, just as we are today. This statement is quite shocking at first, but when we consider the history of the Hebrew people, it becomes more understandable. The identity and value of the Hebrew people when they were in bondage was determined by their labor and ability to make bricks and lots of them. They endured intense suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, who treated them with brutal cruelty, forcing them to toil endlessly in the making of bricks for their grand monuments and city structures. 

Despite the Hebrews’s deep desire for freedom, they bore the heavy scars of oppression; they were emotionally broken by the whips and harsh treatment they endured. Their challenge and struggle to trust a living God is not just understandable; it highlights the profound impact of their life experiences.

 

Did God show them mercy in the desert? Absolutely! However, the consequences of the brutality inflicted upon them in Egypt were already apparent. They clung to their pride, the only remnant of their former selves, as everything else had been stripped away. They struggled to develop the patience necessary to trust in a God they could not see. We often label the children of Israel as desparately weak, but they were far more than that; they were deeply broken.

 

The Egyptians worshiped tangible idols!—deities visible to behold and venerate. In stark contrast, for the Hebrew people following Moses's God, called them to a leap of faith into the unseen, an immensely daunting task for those laced with relentless suffering and injustice. This was an incredibly huge step for those who endured such torture, pain, and murder in a culture that offered no social justice if you were Hebrew. I would tend to give them a pass when it came to trusting God; so much had been taken from them already from their captivity in Egypt.

 

I believe that God demonstrated mercy by not leading that broken generation into His rest as they struggled to trust Him amid their pain and suffering. It appears that God allowed the Egyptians to inflict excessive punishment on the Hebrews, resulting in the tragic loss of an entire generation in the desert. The emotional turmoil they endured was profound, and it left deep scars. While God may have anticipated a quicker shift in the hearts of His people, it did not happen. 

It was essential for God to physically come to the earth and take on human form to endure the extreme hardships humanity faced.   It is through the suffering of Jesus that allowed God to fully comprehend the depths of human suffering, bridging the gap between divine expectation, compassion, and human reality.

 

However, God did provide for the rebellious generation in the desert, even though He was angry with them. They were provided for by God Himself even though they never entered His rest in the promised land of Canaan. Even as parents, we can become angry with our children, but it doesn’t mean we don’t love them, provide for them, and care for their welfare. We do this because they are our children, and we have compassion for them. So it is with God.

 

The writer implores his listeners not to follow in the footsteps of the ancient Hebrews. Seize the present opportunity to come to God while the door remains open and allow Him to embrace you, for He truly understands your pain—having faced it even more profoundly than you through the suffering of His Son Jesus. His mercy is extended to you without limits. Don’t let disobedience stand in your way, as it did for them. Step inside the door and discover God’s rest, which is yours to claim, just like God extended it to His children long ago.

 

Stephen Barnett