Hebrews Chapter Four, Today

 

Hebrews 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, [7] again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

 

The allusion to the Jewish Sabbath continues. I stress the “Jewish” Sabbath because Christians do not celebrate the Sabbath. Traditionally, we celebrate the Lord’s Day, which is the first day of the Jewish week, or in modern terminology, Sunday.

Whereas the Sabbath was the conclusion of the Jewish week, or Saturday, we learn that in the Gospel of Luke our Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week, Luke 24:1. With this testimony John agrees, John 20:1. This day of course became significant to the newly established church, and within so many years we find this recorded about the church’s fellowship, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread,” Acts 20:7. Unfortunately, cults like the Seventh Day Adventists twist Scripture and command Saturday worship, going so far as to call Sunday worship the mark of the beast, according to their prophetess, Ellen White.

 

At the risk of stating the obvious, here is a profound difference between work and rest. Between fellow man work is the norm. We work to get paid. We work to achieve results, fame, wealth, etc. The point being, when it comes to the horizontal relationships amongst Adam’s race, work is entirely normative. In fact, Paul writes, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat,” 2 Thessalonians 3:10. The world has constructed a mindset where an objective is achieved by means of work. God created man to work, beginning with Adam, to tend the garden, Genesis 2:15.

 

The concept of the Sabbath runs contrary to this truism. God forbade tools to be used creating an altar because if man employed his tools (symbolizing work or effort) he profaned it, Exodus 20:25. Neither did God desire His priests to ascend to the altar, verse 26. This may be simply so the priest did not himself feel elevated above the people he was ministering to. Recall Satan’s desire in Isaiah chapter 14 to ascend? He wanted to rise above all, and nothing was more elevated than this angel’s ego and pride. If man has any glimmer of hope thinking he is contributing to God’s work, we will seize it, expand upon it, build a religion out of it, and shut God out. We find a similar situation in 1 Kings 6:7. “And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” Like the altar of stone in Exodus, man’s contribution is unwelcome and profane.

 

The solemn warning to the saints continues. The writer makes it clear that some must enter the rest God spoke of, even since the time of creation, Hebrews 4:4. The Hebrews of Moses’ time did not enter through disobedience. We have learned from Hebrews 3:18, 19 that disobedience is synonymous with unbelief. Unbelief undergirds disobedience. One might say that is where it finds its strength, or rather its lack of strength. Refusing to act out of unbelief, or choosing to act in unbelief leads to identical results: disobedience. The rest God beckons us to enter is one for the weak. We, acknowledging our sins, cast our cares upon God and rely on Him for our all in all. When the Jews obeyed the Sabbath Law there was always abundance because God blessed them. Why? Was it because their works merited “payment” from God, so to speak? No, their obedience demonstrated faith, which is better than any result a “work” can bestow, because the foundation of faith is the object our faith settles upon. In this case, our faith rests in Jesus Christ. Samuel admonished King Saul for his disobedience once, saying, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams,” 1 Samuel 15:22. God isn’t interested in our efforts; He wants our hearts. When we give Him control and submit our stubborn hearts to Him, obedience results and our works, done in Him, are pure and acceptable to Him. They adorn the gospel of Christ.

 

God designated another day, speaking in David. This very small but significant two words, “in David,” speak volumes. David, when exhorting Solomon in regard to the plans for the temple, told him, “All [these plans],” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans,” 1 Chronicles 28:19. David had the Holy Spirit upon him during his career as king and prophet over Israel. God revealed divine truth through David, including Psalm 95, which we are presently considering. The Jews of Moses’ day had their “today.” The Jews living under David’s reign, even as he was inspired to pen this verse were having their “today.” The author of Hebrews, seeing the invitation of God and His incredible patience and love toward man, renews the invitation to his readership. For the unbeliever it is an offer to escape the condemnation of Hell. We have our sins forgiven us in Christ. We are clothed with the righteousness befitting an adopted child of God. We are elected to service, the works that God ordained that we should walk in. Finally we are received up in glory when it comes time to lay down our tent and meet our Maker face to face.

 

There appears to be two paths laid out for the Jewish Christians and us. When the gospel is preached in power the heart is convicted and one of two results occur. We react like the Jews in Jerusalem when Peter preached to them, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37. The other reaction is less conductive toward our eternal welfare, and it goes something like this: “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you,” Acts 24:25. The word of God is a surgical tool and cuts to the heart of the matter, Hebrews 4:12. We either believe to the saving of our souls, or we harden our hearts and resist the convicting ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

 

It’s really a marvel how deceitful sin is. The Jews heard God speak from the mountain and saw the Shekinah glory. They had manna from Heaven, and their shoes never wore out on their feet. God delivered them from Egypt with signs and wonders, going so far as to kill the firstborn of Egypt while passing over the homes of those who had the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. God led them through the wilderness, conquered their enemies and preserved them in all their ways until Canaan. Then ten men offered a bad report and the people, afraid of the Canaanites, immediately bewailed their imminent doom and wanted to return to Egypt, even threatening to stone those still loyal to the Lord! We are cautioned later in Hebrews how, “sin…so easily ensnares us,” Hebrews 12:1. Their hardened hearts cost Israel their lives. Ours may cost us our souls if we are merely professors of our faith, with no genuine obedience reflecting the faith that is requisite for eternal life.