Hebrews Chapter Four, Entering God's Rest

 

Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

 

We find the word, “therefore,” once again, so here we pause and consider. Therefore is written to direct our attention to a previously revealed truth or point the writer wishes to emphasize. In this case, Hebrews 3:18, 19, etc. The rebels heard the word proclaimed along with those of faith, but it profited them nothing. 

In fact they died in the wilderness and their corpses were left there as an example of infidelity toward God, Hebrews 3:17. It suggests that the rebels did not receive a proper burial, as was befitting someone that offended royalty. The more godless kings of Judah, though accorded a burial because of their lineage, did not sometimes enter the tombs of the kings because of their apostasy, see 2 Chronicles 28:27.

 

Ahaz, the king mentioned in my citation, refused to obey the Law or the prophets. But the children of Israel in Moses’ time had the Shekinah glory by day and by night leading and illuminating them. They enjoyed what was called a theophany, or a visible manifestation of God’s presence with them. Beginning in Egypt, Moses saw the burning bush and spoke to God in that fire that did not consume the bush. God plagued Egypt and judged its gods with ten plagues: the most severe being the death of the firstborn coinciding with the implementation of the Jewish Passover, a ceremony celebrated even today. God parted the Red Sea and separated Israel from Egypt when Pharaoh pursued them to the borders. He drowned the army in the sea, led Israel with a cloud by day and fire by night and filled the tabernacle with His presence over the mercy seat as a token that He was, in a very peculiar and different sense, with Israel in a way that He was not superintending the rest of the world.

 

Granted, His rain fell on the good and the bad alike, and general revelation within both nature and the human conscience still testified of Him. Yet through Israel He advanced His agenda of revealing His character and purpose. Despite this, many in the camp of Israel rebelled against Moses, or more specifically against the God of Moses. They had covenanted with Him but reneged on their end time and again until the witnesses brought a bad report and discouraged the congregation. If such people truly had accepted Yahweh as Lord they would have obeyed Him, because they would have trusted in and believed Him. Their actions betrayed the absence of trust. In their hearts first, and their actions next, they turned back to Egypt, craving human masters over divine rule. They collectively did not wish to walk by faith, finding walking by sight far more comfortable.

 

Verse 18 explains in the negative that God swore that the rest He promised them would be denied those who disobeyed. Verse 19 clarifies in the plainest language that the Israelites disobeyed (did not enter into the Promised Land) due to unbelief. Jesus taught that if we have faith as a mustard seed God can move mountains. Our Lord demonstrated this point very well in an exchange He had with a man whose son suffered demon possession. We read: “But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24. The son’s father abandoned his unbelief for a cause greater than his pride: the life of his son. Jesus brought this man to a place of understanding. The message Jesus communicated resonated with him, and intellectual acquiescence gave way to faith, and faith to obedience, resulting in the son’s physical deliverance, and without doubt, the father’s spiritual deliverance. Jesus likewise tells us, “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 18:4. We must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Unbelief is a sure sign of spiritual pride. Self-sufficiency cannot coexist with humble faith that relies on another, even if that other is God Himself.

 

We read in Numbers chapter 14 that, after God pronounced judgment upon the faithless generation—twenty years old and above—to perish in the wilderness for their decision to disobey rather than to believe, the people rebelled even more. A plague killed the ten evil spies (Numbers 14:37) and the people, motivated by fear rather than faith, resolved to do what should have at that point already been accomplished: namely the conquest of Canaan. But Moses cautioned them that judgment had already been meted out, and to go to war with Canaan now would be disobedience rather than duty. He further added, “the Lord is not among you,” Numbers 14:42. Sinning further in presumption, they attacked the Amalekites and Canaanites, and were driven back to their forty-year exile, a year for every day the spies scouted out the Promised Land.

 

Verse 19 completes this thought by stating that the Jews could not enter in due to unbelief. The New Testament is crystal clear that our actions reflect our beliefs. What we believe about God will determine what we say about Him and how we act toward Him. Let me frame this differently. Let’s say you’re married. In one example of marriage there is mutual trust, fidelity and love. The marriage is healthy and observers do not need to hear you state that you are married or see your wedding ring as credentials. They simply know. The second and bleaker instance rises from a suspicion of infidelity. You are still married by law, but the heart strays when one’s beliefs change, and actions naturally follow this course. The love and trust once shared vanishes, replaced by fear, uncertainty, grief, hatred, etc. It actually makes no difference if one’s spouse actually did cheat; once these thoughts invade the parameters of how we think, how we feel and act toward our spouse differs. The marriage is still legal, but the parties are estranged, sometimes unbeknownst to one of them, who know not why things shifted this way. In summary, one can be genuinely married without any outward appearance of it when love grows cold or the spouse grows wanton. The marriage is real but its life, its purpose, is dead.

 

Verse 1 of chapter 4 may be likened to this. Take note of the sentence structure. “Let us fear lest (unless, in case) any of you seem to have fallen short of it (God’s promise).” The word, “seem” has much to do with this verse. It means, “to appear or look.” Paraphrased then, the verse reads, “let us fear lest any of you appear to have come short of it.” Recall now the marriage anecdote I used. There is an appearance of infidelity between spouses. The truth of the matter is unknown, but one thing may be proven: they are a married couple. The writer tells us that we (himself included) ought to fear, unless someone claiming Christianity falls short of actually entering in by faith rather than human effort/works/self-reliance. People cannot judge what is inside of us. I don’t know if another Christian is genuinely saved. But the Lord and His apostles set forth parameters by which we may determine the genuineness of their confession. Whether someone is saved is between their Lord and him; but the fruit of their lifestyle, being on public display, is likewise open for public scrutiny. I was heartbroken of late when I recently learned of the scandal surrounding the late Ravi Zacharias. I won’t go into detail, but allegations were brought against him for sexual impropriety and the evidence appeared rather solid. Having read and benefited from his work in times past, it grieved me deeply. I felt betrayed, honestly. But I mention Mr. Zacharias only as a point here; our lifestyle must conform to our doctrine, or the church (not to mention the world) has valid reason to disbelieve our message and its power to save.

 

The writer then is interested in preserving the namesake of the saving efficacy of the gospel. Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” Romans 1:16. This oft-misunderstood verse doesn’t mean that Paul is saying he isn’t embarrassed by the message of the gospel. Rather, he is telling us that he has never been disappointed by the gospel’s power to save the one who believes it. God never fails. Christ’s redemptive blood is efficacious to any and all who come to Him in faith. The ancient Hebrews did not come to Yahweh in faith, and their corpses littered the desert as a testimony of unbelief. The author of Hebrews expresses sincere concern that his Jewish brethren do not follow this very poor example.