READ: Heb. 4:1-13
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. – Heb. 4:9-11
The author uses Israel’s experience in the wilderness as a sobering example for the church. There, God led Israel towards the rest of Canaan. If they loved the LORD and obeyed, they could enjoy abundance, peace, and happiness. This would be the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest that God declared as the pinnacle of rest and enjoyment during Creation (v.4, Gen. 2:2).
However, Israel collectively perished in the wilderness, and once in Canaan, they again showed no faith or obedience. David had to earnestly address the people with Psalm 95, urging them not to harden their hearts, not to reject God and His Word, and not to fall under God’s wrath. He also speaks these warnings to us.
There still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. We can now also look forward to the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest in the eternal perfect Sabbath rest (the “sabbatismos”), the eternal glory, in which God rests from His works and we rest from ours. But we, too, can only achieve this by striving with all our hearts, with all our souls, and all our strength to obey and love God in the power of His Spirit.
In 4:1 and 4:13, we hear the call once again, following 3:13, to pay attention to one another in the church, so that none of the brothers and sisters fall behind, but rather enter the eternal Sabbath rest following Christ. Let us encourage, admonish, and exhort one another in love, with the rich promises that become reality in Christ for all who truly follow Him. God’s Word on this matter is two-edged; it lays bare all our thoughts. We cannot deceive the Lord with mere pretense of piety. He demands accountability.
How does the observance of the Lord’s Day point to the perfect Sabbath rest?
Singing: Ps. 95:1,5