The readers of the book of Hebrews were tempted in their trials to live by their feelings and abandon Jesus (3:6). So the writer uses “truth” to warn them recalling Israel as an example of those who didn't walk in fellowship with God but disobeyed and provoked God (3:7-11). The emphatic use of “Today” (3:7) indicates that immediate action is required since God is speaking and they need to be listening!
The author speaks in chapters 3 and 4 of entering God's rest, which points to a place of blessing, peace and security in the presence of God. Disobedience cut Israel off from this blessing and we are warned lest we also miss this! Christians have been delivered from slavery to sin and are being led to our Promised Land [new heavens and earth] but we must also endure a period of testing in the wilderness of this world. Our wilderness wanderings “test” our faith as we face suffering, trials, losses etc. A W Pink wrote, “Testings reveal the state of our hearts – a crisis neither makes nor mars a man, but it does manifest him.”
From Israel's experience we are reminded that a complaining spirit is a sign of unbelief expressing doubt about God's wisdom and love. A complaining spirit reveals a heart that doesn't truly know God and His ways, that has not reflected upon His character and purposes and hasn't listen to God – in the Bible! If you read the Bible, what do you look for in it? Look for what it reveals about God! D G Barnhouse said, “How wonderful that when we are blinded by tears, we can nevertheless see our God...our tears...lenses through which he is magnified.” In Hebrews 3:12 the writer warns about having an unbelieving heart. How do we avoid it? We “fix our thoughts on Jesus” (3:1) in God's Word beholding Jesus' life, character, purposes and promises to us!
The writer argues in Hebrews 4:9 that Jesus gives “rest for men's souls” (cf. Mt 11:28-30) but like those who entered Canaan with Joshua [Gk “Jesus”] there were still enemies to fight and it's not a “completed rest.” We enter “the rest” [present tense in 4:3] but it still remains a future “Sabbath-rest” when all enemies will be defeated [sin, death, Satan] and we'll know a “peaceful rest”! God's rest on the 7th day was one where everything was “good” [shalom] and for believers that “rest” is future as we're still in the wilderness! “The people of God” is an expression used only here (4:9) and in Hebrews 11:25 and refers in the OT to Israel and in the NT to Christian believers. God's rest is for “believers in Jesus” and others cannot and will not enter it due to unbelief.
We are to cease from striving to earn God's favor and rest securely on what Jesus has done for us in his life and death. In Hebrews 4:11 the writer urges that they make a quick and serious effort to enter the rest “so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” How? By works? No, by faith in Jesus! How? Listening to and responding to God! Israel didn't listen to God's voice but hardened their hearts and didn't enter God's rest. “Delay hardens the heart, especially when we are fully aware that we have heard the voice of God in the inner soul. Every shrug of the shoulder that puts off acting on God’s urging for change, every toss of the head that says, 'I know I should, but I don’t care,' every attempt at outward conformity without inner commitment produces a hardening of the heart that makes repentance harder and harder to do” (R Stedman). So, how does one “make every effort to enter that rest”? By listening to God in the Word of God (4:12-13)! We are to listen both individually and corporately and allow God and his saints to use the Word to expose possible sin and hardness in our hearts (4:13). Jesus' heavenly high priestly ministry on our behalf (4:14-16) also is vital to our holding fast our confidence to the end as we pray to him and he prays for us!
The writer presents three “means of grace” to encourage perseverance. Fellowship and encouragement from others helps us to persevere (3:13) and God's Word is essential in revealing our sin and motives and stirring us to accountable living (4:12-13). The writer turns his focus to a third “means of grace,” the role of prayer, in 4:14-16.
Hebrews 4:14 says Jesus has “gone through the heavens” which points to Jesus' right to the supreme place in the universe at his ascension/exaltation, but there is more implied. Jesus was our High Priest appearing with his blood in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly tabernacle [God's presence] to obtain redemption for us (cf. Heb 9:11-14). We may approach Jesus confidently because he knows our weakness [human frailty] and can sympathize meaningfully with us. Jesus knows about physical weariness, hunger, physical limitations, human opposition and spiritual temptation - the very things we must endure. He “has been tempted ... just as we are” may mean “in the same way as we are tempted” or “by reason of his likeness to us” and both are true. With Jesus as our great High Priest, we can approach “the throne of grace” [used only here in the NT] that is into God's presence.
It is a “throne of grace” because 1) the one sitting on it is gracious, 2) we come to it by grace [Jesus' saving work on our behalf], 3) from it grace is dispensed to us. We experience grace a) as our sins are covered by Jesus' blood, b) the Spirit helps us with our faltering prayers (Rom 8:26), c) our sympathetic High Priest intercedes for us. We come boldly since Jesus and the Spirit intercede on our behalf with our Abba!
At this throne of grace we can find mercy, which we need because we have failed so often and we find grace which we need to be able to serve Jesus. C H Spurgeon said we go the “throne of grace” with 1) lowly reverence [in the presence of the great King], 2) great joy [we are welcomed and loved as adopted children in Jesus], 3) enlarged expectations [God is sovereign, powerful, good and loves us as our Abba!], 4) confidence [we will be received favorably and heard and answered in accord with the King's wise purposes for us!]
We are in a spiritual battle and must make every effort to enter “the rest” (4:11) but God has provided us with wonderful resources to enable us to persevere! Our salvation and our spiritual resources are all to be found in Jesus and so we must not hesitate to boldly go to and through Jesus, our sympathetic High Priest to find daily grace. Sinners and struggling saints must go to the throne of grace where Jesus will help us!
Randy Mann
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