Read Hebrews 4:1-13
‘In creation, God did all the work and rested. In redemption, God did all the work so we could rest.’ – Tim Keller
Today’s passage speaks of four rests. The first rest continues from yesterday’s reading. It was the Promised Land that the Israelites did not enter as they were persistently disobedient to God for 40 years. They did not enter that rest because they did not believe God. The second rest is taken from Psalm 95, and is found in both yesterday and today’s reading. It was written about the Exodus to the Israelites of that time to warn them of the consequence of unbelief and disobedience. The writer to the Hebrews uses this Psalm for the same purpose of warning his readers, and us, of failing to trust in God’s promise of rest. The third rest is that of God’s rest after the creation of His world. Since God rested, His rest is already a reality. This sets us up for the fourth and final rest, the one that is available for us today. Verse 3 and 4 tells us that all who believe in the promise of God’s rest through Jesus, will enter that rest! Because God’s rest is already a reality, the rest he calls us to enter is not our rest, but His rest. That rest begins now as we trust in the salvation promise through His Son, and it is a future promise that all who continue to believe will enter it at the new creation.
Reflect
- What is necessary to enter God’s rest?
- How does resting God help us through the everyday challenges of life?
- How can rest be found through God’s Word? What is the warning found in verses 12-13?
- How can you rest in God today?
Pray
Father God, thank you that you provide a model of rest for our daily lives. Thank you that in Christ we can find rest from our sin, and after death we can rest in your holy presence. Thank you that rest doesn’t mean the end, but a future life of glory with you. Amen.