Siblings
I tell you, it is perhaps as personal an exhortation as a collective invitation to embark on ‘Rest’, as it popped up in another Bible study group last night. Sabbath rest came up, kinda out of the blue, so I knew it was not a coincidence. Just in case the word was also for you all, or even a few of us, to be intentional about making God our priority, consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
(Over the ensuing days, we will cover the chapter…)
Hebrews 4:1, 11 NIV
[1] Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
[11] Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
Qualified for God’s Rest
In a sense, it is impossible to read our Nougat without the benefit of a bit of background. The book of Hebrews is written for – you guessed it – Jews (aka Hebrews). Based on the content of the letter, those Jews expressed a belief in Y’shua as Messiah, and presumably, they were referred to as Hebrews. For Jews, believing in Y’shua as Messiah life would not have been simple or easy. We will recall that the apostles faced persecution (see Acts 5:17-42 and Acts 8:1-3), that resulted in the ‘great’ dispersion or scattering of those former disciples. We could say that with the scattering, they fulfilled Jesus’ last words to the disciples in Acts 1. It took persecution for them to go beyond Jerusalem to various places, including the uttermost parts of the world.
No one is entirely sure which set of Messianic Jews the letter was for. Under Pax Romana, they could have lived anywhere. Acts 2 refers to Jews from all over being part of the Pentecostal anointing, so this letter could have been directed to them. But we can safely presume that they would have been at least second generation believers. In other words, it is not likely that they knew Christ personally. The letter seems to focus on strengthening the believers’ faith in Y’shua Jesus. Because those Hebrews had not lived with Christ, the writer presented strong arguments about Y’shua’s character. Foremost among the arguments was declaring Christ as greater than Moses.
This may seem logical to us, but to a people whose very identity was rooted in God saving them through Moses, and God giving them the Book of the Law, Torah, via Moses, it was critical for them to understand that difference. And, as Jews living outside of Israel, it was important that they understood the difference between Moses and Y’shua, so that they could serve God with gladness.
Asking the distinctions between Y’shua and Moses therefore, were that
1) Y’shua’s salvation is greater than salvation through the Law of Moses;
2)Y’shua’s salvation takes us to the heavenly Land of Promise… i.e. the place of God’s rest; and as God become human; and
3)Y’shua’s high priestly role exceeds that of the high priests ordained by Moses, including Aaron and his sons.
Because of those three distinctive differences, the Hebrews were then to press forward in faith, recognizing that they were not alone on the journey, and hold firmly to Y’shua the author and finisher of their faith. (Hebrews 12:2).
Self-Check
To what extent do we need those proofs offered to the Hebrews for the strengthening of our faith?
Digging Deeper
As we engage the text, the unnamed writer sets the record straight about Jesus’ salvific work for entry into our eternal Land of Promise, we realise that lack of rest, or rest-less-ness is equated with disobedience (see Hebrews 3). Our writer juxtaposes one’s belief in Jesus as the ‘new’ criterion for entry into the Land of Promise. In so doing, the writer has expanded the scope of salvation to include children of the adoption, whether intentionally or not.
With that argument, we ought to hear Y’shua’s assertion to Nicodemus, …whoever believes in [Y’shua] will not die, but have everlasting life. ( See John 3:16). What a Promise! For that anyone includes you and me. More critically, it means that we qualify to accept the offer of rest offered by Y’shua in Matthew 11:28. That is implied in our Nougat, where we are told God’s offer of rest still stands. And we know that this new offer is especially for us who believe in and confess Jesus as Lord.
Now, we recognize that the first rest, (or the Rest of Moses), was rest from enslavement in Egypt. It follows then, that the rest offered by Y’shua is also from enslavement. The task before us is to determine what it is that enslaves/has enslaved us.
Yes, us.
For we are either yielded to God or to tools of the devil.
And anything that gets in the way of worshipping and spending time with God can lead to rebellion against God. I’m not saying we must live lives void of interaction or pleasure. But here’s the thing – often, we find that we get so entangled by distractions that we fail to make time for God. That’s where the danger lies. For one thing may lead to another, and we’ll have substituted that other thing for God, without realising when it happened.
For some of us, it’s work. We’re so dedicated to work that it consumes our every moment. (That may include the work of ordained or lay ministry. Some of us get so caught up in doing Ministry and fail to be with God). Remember however, we are servants of Christ, not enslaved to employers.
For others it’s school, homes, status, social media, leisure activities, friends or family (including other believers), or possessions, …and the list goes on. Our preventative measure therefore, is to check ourselves to see what takes the bulk of our time and attention. If it isn’t God, it may be time to confess our weaknesses to God, asking God’s Spirit to help us overcome.
Point to Ponder
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, which today is offered through Christ Jesus.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
