Verse 1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
The Greek word translated as “fear” is “phobeo” and although it can mean to fear or be afraid, in the context of this verse it means to reverence, venerate, or to treat with deference or reverential obedience. The Apostle Paul is saying that the Hebrew Christians should reverence and be obedient in order for them not to miss the promise that was left to them regarding entering into the rest of God. They needed to push forward and not come short of this promise.
Application: What is the promise and the rest? The promise is explained in Acts chapter one. “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:4-8 So the promise to the disciples and to all Christians everywhere in the world is the baptism of the Holy Ghost which results in Christians having power. What is the power? It is the ability to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and share the Gospel message to the unsaved. It is the ability to do what Jesus did, plain and simple. Yet most ‘Christian churches’ today do not believe that this power is available for them, but that it was only for the early church for the purpose of spreading the Gospel. But God said in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not.” The promise of the Holy Ghost has not gone away, anymore than any of the other promises of God have gone away.
Verse 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Here the Apostle Paul is taking the Hebrew Christians back in time to their ancestors in the wilderness who did not heed the Word given to them from God via the Prophet Moses. They perished in the wilderness and did not enter the promised land. The Greek word translated as “profit” is “opheleo” and it means to assist, to be useful or advantageous, or to profit. The Hebrew people of old heard the Word of God but they did not believe it by faith when they heard it. They looked at their present physical circumstances and rebelled against the LORD who had saved them from Egyptian tyranny. They were not assisted by the Word and therefore they perished.
Application: Christian believers have a promised land they are traveling towards while in this wilderness of sin on Earth. That promised land is Heaven, and only by hearing the preaching of the Gospel and by choosing to profit from it can eternity in Heaven be attained.
Verse 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Most people reading this verse believe that it is referring to the seventh day or the Sabbath when God rested from His labor and issued the fourth commandment. “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shall thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:1-3 But the rest the Apostle Paul is talking about is something that is entered into and not a day on the calendar. Throughout the days of creation as recorded in the book of Genesis each day ends with the statement that the evening and the morning were the first day, or the evening and the morning were the second day, and so forth. But after the seventh day when God rested it does not state that the evening and the morning were the seventh day. That day of rest is open ended and does not conclude. Why? Because God offers rest to His people that is never ending.
Application: Churches today believe that Sunday is the Sabbath and that church services must be conducted on this day of the week, probably because according to Scripture the early church met on the first day of the week and not the seventh. However, the world today no longer operates on the Jewish calendar, nor is today’s calendar accurate in any way as it has gone through various changes and update over the centuries. So when is the seventh day really? No one knows. Those religions who base their worship on ‘the sabbath day’ such as the Seventh Day Adventist and the sabbath keeper Christian movement are missing the point of these Scriptures in Paul’s epistle or letter to the Hebrews. The Old Covenant is gone and God is only honoring His New Covenant and nowhere are Christians required to take one day of the week and sit around and do nothing as was done with the Hebrew people under the Old Covenant system.
Verses 4-8 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
So just as God rested from His works, converted Christian believers rest from their works of sin. They no longer follow after Satan, the world, or the flesh and they are washed spiritually in the blood of Jesus Christ and are new creatures worthy, because of Jesus Christ, to enter into God’s spiritual rest here on Earth and later into eternal life in Heaven. But the Hebrew people saved from Egypt did not repent and cease from their works of sin because they had unbelief.
Verses 7-8 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
That seventh day of rest is still operational as God has left that day spiritually open for those people who will hear His Gospel, repent, be baptized in Jesus’ name, and receive the Holy Ghost. All throughout time from that seventh day of creation the LORD has rested from His creative works but has been reaching out to mankind first through His Word as given to the Prophet Moses, then through the prophets, and finally through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul urges those who have not found the rest of God to do so and not harden their hearts because the time to do so will not always be there.
Application: Time is nothing more that a small segment of eternity that has been marked out by God’s creative power when He brought forth the night and the day and the sun, moon, and stars to allow for time to be in existence. But Scripture teaches that one day soon time will end and all will be faced with eternity. At that point, God will no longer have a seventh day open for people to spiritually enter into His rest and all who hardened their hearts will be in eternity in Hell with the destination of the Lake of Fire with Satan and his fallen angels.
Verses 9-10 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Once entered into God’s rest, Christians no longer live their lives by their own power and wisdom, but they seek the LORD’s leading in every activity of daily living. They only do that which pleases the LORD and not that which pleases their own lusts or desires. They do His works and not their own. He in turn guides them through this life on Earth so that they remain true to Him and remain victorious against sin, death, and Hell.
Verses 11-13 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
God knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows everyone’s thoughts and the secret things everyone does. But His Word is powerful and will cut the pride and sinfulness of mankind so that those who listen and who have faith can live righteously and enter into the rest God has provided for His people. And what is that rest then? It is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. True rest is having God’s Spirit dwelling within. The Holy Ghost enters into believers and believers enter into fellowship with the Holy Ghost. Believers are born again and are new creatures no longer controlled by the flesh, the Devil, or the world. They are free in the Spirit or Ghost of Jesus Christ and they are at rest every day of the week, no matter what they are doing in the physical realm. They are alive spiritually in the realm of the Spirit of God.
Verses 14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4)
Application: Because Jesus is the great High Priest, the Old Covenant religious system is dead, never to be revived again, although today there are people professing Christianity trying to revive it. There can only be one High Priest, and Jesus is holding that title. But it is argued that the high priests and all the Temple priests had to come from the line of Levi and Jesus as man was from the tribe of Judah. So how can He hold this office? First, He is God and can do anything He wants. But before the tribe of Levi existed there was a man called out by God to be a High Priest and his name was Melchizedek and Jesus is like unto Melchizedek. “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” Psalm 110:4 So God provided the way for Jesus Christ to be our High Priest. Knowing this, the Apostle Paul exhorts the Hebrew Christians to “hold fast” that which we profess to be ours. Jesus Christ is our High Priest and no man can pretend to hold that position and that includes the Catholic Pope.
Application: When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He who had no sin took the weight of all the sin of mankind from Adam and Eve up to the day of His crucifixion and beyond into the future to the end of time. He took your sin and He took mine. So He is familiar with every aspect of mankind’s life and He understands the trials, tribulations, and pain that people everywhere experience in this fallen world. He invites us to come to Him boldly when we need help, and He will provide that which is needed because He loves His people.