Hebrews 4:1-13 (WEB) Let’s fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard. 3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest;” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has said this somewhere about the seventh day, “God rested on the seventh day from all his works;” 5 and in this place again, “They will not enter into my rest.”
6 Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter into it, and they to whom the good news was preached before failed to enter in because of disobedience, 7 he again defines a certain day, today, saying through David so long a time afterward (just as has been said),
“Today if you will hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. 9 There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. 11 Let’s therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
This is a continuation of the topic started in Hebrews 3:17, which is the danger warning about unbelief.
V1 “Let’s fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest.” Perhaps a better translation would be “Therefore, let us be very careful, lest, since the promise of entering his rest still remains, any of you might think you fell short of reaching it.” Fear means fear. God is King. He reigns over everything in the universe and outside it. He is not a micromanager, dictator, or allows no freedom. He is a king as a shepherd is of sheep. He gives laws. We know the laws (Scriptures). We are accountable to Him and His laws. He has the right to punish for disobedience. If one fears the highway patrol lights in their rearview window, how much more to stand before the King and have to give an account? See Matthew 12:36-37, 1 Corinthians 4:2, and Hebrews 4:13.
All Christians (believers) have a promised rest. Jesus promised rest to those who come to Him in faith (Matthew 11:28-30). Israel is given a promised rest in the Millennium (Isaiah 65:25, Micah 4:3, and Zechariah 14:7-9). There is no rest for the wicked–ever (Isaiah 57:20-21). There is rest for those who believe and fear God. For the Old Testament believers at death, it was Paradise, the blessed part of Hades (Luke 16:25). For New Testament believers, it is heaven at death (2 Corinthians 5:8). At the resurrection of New Testament believers (church) at the time of the Rapture, all will go to heaven with Jesus Christ forever (John 14:1-2 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). If a believer begins to not believe and never repents, then 1) they were never genuine believers or 2) believers who fell away from the faith. Falling away is very rare but is possible.
V2 “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard.” Good news = the Gospel. All believers have heard the Gospel preached to us, just as those when Jesus ministered on earth, but so did all Old Testament believers did also as Abraham heard and believed (Genesis 15:6). Just hearing the Gospel does not save, reconcile, justify, or bring into fellowship with God. There needs to be hearing, which by the ministry of the Holy Spirit brings understanding, belief, and trust in Jesus as Abraham did in Genesis 15:6. See Romans 4:3-8. The Greek word for “mixed” is (G4786) συγκεράννυμι synkeránnymi, which means (Thayer) “Herodotus down; to mix together, commingle; to unite: συνεκκερασεν τό σῶμα, caused the several parts to combine into an organic structure, which is the body.” They heard but did not believe. So, the hearing of the message is not enough, it must be combined with faith.
V3 “For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest;” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” The quote is from Psalm 95:11. We have the promise of rest now and the reality of rest after death or Rapture. If one has no faith, they will not enter God’s rest but enter God’s wrath. God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3). The is spiritual rest which is peace with God because we believed God’s gospel message. The total rest is not in this life but the next.
V4 “For he has said this somewhere about the seventh day, “God rested on the seventh day from all his works…” The seventh day rest is a general principle of one day a week for rest (Genesis 2:1-3). There is also a special rest with many rules and regulations that is a sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Ezekiel 20:12, Ezekiel 20:20, and Exodus 31:13-17).
V5 “… and in this place again, “They will not enter into my rest.” If there is obedience with faith, then blessings and life. If there is disobedience lacking faith, then curses and death. This is God’s principle. Israel could not keep the law, so a new law had to come into force. The law today is the Law of Christ.
V6 “Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter into it, and they to whom the good news was preached before failed to enter in because of disobedience…” The “they” are the Old Testament Israelis who were at Mt Sinai, had seen all the judgments on Egypt, heard God, and then refused to believe. Compare Exodus 32 and Numbers 13:31-33.
V7 “…he again defines a certain day, today, saying through David so long a time afterward (just as has been said), “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” The certain day is the day we hear the Gospel. Today is the day of salvation. Hardening your hearts is resisting God, His ways, His blessings, His commandments, etc. If we resist God’s message and Christian life, we will not enter God’s rest.
V8 “For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.” The “certain day” could not have been in the lifetime of Joshua, since they had no complete rest. The day is coming when Israel will have their rest in the Millennium (Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 11:6, and Zechariah 14:11).
V9 “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” The word for “rest” is mentioned in (NKJV Study Notes Full Color, 3rd Edition) “The Greek word for rest in this verse is different from the word used in vv. 1, 3, 5, 10, 11; 3:11, 18. This word means “Sabbath rest” and is found only here in the NT. Jews commonly taught that the Sabbath foreshadowed the world to come, and they spoke of “a day which shall be all Sabbath.”
(Wuest Word Studies) “It is a Sabbath rest because the believer reaches a definite stage of attainment and has satisfactorily accomplished a purpose, as God did when He finished the work of creation. It is not the believer’s rest into which he enters and in which he participates, but in God’s unique, personal rest in which the believer shares.”
V10 “For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.” God entered His rest, so now it remains for us who believe and trust in Jesus alone for salvation. Entering heaven is the fulfillment of God’s promise that believers enter His rest. There is no other way to enter God’s rest other than by faith (Romans 4:1-5, Galatians 3:24, and John 3:14-18). The works refer to our Christian life on earth.
V11 “Let’s therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.” The Christian life is not a passive life as “I believed, so now I can do what I want.” It is an active Christian life of learning, believing, striving for the faith, and living the faith. See Luke 9:62. Compare Luke 8:13, Hebrews 10:38-39, and Hebrews 11:31 (Rahab proved this by her life).
V12 “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This is the power of Scriptures. This is why we preach, teach, and life the Scriptures. God has life in Himself, His word brings life (Genesis 2:7), and His word brings spiritual regeneration (Romans 1:16 and 1 Corinthians 1:18. We are not to forget this: 1 Peter 1:5 (WEB) “who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
V13 “There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” God knows everything we think, plan, say, and do. Compare Proverbs 20:27, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, and Luke 12:1-3. Knowing this, gives a godly fear to motivate us, not immobilize us.