God invites us to rest. He tells us to "be still, and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10) The author of Hebrews continues talking about people who did not avail themselves of God's offer of rest, then he speaks of how to make certain we too do not miss out on the Sabbath-rest of God's people.
We concluded yesterday with the author reminding us that God did not allow the rebellious generation to enter the promised land. He had done many mighty miracles among the people of Israel when He brought them out of Egypt and while He took care of them in the wilderness. Yet there were some who did not believe. We see the same thing happening in our world today. God could perform the same great works for two different people and yet each of them might have a different reaction to Him. One might believe on Him in faith; the other might reject Him. The promise of rest belongs to the person of faith, not to the one who remains in stubborn unbelief.
God is still working today, as the Lord Jesus said in John 15:17, but God has rested from His work of creation. He rested from this particular work because it was complete. So the writer says, "And yet His works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'On the seventh day God rested from all His works.'" (Hebrews 4:3b-4) This quote is from Genesis 2:2. God had finished the job of creation, so He stopped. He sat down and regarded with satisfaction a job well done. If everyone He brought out of Egypt had believed and trusted in Him, they could have all entered Canaan together. Though much would have remained to do in conquering the tribes of the promised land, they could have taken a well-earned rest to be thankful to the Lord and to enjoy the feeling of having arrived. The same is true of us today. We could have peace and rest in our souls if we would just believe what God says. I'm as guilty as anybody of worrying myself to death over things and lying awake at night turning stuff over and over in my mind. The sad thing is, it doesn't have to be that way. If I'd just turn everything over to the One who created the universe and everything in it, and if I'd just trust that the One who did that can handle my problems, I could go peacefully to sleep instead of tossing and turning.
The writer makes it clear that those who didn't enter the promised land had no one to blame but themselves. God was angry with their unbelief because they had no excuse for it, so He refused them entrance to the "rest" of the promised land. "And again in the passage above He says, 'They shall never enter My rest.' Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it 'Today'. This He did when a long time later He spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.'" (Hebrews 4:5-7)
God keeps making the invitation to enter into His rest. We aren't promised tomorrow, so today is the day to make things right with Him. The Lord gave the children of Israel forty years in the wilderness to make things right with Him; some did and some didn't. The time came when He did not plead any longer with the ones who persisted in rebellion. Their hearts were too hard for His words to penetrate. There comes a time in each person's life when, if he remains hard hearted, the words of the Lord won't have any effect on him. That person's conscience will no longer bother him. He will feel no guilt and will feel no need for a Redeemer. So, as the Apostle Paul said to the believers of Corinth, "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2b) If you say "no" to Him too many times, you may become incapable of saying "yes" because your heart will be too hard. Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us, so there's no guarantee you'll get another chance. If you don't know Christ as your Savior, there's no better day than today to answer His call.
Though the entrance into the promised land signified a "rest", an even better rest was promised. This is why David, who lived many years after Israel entered Canaan, spoke of another day and another rest. David is the one who penned the words of Psalm 95 that the author quoted above in verse 7. If the entrance into the promised land were the complete fulfillment of the rest that God promises to His people, then David would have said nothing about it. But prophetically David knew there was more to it. By the Holy Spirit he was given a small glimpse of God's salvation plan, and he spoke of a beautiful rest that was yet to come. "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:8-11)
Joshua led the people into the promised land, which was a fulfillment of God's promise to the faithful ones of Israel. But Joshua didn't give them the complete fulfillment of God's promise of rest---he couldn't, because that rest is fulfilled by Christ. Christ is the One who leads us into peace with God, peace with our fellow man, and peace with ourselves. In Him we are complete, so just as God rested when His work of creation was complete, we receive a rest in our souls knowing our salvation is complete.
I want to rest from my works, don't you? Aren't we worn down by carrying heavy burdens day in and day out? Aren't our minds weary from turning our problems over and over in our minds? Aren't we sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? I think it's time we learned to be still and let God be God. Nothing in this world is really within our complete control anyway, so why not place all our problems and all our hopes into the hands of the One who is in control? This is the wisest thing we could do, and we will conclude with the words of Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Solomon said if we hold fast to wisdom (in Proverbs wisdom is the knowledge of God and obedience to God) we will be able to rest. "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." (Proverbs 3:24) Amen! Who wouldn't want that?
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