Hebrews 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 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. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
God stated that those who rebelled against Him would not enter into His rest. There were others who would enter in. Canaan was a land that God promised would be a land flowing with milk and honey. Those who would walk by faith would find that milk and honey. Many of those who entered that land did not have that rest because of unbelief. We must remember that Canaan is not heaven. Canaan was a land given to Abraham as a promise of God. We must also remember that eventually, Israel would lose that land for a long time. Even today, Israel is supposed to be a sovereign nation, but we know that the world is trying to tell Israel how to run their country. No other country would put up with that except that most countries are under the thumb of the WEF and men like George Soros. The point is that eternal life is a gift of God that cannot be lost. God is talking about that rest in our text. We have already noted that it was unbelief that kept many from resting. That unbelief, was an unbelief in God and His promises. We see further that the Gospel was preached to those in the days of Moses. We have already looked at that in an earlier devotional. The Tabernacle and all the vessels in it pointed to Jesus Christ. The blood of the animals that was shed on a daily basis was a picture of the blood of Jesus Christ that alone can take away sin. The blood of the animals could only “atone” for the sins. God required the blood of a sinless man to pay the debt of the curse that was upon man. Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord are forgiven and saved.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Yes, God offered salvation to those rebels in the wilderness, but they rejected it. Others were given the same opportunity. In fact all are given the same opportunity. The danger is that people will not learn from the record of the past and will continue to rebel against the truth. In verse 7 the writer referred to Psalm 95:7-9 —
Psalms 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
The danger is the hardening of the heart. God addressed this problem in the book of Hebrews. It was a major problem then, and it still is now. There are still multitudes of people who are hardening their hearts against the truth. I meet people like that often. They insist on following their corrupt beliefs. The Bible does not matter to them, even though as we see further in this passage, the Word of God is powerful. Every person will be judged by the Word of God. Those who reject what God has decreed will shudder in fear as they realize the gravity of their hardened hearts. The warning is given. Don’t harden your heart. Don’t insist on following some perverted text that negates the truth. Don’t let your imaginary ideas cancel out the truth of God. In verse 8 we see God develop this warning further. Verse 8 is a verse that has been debated often. Most of the discussion hints to a mistake in the translation. They suggest that “Jesus” should read “Joshua”. We need to be careful not to allow the devil to deceive us as he did Eve. We need to stop and consider what is referred to here. We find some interesting verses in Joshua 5:14-15 —
Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
The LORD met with Moses when He called him to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt. The LORD met with Joshua as they began to take control of the land of Canaan. In both instances the person was told to remove their shoes because they were standing on holy ground. Who is the LORD in these passages? We find another interesting verse in Acts 7:45 where again the name of Jesus is dismissed and we are told it should read Joshua. It is true that Joshua was the human leader who brought the nation of Israel into Canaan. He led them in the conquering of some of that land. However, God/Jesus led them into that land and gave them success in taking that land. God made that abundantly clear. Israel’s defeat at Ai is a clear picture of the result of not following His leadership. The Greek word in both of these passages does not support changing it from Jesus to Joshua. We have already been told that the Gospel was preached to the rebels in the wilderness. God did not write down everything that He has said. He wrote down what we need to know. God has revealed Himself to man for His purposes. He has given every generation the Light needed to choose wisely. In our text we are told that many of the Jews that entered the land of Canaan perished. They did not find that rest that was available to them. They did not find it because they did not seek it by faith. In verse 9 we read that there is a rest to the people of God. Those who walk by faith had and have that rest. They are the ones who are not seeking for another. They settle on God’s provision of a Saviour. They trust in Him to save them and to keep them. Job spoke of his Redeemer. He declared Him to be alive. Job is one of the earliest writers of Scripture. There is a rest that is only available through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ does not throw His pearls to the swine. God’s salvation is available to all, but the writer of Hebrews was told to write a sober warning to those who would scoff at God’s truth and who would seek after something other than Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. God is the Author of the Bible. He often warns of the danger of being deceived. Salvation is a gift of God. It is there for all who will come to Him in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. God’s salvation is powerful and it is life-changing. What is often peddled as salvation today is humanistic and not life-changing. Be sure you are trusting in God and His rest. Pastor Bartel
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