HEBREWS

Chapters 3, 4

Verses 3:7 – 4:16

Let us turn our to Hebrews chapter 3; the main theme is the Shabbat- the rest.

Do you find yourself overstressed; are you always on the run and is your schedule overloaded? Let me ask you; do you allow yourself periods of rest; do you give yourself one day a week to rest and to refill? If and when you rest, are you taking full advantage of these times?

They say that even when people give themselves some time off, many do not know how to enjoy it; they have this urge to do and do, and go to and fro. They find it difficult to just stop and enjoy the moment, they do not know how to let go.

How then can we take hold and enjoy these precious moments of rest? Where can we find the true sense and meaning of Sabbath in our lives?

The speaks so much of this concept and it highlights well this need in our lives. Right at the beginning, in the Mosaic Law, one of the Ten Commandments is the Sabbath, which is a commandment to rest. Since it is a commandment, and is among the ten, then it must be vital to us.

What were the people to do or not to do on Sabbath; how were they to rest?

The Scriptures tell us all about it. Even before this, we read that God Himself rested on the seventh day. What did He rest from; does God need to rest, or is there something deeper to understand?

The Bible also speaks of one particular rest, one we can have with and in God. He speaks of this Sabbath; He calls it His Sabbath, His rest. This rest, He says, He wants to give to His people to enjoy.

It is in our section of Hebrews today, where we can find this rest and learn the anatomy of the true Sabbath. This section comes right after a description of who is. It follows it and it flows from Him; true rest comes from Him. It is possible to have this rest, when we get to know Him as the Scriptures describe Him. From the beginning of the book, we have been told so much about His divinity, His humbleness, His suffering, His love and grace. Here we see the results of knowing Him - Rest.

Here, we are told how Yeshua becomes our Immanuel. Yeshua which is Jesus' Hebrew name and which means salvation; after one acquires this salvation, which is free, we need to get hold of Him. We need to work out the rest, and then He becomes our Immanuel, that is God with us. That is when we can experience this great and only genuine Sabbath.

Let us go to the text and see how the writer of Hebrews speaks about God’s rest. It is my prayer that we will all get hold of this rest; it is joy, therapy, something we are looking for, and it is found in Him.

This section begins by showing us how some missed out on the rest in God. :7-11 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,

1 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’"

The text begins with the words “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says.” This is a quotation from and it is a confirmation of the inerrancy of the whole Bible, as it is all inspired by the Holy Spirit, every word of it. This truth will be expended in the next chapter, because the true Sabbath, according to the Spirit, is linked with the revealed Word of God.

Why didn’t the writer give us the verse and chapter? Why not say “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says in Psalm 95 verse 11”?

It is simply because he did not have them; these things were inserted much later on, in history. The chapter and verse subdivisions that we have in our Bibles did not exist in the original text. They were inserted in the fifteenth century - along with titles, italics and capital letters - all to make our reading easier. While these divisions and changes may at times be deficient, in the overall, they help us to better study our Bibles. The first century believers did not have them.

It is right after this verse where the Spirit speaks of rebellion and unbelief. This closes the door to rest in God. Here is lesson one, unbelief leads to rebellion which makes our rest impossible; both cannot co-exist.

The context, as we have begun to see previously, brings us back to the event in the Exodus. After leaving Egypt, the Israelites traveled to Mount Sinai where they spend eleven months. There they received the Ten Commandments and most of the Mosaic Law. They were then ready to enter the land of milk and honey, which was only an eleven day journey. They were at the border of the land; they just had to enter it and begin a great life. But, because of unbelief, they could not enter and this journey turned out to be forty years long - the whole lifetime for most of them.

These events are brought back to us as a type of the life of the believer. Israel went out of Egypt and into the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land of rest, typifying the life of the believer in his journey and in his search for a life of peace, quiet and rest.

The often draws similarities between our journey and Israel's journey. For example, when Israel went through the Red Sea, it says they were baptized into ; now we are baptized into the Messiah. (1Corinthians 10:2, 4) Paul said of the rock which gave fresh and pure water to the Israelites that the Rock was Christ.

As Israel was in the dry wilderness, so are many believers today; yet rest is so close. So many believers begin so well, are so excited about their faith, and then we see a slow growing lack of faith and hardness of the heart creeping in. When these things set in, Sabbath rest becomes impossible, like it was with Israel.

But even in these times, God is still striving with them. First, we can see the grace of God in their lives. The name of the place, where the Israelites were wandering around and around throughout these forty years, is quite significant. This place is called Kadesh Barnea. Kadesh means sanctified, like a place separated from all others, by God. The word “Bar” means son; even in their rebellion, they were sons of God. The word “Nuwa” means to wander. Put together, we have a Sanctified place for the wandering son. Even in rebellion, God was with them; He prepared this place and even calls them “son.”

2 That speaks directly to us in that God will never leave His own children by themselves. His immense love and grace demands that He be with us, even in our unbelief, to bring us back to Him.

How many believers can testify of God’s presence in their lives, even though they were wandering away from Him?

We all had our Kadesh Barnea; many of us may still be in there. It was not always a good place. It is there where we find Koran, Dathan and Abiram, those who rebelled against God and Moses and asked that Israel to go back to Egypt. This is where they live. (Number 32:13)

It was in the same place where the sweet waters of God became bitter because they did not believe; it was the place of the waters of Meribah, or strife. But even then, God was so graceful.

Do you remember how the water became drinkable and enjoyable?

God asked Moses to take a tree, and cast it in the waters and then, lo and behold, the waters were made sweet again. (Exodus 15:25, 1Peter 2:24) The tree was later taken as a symbol of the cross by Peter. The message is the same here and in Hebrews; reconciliation with God leading to peace and rest is through the Messiah. All of these things are there to tell us that we can have a great life in Yeshua.

Let us now see how the writer of the Book of Hebrews speaks of this concept of rest and Sabbath and how he links it to a separation of sin and to a life of faith and obedience. Here, in Hebrews 3:11 is the first of ten mentions of the word “rest” that we find between Chapters 3 and 4. God said: ‘They shall not enter My rest.’" This is a quotation from Psalm 95, but why this Psalm?

There is always a reason, and here there is a very good one. In fact this Psalm is cited three times in chapters 3 and 4. Hebrews 3:15 "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." :5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

So what is so special in Psalm 95?

It was a Sabbath Psalm.

At the time, this was a Psalm that was read every Sabbath. It was the first of a series of Psalms that was used as a liturgy on the Sabbath day; these were Psalms 95 to 99 and Psalm 29. The writer was primarily speaking to Jewish believers and begins his treaty on the significance of the Shabbat with something with which they were familiar. Even today, they follow the reading of these Psalms.

The first seven verses of Psalm 95 is a call to worship. It was called “A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath Day.” This Psalm gave rise to a belief that still persists today. You probably heard of this idea which says that if all Israel respects only one Shabbat, the Messiah will come. This is from the Talmud which inspired itself from Psalm 95. We read in the Talmud, Y. Ta’anit 1:1 One rabbi asked, “What is the scriptural basis? ‘O that today you would hearken to his voice!’” (Ps. 95:7). Said R , “If Israel would keep a single Sabbath in the proper way, forthwith the son of will come.

3 ”,Aḥaron aḥaron ḥaviv, “The very last is dearest/אַ חֲרֹון אַ חֲרֹון חָבִ יב ;They also had an expression at the time which means that we save the best for last. They say that all of us do this when we save the sweets for dessert. Adults will often remind children, “Eat your meal so that you can have dessert,” just as we tell the adults, “Leave room for dessert.” Always be ready for Shabbat. For believers, we can say the last thing is the best when we will experience our Sabbath with Yeshua and for eternity.

So for them, Psalm 95 portrays not just any Shabbat, but the ultimate Shabbat with the Messiah. This is where Hebrews brings us in linking Shabbat – rest – with heaven.

But Hebrews goes even further in that it tells us that one can experience the true Sabbath right now; one doesn't have to wait for heaven. Within these encouragements, Hebrews also will repeat and insist, again and again, in warning the believer not to let go of what God gives him.

Let me bring you right away to Hebrews 4:1-5

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

The passage begins with the words; Let us fear he says, lest we come short of it. There is a healthy fear, a respectful fear; we need to develop toward God. This is something the writer will remind us of until the end, where he says in :31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Here, he is talking to believers. In Hebrews 3:2, the message preached to the Israelites is also called the gospel; it is the same message for both. Different geography, different times, but truth never changes. These verses show us that true rest is possible, now for all believers. For we who have believed do enter that rest. It is in the present tense, some enter it now; you don’t have to wait. You can get hold of it right away, it is part of our sanctification and it is the constant result of our growth in the Word.

Since rest is related to faith, what this verse further tells us is that a person who takes his faith seriously will be increasingly at peace, at rest with himself and with God. These are the people I love to meet and have as friends. These are those who are entering that rest.

It is here where he quotes Genesis 2:2 and links our rest with God’s rest, at the creation. This is important. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

On the 7th day, God rested. The first question we ask is, what does it mean when it says that God rested?

Let us find out; we are going to learn something great here about our Sabbath.

God does not get tired; does He?

4 We know that He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm121:4). God never sleeps; He does not need to. He never tires. He is not a man. So how can we understand this particular rest after the 7th day?

What disturbs God that He would need to rest? These are the same things that disturb our rest, that is, sin; disorder; chaos.

If God needed to rest on the 7th day it is surely from the great chaos, the great “tohu ve bohu” in Genesis 1:2; the formlessness and the void; the darkness; the sin. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When He does something, He does it well. But right away in Genesis 1:2, we read that: The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep

For the next 6 days, God fixed the fallen creation; He put everything in place. Every time, He said: “it is good.” It is like when you arrange your garden, weed out the tares, and give it order and harmony. After this, it is said that God rested.

The same elements disturb our rest as well: sin, confusion and darkness, disorder and chaos. It is only when we come to God with our sins, and confess them to Him, that we can partake of His Rest.

The author even calls the rest by the Jewish word Shabbat. Out of the ten times the word rest is mentioned in Hebrews, only once in Hebrews 4:9 it is called Sabatismo; the only place in the New Testament that a word used in Jewish writings is used to refer to the Messianic age. It is there where we can see the final form of the true Sabbath.

It is unfortunate that many have developed a negative view of the Sabbath, because of many who abused it and are abusing it now. Have you heard of those who want to impose it on other people?

They make the Shabbat so severe; yet it is so liberating. The Book of Hebrews salvages this great concept from those who maltreat it. The Biblical Shabbat far exceeds the man made one; it brings heaven down to us. The true Sabbath, the biblical one, touches and fills this nostalgia of paradise that is in us. But how can we experience this homesickness right now?

Let us follow what the author is about to tells us in the book of Hebrews. Two very practical ways are presented. Let me bring you to the first practical way to acquire this rest; you may be surprised by this first one. Let us go back to Hebrews 3, where there is something revealing. There are many warnings in there, but within them, he gives a way out

Hebrews 3:12-15 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

After speaking of “the rest” in God, of an “evil heart of unbelief” and of a believer’s departure “from the living God,” the writer gives us a first remedy in verse 13, and tells us to “exhort one another daily.” These are very well measured words which speak of the Body of the Messiah, of our fellowship together. This is a first remedy from falling away. To exhort is to encourage - to walk alongside with - one another

5 daily, not only once a week but daily. The point is that we form one body; our lives are linked. Our well being is connected, and ultimately, we are responsible for one another.

Do you know what the Greek word for fellowship is? It is “koinonia.” This word speaks of association, communion, and close relationship. This is like a medicine against falling away. This is repeated in many forms throughout the letter of the New Testament, as in the words “love one another.” These are found at least 12 times in the New Testament. “Love your neighbor” is found 7 times in the New Testament.

Do you remember how our brothers in the faith are important for Paul? For the sake of your brothers and sisters in the faith, he even asks us to change our ways, even the food we are eating, if it offends any in anyway. In a congregation, we learn then that the spiritual health of every believer is every one's concern. We cannot turn a blind eye to a brother or a sister who goes astray or who needs encouragement. Here these words in Verse 13, really come as a surprise in the text, but exhort one another daily, although not so in the context of the whole Bible.

Have you noticed the urgency with which the author speaks? Today, if you will hear His voice… this is repeated three times in verses 3:7, 3:15 and 4:17.

Today, not later but now, take hold of the opportunity. This teaches the value of time. Whatever you must do, do it fast; do not wait. Today - now is the time. And what is associated with the urgency?

Today, if you will hear His voice; what comes out of the voice of God? His Word, and it is in this passage where we find one of the most powerful passage concerning the Word of God; it is found right in Hebrews 4:12-13. These two verses form one sentence. There we find the second remedy.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

The Word is living; it has life in it. By it men are born again; by it we are changed day after day. It is living and powerful because it is from God Himself; it helps us in our growth as it reveals His will and His mind to us.

It is sharp because it goes so deep into us; it knows the very depth of our spirit and soul. It helps us to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart; it diagnoses the heart. It also shows us the state of man. The word “discern” is kritikos, from where we get our word critic. It helps us to part things and to evaluate the world around us. It is like an X-ray device where you see the depth of the soul. No other book speaks so boldly of sin and especially of salvation.

What then was the problem with these people who drifted away? Hebrews 4:2 told us: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

6 First, the writer is speaking to the believers and believers only as He calls them brethren, in Hebrews 3:1 and of them he speaks of an evil heart of unbelief. But, how can believers develop and evil heart of unbelief?

Furthermore He speaks of a believer’s departure from the living God. A believer who departs from the living God is tragic and it is very disconcerting, because so many follow this path.

It is in this verse of Hebrews 4:2 where, for the first time, the word faith is mentioned - the first of 29 other mentions. This is something the writer will develop throughout the book and he is following a good strategy so that we may learn, even more, to stay close to God. We have seen the importance of fellowship, then the important of the Word, now He speaks of faith, because we have learned that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom.10:17). Faith is a wonderful thing. It is given by God after we have done our homework of getting closer to God. Combine Faith with the Word of God and you could move mountains. It has been said that faith in God sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible.

Let us sum up these four chapters. What we have been told is who Yeshua really is; God incarnate. We have been told what He did for us. We are being told that, despite all these great things, some are drifting away; some just cannot believe. The Book of Hebrews is here to encourage us to go back to our God. In fact, true rest and happiness is found only in Him. These four chapters remind us of the last book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Book of Malachi. Here at the end of the Hebrew Scriptures, after all that could be done, and was done, we find here that we have wearied God; the first two chapters are very somber, as if it was the end; there in Malachi 1:6 God speaks to the Israelites and says: A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?

Where is the respect that is due Me? – says the Lord. Doesn't He say the same thing in Hebrews?

God continues his protest in Malachi and now speaks of these unworthy sacrifices that these priests were offering to Him. Outwardly they may have seemed very religious, but inwardly they were not priests. See what He tells them in Malachi 1:8: And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts.

Of course they could not; they were afraid of their governor. But not afraid of God, because they did not have the faith to help them see Him. They were devoid of Spirit of God.

At the end of chapter one God says to them: For I am a great King," Says the LORD of hosts, "And My name is to be feared among the nations.

Something very touching is happening in Chapter 2 of Malachi; the verse actually begins with a warning that is cut short before it is fully pronounced. See this passage; it is loaded with great emotions. God starts by saying to the priests in verse 2: If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name," Says the LORD of hosts, "I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings.

Then, as if God stopped and in the same sentence, He says: Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.

7 It is as if God remembered all that was done before and all the prophets who came before Malachi with these same warnings - warnings that they didn’t listen to. It is as if He is saying: what is the use now! We have come to the end. A most tragic thing in one's life is when God is forced to go away from this person.

But praise God that His thoughts are not our thoughts. Praise God for His great love because it is at this moment where we see something out of this world! Something incredible! In the face of that desperate situation in Malachi, God then decides to come down himself – to bring a remedy – otherwise it would have been the end of mankind.

After having detailed the emotions that have wounded the Lord, Malachi now brings out these wonderful words of God which we read in Malachi 3:1 – see the blessed turn of events here: Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.

This is the story of God; a story we find in Hebrews as well. How can we not follow Him after all that He did for us?

To conclude, I want to bring out one important point we have learned together today, that is to know how to rest in God. Jesus demonstrated this principle when he and his disciples left in a boat to get away from the crowds. Mark 6:31–32 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

It was a time when hundreds and hundreds of people followed Yeshua. It was a time when the religious leaders were constantly trying to find ways to trap the disciples by asking them questions after questions. The movement had become very significant and even the Romans were worried of an uprising. All these things weighted on the disciples, and Yeshua took them on the side and rested with them.

We also need these moments of rest with the Lord. These moments when we enter our room, close the door, and sit with Jesus. There is one verse I want to share with you, one single and powerful verse in Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God

There comes a time when we need to stop and be still. The Hebrew word is also very powerful; it first means to cease striving, to let go, sink down (imagine… in your sofa); it is also used for something that weakened. The word is rapha and it is from this word that we get our word giant, rephaim. Like Goliath or those giants in Genesis 6. What is the relation?

The literal meaning of rephaim would be the spirit of the dead; the emphasis is on the word dead, or without strength, like one who is so weak that he is as dead.

This definition is very much to the point; maybe this is what and Caleb understood these giants to be; so dead and they knew that when the Sun of Righteousness, the Messiah, rises, they will just melt away, as dead.

Maybe this is how we should consider these giants in our lives; all dead and erased by the blood of the Messiah.

“Be still - be rapha - and know that I am God”

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