CHAPTER 4
Verses 1-2
v1 The same promise of entering the place of God's rest is still there for us. We should be afraid that some of us may miss our chance to go in. v2 We have heard the good news just as they did in the desert. The message that they heard did not benefit them. They heard it, but they did not accept it.
Commentary
Verse 1
God has promised a place of rest that will last forever. This place is open to all who walk in God's way. The promised land of the Hebrews is to us a picture of that place of rest. The adults who came out of Egypt failed to go in because they did not trust God. The promise of rest forever with God still stands and is for us. We must take care not to miss our chance to enter that place of rest. We must make sure that we are in the way that leads there. When we die, God will judge us and, if we are not walking in his way, it will then be too late.
Verse 2
The Hebrews heard the good news of the promises of God. We also have heard the good news as they did. They were slaves in Egypt, but God set them free. God did many powerful works to make the king let them go. God then promised to lead them as a nation to a new land. To receive the promises of God they had to put their trust in him. They failed to do this, for they did not accept the word of God. It was for this reason that they died in the desert and did not go into the new land.
We have heard the good news that Jesus has come to save us. He has taken our sins away in His own body. He has died for us so that we might live to God. We shall also fail if we do not trust in Jesus. The way to God's rest is in Jesus and is for all who follow Him. The Hebrews failed because they did not trust God and obey what He said. We shall not fail if we hear the good news of Jesus and accept it.
Verses 3-13
v3 We Christians enter that place of God's rest. The Hebrews in the desert would not accept the good news. That made God angry. He said, "They shall never enter my place of rest"(Psalm 95:11). Yet he finished his work when he made the world. v4 Somewhere in the Bible God spoke of the seventh day in these words: ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all his work’ (Genesis 2:2). v5 Now, in the earlier words above, God says, "They shall never enter my place of rest" (Psalm 95:11). v6 That means that some other people will enter it. But the people who heard the good news in the past did not enter it, because they did not obey God. v7 So God fixed another day, calling it "today" when a long time later he spoke by David. He said, ‘Today if you hear the voice of God, do not make your hearts hard’ (Psalm 95:7-8). v8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. v9 So there still remains a perfect rest for the people of God. v10 Anyone who enters God's place of rest, also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
v11 So let us be eager to enter that place of rest. We must be careful not to miss our chance, like the people in the desert who did not obey God. v12 The word of God is living and full of power. It is sharper than any sword that cuts on both edges. It cuts between soul and spirit. It cuts between joints and muscles. It knows people’s thoughts and attitudes. v13 No one can hide from God. His eyes see all things as they really are. It is to him that we all must give an account for what we do.
Commentary
Verses 3-5
The Jews believed that they were the people of God. Because they were the children of Abraham by birth, they were sure that they would go to heaven. They were wrong because to enter God’s place of rest, people must obey him. When we know and accept Jesus Christ, we become the people of God. God has said that the people who did not have belief in Him would never enter His rest (Psalm 95:11). Nobody can go in without belief in what God has said. God has spoken to us in his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the only way to life with God. God rested after He had made the earth and the sky (Genesis 2:2). So the place of rest that we speak of has been ready since then. It remains open for us to enter and to be at home with God.
Verse 6
God has made this place of rest to be the home for human beings. There is nothing that can stop God from keeping His promises. They can be for us, but only if we take hold of them in belief. The people to whom God made the promises at first did not obey him. They heard the good news, but they failed to go in. It is God's plan that some people will enter. So the promises are now for us to accept.
Verse 7
Because the people who first received God’s promise failed, God has fixed another day. That day is today, and we can now trust God and enter His place of rest. So David warns us all (Psalm 95:7-8). He said that when you hear God's voice today, do not let your hearts become hard. We need to hear and obey the call of God or we too shall not rest with God.
Verse 8
Joshua, who came after Moses could not lead the people to this place of rest. He did lead them into the land that God had promised them. That land was not the place of God’s rest, but it was a picture of it. If it had been that place, God would not have fixed another day. The name ‘Joshua’ in Hebrew is the same as ‘Jesus’ in Greek. The ‘Jesus’ (Joshua) of the Old Testament could not lead them into rest with God, but Jesus Christ can lead us there.
Verse 9
There is still this place of rest for the people of God. The word "rest" can have more than one meaning. Here it has a special meaning. God had told the Hebrews to keep one day each week as a holiday. On this day they were to do no work. It was a day for praising God. It was a day for them to spend time with God. This 1 day in 7 was the Sabbath day. Here the writer speaks of the rest like the Sabbath. It will be a time when there is rest from all work. It will be a time when the people of God will enjoy him.
Verse 10
When God had made the earth and sky, He rested from His work. When a person enters God's place of rest, he stops doing his own work.
Verse 11
We must be eager to enter this place of rest. We must make sure that we get there by coming to know God in Jesus. We must be careful that we do not fail like the people in the desert. They did not trust God.
Verse 12
The word of God is anything that God says. Jesus is also the Word of God. It is by Jesus that God has spoken to us. Jesus is God shown to us in a human body. Here the word of God is what God speaks and teaches. We have this word of God written down in the Bible. It is normal for God to speak to us through the Bible. His words are alive and full of power. God’s word goes right into our inner life. It is like a sharp sword that cuts on both edges. In a fight, a sword cuts into the body. It can cut between bones. The word of God is like that with our minds and spirits. It makes plain all the hidden parts of our lives, whether good or bad. Our lives are completely open to God and He knows all that there is to know about us. There can be no secrets hidden from God.
Verse 13
God sees and knows all about every living thing. He sees and knows all that there is to know about every man and woman. To him, each life is like an open book. We cannot hide anything from God. One day we must stand before Him and give an account of our lives. He will judge us by what we have done and by what we accept about Jesus His Son. It will be a terrible thing to stand before God for the people who do not know Jesus.
Verses 14-16
v14 We have a great chief priest who has gone through the heavens. He is Jesus, the Son of God. Let us never fail in our belief and trust in him. v15 We have a chief priest who can feel with us when we are weak. He knows how weak we are. He had to suffer testing in every way like us. We fail, but he did not do anything wrong. v16 Let us approach God’s royal seat with boldness, that is, where God’s goodness is. We shall receive from him his goodness, support, and the help that we need.
Commentary
Verse 14
We have a great chief priest. He has gone on our behalf to the place where God lives. The Jews spoke of many heavens, perhaps 3 or 7. Jesus has gone above all the heavens to the top place. The chief priest of the Jews was only a man. He stood before God in the temple on earth. Jesus as our chief priest is more than a man. He is the Son of God. He is always there with God Himself. As we have such a chief priest, we must go on trusting in him. We can be sure that he will not fail us.
Verse 15
When Jesus came to earth, He became a real human. He lived as a man in all the experiences of life, the same as any person. He did not do any wrong, but He took all our sins to Himself. He died a terrible death of real and extreme pain. Now he shares with us all that we feel in our bodies and in our minds. He knows how weak we are, and when we suffer, He suffers with us.
Verse 16
Here is a chief priest whom we can trust. He took our sins away when He died on the cross. He is now with God and is the agent for all who trust in Him. So we do not need to have a chief priest on earth to go to God for us. We can be bold to approach God Himself because of the work of Jesus. We can always look to him for help when we need it. In His love, He will be kind to us because He knows how weak we are. He will pardon all our sins and make us clean again. He will give us the strength that we need to help us in difficult times.
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