As Christians, we understand there is no rest for the soul apart from Christ. When we came to God in Christ, it was like pulling into a snug harbor from a stormy sea. There is no rest for the heart apart from Christ. However, if we are candid we will admit that the initial rest has not always been our lot, because there is a difference between the primary experience of rest and living a life of rest on life’s uneven seas. Certainly this was true of those the writer of Hebrews was addressing. Their experience of Christ was not living up to expectations. Instead of rest there was turmoil. They had given up their ancient religion but were suffering for their new faith. To some it seemed that the initial experience of rest was a cruel delusion. It is to these endangered hearts that the writer now focuses his remarks in Chapter 4 as he instructs and exhorts them on participation in the rest of God. This theme has always been contemporary and will find a responsive chord in every believer’s heart – especially if he or she is sailing into the contrary winds of the world.

Chapter 4 opens with a warning based on Israel’s tragic failure in the wilderness (vv. 1-2). Israel had heard the good news brought by Caleb and Joshua that the land was theirs for the taking, however they were listening more to the other 10 that were frightened by what they saw. They simply did not trust God and so failed to enter their rest. Many, perhaps thousands, were believers (they believed in God), but only the two really trusted God and found rest. We must keep this subtle distinction between belief and trust clear is we are to understand what kind of faith is necessary to have rest in this life. The principle is so simple: the more trust, the more rest. There is not a fretful soul in the world who is trusting. Fellow Christians, there is a rest for you. It’s not beyond your capacity. You can have it if you wish.

Note first that he twice quotes Psalm 95:11 – “They shall not enter My rest” (vv. 3, 5). His purpose is not to imply that his readers will not enter the rest, but rather to show that God calls the rest being offered “My rest” because it is the rest He Himself enjoys. This in itself is a stupendous revelation. It means that when we are given rest by Him, it is not simply a relaxation of tensions, but a rest that is qualitatively the same rest God enjoys – His personal rest He shares with us! The sublime fact that we share God’s personal rest, the rest He enjoys, ought to set our hearts racing!

The character of God’s rest is the ideal of all rests. First, it is joyous. Job 38:7 echoes the joy of the Creator that he carried into his Sabbath-rest. Second, His rest is satisfying. This is the repeated implication of His multiple assertions regarding creation that “it was good” (Genesis 1). Third, it is a working rest. God finished His great work and rested, but it was not a cessation from work, but rather the proper repose that comes from completing a great work. Jesus referred to His Father’s ongoing work in John 5:17. God’s repose is full of active toil. God rests, and in His rest He keeps working even now.

Some members of the little church had become so disheartened that they thought the rest was not available to them. It may have been available to the Israelites in the desert, they thought, or to David’s hearers when he reoffered it in Psalm 95, but rest was not really available to them in their difficult circumstances. So in verses 6-10 the author argues that the rest remains. Notice that verses 6 and 9, the opening and closing sentences of this section, assert that fact. The writer has used every angle to show his friends and us that we can know and experience this rest. If we learn anything from this text, we must understand that the rest is there is we want it (v. 9). Praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

The writer properly closes this section with a challenge to his church (v. 11). How then, do we “strive” (or, as some translations have it, “do our utmost”) “to enter that rest”? Our passage suggests two things. First, we must do our utmost to focus on the rest. We must strive to comprehend that it is a divine rest – the rest that God personally enjoys. It is joyous, satisfying, and productive. We must do our utmost to grasp this. There is no room for mental laziness. Second, we must do our utmost to combine the hearing of the good news of the offered rest with genuine faith – that is, belief plus trust. In the midst of life’s uneven seas, we are called, as was the early church, to believe in the mighty God of the exodus, He who parted the seas, brought forth water from a rock, and fed His people with manna. Even more, we are to believe in the Bread of Heaven who gave His life for us and rose from the dead and ascended to God in mighty power. Do we believe that our God is such a God? Do we really believe it with all our heart? We must make every effort to do so!

Finally, can we add to this belief trust? This was the bottom line for the wavering church. Could they trust God to take care of them? There is no rest in this life without trust.

Hebrews 4:1-11 Reflection Questions:

When you were a new Christian did you ever experience “rough seas” like the Hebrews was experiencing?

What is the greatest problem you face? Do you believe God can meet it? Can you, will you, trust Him?