There's rest and then there's rest. There's the kind of rest that you get on vacation—sometimes there really isn't much rest because of the preparation and travel and the cost. Vacations often are just a change of scenery to get away from it all or to see new things.
But then there is rest—real rest, deep rest, restoring rest, perfect rest. It's the kind of rest many of us just do not get very often. Think of emergency workers during major crises. Think of young mothers nursing children or parents with a house full of kids. Think of the businessman, the driver or the nurse who just cannot get much time off and who work extended hours. Think about people who suffer from serious illnesses and chronic pain. There is really not much rest for these folks either.
Rest can be defined as "a bodily state characterized by minimal functional or metabolic activities," or "a freedom from activity or labor," or peace of mind or spirit.[1] It can be safely said that each one of us longs to find and we desire true rest. So, let’s explore four movements of rest that can be found in the Bible.
We can find four movements of rest in the Bible.
FIRST MOVEMENT
Genesis 2:2-3 reads, “On the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." What a wonderful thing that God rested. He sat back and just enjoyed his creation, not because he was tired—for he is infinite in power. He did not lift a finger and just rested from his work. It gives to us a splendid example of taking rest. "Rest, my little ones," we can almost hear him say. It is good to know that we can rest because God rested.
Let’s learn a bit more about the concepts of rest in the Old Testament from Joseph E. Coleson. These concepts are important to understand both the rest that God engaged in and the rest that he commanded. More on this later.
There are two Hebrew roots from which we derive the concept of Sabbath-rest. The first is shabat [shah-BOT], which occurs first in Genesis 2:2-3. In its verb forms, it usually means “cease.” Of its nearly 70 occurrences in the Old Testament, only nine can be accurately translated “rest/rested.” The others mean “cease/ceased” without regard to whether “rest” follows. For instance, after the flood, God promised, “As long as the earth endures,” the natural rhythms and seasons of the earth “will never cease” (8:22).
So where is the idea of the Sabbath day “rest” if not in the word shabat? This question brings us to our second root, which occurs in Exodus 20:11: “For in six days [Yahweh] made . . . [everything], but he rested on the seventh day.” “But he rested” translates a verb derived from nuach [NOO-ach]—both originally and primarily meaning “rest,” with all its longed-for restorative qualities, benefits, and imageries.
In short, shabat means “cease.” Nuach means “rest.” Both roots feature in the fourth commandment, in Exodus and in Deuteronomy. Both are necessary for God to offer—and for God’s people to understand and accept—God’s gift of Sabbath-rest.[2]
SECOND MOVEMENT
The second and third movements of rest are closely tied. The second movement is the promise of Canaan rest. Once delivered from Egyptian slavery (which was a rest in and of itself!), God gave the Hebrews the promise of a plentiful land of rest. However, that promised rest was not begun for forty years due to their disobedience. Indeed, the Canaan rest was not ever fully experienced due to continued disobedience. But more on this next. Let’s call the next two movements times of “fitful rest”.
THIRD MOVEMENT
While the Hebrews were being established as a nation and a people of God, God took another step in regarding this matter. In the Law handed down to Moses God commanded a rest. It is called the Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:8-11). In this commandment God does something very deliberate. He forever connects the idea of physical rest with the idea of spiritual rest and holiness. For only a holy person can enjoy a holy day. A wicked person cannot rest on a holy day because they will be overcome by either rebellion or guilt.
When we follow God's laws and love him deeply, the rest we get is very sweet—both physically and spiritually. This includes sleeping well at night because we have no fear or a guilty conscience. We can think about and meditate on God's goodness. Letting our bodies and minds relax on one special day a week permits us to regroup and restore for the new week ahead. It's just wonderful.
After the Hebrews wandered in the desert for four decades, the price had been paid and we see in the book of Joshua the beginning of the action to move into that rest. As the author of the New Testament book of Hebrews wrote, yet again, they failed in keeping the covenant and all of the Canaan rest was not to be had. However, the commandment to take a Sabbath rest continued for those who were faithful to honor God’s day of rest. Consider what Joseph Coleson wrote about this matter.
The author of Hebrews [Chapters 3-4] interpreted the failure of the adult generation of the Exodus to enter into God’s rest in Canaan to mean (among other things) that Joshua’s leading of the next generation into the land their parents had failed to enter was, at best, only a partial fulfillment of God’s promise of “rest.” Key to this interpretive move was the psalmist’s use of “today” (95:7) to lead off his plea to “today’s” generation of Yahweh believers not to repeat the unbelief and rebellion of their ancestors summarized in the rest of the psalm. That the psalmist spoke of “today”—a day not yet seen by God’s people—led the author of Hebrews to identify “today” with the eternal “Sabbath-rest” of which the weekly one-day-in-seven Sabbath is a symbolic precursor.[3]
Read Hebrews 3:1-6.
In the first and second chapter of Hebrews, the writer spent a significant amount of word-power comparing Jesus to angels, establishing his divinity and affirming the Incarnation—God coming to us in the flesh. Then in the third chapter the writer moved to another very significant distinction. This is the distinction between Jesus and Moses.
We can see the compassion and passion of the writer in how the first readers are addressed. They are holy brothers and sisters. Because of their relationship with Jesus Christ, they are made into a family as they are in the presence of their Savior who has called them to a better and a higher way. And this better way is the object on which they can fix their attention, focus their religious fervor, and gain spiritual maturity. The only place in the New Testament where Jesus is described as an Apostle is here. The title of Apostle describes someone who has been sent with a message—a message of hope. This message of hope comes from Jesus who is also a high priest.
The writer addresses here two very prominent issues for these early Christians. First, Jesus is the one who has completed the role of high priest. After the sacrifice of himself—not a bull or lamb—the work of this High Priest is completely satisfied. Centuries of people from the Hebrew tradition had followed the exact same practices outlined in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Jesus brought those God-established practices to a perfect resolution through his faithfulness to the spirit of the Law. A perfect animal sacrifice—as perfect as could be found—had to be brought to the tabernacle to act as the substitution and representation of the sins of the people. Jesus was the absolutely perfect sacrifice and therefore no more sacrifices for sins had to be made. Of this the new Christians, still living by the Law given to Moses, could be freed to testify (confess, witness) to the freedom they had found in him.
Secondly, the writer draws the comparison between Jesus and Moses Here it would be helpful to understand the role of Moses in the Hebrew and Jewish community, particularly for those who were contemporaries with the writer of this New Testament book. We rely on the excellent synopsis of Richard S. Taylor.
“The voice of Moses had become virtually the voice of God in Hebrew thinking. An appeal to Moses settled all questions. The transfer of faith and allegiance from Moses to the Man of Galilee was very difficult, and the pressure to return to Moses was constant.
Moses’ devotees could point to the miracles in Egypt, the mighty events of Sinai, and the leading out of the whole nation. Jesus' disciples could point only to local miracles on individuals, and a tiny motley band of despised followers. Moses died with dignity upon a mountain and was buried by angels (Deuteronomy 34:9; Jude 9); Jesus was put to an ignominious and cruel public death by His enemies. The disciples of Jesus clung to His resurrection and a promise of future glory—a promise which thus far showed no signs of materializing. And the Resurrection was proof of superiority only to those who believed it . . . The question of the perpetuity of Moses' authority arose very early in the Church even at Jerusalem, and the first great council was convened to settle this issue (Acts 15).[4]
The writer to the Hebrews retains great respect for Moses, as there should be even in our time, and yet shows a very clear reality that Moses was just a man. The faithfulness of Moses is admirable, and he is an honorable role model, but he is not God nor does he have the last word. Moses served in God’s house. Jesus, being one with God, built his house and now serves over it, fills it, and guides its residents.
H. Orton Wiley wrote a commentary on the book of Hebrews. In that work, he describes the work of Christ regarding real rest. “Christ, the Apostle of the new covenant, is not only our Moses to lead us out of but our great Joshua and the captain of our salvation, who will bring us into our spiritual inheritance. He brought us out that he might bring us into this “rest of faith,” or “rest in God,” this being the supreme goal of our earthly spiritual experience. . . The Christian Sabbath, frequently called the Lord's day, takes on great significance. In itself it is not only an institution set up as a memorial of God’s rest after the finished work of creation, but celebrated on a new day it becomes also a memorial of the finished work of Christ in redemption . . . The earthly life of Jesus affords us an example of continuous and absolute dependence upon the Father. ”[5]
And then the writer to the Hebrews affirms something completely radical to these New Testament Christians. The house of God is not a tabernacle, the Temple or a synagogue building or place. The house of God is not made of material, brick or stone. It is made up of believers filled with the Spirit of the resurrected Christ! Acts 2 testifies to this reality as well. The ancient prophets, and particularly Ezekiel (37:14), saw that God can live in us, continually calling us to deeper and more lasting faith, giving us courage to witness to the new and better way, confidently living as Christians in the face of persecution, doubt, and the passionate pleas to leave the One who has given himself for us. We are his house! This is what pours confidence into our hearts and minds. This is what brings us courage and hope. Of this we can certainly boast.
Read Hebrews 3:7-11.
As we have discovered, Hebrews was written during difficult days of persecution, and it was written primarily to converted Jewish Christians. They knew the rest-command of the Sabbath day. But for some reason these folks were starting to drift away from the physical and the spiritual principle of a Sabbath day. The writer addresses rest, but it was much more than just a day off of work. The writer wants to show the very direct connection between the command for rest and their spiritual life with God. So, the writer re-issues a stark warning from history to these persecuted Christian Jews.
The quote from Psalm 95 briefly recounts what happened back in Numbers 13 and 14. In order to understand this passage in Hebrews we need to get that historical reference down in Numbers.
Read Numbers 13 and 14.
After their deliverance from Egypt, the Hebrews had been traveling across the desert for some time. Their excitement grew as they traveled because they were right on the border of what God called "the Promised Land." There God provided the great deliverance from Egyptian slavery and made them into a new nation, on the cusp of seeing the promise fulfilled. Moses had been their faithful leader.
But the people did not respond as God had hoped. Once again God heard their rebellious voices in his ear. So, God declared he would destroy them and start over again. Moses and Aaron did what they knew best to do in times like these—they dropped to their knees in prayer. They interceded for the Hebrews again, pleading with God to withhold his anger. And so, he did. The people mourned greatly and went so far as to say they were sorry and even packed their bags to enter the land the next day. But God sent them back out into the desert and for forty years they wandered, until every person who had rebelled against him had died of natural causes. And for forty years God continued to provide for them—quail and manna, water and shade. For forty years they missed out on the full joy of the Lord. They forfeited the blessings of God by their lack of faith.
It is this account that the New Testament writer of Hebrews brings up before the persecuted Christian Jews. These Christians seemed to have started to develop an unwilling, rebellious spirit, a tendency to revolt or defect—falling away from the faith. Perhaps they had seen enough executions and persecutions to think that God would not prevail, that Jesus was just a hoax, that God would no longer help them. So, their spiritual lives had begun to suffer. They had started to turn away from Jesus and to turn away from each other. The writer very boldly confronts them about this spiritual danger.
Read Hebrews 3:12-14:8.
The writer is crystal clear about the spiritual significance of resting in faith. The kind of rest that he is talking about comes from being right with God no matter what is happening. And this rest comes in the knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ, which is far weightier than a promise of land to a small nation of specific people. This rest is the kind of real rest that comes from having your sins forgiven, having little or no desire to rebel, having a clean conscience and the ability to choose Jesus Christ above all other things. The writer to the Hebrews continues in the quest for their understanding and comprehension of real rest.
Read Hebrews 4:9-13.
Daniel G. Powers wrote: “The audience of Hebrews struggled with the deceitful lie that their situation would improve by rejecting Christ and returning to Judaism. This same lie caused the Israelites to rebel against Moses in a belief that life would be better back in Egypt. The writer recognized that his readers were as vulnerable to this hardening process as were the Israelites in Moses’ day. Mutual encouragement would help to guard against sin’s deceitfulness and the resultant hardening of the believers’ hearts.”[6]
Just as the rebellious nature of the ancient Hebrews was exposed by God's presence, so also our sin is exposed through the reading and interaction with God's written word. And in that exposure, we are given opportunity through its witness and testimony of Christ's forgiveness and redemption—which is far greater than even the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from physical slavery—to stay right with God, to remain faithful despite our circumstances or the temptation to give up.
And finally, the FOURTH MOVEMENT of rest!
Eternal and perfect rest is still on the horizon. The promise continues! There will come a time when the fitfulness of this present rest will end. And it is for the ever-faithful. George Lyons captured this reality very well. “Like other nearly contemporary Jewish and Christian writers both inside and outside the biblical canon, the author [of Hebrews] assumed that Sabbath-rest symbolized end-time salvation: Rest refers to the heavenly Jerusalem, the resurrection, and eternal life of the world to come . . . Although its consummation awaits the end-times, believers are already in the process of entering God’s rest.”[7] What a great and glorious future we have! What a reason to stay faithful! John gave us the beautiful picture of real and lasting rest in Revelation 21:3-7.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’* or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
*Isaiah 25:8
As we remain faithful and encourage one another to remain faithful, we will know true spiritual rest and true physical rest. We will know both peace of mind and spirit. This is the rest of knowing that God is pleased with our obedience. This is the rest that comes from knowing that, despite what appears to be insurmountable odds, we can have the victory. This is the rest of knowing that we have done our best work throughout the week. This is the rest of knowing that, come what may, God will provide all that we need. This is the rest of knowing that we are not turning our back on Jesus Christ, who never once turned his back on us. This is the real and perfect rest of being sure of our salvation today, tomorrow and for eternity.
What are the practical and tangible measures for staying obedient and faithfully entering God's rest? The New Testament writer to the Hebrews points to four things.
Make sure that you do not have a sinful and unbelieving heart. If you need to, confess sin and clear the slate. Ask God to give you more faith. Ask him to give you the courage and the strength to turn away from the things that tear down your faith in Jesus Christ. (3:12)
Encourage each other every day. Tell other Christians to hold on, stay strong and stay faithful, because only those whose faith perseveres will gain the blessings God has in store for all who believe in Jesus Christ. (3:13-14)
Continue to have the Gospel preached to you. Show up when the Word of God is presented. Expose yourself to the Word of Jesus Christ which will keep your heart soft and able to receive truth, freeing you from rebellion. (4:2) As you read God’s word daily, let the work of the Holy Spirit expose your heart so that you can mature in your faith. (4:12-13)
Keep the Sabbath. Joseph Coleson guides us further: “God intends the Sabbath day not merely as passive (or even a negatively-experienced) ceasing from work, but as positive rest. A regular, weekly Sabbath gives us time and space to acknowledge and experience our state as God’s created and redeemed children. God does not want us beholden to human tyrants, who always exact labor in the times, places, and circumstances of the tyrant’s fixing. Rather, God intends human flourishing in healthful and fulfilling rhythms of work and rest. Jesus himself affirmed this in His invitation, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).” [8]
Amen
© M.R.Hyde 2022
This is an expanded section of A Courageous Life and the Book of Hebrews.
[1] Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Ed.
[2] Illustrated Bible Life, Summer 2022, The Foundry Press, Kansas City, MO.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Beacon Bible Commentary, p. 42.
[5] The Epistle to the Hebrews, H. Orton Wiley, Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, MO, 1959, p.135, 150-151.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Faith Connections Bible Study Guide, Summer 2022, The Foundry Press, Kansas City, MO, p. 15.
[8] Ibid.
