The Rest of God
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· 219 viewsThis lesson examines the Creation-Sabbath Rest, the Historical Rest, the Soteriological Rest, and the Eschatological Rest of God.
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Creation-Sabbath Rest
Creation-Sabbath Rest
The Creation account in Genesis lets us know that God worked on Creation for six days and then rested.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
An all-powerful God really may not need rest as we need it from exertion from physical activities. Instead, the word “rest” is the idea of the ceasing of working on a specific thing. Notice again, verse 2.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Even though God rested from the work of Creation, He did not enter into a totality of rest.
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
This idea of working for 6 days and resting for 1 gives us the foundation for the Sabbath day for the Jews, and possibly our own idea of a week.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The Jews were to work for 6 days and then cease their work on the seventh day.
Historical Rest
Historical Rest
The Jews were given the Law of Moses, including the honoring of the Sabbath, after they were freed from Egypt.
After they left Egypt, they were to go to the river Jordan and then cross over into Canaan, the promised land. This land is described as a place of rest.
Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you.
But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
Again, the idea of rest did not mean that the Israelites would no longer work. In fact, they had a lot of work to do after they entered the promised land by driving out the people of Canaan. But the land of Canaan would be described as a land of rest, the end of their wandering.
However, in Numbers 13-14, we read that most of the spies sent into the land of Canaan came back with a report that Israel would not be able to enter the promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb believed God would give them the land. For their unbelief, God would not allow many of the Israelites to enter the land of rest.
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Later, we read about the rest of God in Psalm 95.
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,
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
When your fathers tempted me, Proved me, and saw my work.
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, And said, It is a people that do err in their heart, And they have not known my ways:
Unto whom I sware in my wrath That they should not enter into my rest.
This Psalm has been ascribed to David. It was probably written after the Israelites had already been given the land of Canaan. However, it was a call at that time to avoid hardening of the heart as the Israelites did in the wilderness. It was a call to hear God’s voice. The comparison is made that the people of that day should not become like the Israelites who hardened their heart and were not able to enter in to rest due to unbelief.
It seems that there is more than one place of rest, other than the land of Canaan. Even in the days of the kings, the people were not to harden their hearts and be unbelievers like those who were not able to enter into the rest of God. The rest of God seems to still be available, even after the Israelites had entered Canaan.
Soteriological Rest
Soteriological Rest
The writer of Hebrews recalls this event of the unbelief of Israelites who were denied entry into God’s rest.
For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
However, the writer of Hebrews is not writing to his audience just to give a history lesson. The writer is making an application of what happened to the Israelites to the people of his day. Notice the quotation of Psalm 95.
While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
The message of the writer of Hebrews is for his day.
The writer is writing to Christians and giving them a message of exhortation.
Take heed, 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 To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Again, the warning is against the hardening of hearts and the idea of unbelief. Remember that it was unbelief that led to the Israelites being denied entry into the land of rest.
But, the writer of Hebrews continues with a warning that the people of his day should not have the same unbelief, lest they too are denied entering into a rest.
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
What rest did the audience of that day have to enter into? It was the rest of salvation, the promised land of the kingdom of God.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Notice what the writer of Hebrews says that the people of his day had done differently than the Israelites.
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
The Gospel, or good news, was preached to both the Israelites and the audience of the writer of Hebrews. The difference was that it did not profit many of the Israelites because it was not mixed with belief. However, the audience of the writer of Hebrews did believe and therefore, they would enter into the rest. What Gospel would have been preached to them? The good news about Jesus Christ. What would have happened when they believed it? They would have become Christians. Those Christians were added to the kingdom of God.
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
For Christians, the rest of God is both soteriological, dealing with salvation, and eschatological, dealing with end times.
Eschatological Rest
Eschatological Rest
In reality, the rest of God might be seen as continuing from the Creation.
The writer of Hebrews links the rest of God referenced in Psalm 95:11 to the rest of God after Creation in Genesis 2:2.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
It seems that the rest of God at Creation is linked with the rest mentioned to the Israelites. Then the Hebrews writer links the rest of God to those in his day by saying “we which have believed do enter into rest.”
Notice also that Joshua entered the promised land but did not see that as the final place of rest.
For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.
Daniel Fletcher stated in an article that “God’s promise of rest to humanity has been available since the creation.” - Daniel Fletcher, “Wandering While Resting: The Paradox of Sabbath Eschatology in Hebrews,” πneγmatika 2, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 93.
God rested from the Creation and dwells in Heaven. The Jews were to honor the Sabbath day and rest as God did. The freed Israelites were to walk through the wilderness until they could enter the promised land of rest. But, even in the land of rest in Psalm 95, the author talks about hearing God’s voice. The Hebrews writer links Psalm 95 with the people of his day, exhorting them to hear God’s voice and believe. He states in verse 3 of chapter 4 that those who believe enter into that rest. However, the writer talks about the rest being more than what we have now. There is an eschatological rest, a rest that is coming at the end time.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
It seems that the Hebrews writer and his audience have believed. He states that “we who have believed do enter into that rest.” The author and his audience have believed and they enter into a rest.
However, the writer also caution them about not being able to obtain a promise of rest.
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Even though they had already believed, the Hebrews writer is exhorting them to be faithful so that they would not miss out on the promise of rest that is yet to come. This might be seen as what has been referred to as the idea of already/not yet salvation. We are already receiving salvation, but it is not yet fully realized. The rest of God is given to those who believe, but there is a promise of a future rest that can still be missed out on by those who have believed if they choose to become unfaithful.
In fact, the Hebrews writer goes on to say that there is a sabbath rest that remains.
There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God.
For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.
Notice that the Hebrews writer links the idea of us entering into that rest with the idea of God resting on the 7th Day of Creation. It really may be that God is planning to bring His people into the rest that He had in the week of Creation.
Again, one purpose of the Hebrews writer seems to be to exhort his audience not to miss out on the future promised rest by being unfaithful.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
In the great examples of faith, it is told that they did not seek to find a final resting place here on Earth, but rather looked for a Heavenly homeland.
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
“Throughout the OT, “rest” is used both for God’s resting place in the Promised Land (Deut 12:9) and for God’s sanctuary (Ps 132:8, 14). In other OT passages the resting place of the people and of God are combined so that the resting place of God is also the resting place of the people (Deut 12:9, 11; 1 Chr 23:24; 2 Chr 6:4). The fundamental idea of rest in the OT seems to indicate that it is primarily associated with the presence of God.” - Daniel Fletcher, “Wandering While Resting: The Paradox of Sabbath Eschatology in Hebrews,” πneγmatika 2, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 86-87.
As we look for an eschatological resting place, it makes sense to think that the final resting place will also be in the presence of God. Perhaps this has been the idea from the beginning, the place of rest will be where man and God can be together in God’s dwelling place of Heaven.
Conclusions
Conclusions
God dwells in Heaven and His place of rest after Creation is in Heaven.
God seems to have had a continual promise of rest to humanity, ultimately ending in Heaven.
But only those who believe are allowed to enter into the rest of God
The Hebrews writer exhorts his readers to continue working to enter into that final place of rest, and not to fall because of unbelief.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.