Chapter four of Hebrews hits close to home for me and my family. Back when my mom was younger, her family was Seventh Day Adventist, which is a denomination of a church that puts a lot of value on Saturday or the Sabbath. After my dad and I came into the picture, she converted him and raised me to be Adventist as well, so I spent my early years in that church. I don't remember much of it, but I do remember not being allowed to do much of anything on Saturday because “it wasn't pleasing to the Lord”. In that church, the tendency is to teach that you are saved by works, not by grace. Some think that the better you do on earth, the greater your reward will be in heaven. I'm crazy about the awesomeness of grace, so those two statements alone could send me on a very long rant. The Lord spoke to my mom through the book of Hebrews though, which should make sense if you've been with me for the first three chapters, because most of it is on the grace of Jesus. It was chapter four that began to help her realize that it's by grace and not by works that we are saved. None of us are even qualified to try to earn salvation. It's something that's unattainable by anything we can do.
1-2 If you remember in chapter three, we were discussing the Israelite people and how they failed to heed the calling of God into his rest. We have that same calling, that same gospel preached to us, whether it is in a church, through our family, or even through words on a website typed by a teenage girl. They didn't enter God's rest because they had a lack of faith that God would stay true to his word. They questioned the things he said he would do for them, because all they could see at the moment was that they were in a desert with no food or water. Instead of trusting in God to do as he promised, they complained that they were dying in the desert. It reminds me of all the times I felt lost and confused, and I wondered how God could possibly be working in my life. But every time, usually after I've reached a point so low that I give up trying to do things myself, he reveals his master plan. It's times like this that we need to have faith that the Lord will do as he promised, that he will take care of things, and we will enter his rest.
3-5 Here's the first mention of the Sabbath (or the “seventh day”). It started at the very beginning of the world when God rested after creating the world. I always imagine God in a bean-bag chair with a Dr. Pepper and a Wii remote when it says he rested, but that's just me. I never understood why it was that God needed to rest at all, but now as I read this passage, I wonder if this too was symbolic of the rest he wants us to enter into. After it was finished, he rested. After Jesus died on the cross for us, we can rest knowing the price has been paid. I'm no expert, but that's what it sounds like to me.
6-7 Today is the day we can enter God's rest. We don't have to travel a long distance like God's people did thousands of years ago. Today, right now, without cleaning ourselves up or following a bunch of rules, we can have the peace and the rest God offers us. It's not a matter of works, it's a matter of faith that God will do as he promises and that he has done the necessary things to save us. All we have to do is...not harden our hearts.
8-11 Joshua was the man who finally lead the Israelites into the promised land. He led them into the rest that was promised them by God. But there is still another rest, one that we can enter into. We can rest from our work just as God rested from his. What is our work exactly? It's trying to live up to God's standards (an impossible task really), trying to earn our rights in a way. It's keeping the Sabbath day by not doing anything that would be displeasing to God. It's following every single commandment perfectly from the moment we take our first breathe to the moment we breathe our last. That's what we rest from, for Jesus paid the price for us because he knew we were imperfect. If we had the ability to earn our way to a higher place in God's heart, we'd have no need for grace or Jesus, because we could obtain salvation on our own.
12-13 The Word of God...I could never effectively describe what goes on between the covers of the bible. I think verse twelve does a good enough job however, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating the very soul and spirit. No matter how good we think we are, the Word of God is like a mirror, reflecting all the evilness in our hearts. There is no way someone can truly be in the Word and not realize his desperate need for a savior. Even if our eyes are never opened to the wickedness in our hearts while we're living here on earth, everyone, everywhere (this includes you and me by the way) will have to give an account to God for our actions. There's no shoving anything under the couch with God either. He pretty much knows everything. I'd much rather be washed clean by the blood of Jesus when it's my turn to give an account to God.
14-16 And the grand ending to an amazing chapter. Our great high priest, Jesus, who understands what we're going through. I don't know if you've ever tried going to someone for help with a situation you're facing, but if they haven't been through the same thing, it's hard to get anything out of their advice. How should they know? But Jesus, he knows exactly what I'm going through, what you're going through. He knows! Somehow, he managed to walk this earth you and I are on without once sinning. Gosh, I've probably sinned in the hour I've been sitting here typing about God's grace! But since he washed us clean, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, clean and like we've never sinned. We can claim that grace and rest in our time of need, in the times we feel defeated and unworthy. I feel unworthy a lot, especially recently. Honestly, I've asked the Lord time and time again why he keeps giving me grace, for I definitely don't learn my lessons. But that's the thing. He took care of that for me, all of it, the things I have done, am doing, and have yet to do. Isn't he amazing?!
In closing, I'd like to ask each of you to comment your favorite verse in this chapter and why. It doesn't have to be long, just something that God spoke to you about while reading chapter four. Thanks! Have a wonderful weekend!
1 comment:
Great post. My favorite verses are 15-16, since they tell that Jesus is right there for us, and that He has endured at our level, thereby giving us the power to cease from sin and have faith toward God. Probably one of my favorite passages of Scripture. :)
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