Chapter 4

Yesterday we were looking at how Jesus compared with Moses, and then Mick compared OUR position with the position the people of Israel were in.

Today, we’re looking further into that comparison.

Mick gives us some quite deep theology here – starting in verse 1 – 3. Here we read that the same promises are available to us that were available to the people of Israel – but that they did not receive. Now, there’s an apparent contradiction here between this point and verse 6, where it says “Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient.”

What do we make of this? Why does the author seem to say one thing in one verse and then say the opposite in another verse?

Frankly, it’s because we make a dichotomy where none exists. We say that faith and works are different things. Here, Mick is implying that the two are opposite sides of the same coin. The person that believes does actions that demonstrate his faith; on the other hand, a person who does the actions clearly believes. So really, there is no conflict, especially if one sees faith as the command that God gives.

But we’re not finished. Mick then talks about this promise of rest, expands on it a little. He describes how this promise remains for today (vs 8 – 11), and didn’t just end with the time of Joshua – hence it is that we can be confident of resting with God at the end of our journey.

He backs this up by a little comment about God’s word. I have to say that I really love the translation here by Petersen – “What He says goes. His powerful word is as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, laying us open to listen and obey.”

This is an unpopular belief today – We’d much rather see the divine in everything, and the concept of God’s word is something that runs fairly counter to our culture. Yet this is what God says – He has given us His word, and He has spoken to us in this way.

The last little segment I shall leave for tomorrow, because it’s my belief that it really belongs in chapter 5. And besides, this is more than enough for us to be going along with!

What difference does this make to us?

Rest – it’s a beautiful word, but one which is drastically underused in our society. Most of us are running from dawn till dusk getting everything we need to get done done.

In this environment, the instructions that we so often sing at church – “Be still and know that I am God” – seem almost like a sick joke. In fact, if you’re involved in the running of your church, you may know that a church is backbreaking labour.

Into this we have God’s promise to give His people rest. Now, here He’s talking about eternal rest at the end of life. But there’s another aspect of rest that we should be interested in.

This rest is very resolutely for THIS life, the physical life you’re living now. “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

I have a tendency to keep carrying my burdens until I simply can’t manage them any more. Yet we have here a promise that if I take them to God He WILL give me rest.

What’s maddening is that I have experience in this. I know it works. So explain to me why I do it so seldom.

Why don’t I make use of something that is so profoundly needed in my life?

Well, no longer. I’ll be working on this this week. Please pray for me, and I will pray for you in dealing with anything that confronts you. Deal?

Thanks!