Hebrews 4 Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 4
4:1 Therefore, while the promise remains of entering His rest, let us
fear-As
explained on 3:6, we should be able to say that "today" we shall be saved,
and be confident in it, if the Lord returns today or we die. The promise
of entering salvation in this sense remains to us; all we have to do is
believe. But as in Rom. 11, there is the command to fear because of the
real possibility of our being like natural Israel. There is a very
powerful parable in the account of the wilderness journey through life,
whereby the Red Sea represents baptism, eating the manna daily corresponds
to daily feeding on the word etc. This parable is alluded to in so many
parts of Scripture. However, only a minority of those baptized in the Red
Sea actually reached the promised land. Can we expect the parallel with
the new Israel to break down at this point? Just look back at your own
Christian experience if you can't believe it. Add to this the number of
those who spiritually fall asleep, and the frightening similarity between
natural and spiritual Israel comes abruptly into focus.
An element of fear is not wrong in itself. Israel in the wilderness had
the pillar of fire to remind them of God's close presence, and to thereby
motivate them not to sin: "His fear (will) be before your faces, that you
sin not" (Ex. 20:20). Notice how Isaac's guardian angel is described as
"the fear" in Gen. 31:42,53 cp. 48:15,16.
4:2- see on Jn. 15:27.
For indeed we have had good tidings preached to us, even as also they did;
but the word they heard did not benefit them, because it was not united by
faith with them that heard it-
The Gospel was preached to Abraham as it is to us (Gal. 3:8). That good
news in its simplest form is not a set of theological propositions but the
simple promise that by grace we shall receive an eternal Kingdom. The
promise of inheriting the land is therefore a key part of the Gospel
preached to us. They like the Hebrew believers in Jerusalem had "heard"
rather than read this good news. But the message preached must be
"united... with" us. This act of unity with the promise of the Kingdom is
baptism and abiding in Christ (Gal. 3:27-29). The breaking of bread
service is another opportunity to demonstrate our unity with the Kingdom
promise in Christ, but unity with it is primarily in living the Kingdom
life now. The ultimate "benefit" is that we enter the Kingdom of God (s.w.
Mt. 16:26). The word of the Spirit is what profits or benefits us (Jn.
6:63 s.w.). By turning away from the word of promise, the Hebrew
Christians were not going to be benefitted or [s.w.] 'profited'. The
Jewish rituals upon which they wre now relying would "profit nothing"
(Gal. 5:2; Heb. 13:9 s.w.). The idea surely is that
Christians cannot assume that they have responded better than did Israel.
The same Gospel of the Kingdom has been preached to us as it was to them.
Because they were broken off, Paul reasons in Romans 11, we cannot assume
that as a community, we shall do better. And clearly only a small fraction
of the Old Testament people of God shall enter God's Kingdom. The positive
upshot of this approach is that we will not be so easil disillusioned with
the church as we know it- if we understand that probably only a minority
of them are serious Kingdom people.
united in faith with those who listened". The "those who did hear /
listen" would then refer to Joshua and Caleb. As at several points in
Hebrews, it seems that the events of Kadesh-Barnea are being alluded to.
Israel turned against Joshua and Caleb rather than being united to them.
4:3- see on 2 Cor. 4:6.
For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as He has said: As
I swore in my anger: They shall not enter into My rest-
The emphasis is upon the word "They". Because some
would not enter the rest, the implication is that some would. This is a
parade example of a cup half full rather than half empty attitude. It is
typical of Paul's positivism, which should be seen in our thinking too. We
"do enter" in the sense that we shall enter if we believe; a futuristic
present middle indicative.
Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world- The Kingdom has been
prepared for us "from the foundation of the world" and we are to "enter"
it as they were to enter the "rest" of Canaan (Mt. 25:34). So the tragedy
was and is that those who have heard the word of promise of the Kingdom
and who do not believe it... are missing out on a possible future that was
carefully prepared for them from the beginning. It was not a question of
doing enough works- all the necessary works had been done, the Kingdom
prepared. They 'just' didn't believe it, didn't want it. To disbelieve in
salvation is to spurn what was finished and totally prepared for us from
the beginning.
4:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this
way: And God rested on the seventh day from all His works- "A certain
place" is again language appropriate to a verbal address, where the
reference would not be turned up in the synagogue scrolls (see on 13:22).
Again we see the doctrine of inspiration- for the author's comment that
"God rested..." is quoted as God speaking. God's "rest" was not from
exhaustion; He ceased working then. The works of creation were finished;
and the finished works of :3 are our salvation. All the work of the
physical creation was done with our eternal salvation in view. To spurn it
is to spurn creation and all its intentions, to turn away from all things
into the darkness of nothingness. This theme of works being finished and
ceasing is picked up in 4:10; if we have believed, and "today" have
effectively entered the Kingdom rest by faith, then we too have ceased or
'rested' (s.w.) from reliance upon our works. And this was just the
message needed by the Hebrews who were falling away from faith and turning
to works for justification.
4:5 And in this place again: They shall not enter into My rest- The
point is being made that the "rest" of Gen. 2:2 is the same "rest" which
God intended His people to share in Psalm 95. The sabbath rest therefore
speaks of the Kingdom. It is as if God invites us to identify with Himself
as having laboured, but now ceasing from that labour in 'rest'. The idea
has been put forward that the seventh day of creation represents the 1000
years of the Millennium, and therefore this should begin at the end of the
6th day, i.e. 6 days or 6000 years after creation, if one day is as a
thousand years (2 Pet. 3:8). The view is therefore pushed that the Lord
must return around the year 2000 AD, taking Biblical history as spanning
4000 years from creation to the Lord Jesus; and seeing His appearance as
that of the sun on the fourth day. But this view whilst ingenious is
problematic. Hebrews quotes almost exclusively from the Septuagint rather
than the Masoretic text, and so do many of the inspired New Testament
writers. But the chronology presented in the Septuagint is very different
from that in the Masoretic text; and the history from creation to the Lord
Jesus is significantly shorter as the ages and order of the genealogies
are different from the MT. And the idea of a literal millennium is also
open to serious question, as noted on Revelation 20. The "rest" in view is
a cessation from work and enjoyment of God's grace.
4:6 Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter therein, and
they to whom the good tidings were earlier preached failed to enter in
because of disobedience- God's plan will not totally fail. Some will
enter the Kingdom rest. The good news of inheriting the Kingdom was
preached to the Hebrews in Egypt and afterwards, but they disbelieved. But
the rest of the Kingdom is still planned, prepared from the foundation of
the world. Here in :6 "disobedience" is cited as the reason for their
failure to enter; but the obedience in view was obedience to the challenge
to simply believe that they would enter the Kingdom. See on 3:18,19.
4:7 He again defines a certain day, a today, saying through David a
long time afterwards (in the words already quoted): Today, if you shall
hear His voice, harden not your hearts- As explained on 3:6, that
"today" is our today; in that right now at this moment, if we hear and
believe His voice that promises us eternal inheritance in the Kingdom, we
can be saved. We can be assured that if we die today or the Lord returns
today, we shall be saved. By grace. This is the crucial importance of life
and living today. And again we see the point made about Divine
inspiration- God spoke through David in his Psalms. This emphasis upon
inspiration was necessary because there were sectors within Judaism which
denied the Divine inspiration of anything apart from the Pentateuch. The
appeal to not harden hearts is of course alluding to Pharaoh and the
Egyptians, who hardened their hearts and were confirmed in it by being
hardened by God. The point is that the Israelites who left Egypt repeated
the same attitude- they too hardened their hearts, they thought like
Egyptians. Despite, like the Egyptians, having seen evidence of God's hand
through the signs and wonders done. The Hebrew Christians were in the same
position.
4:8 -see on Josh. 22:4.
For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken afterward of
another day- The argument of
Judaism was that Joshua-Jesus had given Israel rest. But of course Paul is
arguing that a greater Jesus-Joshua offered the rest still to come. The
"another day" is the "today" of :7. The today of entering the rest can be
our today if we believe we are saved and shall enter into the rest. It's a
case of 'now but not yet'; in a sense we are saved and have entered the
rest, having ceased from justification by works; but in another sense we
still await literal entry into the Kingdom of God.
4:9 There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God-
God's people are not therefore the same as Israel after the flesh. Israel
were not given "rest", their temporary possession of parts of the
territory promised to Abraham was hardly entering the Sabbath rest. For
they were removed from that land and did not permanently possess it,
neither did they inherit the entire territory promised from the Euphrates
to the river of Egypt.
4:10 For he that is entered into His rest has himself also rested from
his works, as God did from His- The sense may be that we are no longer
justified by works insofar as in prospect we have entered the rest, as
explained on :8. The "he" in view is the believer who is also doing part
of God's creative work; as God ceased from works, so does the believer.
But we are not yet entered into that rest, and must "give diligence to
enter into that rest" (:11). In that sense we are continuing to work as
God did during the six work day of creation. The works were finished from
the foundation of the world (:3; see note there), but in another sense the
Father and Son are working continually because their Sabbath rest has not
yet come (Jn. 5:17 and context). Our work is therefore part of God's
creative work, leading towards the re-creation of Eden on earth, the
Kingdom of God in its full literal establishment when the Lord Jesus
returns.
"Ceased from his own works" could imply 'has stopped trusting in his own works'. But the phrase for "own works" is that used in Mk. 13:34, where each believer is given "his own work" to get on and do until the Master returns. On one hand, we are saved, we are in the "rest". But in another sense, we are still working, doing creative work, looking to enter that rest at the Lord's return. Perhaps this connects with the concluding thought in Heb. 13:21, that God would "Make you perfect [bring to completion] in every good work to do His will". And it is the same phrase used in Rev. 22:12, promising that at the Lord's coming, He will render "to every man according as his [own] works shall be". In this sense, the ceasing or resting from work is at the Lord's return. Now, we are in the six days of creative work. Our work for Him is not in vain- it is creative.
4:11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no
one fall by the same kind of disobedience- As noted on :10, we are in
a sense in the rest in that our salvation at this "today" is assured, but
in another sense, we have not yet entered and are to labour as God did
during the six days. Our labour and diligence is not just for ourselves
personally, but to the end that nobody falls as the bodies and limbs of
disobedient Israel fell in the wilderness. Those who no longer relied on
the works of the Law but on faith were living in the spirit of the
Sabbath- they had in some sense entered the rest. But despite their
reliance on faith, works were still necessary: "There remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God... let us labour therefore to enter into that
rest, lest any man fall." (4:9,11). This is a perfect cameo of the whole
situation; in prospect we are in the Kingdom, but have a very real
possibility of falling from grace, and still need to labour for the final
entry into that Kingdom. And that labour is especially in ensuring that
others do not fall after the pattern of the Hebrews' fall.
4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any
two-edged sword, and pierces even to the dividing apart of soul and
spirit, of joints and marrow, and is quick to discern the thoughts and
intents of the heart- The motivation for the receding appeals is that
the word of God, as a title for the Lord Jesus, is right now "quick to
discern the thoughts and intents of [our hearts]" in mediating for us.
Such language is appropriate to a person, Jesus as the word of God, rather
than to the book called the Bible. And Hebrews began by saying that as God
had spoken through the words of the prophets, so He now speaks to us in
His Son. But this is how He was in His mortal life here- for then He was
"of quick understanding" too (Is. 11:3). He would have had a way of seeing
through to the essence of a person or situation with awesome speed- and
this must have made human life very irritating for Him at times. But who
He was then is who He is now. It's the same Jesus who intercedes for us in
sensitivity and compassion. See on Heb. 4:15. The reference to the sharp
knife dividing up the inner parts of the body is an allusion to the priest
preparing the sacrifices, and :14-16 develops this theme in relation to
the Lord Jesus as our priest. Our innermost parts are laid bare and placed
on the altar before God. And it is the state of the heart which is, for
this priest, the most significant part of the offering. Hence the earlier
appeals not to harden our hearts but to be completely confident in our
hearts that in this "today", at this moment, we shall be saved.
4:13 And there is no creature that is not revealed to his sight, but
all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we
have to give account- We must see the urgency of our position as
sinners; we are condemned now and yet we can repent; but not then. Heb.
4:13 makes the point that we right now are “naked” before the eyes of Him
to whom we right now give account [logos]. We will give that
logos in the last day (Rom. 14:11,12); yet before the Word of God, as
it is in both Scripture and in the person of the Lord Jesus, we face our
judgment today, in essence. And we are pronounced “naked” before Him. Yet
therefore, in this day of opportunity, we can come boldly before the
throne because we have “such an High Priest”, as Heb. 4:16 continues. We
must realize that we are right now revealed and laid open to the Lord
Jesus; just as much as we shall be at the last day. We are to live now as
if we are in His judgment presence.
4:14 Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession- He
endured our nature and temptations so that He might be an
empathetic High Priest (consider the implications of Heb. 2:10,17;
4:14,15; 5:1,2); the Lord was fully consecrated as High Priest after His
death, and it was then that He began to be the sympathetic, understanding
High Priest which the Hebrew letter speaks of. The fact that He knows so
thoroughly our feelings here and now, especially our struggles for
personal righteousness, should of itself encourage our awareness of
and relationship with Him.
The continuity between the mortal, human Jesus and the exalted Lord of all
which He became on His ascension is brought out quite artlessly in Heb.
4:14: “Our great high priest, who has passed through the heavens”. The
picture is of “this same Jesus”, the man on earth, passing through all
heavens to ‘arrive’ at the throne of God Himself to mediate for us there.
His ascension to Heaven was viewed physically like this by the disciples,
and is expressed here in that kind of language of physical ascent, to
bring home to us the continuity between the man Jesus on earth, and the
exalted Lord now in Heaven itself. The allusion is also to the Jewish idea
of there being many 'heavens'; whether there were or not, Paul's idea is
that the Lord has passed through them all. The same Jesus who was once
here is now there; He who once experienced temptation can thereby
strengthen us in our temptations. We need to realize that nobody can be
tempted by that which holds no appeal; the Lord Jesus must have seen and
reflected upon sin as a possible course of action, even though He never
took it. And for the same reason, several New Testament passages (e.g. 1
Tim. 2:5) call the exalted Lord Jesus a “man”- even now. Let’s not see
these passages merely as theological problems for |Trinitarians. The
wonder of it all is that Jesus after His glorification is still in some
sense human. He as “the pioneer of our faith” shows us the path to glory,
a glory that doesn’t involve us becoming somehow superhuman and unreal.
4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, yet did not sin-
See on :14. Note carefully the tense used: "We have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities". It doesn't
say 'which could not have been touched...', but rather "which cannot
[present tense] be touched". It's as if He is now touched with the
feeling of our infirmities. Which opens a fascinating window into what
having God's nature is all about. When we by grace come to share it, it's
not just that we will dimly remember what it was like to be human. We will
somehow still be able to be touched by those feelings, in sympathy with
those who still have that nature during the Millennial reign. The only
other time the Spirit uses the Greek word translated "touched with the
feeling..." is in Heb. 10:34, where we read of how the Hebrew Christians
"had compassion of me", the writer of the letter. The link, within the
same letter, is surely to reflect how they had been so compelled by their
Lord's fellow feelings toward them, His fellow feeling for them right now,
that they in turn came to feel like this for their suffering brother. A
related word is found in 1 Pet. 3:8: "Having compassion one of another,
love as brethren". The wonder of the fact that Jesus feels for us, that He
can enter into our feelings, should result in our seeing to get inside the
feelings of others, empathizing with them, feeling for them and with them.
It's this feature of the Lord Jesus which enables Him to be such a
matchless mediator. Stephen saw Him standing at the right hand of
the throne in Heaven, when usually, Hebrews stresses, He
sits. The
Lord was and is so passionately, compassionately, caught up in the needs
of His brethren that this is how He mediates for us. And it's the same
Jesus, who walked round Galilee with a heart of compassion for kids, for
the mentally sick, for oppressed and abused women... even for the hard
hearted Pharisees whom He would fain have gathered under His loving wings,
such was His desire for others' salvation. Jesus, despite the moral
splendour of Divine nature, is still able to be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities as He intercedes for the forgiveness of our
sins.
4:16 - see on 2 Sam. 7:27.
Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace-
Coming boldly before the
throne of grace in prayer is again judgment seat language (see on :13).
Our attitude to God in prayer now will be our attitude to Him at the
judgment; we are 'bold / confident' before Him now, and we can be 'bold'
then (1 Jn. 2:28). Before the throne of grace we find grace to help;
whereas we will “find” [s.w.] mercy in the day of judgment (2 Tim.1:18).
Each time we receive grace to help before the throne, we are anticipating
the judgment day scenario. The throne of grace suggests that it is
prayers of confession and seeking of forgiveness and salvation which are
in view. Hebrews so often uses the word "therefore"; because of the
facts of the atonement, we can therefore come boldly before God's
throne in prayer, with a true heart and clear conscience. This "boldness"
which the atonement has enabled will be reflected in our being 'bold' in
our witness (2 Cor. 3:12; 7:4); our experience of imputed righteousness
will lead us to have a confidence exuding through our whole being. This is
surely why 'boldness' was such a characteristic and watchword of the early
church (Acts 4:13,29,31; Eph. 3:12; Phil. 1:20; 1 Tim. 3:13; Heb. 10:19; 1
Jn. 4:17).
That we may receive mercy and may find grace to help us in our time of
need- The throne of grace
means the throne from whence grace is given. And if indeed it is prayers
for forgiveness and strength against temptation which are in view, then
the grace given is in forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit to withstand
temptation; this is the 'succouring' spoken of in 2:18 (see note there).
The allusion is to Lk. 1:30. When you ask for forgiveness, be like Mary in
her spiritual ambition in asking to be the mother of Messiah.
The Lord Jesus is prophetically described as He “that hath boldness to
approach unto me” (Jer. 30:21 RV). This is applied to us, who boldly
approach the Father in prayer likewise. We are bidden to draw near to the
Father in prayer just as the Son drew near (Heb. 4:15,16). He wishes us to
share in the loving relationship which there was between Him and His
Father, and prayer is crucial to this. Really appreciating that Christ is
our personal High Priest to offer our prayers powerfully to God, should
inspire us to regularly pray in faith. "Time of need" is literally 'at the
right time'; hence GNB "just when we need it". And it is in the moments of
temptation and realization of failure that we need grace; and we are given
it precisely then. Bear in mind that Paul often uses charis,
"grace", to refer to the gift of internal strengthening by the Spirit.
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