Hebrews 4:7-9 "Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
Previously, the writer has been talking about the days of the Israelites when
they wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they would not place
their trust in God. He also quoted David in warning God's people not to harden
their hearts; rather, to listen to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Now he is
moving them forward to another day. "He limiteth a certain day." The
word, limiteth, means to appoint, to decree, to specify, to determine. Why is
it important to understand this? The whole subject concerns that of
resting, or finding calmness, in the Lord. He appointed a certain day in which
we can look back to that day and find this rest that is under consideration.
For the Hebrews, what day was this? Was it the day when Moses brought Israel
out of Egypt? We saw that Moses was faithful in that which he was sent to
do. In verse 8, the KJV reads, "If Jesus had given them
rest..." It is very important at this point to understand this name
Jesus, in the original Hebrew, refers to Joshua. "If (Joshua) had
given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day."
Why is this spoken? Let me plainly say, the rest (calmness, peace) of God is
not found in material goods. The physical act of giving the land of Canaan to
Israel was not the source of rest for the people. Moses could not give
this rest that is under consideration, neither could Joshua. But God has
"limiteth (appointed, decreed, determined) a certain day." What
was that day when the rest could be found?
It wasn't being brought out of Egypt. It was not being delivered into Canaan.
No, that "certain day" took place 2000 years ago when our Lord and
Saviour was nailed to a cross on Calvary's Hill. We can only experience this
rest (calmness, peace) when we understand and embrace the blessed truth that
when Jesus was hanging on that cross, He became sin for us. That is, God
reached all the way back to Adam and all the way into the future to the point
where the last of His chosen people will be conceived and placed all those sins
upon His Son. Jesus, righteous in His very being, became sin that you and
I, sinful in our very being, would become righteousness in Him.
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." How
can we enter (experience) that rest? "Today, if ye will hear his voice,
harden not your hearts." The Holy Spirit points us to our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. He points us to the cross where the debt for our sins
was paid in full (remitted) by the shed blood of our blessed Lord. When we can
fully embrace that blessed truth, we can experience this peace and joy that
only comes through the blood of Jesus. There is no other way. It is not by our
works, nor by our thoughts or words, nor by our actions. Righteousness is only
through the blood.
One last word: what is the other Biblical term for this rest? Let me use
the words of the Apostle Paul. "For the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans
14:17) It isn't money, gold, possessions (land of Canaan), or anything
that is material. The kingdom of God (this rest under consideration) is found
in our hearts and minds as we experience the sweet peace of Jesus.