a rest from the labors of life (4:3–8). To enter we must remain faithful and obedient to God (4:9–10).
Rest Area Still Open (4:1–2)
The NRSV translates the main verb in verse one as “take care.” Doesn’t that sound nice? Actually, the term used there is the word commonly translated “fear.” Modern translations have tamed the language to have it read, “take care.” In other texts, the word “fear” is translated as “reverence.” Modern pastors and theologians don’t want to scare people. That’s something for revival preachers. We miss the gravity of the situation, however, if we mask the language. The author of Hebrews is afraid that some of the church members have fallen along the way, just like the Israelites did in the wilderness.
It’s interesting that in this text Hebrews says the Israelites were evangelized just like we are now. Verse two literally reads, “Indeed we have had the gospel preached to us just like them.” The good news of God’s salvation was declared to them, but they didn’t follow through on what God expected of them. The reason the message didn’t benefit them is that faith was not part of the mix in their conduct.
There’s nothing worse than being on a trip and being on a stretch of road without a rest area. I had a horrific experience traveling through Boston. We were going to visit the campus of Gordon College, north of Boston. I began to desire the facilities of a rest area somewhere south of Boston. The further I drove, the more I wanted a rest area, and the faster I went. By the time we found an exit with some hope of a gas station, my body was completely straightened out so that about the only contact I had with the car was my head touching the roof of the car and my foot on the accelerator. To this day, I can’t think of Boston without thinking of needing a restroom. Even worse, I suppose, is anticipating an upcoming rest area, only to arrive at the destination and find the sign says, Closed.
As long as we are still on this journey of life, there’s a sign that says, Rest Area Ahead. God has promised that rest and refreshment is still an open possibility for us. What we should fear, according to Hebrews, is that some of us might lose faith along the way, and for those people the sign will say, Rest Area Closed.
What Kind of Rest? (4:3–8)
The entrance requirement for the final rest area is faithfulness and obedience. The concept of rest in the Bible is complex. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt where their existence was characterized by labor. The Exodus itself was a release from bondage and the beginning of that search for rest. The journey through the wilderness and their entrance into the Promised Land was another kind of rest: It was intended to be a rest from the surrounding nations, a rest from war.
But the concept of rest had a larger symbolic meaning. The practice of working six days and then resting on the seventh, the Sabbath, was based on the belief that God created the world in six days, and then God rested from work on the seventh day. God’s rest has been going on ever since. God worked six days and then retired, so to speak. The people of God will also rest from their work and join God in rest.
For many people, their lives are defined by what they do on the weekend. You could imagine that people’s idea of heaven in some ways matches what they do at the end of the day or on the weekends. Some people will be experiencing in heaven their extreme sports from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy. Others will be sitting in easy chairs, laying on hammocks, or, for the more active people, rocking on heaven’s front porch. I know one person who will be taking a long nap at the beginning of eternity. Whatever heaven turns out to be, it is a rest from labor and an eternal peace and safety from conflict, fighting, and war.
Perhaps many of us rest so much and enjoy such peace and security that we have lost the appreciation for what an eternal rest is. Others are such workaholics that they don’t like the idea of vacations or retirement, not to mention the inactivity of death. We should think about those people in parts of the world for whom life is constant work just to stay alive and for whom violence and war prevents them from having a moment’s peace. For those people, for people like those to whom Hebrews was written, an eternal rest is a glorious concept and is not something a person would want to miss.
Faith and Obedience are Required to Enter the Rest (4:9–10)
The conclusion to the argument is that there still exists this promise for the people of God to enter God’s rest. The former group did not enter because of disobedience: They were not persuaded that God really was going to give them what God promised. They complained when things got tough and they rebelled when they didn’t get what they wanted in life. However, they were no better or worse than we are now. If we pay attention to what happened to them, we will not make the same mistake but will be able to enter God’s Sabbath rest.
For many people the greatest motivation in life is their retirement. It seems these days a career has become what one does to prepare for the retirement years. People work hard, do without some things, scrimp and save, so that they have what they’ll need when they retire. People are health-conscious so they’ll be in good shape to live it up during retirement.
A few years ago I put all of our finances into a software program for budgeting and keeping financial records. I spent a week entering a year’s worth of check registers so that I could have a pattern of income and expenses. After I had it all set up, I was playing around with its different functions for long-range planning. I had just started a retirement plan, but we had no savings toward retirement. I pressed a button asking the program to show me what retirement would be for us. The message came back that after just a few months I would run out of money. I was so depressed by that I quit the program and never looked at it again.
We devote so much attention to weekends and to our retirement years. There’s something far more important that should guide our lives. How are we living each day as a preparation for the final retirement? What are we doing to get ready for the eternal rest. Are we taking care of our spiritual health, so that we are fit to experience the best that life has to offer, eternal life in the presence of God?
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We have learned in these verses that the heavenly rest area is still open and still ahead for us. It’s a rest from the labors of life. To enter we must remain faithful and obedient to God.
I was officiating at a funeral this past year when something happened that made me suddenly aware of which state I was living in. Children had been walking—and sometimes running—around the funeral home. I heard a man talking to one of the boys. I assume he was trying to settle him down. There we were in the presence of death and the occasion for reflecting on the meaning of life. The question I heard was, “So who’s your favorite NASCAR driver?” I was reminded how close we live to Indianapolis. I suppose the conversation had some relevance in the funeral home. In some ways, NASCAR racing is the symbol of life, the circle of life. Maybe heaven for some Hoosiers is turning into the final pit stop.
However we look at it, we must realize—even fear—that our participation in God’s rest is dependent on how we live life. Faith is not a one time exercise of belief in Jesus. Christian life is not just a matter of attending church, saying some prayers, and reading the Bible. It’s about living in faithfulness to God and being obedient to the voice of God. God rested from the work of creation and waits for you and me to join with God in our rest.
Traveling Together on the Journey (4:11–13)
If you were to win a group trip to visit a far off country, whom would you choose to go with you? Your first choice would probably be your family members. Maybe you would choose some friends, friends you’ve known from school or people you’ve worked with. How many church-going people would say their first choice would be to take their church group with them? Yet, this is the group we have chosen to go through life with, the group that is to make sure we not only
