God’s Rest in Hebrews 3–41

What is God’s “Rest” to Which He Invites Us?

Hebrews 3–4

John Hepp, Jr

This paper deals with a difficult subject in a difficult book. It includes some notes by Stanley D. Toussaint, as I revised them for a study course on the Book of Hebrews (see Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). In that version words in all-capital letters are quoted by one Bible book from another. The words theLord substitute for God’s name. KJV means King James Version. Distinguish “Hebrews” (the New Testament book, written in Greek) from “Hebrew” (the main Old Testament language).

On the first Sabbath God joyfully rested after completing a marvelous creation (Gen. 1:31; 2:3). He separated His day of rest from the other days. Later He invited human beings to join Him in His rest! One evidence of such an invitation is what He said in Psalm 95:11. This is repeatedly quoted—in whole or in part—in Hebrews 3:11; 4:3; and 4:5:

“AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,

THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”

This quotation is the main basis of the argument in Hebrews 3:7 to 4:13. Notice the bolded words, which give the correct sense of the originals in the Greek New Testament and the Hebrew Book of Psalms. The original words are literally “if they shall enter my rest” (as the KJV mistakenly translates them in 4:3 and 4:5). But in this case the if-clause does not express doubt but certainty. It is a divine oath.[1] By thus vowing that some would not enter His rest, God made it evident that others will indeed enter it (Heb. 4:6). Therefore, Psalm 95 in effect gives an invitation to enter God’s rest. Such a privilege must be great, but what does it mean? This paper offers a meaning that is consistent throughout the Hebrews passage. Along with each explanation below, read the Scripture it refers to.

The Context in Hebrews for God’s Invitation

To properly understand this invitation, it will help to see the train of thought in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews begins with a Prologue (1:1–4), which (a) states the theme of the book—“God has spoken…in His Son”—and (b) magnifies God’s Son in seven short statements. Read that Prologue.

The last verse of the Prologue (v. 4) also makes a bridge to the main body of the book. That body consists of two main divisions (I and II below):

I.The Superiority of the Son, 1:4 to 10:18

A.Superior to the angels, 1:4 to 2:18

B.Superior to Moses, 3:1 to 4:13

C.Superior to Aaron, 4:14 to 10:18

II.Our Response, Persevering Faith, 10:19 to 13:17

The first main division of Hebrews consists of three sections that compare Jesus to outstanding agents of the old covenant. In each case He is shown to be superior (1) in His person and (2) in His work. After each comparison has started, there is a warning to the readers. Consider, for example, section I.A. This shows that Jesus is superior to the angels in His person (1:4–14) and in His work (2:5–18). In the middle of this comparison is the first warning (2:1–4).

Section I.A begins by proving Jesus’ personal superiority to the angels. It does so by quoting seven passages from the Old Testament. Before the first quotation and the last quotation, it asks the same question: “To which of the angels did He ever say?” (1:5, 13). The quotations show His following superiorities in person:

  • God has made Him His Son (1:4–6, that is, His Heir, as clearly seen in Ps. 2:7, 8; cf. Rom. 8:17) and His Firstborn (that is, chief of many heirs, 1:6).
  • God has promised Him an eternal kingdom (briefly described in 1:8–12)—for which He is now waiting at God’s right hand (1:13).
  • When He again comes to the world, all angels will worship Him (1:6).

Unlike the Son, angels have no fixed condition nor inheritance (1:7). Their work is on behalf of those who will be the Son’s “companions” (that is, co-heirs, 1:9) in His coming kingdom. Angels are “sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (1:14) in that kingdom. That is the future and fullest aspect of salvation. Now, read Hebrews 1:4–14, noticing the points just mentioned.

Next follows the book’s first warning (2:1–4). Note its position as seen in Chart 1, then read it.

Chart 1Section I.A: Jesus is Superior to the Angels, Hebrews 1:4 to 2:18
Superior in His person
1:4–14
(He is Royal Heir—to rule.) / First Warning of Hebrews
2:1–4
The Danger of Drifting
(By neglect we can miss salvation.) / Superior in His work
2:5–18
(He leads “many sons” to glory in the“world to come.”)

Among its elements this first warning includes the following:

  • It begins with the words “for this reason” (2:1), looking back to Jesus’ personal superiority to the angels (1:4–14).
  • It continues with a “much more” argument: If disobeying the angels brought calamity, how much more will disobeying the Son bring calamity!
  • It comes to an immediate conclusion—what we should do: “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away” (2:1).

This warning, like the entire book, is written to people who have heard God’s message through the Son but are in danger of drifting away from Him (2:1, 3). If they drift away, they will miss the “salvation” He announced (2:3). What salvation is that? There is no need to guess. The author himself identifies it as “the world to come, concerning which we are speaking” (2:5). “The world to come” will be the coming kingdom in which the Son will rule with His “companions” (1:9). Then salvation will be full and complete, not partial and incomplete as it is now. Thus, the “salvation” of 2:3 means the same future salvation as in 1:14.[2]

In fact, “the world to come” is an essential point of 2:5–18, which shows the superiority of the Son’s work. That section begins by proving that dominion in “the world to come” is not for angels but for men (2:5–9). It proves it by quoting (in vv. 6–8) Psalm 8 to show that man is destined to be “crowned” with the “glory” of ruling over “all things” in God’s creation. “Not yet” has that happened (v. 8); only one man, Jesus, has so far attained such glory (v. 9). He attained it after suffering and death, which capacitated Him to lead “many sons” to the same glory in the future kingdom (2:10). Leading us to that glory is the Son’s superior work.

Other passages in New Testament books also point to that future world—Messiah’s coming kingdom—as our goal.[3] Missing that kingdom would be a great loss indeed! Read Hebrews 2:5–18, observing what we have just pointed out.

Now let us move from the first section and warning of Hebrews to the second section (3:1 to 4:13; see I.B in the outline given earlier.). This section compares the Son to Moses, in His person (3:1–6) and in His work (4:1–13). Between those two parts is the second warning, which includes God’s vow about His rest (see Chart 2). Read 3:1–6, which shows how the Son is superior in His person to Moses. You will notice that both are faithful to God. The Son, however, is (a) over (not “in”) the house He built, (b) “Son” (not “servant”), and (c) the fulfiller of Moses’ ministry.

Chart 2Section I.B: Jesus is Superior to Moses, Hebrews 3:1 to 4:13
Superior in His person
3:1–6
(He is Son over His house.) / Second Warning of Hebrews
3:7–19
The Danger of Disbelief
(By disbelief we can miss God’s rest.) / Superior in His work
4:1–13
(He brings His people into God’s rest.)

The second warning (3:7–19) is directed to the same people in the same danger as the first warning. Besides its relative position, it has other similarities to the first one.

  • It begins similarly. The first word, “therefore” (3:7), looks back to Jesus’ personal superiority to Moses (3:1–6).
  • It also continues with a “much more” argument.
  • It has a similar conclusion. This conclusion, however, is not given immediately—not until verse 12: “take care …lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart.” Between “therefore” and the conclusion is a parenthetical section (3:7b–11) that quotes some of King David’s words from Psalm 95. Study Chart 3, then read the passage below.

Some Cannot Enter God’s Rest, Hebrews 3:7–19

[Verses 5–6 are included to show the context.]

5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;

6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,

"TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, 8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, 9 WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. 10"THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART; AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS'; 11 AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'" [Ps. 95:7b–11]

12 Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.

13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;

15 while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

We can call this second warning “The Danger of Disbelief.” As you see in 3:12–15, it is primarily based on God’s vow about His rest, quoted (in v. 11) from Psalm 95. That psalm had looked back to Moses’ time and warned against repeating the same sin. Because of the disbelief of his people in the desert, Moses could not bring them into the Promised Land (3:16). But Jesus is the new Moses who, as chapter 4 shows, does (will) bring His people into rest. Yet, some may miss out on this rest.

Psalm 95 is in two parts. The first part is a call to worship (95:1–7a). The second part (95:
7b–11), the part quoted in Hebrews 3, is a warning against disobeying God. The psalmist warned his readers not to repeat what had happened to Israel centuries earlier, in the “provocation...in the wilderness” (95:8, KJV). He mentioned two events. The first, related in Exodus 17, took place at Meribah (meaning “quarrel”) and Massah (meaning “test”) soon after the Exodus. The second event, described in Numbers 14, took place at Kadesh Barnea, where the wilderness sojourn should have ended. Everything was ready for them to enter the Promised Land. Instead, there followed forty years of wandering, as a result of Israel’s provoking and testing God, and their own hardness of heart. Because of their rebellion, God swore that they would not enter His rest (95:11). This clearly referred to the Promised Land: The rebellious generation, God said, “shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers” (Num. 14:23; cf. vv. 30–31).

Psalm 95:7b–11 was addressed to a much later generation—over four centuries later—with a similar danger. After the psalm was written, ten more centuries passed before Hebrews 3 quoted that psalm. Yet, after such a long time, Hebrews took that warning as pertaining to us! By doing so, it implied the following:

  • The “Today” of Psalm 95 is now.

Hebrews 3:13, “as long as it is still called ‘Today’”

Hebrews 3:15, “while it is said, ‘Today…do not harden your hearts’”

  • The invitation is the same as before.

Hebrews 4:1, “A promise remains of entering His rest.”

Hebrews 4:6–7, Since God intends “for some to enter it,” but those invited before “failed to enter,” God has made a new offer “Today.”

After the quotation from Psalm 95, Hebrews finally gets to the specific warning in 3:12. Reread that warning, noticing the following: (1) “Any one” refers to individuals in the group (see also 3:13). Among the “brethren” some individuals are in danger of not entering the promised rest. (2) The danger is that of “departing” (KJV). The NASB has “falling away,” but the Greek verb implies stronger action. This verb, used in 1 Timothy 4:1, is built on the same stem from which the noun apostasy is derived. It describes a deliberate, decisive departure. (3) The departure is “from the living God.” The danger, in short, is apostasy and not just unworthiness—not just missing the Lord’s high standards but giving up one’s profession of Christ.

Instead of “falling away” or departing from the living God, the body of professing believers is to “encourage one another” (3:13, the same command as in 10:25). We should do this “as long as it is still called ‘Today,’” which is the present time of opportunity, of invitation to enter God’s “rest.”

Verse 14 explains the need for the warning: “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.” This is the same teaching as in verse 6: We show that God has chosen us when we continue in the faith.[4] The elect will endure (see Rom. 8:29–30). Although the elect are eternally secure, the only absolutely certain human evidence of who are elect is their perseverance.

Notice that verse 14 switches to a synonym for entering God’s rest: being “partakers of Christ.” The Greek word for “partakers” means His “companions,” as it did when used in 1:9. These are people who share with Messiah in His coming kingdom. In 1:14 they were called “those who will inherit salvation.” In 2:10 they were the “many sons” whom God will bring to the “glory” of “the world to come” (2:5).

Three questions in verses 16–18 point out three reasons why the endurance of faith is needed: (1) A good beginning does not guarantee success (v. 16). (2)Unbelief angers God (v. 17). (3)Disobedience results in judgment (v. 18).

Verse 19 is a summary statement: Israel’s disobedience was caused by unbelief. They started with God but didn’t really believe in Him. In unbelief they looked back longingly to Egypt (Num. 14:3–4; Acts 7:39; Heb. 11:15) and looked ahead fearfully to the difficulties before them (Num. 13:31 to 14:20). God brought them to the door, but they would not enter His rest.

So Israel didn’t believe. Yet, other passages say that they did. For example, Exodus 4:29–31 says that Moses’ generation “believed” when Moses and Aaron brought them the Lord’s promise of rescue from bondage. Exodus 12:28,50 says that they believed and obeyed when He commanded them to keep the Passover. Hebrews 11:29 says that “by faith they passed through the Red Sea.” Repeatedly we are told that “the Lord saved Israel” and “the people…believed in the Lord” (Exod. 14:30–31; 15:2; Ps. 106:10, 12). But just as often we are told that “they forgot God their Savior…did not believe in His word,” and worshipped idols (Ps. 106:19, 24). Quoting the prophet Amos, Stephen described Moses’ generation as idolaters (Acts 7:42–43).

How do we reconcile such statements? First, we must not deny the fact that “believing” God is the only way to salvation: “As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). But second, we must realize that not all belief saves. Saving faith is continuing faith, not a single or short-lived act. “Those on the rocky soil,” the Lord warned, “when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). In Acts 8:13 “Simon himself believed”; yet Peter later told him, “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore, repent…you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity” (Acts 8:21–23). Even in the “Gospel of Belief” we read of people who “believed in” Jesus but apparently were not saved (John 2:23; 8:31–59; 12:42–43). Was there something else they should have done for salvation? Nothing but continue (see John 8:31; Heb. 6:12; 10:36).

Some Will Enter God’s Rest, Hebrews 4:1–13

1 Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.

2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS";

5 and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."