A Commentary in Simple English on Hebrews

CHAPTER 4

Verses 1-11: Rest for God's people

These verses talk about 'rest'. What do they mean by 'rest'?

(a) In verse 4, the writer speaks of God's rest, and uses some words from Genesis 2: 2. God made heaven and earth in six days. (See Genesis 1: 1 - 2:1.) On the seventh day He rested from His work, not because He was tired but because He was pleased with what He had done. He wanted to enjoy it. Even when God rests from all His work, He makes something. He makes the one day in seven a day of rest and worship for men.

God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work (Gen 2:15). We do not know whether Adam might have had some share in God's rest. (See perhaps Genesis 3: 8.) Adam and Eve sinned. There is no promise of 'rest' for them when God speaks in Genesis 3:17-19. The name 'Noah' means 'rest', so men still wanted God's rest when he was born (Gen 5: 29). But Noah did not have much rest! (Gen 6: 22; 7:5).

(b) Then the hope of 'rest' means also the entry of Israel into the Promised Land. (See Numbers 14: 21-23.) We have already learned about this in Chapter 3.

(c) Now Psalm 95 was written several hundred years after the time of Moses. So the Psalm speaks of 'Today' and of 'God's rest‘. It means that the rest, which God promised, was still to be had; this was true although the Jews who came out of Egypt with Moses had died in the desert because they did not believe God. (verse 7).

(d) One Man has entered God's rest (verse 10): that is Jesus. His work is finished (John 19:30). He has sat down with God and now shares God's enjoyment of His rest.

(e) We are to follow Jesus and enter that same rest.

Now we are ready to see what these verses mean to us.

In verse 1 the Old Testament promise that we may enter and share God's rest is still spoken to us today. We must be careful and not trust anything except God's promise to us. We do not want to come too late to God. . Come while it is still God's 'Today!' (2 Cor 6: 1-2).

Verse 2 tells us that in Numbers 14, Caleb had told the Jews that the Promised Land was all they hoped for. That was 'good news' to them. The 'good news' did them no good because they did not believe it, as Caleb did. We have heard the Good News of Jesus and of glory. If it is to do us any good, we must believe it. We must stand firm with those who bring the Good News to us.

In verse 3, we read that Christians have believed, and so unlike Israel in the time of Moses we do enter the promised rest. Now we have the rest which Jesus promised (Matt 11: 28,29). After this life, we shall find rest with God in glory. God had sworn that 'they' - Israel in the Old Testament - would never enter His rest. But it was prepared, ready for them (Matt 25:34). So other people must enter instead of them. Then in verse 4, as we have seen, the writer uses the words of Genesis 2: 2 which say that God rested. They - Israel - will never enter because they did not obey God: so others will (verses 5 and 6). We are those others: but we must obey God!

Verse 7 is the verse that tells us that it was long after the time of Moses that the Spirit of God moved David to write Psalm 95. As the psalm says 'Today', the rest that God has promised was still there to be had. Joshua did lead Israel over the Jordan. These people were of course the children of those who had died in the desert. They did not find rest in Canaan. They had to fight for the land, and they had to work hard to build homes and to farm the land. The ‘rest’, which God speaks about, cannot just mean Canaan. A rest in glory, then, waits for God's people who put their faith in Him. (verse 9). Christ has entered (verse 10) and now enjoys God’s rest. We trust Jesus now and rest from the tiring, painful work of trying to please God by what we do ourselves. If we trust Him now, we already find the rest which He promised in this life. If we follow Him, we shall enjoy rest in glory with God (verse 11).

As usual the writer points us forward to what will come next in his letter. He will speak of the Word of God in verses 12 and 13. In verses 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 we have read about what God said. And the Word of God is made up largely of promises and warnings. The Word of God will never fail. God promised rest. The Jews did not find it in the Promised Land. So we look for much more. We look for rest in glory. Prayer is like that. If God does not give us what we ask for, it is because we do not ask for enough. Ask for more.

Verses 12 and 13: The Word of God

'The Word of God' here may mean the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, as it does when John speaks of the Word in John 1:1. (See Revelation 19:13.) I rather think that here it means the words which God speaks, and His written word in Scripture.

The word of God is sharper than a double edged or 'two mouthed' sword. (See Isaiah 49: 2 and Revelation 1: 16.) We may understand this better if we remember that in Bible times people often made swords with the handle (or 'hilt') in the shape of the head of a wild animal. The blade was then like the tongue of the animal, and came out of its mouth. But I do not think the writer has in mind the sword which men used when they fought each other. His Jewish readers would think about a big knife used to kill animals. The priests killed animals as offerings to God in the Jewish worship. Perhaps the animal was a sheep. The priest would take his knife, force the animal's head back and lay bare its neck. He would cut its throat to kill it. He would take off its skin and then cut it up into joints. It is as though God had taken us and forced our heads back. Our neck is 'laid bare'. We are 'naked', like the sheep which has had its skin taken off. Or the picture may be of two men fighting each other. One falls to the ground. He is in the power of the other, who can seize him by the neck.

So the writer says that the word of God is not like the word of man. Israel in ages past did not listen to what God said to them, but that does not mean that God's word is a thing of the past. It is still living now and God still speaks to us today. Just as the knife cut up the sheep, so the word of God cuts us up! [4.1]. The word of God cuts us apart between the thoughts in our minds (or souls) and the purposes and desires of our hearts (or spirits). (See 3:8 and 10 and 4:7 for 'the heart.') Think of it like this. Before we came to Christ, our minds were better than our hearts. Wicked desires and purposes came out of our hearts. But our minds held them back, and gave us reasons why we should not do what was wrong. Then we became Christians. God gave us a new, pure, clean heart. Out of it came new desires, new purposes. The Spirit of God gave them to us. Now our heart is better than our mind! So when in our hearts we are led by the Spirit of God, our mind starts to say to us: 'You cannot do that. People would think you were being silly'. So that now the mind checks what the good heart suggests that we should do.

We need the word of God to help us because we mix up the thoughts in our minds with the desires in our hearts. The word of God helps us to separate them. You join with God's people in worship. If anyone asks you: 'Why are you here?' you will think in your mind that it is to worship God. So that is the answer you give. But what about your heart? Was there warm love to God there and so you wanted to share your love with God's people? Or was your heart cold?

Sometimes we only go to worship so that other people will see us there, or perhaps because there is someone we want to speak to. This is not good, although it is better than not going at all! We can hide these things in our hearts from one another, but we cannot hide anything from God. He sees everything, and at the last day, the Day of Judgment, we shall have to give account to God for our lives.

Now we must be clear why the writer says these things. We are tempted to say to ourselves: 'God knows all about me. He knows what goes on in my mind and heart. He wants to find fault with me'. We are quite wrong if we say things like this. We should rather say: 'God knows the very worst about me. But He loves me and He will do me good. He knows more about me than I know about myself'. (1 John 3: 19-22). God is greater than we are. He can help us when we cannot help ourselves. We have His favour.

In verses 14-16 the writer will show us one of the ways in which God has already helped us.

The Second part: What Jesus does for us

Verses 14-16: Jesus, our High Priest

In these verses the writer begins to speak about Jesus as our High Priest. He will go on with this right through to Chapter 10. See verses 19-23, which are very much like these verses. He says that Jesus is a much better High Priest than the ones that the Jews had. [4.2]. So we need to know something about the Jewish worship. The writer probably does not think so much of what happened in the Temple in Jerusalem in his own day. He thinks about what God had told Moses to do hundreds of years before. So we need to think about this before we go on.

1. God had told Moses to make a Tent to be the centre round which Israel would gather to worship Him. This Tent is known as the 'Tabernacle'. (The temple in Jerusalem took its place in the time of David and Solomon). God tells Moses in Exodus 25-27 to make the Tent. (See Hebrews 8: 5, 6 and 9: 1-5.) It was about 50 metres long, and it was divided into two parts. The first part was the bigger one, the Holy Place. The priests went through the first curtain into the Holy Place every day. Beyond it was the 'Most Holy Place', which was square. It was so holy that the only person who ever went in was the High Priest. He only went in on one day in the year, the 'Day of Atonement'. A heavy curtain separated the two parts of the Tent from each other. This heavy curtain is often called 'the veil'. In front of the tent was an altar. This stood in a large open space or courtyard. The altar was covered in brass (or bronze). It was the place where priests killed animals and burnt them as part of the worship of God.

2. Exodus 28 is the chapter that tells us how God chose Aaron to be High Priest. He was Moses' brother. Only the priests were allowed to meet God in those times. The ordinary people could not. (See also Numbers 17.)

3. The priests made the animal offerings in several different ways. Sometimes, the whole of the body of the animal was cooked and eaten. (See Exodus 12: 3-10. This is the 'Passover' lamb, which is a special case.) Sometimes the whole body of the animal was burnt to ashes. There was then no thought of sharing: the picture is of pure worship of God. (See Genesis 8:20, 21.) In the same way we should give up all we are to God. In between, there were sin offerings and several other kinds. Often the priest had some of the meat; the person who made the offering had some for a feast: and some of it was burnt. This was a picture of fellowship with God.

4. The worship on the 'Day of Atonement' is set out for us in Leviticus 16. On that one day in the year, the High Priest went beyond the Holy Place and into the Most Holy Place. He had no choice: he had to do it. He was a sinner: so he first had to kill a bull as a sin offering for himself. He had to bring the blood of the bull beyond the curtain into the Most Holy Place. A box or chest was there: it is often called 'The Ark of the Covenant'. The figures of two gold angels spread their wings above it, but the top or lid of the box was a plate of gold, the Covering. This is often called the 'Mercy Seat'. The High Priest had to splash some of the blood from his fingers on to the Covering and in front of it.

Then the High Priest came through the Most Holy Place and out of the Tent, back to the altar. There he killed a goat and took its blood through the Tent, beyond the curtain and into the Most Holy Place. The goat was another offering to God. This time it was for the sins of the people of Israel. Again the High Priest splashed the blood on the Covering and then he came out of the Tent. (See Leviticus 16: 18.)

In verses 20-22, we are told what was done after this with another goat. The High Priest was to lay both his hands on the goat's head. This was a picture of putting all the sins of the people on the animal. Someone then led the goat out into the desert. That was a picture of the way that God sends all our sins away when He forgives them.

5. In Numbers 20: 22-29 we are told about the death of Aaron, who was the first High Priest. Aaron was Moses' brother. Moses took the robes that belonged to the High Priest off him. Moses then put them on Aaron's son to show that he was now the High Priest, and then Aaron died.

So let us see now what the writer says to us in these verses.

1. (verse 14) Not many of the Old Testament priests were great men. God called them, and they did their work. Some, sad to say, were wicked. Jesus, however, is a great High Priest. (See 2: 17).

2. (verse 14) The Old Testament Priest passed through a curtain into the Most Holy Place and then came out again. Jesus has passed through the heavens to God's throne and He has stayed there.

3. (verse 15) Sin makes us hard. It spoils the kind gentle feelings we should have towards other people. Jesus has been tempted. He has a real feeling for us in our need. Remember, too, that He knows all about us. We were taught this in verse 13. [4.3]

4. (Verse 16) Only the Jewish High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place, where the Chest with the golden Covering was. Jesus has gone into God's presence. But we may go too! In place of the Chest and Covering there is 'the throne of grace'. Grace is God's favour to sinners who do not deserve it at all. The throne of grace is the place where grace rules or governs. It rules in the way God deals with believing Christians. It is the real 'Mercy Seat' from which God's grace flows out to us.

5. (verse 16) The Jewish High Priest took the blood into the Most Holy Place. When he came out, he did not bring anything out with him. He did not know whether God had really forgiven his sin. He must wait another full year before he could go in again, however great the need of the people might be. The people could not be sure that God had forgiven their sins. Now this verse tells us that we can go to God at any time of the year in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not just once in the year. We must go at all times, because we always have sins that need to be forgiven. (See I John 1: 9.) God will always give us 'mercy' for our sins. Then when special times of need come we shall find 'grace to help'. God will find His own way in which to help us. We shall not come away from 'the throne of grace' without anything.

There are one or two more things we need to say. In verse 14, 'professing' or 'confessing' our faith means that we all say the same things. We say the same things about Jesus. He is our Saviour from sin. He is God's Son; He is a real Man. He died and rose from death and is now in heaven. God is good; and He sends His Holy Spirit. This and much more we all agree on and we say the same things. Hold on tightly to these truths. 'The faith' here means these things which we believe. [4.4].

Then verse 16 tells us to come to God's throne of grace with 'confidence'. The Jewish High Priest may well have been very frightened when once in the year he went into the Most Holy Place. Outside the Tent there was the bright light of day. When he went into the Holy Place, there were seven lamps shining. But when he went beyond the curtain into the Most Holy Place the only light there would come from the glory of God. We are to have no such fears when we come to God; and it is not just once in the year, but at all times that we are to come. We come because we want to. We need God's grace to help us. We do not come, like the High Priest, once in the year because the Law said we must. We need mercy because we sin. God sees and verse 13 tells us that at the Day of Judgment we shall have to settle our account with Him. It is far better to find mercy from God now than to wait until that day.

There are some things which the Christians did not have. They did not have a temple or an altar. They did not have priests in robes or animals to kill as part of their worship. So the writer writes to tell them about the things which they do have. Here in 4:14 they ‘have a great High Priest’. We shall find this again in 8:1. In 6:19 they have their hope as an anchor for the soul. In 10:19 they have ‘confidence’ or boldness before God. In 10:34 they have ‘better, lasting possessions’ in glory. In 12:1, they have a great cloud of witnesses who watch what they do. Then in 13:10 we find that after all they do have an altar. See 13:14.