(Chapter 4:1-16)
In the fourth chapter, the writer presents another contrast. He compares Joshua, the great military leader in Israel’s history, with Christ our great spiritual Leader. Joshua brought the children of Israel into their promised rest in Canaan, which was an earthly and temporal portion of blessing. It could be, and sad to say was, forfeited some years later. Christ, on the other hand, is bringing believers on into God’s eternal rest. This is something which is spiritual rather than material and can never be forfeited! The contrast here is incalculable, and therefore, sets Christ apart from Joshua immeasurably.
The Rest to Which the Wilderness Journey Leads
Chap. 4:1-11—After closing the parenthesis at the end of chapter 3, the writer resumes his words of warning in connection with the dangers of apostasy that faced the Hebrews. He tells them that they needed to “fear” lest any lacked faith and came short of entering God’s “rest.” This shows that there was a real danger of some of them not reaching that divine end and ending up eternally lost.
The “rest” of God of which he speaks in this chapter is a future thing. It is not an epitaph on a tombstone. Nor is it a present rest which the Lord gives from the burden of law-keeping to those who come to Him (Matt. 11:28-29). Nor is it a rest in our souls resulting from knowing that the Lord is in control of all the circumstances in our lives (2 Thess. 1:7; Isa. 26:3). Nor is it a rest for our tired bodies resulting from busy service for the Lord (Mark 6:31). As mentioned, it is a future thing which the saints will reach in the Millennium. J. N. Darby said, “In chapter 4, the rest of God is left vague in its character in order to embrace both the heavenly part and the earthly part of the Lord’s millennial reign” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, on Hebrews 4). The rest of God will eventually extend into the Eternal State. W. Scott said, “The term ‘His rest,’ in Hebrews 3-4, in its fullest application refers to the Eternal State” (An Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 416).
Verse 2 Says, “For indeed we have had glad tidings presented to us, even as they also.” That is, we have been the objects of God’s glad tidings, as were the children of Israel in times past. But this does not mean that both have been given the same message of good news. We have received the gospel of the grace of God which was only begun to be preached after redemption was accomplished (Acts 20:24). The good news that Israel received in the wilderness was “the word” that the spies brought back to the people at Kadesh concerning the goodness of Canaan (Num. 13:26-27; Deut. 1:25). The danger that the writer is pointing out here is that as the “report” which Israel heard in that day of provocation was “not mixed with faith,” and therefore, did not “profit them,” so also might be the case now with the gospel that we have heard.
Vs. 3—He says, “For we which have believed do enter into rest.” His point here is that the believer, and the believer only, will enter into God’s rest. He deducts this from Psalm 95 by reasoning from the reverse of what it says. If those who do not believe will not enter in, then it is only those who do believe who will. F. B. Hole states that this is a Hebrew idiom common to that language.
Vss. 4-10—The writer then goes about to prove, from Scripture, that the true rest of God is still coming in the future. Canaan’s rest into which Joshua brought Israel is really a foreshadow of God’s eternal rest. He emphasizes this here because the Jews thought that God’s rest was Canaan, and nothing more. He says, “The works were finished from the foundation of the world, for He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.” This is a quote from Genesis 2:2. He brings this in to show that from the beginning of creation God has had before Him an ultimate rest. From it we learn that there are two things that characterize His rest. One is His satisfaction in what He has accomplished and the other is His cessation from work. J. N. Darby stated that with the fall of man there now exists a condition wherein “holiness cannot rest where sin is, and love cannot rest where sorrow is.” Since God can only rest in that which satisfies His love and holiness, it is clear that He has not entered upon His rest yet. There, therefore, remains a rest ahead when the Eternal State is reached, when God will cease from His work (Rev. 21:6 – “It is done!”). Until then, He cannot be satisfied so long as sin exists in the world, and He has been working toward His divine end ever since sin’s entrance (John 5:17).
Vss. 5-6—The writer refers to Psalm 95 again. He says, “And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest.” As mentioned, this is a Hebrew idiom based on the actual quote. His emphasis here is on the word “shall,” which points to the future. It shows that God’s ultimate rest is yet to come.
Vss. 7-10—The writer refers to Psalm 95 yet again; this time he emphasizes the fact that the writing of the psalm was a “long time” after Joshua led Israel into Canaan. In the psalm, David spoke of people who were in danger of not entering God’s rest (Psa. 95:11). What rest could he be referring to if Israel had already been brought into their rest by Joshua hundreds of years before? The writer’s reasoning is that if Joshua had “given them rest,” why would David “afterward have spoken of another day” of rest? (The KJV says, “Jesus” here, which is the Greek form for “Joshua.”) His conclusion is that “there remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God” which is yet to come. In verse 10, he reminds the Hebrews that the great characteristic of this rest is that there will be a complete cessation from toil. He who enters it will rest eternally with God (vs. 10).
Vs. 11—Since there is definitely a rest to come, the writer exhorts the Hebrews to “use diligence to enter into that rest, that no one may fall after the same example of not hearkening to the Word.” This has to do with making sure that their faith was real, and proving it by continuing in the path. Using “diligence,” is stated in the aorist tense in the Greek, meaning that it should be a once-for-all-time decision to go on in the path.
In chapters 3-4, he has mentioned three rests:
Creation’s rest—marred by sin.
Canaan’s rest—forfeited by unbelief.
Eternal rest—sure to be reached by those who have faith.
The Threefold Provision of God to Help Us Reach His Rest
Chap. 4:12-16—The writer goes on to speak of the provision that God has made for us so that we wouldn’t fail to reach His rest. He mentions three great things:
The Word of God
(Vss. 13-14)
The first is “the Word of God.” It profits every person who handles it with an “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). In this passage, the Word of God is mentioned in connection with correction, which if taken to heart, will be for our preservation in the wilderness path. W. Kelly said, “The Word of God is the needed correction, as we see it here” (The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 73). The writer proceeds to give some of its outstanding features in this connection:
The Word of God is “quick [living].” This means that it is spiritually alive. When used by the Spirit of God, it gives life and light to souls (John 6:63; Psa. 19:8; Psa. 119:130).
The Word of God is “powerful [operative].” There is nothing that can hinder its working; it always accomplishes what God sends it to do (Isa. 55:11). No man or devil is able to stop it.
The Word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” Everyone who uses it will find that it has a double application. The moral and spiritual issues which it addresses will apply to others as well as to ourselves; it cuts in both directions.
The Word of God is “penetrating.” If we allow it to search us (Psa. 139:23-24), it will pierce into the deepest part of our beings and divide between what is soulish in us from what is spiritual. (The writer speaks of “joints and marrow” in a figurative sense to indicate the inner part of our being.) It detects and exposes, and thus, makes us aware of deep-seated motives in our hearts that we would otherwise not be conscious of. We learn from this that the “soul and spirit” are closely connected and difficult to distinguish. This being the case, many have been moved by their soulish emotions in some matter and imagine that it is a spiritual thing. For example, we might be thinking about taking a certain step in life which we fully believe is based on spiritual motives. But when a principle from the Word of God is brought to bear on the matter, it brings to light that such a step is really born of natural and fleshly motives, and is not something spiritual at all. Thus, the Word of God strips away all pretense and superficial profession and exposes the hidden tendencies in our hearts that we may not know existed.
Lastly, the Word of God is a “discerner [judge] of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Greek word translated “discerner,” in the KJV, can be translated “judge,” as in the W. Kelly translation. Thus, the Word not only detects and exposes hidden evils in our hearts—it condemns every evil that it exposes! It is the same word in the Greek from which we get our English word “critic.” Men, in their ignorance, dare to criticize God’s holy infallible Word, but really, they should be letting it criticize them. Thus, the Word of God judges us; we do not judge it!
The writer goes on to say, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened [laid bare] unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (vs. 13). He brings this in to show that if we allow the Word of God to search us and to judge us as it should, it will give us a conscious sense of having to do with God concerning those things which His Word has detected. Every upright person will, therefore, take God’s side against the evil in his heart and will judge that which is inconsistent with His holiness. Evils that would surely derail the believer, if left to develop, are thus “nipped in the bud.” Consequently, we are able to avoid a multitude of snares that would surely cause us to stumble in the path if they were not thus exposed and judged. This exercise may be painful and humbling, but it is God’s way of preserving us. It shows that our hearts are exceedingly deceptive and not to be trusted (Jer. 17:9; Prov. 28:26). This exercise of judging ourselves puts us in a right state to profit from the next provision that God has given us in the next couple of verses.
The Priesthood of Christ
(Vss. 14-15)
The second thing God uses to preserve us in the path is the priesthood of Christ. The writer says, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession [confession].” He calls the Lord Jesus Christ a “great High Priest.” There has been a long succession of high priests in Israel’s history, but none of them were ever said to be great. This in itself distinguishes Christ from all the others. He has “passed through the heavens” to carry on His priestly service in the immediate presence of God in the heavenly sanctuary above (Heb. 8:1-2; 9:24). This also separates Him from those Old Testament priests, for no priest in that economy has ever ascended into heaven to minister! Aaron passed through the outer court of the tabernacle, through the holy place, into the holiest of all once a year, but the tabernacle wherein he served was a mere model of the true sanctuary into which Christ has entered and abides as our High Priest (Heb. 8:5).
The writer’s use of the Lord’s earthly name “Jesus,” emphasizes the fact that He is a real Man who knows what it is to walk in this world. As a result, He can fully relate to our circumstances as men on earth. The Lord is also called “the Son of God” here. This emphasizes His divinity and means that He has all the attributes of deity. These two names of the Lord indicate that He is both human and divine, and they qualify Him to be our High Priest. Thus, we have One no less than God Himself (in the Person of the Son) as our High Priest! With such a Person on high to intercede for us (Rom. 8:34) and to help us in our earthly journey (Heb. 2:18), we are exhorted to “hold fast our confession.” As mentioned earlier, continuance in the path is the greatest way to prove our reality. Our “confession” is not merely a confession of Jesus as our Saviour; it is the confession of our whole heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1). This is not to be given up for earthly religion, which is what the Hebrews were tempted to do.
Vs. 15—He says, "We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin [sin apart]." This shows that Christ is fully able to sympathize with us because He is a Man who once lived down here in this world and was tested and tried as we are. The writer mentions two kinds of trials that we encounter on the road to our eternal rest—infirmities and temptations. J. N. Darby confirmed this and said, “Temptations and infirmities are not the same thing” (Collected Writings, vol. 23, p. 291). The difference is:
Infirmities are trials connected with our physical bodies.
Temptations are trials connected with our souls and spirits.
Infirmities are sicknesses, maladies, and other challenges in connection with our physical beings, resulting from what sin has done in the creation generally (Luke 13:11-12; John 5:5; Rom. 8:26; 2 Cor. 12:5, 9; 1 Tim. 5:23, etc.). The Lord did not have infirmities, for His body was holy and could not be affected by the corrupting effects of sin (Luke 1:35). Hence, He was never sick. Mr. Darby stated, “Unlike the Jewish priest of old, Christ was not encompassed in any sense with infirmity” (Notes & Jottings, p. 256). Some have mistakenly thought that infirmities are human needs, such as hunger, thirst, and tiredness, etc.—which the Lord surely experienced (John 4:6, 7, 31-33). But these are not infirmities. W. Kelly said, “There is a notion too prevalent among theologians and their followers that the blessed Lord Himself was compassed with infirmities. Where is such a statement warranted in Scripture? Do they call it an infirmity for a man here below to eat, drink, sleep, or feel the lack of these things? ....None assuredly should predicate of Christ what Scripture does not” (Christ Tempted and Sympathizing” pp. 45-46).
Even though the Lord didn’t have infirmities personally, He nevertheless can be “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Matt. 8:17). This shows that He did not need to experience sickness in order to sympathize with us when we are sick. He sympathizes with us and intercedes for us as our High Priest regarding our weaknesses. But let us note; weaknesses are not sins. The Lord will never sympathize with our sins; He grieves over us when we allow sins in our lives, but He will not sympathize with our sins. Thus, He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but not with our sins.
Temptations, on the other hand, are things such as: suffering reproach, oppression, and rejection, having problems in life that press on our spirits and produce sorrow and discouragement, etc. These are things that particularly afflict the soul and spirit (1 Cor. 10:13; James 1:2, 12; 1 Peter 1:6). The Lord was surely tempted with these kinds of temptations. In fact, He was tempted with every test with which a righteous man could be tested—as the writer states: “in all points tempted as we are.” The J. N. Darby Translation footnote renders this phrase—“according to the likeness of the way in which we are tempted.” Hence, He sympathizes with us in our temptations (trials) from having experienced them Himself.
In connection with the temptations that the Lord passed through, the writer makes an exception in the words, “Yet without sin,” or, as the J. N. Darby translation renders it, “sin apart.” In stating this, he alludes to the fact that there are two classes of temptations to which men are subjected, one of which the Lord did not partake in. These two kinds of temptations are:
Outward temptations and testings in which one's faith and patience are tried. These are external trials which the enemy seeks to use to turn us aside from our heavenly calling. All such are holy trials (James 1:2-12).
Inward temptations that result from having a sin-nature acting in us. All such are unholy trials (James 1:13-16).
The writer’s point in saying “sin apart,” in connection with the Lord’s temptations, is to emphasize the fact that while He did experience the first class of outward temptations, He didn’t experience the second class of sinful temptations because He didn’t have a sin-nature (1 John 3:5). The KJV, unfortunately, says: "yet without sin," which makes it appear as though the writer meant that the Lord kept Himself from sinning in His life. While it is certainly true that the Lord did not commit sins (1 Peter 2:22), that is not the point that is being made in the verse. As mentioned above, the phrase should be translated "sin apart." This means that the temptations which He endured were not in the class of temptations that have to do with the sin-nature. This, as we have already stated, is because He didn’t have a sin-nature.
J. N. Darby said, "There are two kinds of temptations; one is from without, all the difficulties of Christian life; Christ went through them and He has gone through more than any of us; but the other kind of temptation is when a man is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Christ, of course, never had that" (Notes and Jottings, p. 6).
Weaknesses in our spirits, souls, or bodies are not sin (Matt. 26:41), but if we let those things get us into a bad state of soul, it can produce sin in our lives, and Satan will try to take advantage of our low state and turn us aside in the path. It is, therefore, important to maintain a good attitude when we are tempted (James 1:2). Hence, we have a High Priest who can sympathize with us in all of our holy trials, but He will not sympathize with our sins.
The Throne of Grace
(vs. 16)
The third provision that God has given us for our wilderness journey is the throne of grace. The writer says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Knowing that we have a great High Priest interceding for us on high, we are encouraged to bring our life’s situations and problems to God in prayer. The access that we have on account of accomplished redemption and Christ having ascended into the presence of God as our High Priest is far greater than anything that the priests in Judaism knew. We are invited to come “boldly” into God’s presence with our petitions. This is something that the priests under the legal covenant could not do. They went into the holiest once a year with blood, and did so with trepidation. Moreover, their entrance there was to avert God’s judgment; we enter His presence to court God’s favour! These contrasts are significant.
When we approach God with our prayer requests, we must keep in mind that we may not always have the mind of God in connection with the things for which we ask, and therefore, He may deny some of our requests. This is alluded to in the words “mercy” and “grace.”
“Mercy” is relief granted in connection with a trial we may have by being taken out of it by the good hand of God.
“Grace” is support granted in a trial which God does not see fit to take us out of.
For example, we might be in a certain trial and make a request to be taken out of it. And since we are asking for something that is according to His will (1 John 5:14), He lifts us out of it—and we are, of course, thankful for it. Thus, we receive “mercy” in connection with the trial. In another situation, we may request to have a particular trial lifted from us, but it is not the will of God—at least at that time. In this case, He doesn’t take us out of it, but rather, He gives us “grace to help” in that “time of need,” and by it, we are carried through the trial. Thus, granting mercy has to do with God’s taking us out of our trial, and granting grace has to do with His sustaining us in our trial.
There is an incident in Acts 12 That illustrates these two things. Herod incarcerated two of the Lord’s apostles (James and Peter) and had every intention of killing them. James was given grace to go through the ordeal and was martyred, but Peter was granted mercy and was liberated from the prison by the angel of the Lord.