Hebrews 4

Psalm 95, a psalm of David, is extensively quoted in Hebrews 3 and 4. That psalm is almost entirely a call to public worship in the first seven verses. The psalm seems to change abruptly at the end of verse 7, and the final few verses are a very strong warning not to harden our hearts against the Lord's Word. One way to despise God is to overtly refuse His call to worship. A second way is to show up in body, but to be unwilling to sincerely hear and obey His Word.

The end of Psalm 95 insists that we give careful consideration to the account of the generation that came out of Egypt who would not listen to the voice of God. Remember that they refused to go into the Promised Land. Hebrews 3 and 4 keeps bringing this bad example before our consciences since a situation similar to this one faces the New Testament church in every generation. There was a promise of rest to the people of the Exodus, but they would not have it. They refused the voice of God, and they were excluded from the land of Israel. That promise of rest is still before us. We need to hear the voice of God calling us forward. We must strive to enter into that new Israel, the church that is named with the Name of a better Joshua than the one who led the second generation into the Promised Land so long ago.

The Exodus people had good news preached to them in God's command to take the land of Canaan, but they would not believe God's promise. Only Joshua and Caleb were able to go in. Now we have a call to worship, and once again there are those who would try to frighten us away from the clear command of the Almighty. Will we give in to fear of enemies or distraction from competing desires and stay away from the life of resurrection worship, or will we gather together not only in body, but also with ready hearts?

The end of Psalm 95 pronounced a dreadful verdict on that first generation: “They shall not enter my rest.” Even Moses was not permitted to go into Canaan. The second generation did go into that “rest,” though they soon found out that the rest they were called to was a life of faithful warfare. We have not been called out to some relaxing vacation, or to the distraction of inactivity. We are called to live a life of faith in service of Jesus. This is our rest that we should be walking in together as we worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. If that means that we must suffer or even die, then we can see this as a part of the rest that God has ordained for His church, since it has been granted to us not only to believe in Jesus, but to suffer for His Name.

The age of heavenly resurrection is already upon us in the ascended body of Jesus Christ. When we worship and serve the Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, we are the kingdom of heaven. What a sad mistake it is to turn away from that kingdom now, when the voice of God calling us into the New Testament Promised Land is ringing in our ears. Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts.

Since the foundation of the world God has had a heavenly rest for His elect. He rested on the seventh day in the royal rule of one who has been working from the beginning and is still working to this day. God has a rest of faith for all of us now. Do you want to align yourself with the faithless Exodus generation that would not obey His call?

David wrote Psalm 95 long after Joshua had led the people of Israel into Canaan. Yet he speaks of a rest that should still be entered into “today.” The ultimate rest comes for us in the place of perfect godliness. Heaven is not a land of pleasant inactivity or amusing distraction. It is a realm of perfect service with a united church seeking the glory of God. This is what is ahead of us. There remains this kind of Sabbath-like rest for the people of God, and we are to strive to enter that rest of perfect faith even now.

Jesus perfect rest of faith in the promises of God came in His complete consecration to the Word, despite the suffering that He was called to. This is what it means to rest: to be steadfast and immovable in the calling of God. If our bodies are resting in worship, but our hearts are restless and unwilling to hear the Lord, we need to remember that God knows what is going on in us better than we do. His Word pierces our heart with perfect divine awareness. We cannot fool Him. We need to yield ourselves to His rest, His call, and His love.

This is what Jesus did for us, and He remains our faithful high priest in heaven. He understands the challenges that we have in the rest of faith that God calls us to today. He is able to sympathize with us, and to strengthen us so that we can fight the good fight. Turn to His great throne of grace above. He and all who are with Him there are still very much engaged in the battle that is ours even today. He has grace for us, that we might stand in the evil day.