What is it that makes something valuable? Is it not the worth which we ascribe to it? This is particularly true of things which we hear. Two people can hear exactly the same message. One places no value on the message and ignores it. The other values what he heard, acts on it and, as a result, receives a great benefit.
The writer of the inspired book in the Bible called Hebrews, reminds us that God promised the Israelite people rest from their slavery in Egypt. However, that entire generation never received the promised rest in their own homeland of Canaan because they did not believe. He points out that the followers of Christ also have God’s promise of rest. In chapter 4, verses 1 through 5, he writes, “Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard. For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest”; although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has said this somewhere about the seventh day, “God rested on the seventh day from all his works”; and in this place again, “They will not enter into my rest.””
According to this passage, God’s work is finished. He has already done whatever is necessary in order to provide rest to His people. If this is so, what prevents people from receiving the rest God has promised? It is their lack of faith. Because they do not believe what God has said, they will not do what what is necessary to obtain the promise God has made. The Israelites whom God rescued from Egyptian slavery were unable to enter Canaan because they would not believe that it was possible for them to take the land in spite of God’s promise. Their unbelief aroused God’s anger. Just like the Israelites, God has delivered the followers of Christ from bondage to sin and has promised them rest in the world to come. Yet, we too will be unable to enter our promised rest if we do not believe.
How can we know that God’s promise of rest is true? We know that it is true because God has spoken of it by means of the prophets. In verses 6 through 10 the writer of Hebrews says, “Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter therein, and they to whom the good news was before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience, he again defines a certain day, today, saying through David so long a time afterward (just as has been said), “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.”
The question is not whether God’s promise of rest stands, rather the question is how we will respond to the opportunity God gives us. He is calling us. He asks us to obey His word. How will we respond?
Though God has done His part to provide rest for us, it takes effort on our part to receive that rest. God had promised the land of Canaan to the Israelites, but they still had to conquer it. It was their refusal to go in and fight the original inhabitants of Canaan which kindled God’s anger toward the first generation whom He had rescued from Egyptian slavery. It was only when the Israelites obeyed God’s instructions to conquer the land under the leadership of Joshua that they obtained rest from their wanderings.
However, the conquest under Joshua points to a greater truth. It is a metaphor for the eternal rest God has promised His people. Just as the Israelites had to obey in order to obtain the promise made to them, we also must listen to what God has told us through the prophets and we must believe and obey it. If we disobey, we will disqualify ourselves from entering rest, just as the Israelites did. In verses 11 through 13 the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
The phrase “the word of God” in this passage primarily refers to that portion of the Bible which we call the Old Testament. Some might question whether words written thousands of years ago are still relevant and applicable to us today. Hebrews points out that God’s word still lives. In other places the Bible assures us that God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). Therefore, we can have confidence in the promises of God no matter how long ago He made them.
People generally make one of two mistakes concerning the Old Testament. The first mistake is to not realize that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses. In other words, the rules and regulations which God gave the Jewish people are no longer binding upon mankind. Jesus completed or fulfilled all the requirements of the Law. As we shall see, later on in the book of Hebrews, the covenant God made with the Israelites has been superseded by a new covenant.
The second mistake people make is to ignore the Old Testament altogether and say that it has no place in our lives today. However, there are promises and prophecies in the Old Testament which are still very relevant to us today. For example, we have already seen that God’s promise of rest still stands. In addition, the Old Testament is the record of salvation history. From it we learn how God prepared mankind for the coming of Christ. From it we learn the terrible consequences of sin and our need for a Savior. We learn how man is incapable of keeping God’s laws.
Though the Old Testament was written thousands of years ago, God has not changed. Man’s nature has not changed either. The Old Testament provides us with many valuable examples of how people responded to God. We face the same choice as they did: Will we listen to God’s voice, or will we harden our hearts?