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Other
passages such as Deut. 3:18-28 and Deut. 25:19 send the same message.
They considered the Promised Land a place of rest. Yet, many failed to
enter the Promised Land, the place of rest, because they did not believe
or trust in God. God told them they would die because they did not believe
in Him. Their hopes and dreams were gone! What a disappointment! They
died in the wilderness. Moses and Aaron died, too, but for other reasons.
It was those who were under twenty years of age (Num. 32:11-12) with
their hopes and dreams who entered the Promised Land. Joshua led them
in, and here is what they found.
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And
the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that
He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies
stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their
hand. (NASB) Joshua 21:44
And
now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He
spoke to them . . . which Moses the servant of the LORD gave
you beyond the Jordan. (NASB) Joshua 22:4 |
The Israelites found their earthly rest.
2nd
Warning Continues. We
found in Hebrews 3:7-19 that the Holy Spirit used Psalm 95:7-11 to warn the
readers to believe in Jesus. He reminded the readers that the Israelites
in the wilderness did not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief. That
was true. Unbelief was disobedience and resulted in death.
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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.
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. 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” .
. . (NASB) Heb. 4:1-3 |
God’s
Rest. The
Holy Spirit is making a strong point. We need to do more than listen; we
need to believe Jesus in order to enter rest. The unbelieving, unfaithful
Israelites were looking for rest. Are you? They did not enter rest.
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.
. . although His works were finished from the foundation
of the world. For He has thus said somewhere concerning the
seventh day, “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM
ALL HIS WORKS”; and again in this passage, “THEY
SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” (NASB) Heb. 4:3-5 |
The Holy Spirit makes several strange comments here. First, the Holy Spirit
talks about God resting from His work on the seventh day. That was when God
rested. It was His Rest or “My Rest.” Why did the Holy Spirit make
this comment? How does this connect to the Israelites’ desire for rest
- the promised Land? The Holy Spirit is changing from speaking of an earthly
rest to God’s spiritual rest. The Holy Spirit wants to reveal a spiritual
truth.
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Since
therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who
formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because
of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying
through David after so long a time just as has been said
before, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN
YOUR HEARTS.” (NASB) Heb. 4:6-7 |
The Holy Spirit does it again. He talks about those who did not believe as
being unable to enter rest and then implies they can enter rest “Today.” How
can that be since they are dead? Again, He is shifting from earthly to spiritual
truth. The shocking statement is the next verse.
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For
if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of
another day after that. (NASB) Heb. 4:8 |
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