Wednesday, July 30 – Hebrews 3, 4

1. Who is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession? (Hebrews 3:1)

2. Why did the people who left Egypt not enter into rest? (Hebrews 3:19)9)

3. What makes Jesus qualified to be our High Priest? (Hebrews 4:15)

The letter to the Hebrews describes Jesus’ ministry after His ascension to heaven. It connects the High Priest’s work in the sanctuary to Christ’s ministry. It shows how God’s revelations to His people in the Old Testament reach fulfillment and completion. It serves as the perfect bridge between the Old and New Testaments.

Regarding the theme and purpose of the letter, we can identify two main objectives:

1. The letter was written during severe persecution for the church, caught in a crossfire between the Jews and Nero, the Roman emperor.

“With increasing persecution, some Jewish Christians were becoming discouraged. They began to wonder whether Christianity really was God’s new and victorious way to the eternal kingdom. Judaism appeared to be as firmly established as ever, whereas Christianity seemed headed for disaster. Some had stopped attending Christian meetings and had even given up their Christian faith and gone back to Judaism (Heb 10:25-31). The letter to the Hebrews was written to reassure Jewish believers and prevent them from returning to their former religious practices (Heb 2:1-3).” — Bridgeway Bible Commentary

2. “Jewish Christians still kept the feasts, continued sacrificing as in former years, and remained zealous for the ceremonial law (see Acts 15). They had only a vague concept of the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary; they knew little of His ministry and failed to understand that their sacrifices were futile because of the great sacrifice on Calvary. Those thousands of Jewish Christians, ‘all zealous of the law’ (Acts 21:20), were destined to face a crisis when the city and temple were destroyed. This evidently occurred only a short time after the Epistle to the Hebrews was written (see Vol. VI, pp. 89, 109-110).” — Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Introduction to Hebrews, Historical Setting

In Hebrews 3 and 4, the apostle applies the Exodus experience to the Christian’s experience in Christ.

Jesus is superior to Moses, who was the apostle to Israel, sent to bring the people out of Egypt and lead them into the rest of the Promised Land. This represents the Holy Spirit’s call for God’s people to trust the Lord amid wilderness trials and to enter the rest of salvation and the heavenly Canaan.

God offers His people rest from sin, fear, anxiety, and life’s struggles and provides hope. We enter His rest through faith in Jesus and trust in God’s promises.

For His people and everyone else, the Spirit extends the invitation:

“Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” (Hebrews 3:7-11, quoting Psalm 95:7-11, NKJV)
This passage discusses the experience of the people of Israel. Those who left Egypt frustrated God’s plan and were unable to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief.

God’s people find rest by fulfilling God’s purpose. In these two chapters, rest symbolizes:

3. Israel’s entry into the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:16-17)7)

4. Accepting Jesus by faith as the Messiah and Savior (Hebrews 4:1-2)

5. The eternal rest of God’s people when they enter the heavenly Canaan (Hebrews 4:9-11)

6. The weekly Sabbath rest, which serves as a symbol and preview of these rests (Hebrews 4:4)

The key to having the faith that allows us to enter rest is found in the Word of God. It is the source of faith. The Word is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the heart’s thoughts and attitudes. Let us fully embrace the Word of God, for it is the key to gaining the faith that lets us enter His rest.

The theme of God’s rest for His people concludes in chapter 4 with a heartfelt invitation:

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16, NKJV)

Let us accept today the gentle invitation of the Spirit to enter God’s rest, approaching confidently to the throne of grace. Let us discard unbelief and trust firmly in His promises.

May God grant you a blessed day.