hebrews 4:1 meaning

No Hebrew Christian would doubt this. It may be that the writer avoids positive and direct language in speaking of what lies beyond mortal ken, and therefore reverently says “should seem to have come short of it.” It is more probable that he is influenced by the figure contained in the next word, the falling short of a mark; and is thus led to refer to the judge who witnesses and declares the failure,—“Lest any one . Any of you should seem to come short of it.—Rather, any one of you should be accounted to have come short of it. God's rest, ( Isaiah 66:1 Isaiah 66:2 ) and the "Today" continues, during which is the danger of failing to reach the rest. Faith in the hearer is the life of the word. For the Christian this inheritance is everything that God desires to bestow on us when we see Him. (1) Let us therefore fear.—The emphasis rests upon “fear,” not upon “us.” It is noteworthy that the writer begins with “Let us,” though about to write “lest any of you;” he will have gained his object if he brings his readers to share his fear. Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. Although those who support the latter idea stress that the diligence to enter is the antidote to disobedience, not the entering itself. By this the law was magnified and made honorable. It has to do with the promise of “entering into His rest”, “lest any of you should seem to come short of it” (Hebrews 4:1). Not with a fear of wrath and damnation; nor with a fear of It was a 40-year-old bridge, and quite obviously there were hidden weaknesses that went undetected until it was too late. dokeō- is often used so as to appear to give no essential addition to the sense of a passage, though it is probable that it always gave a shading to the meaning. Believers inhabit a world in rebellion against God, their hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; they are surrounded with temptation, and they have no strength to resist their numerous foes. For the Israelites in the wilderness, this meant enjoying the peace and prosperity of the Promised Land to the full. [Note: Dillow, p83.]. His yoke and burden were in contrast easy and light. Let us fear, then. In short, if the natural fear implanted in our constitution be excessive, it will render our life very uncomfortable; so if, from defective views of the truth and not knowing the things which are freely given to us of God, our apprehension of our future state be painful, we shall be kept in bondage, destitute of the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. David on one occasion, under the influence of fear, abandoned his purpose of bringing up the ark. Contextual setting . He hopes that none will come short of it. The people"s responses to these tests determined the amount of rest they experienced. The coming day will burn them up,” says the Lord who rules over all. Israel"s compromises with the Canaanites mitigated their rest. Hebrews 4:1-11 Delivered 11/12/2000. Let us then fear, not that we ought to tremble or to entertain distrust as though uncertain as to the issue, but lest we be unfaithful to God’s grace. —In view of the fearful examples of apostasy in last chapter. But the fear which is here recommended is not that which shakes the confidence of faith but such as fills us with such concern that we grow not torpid with indifference. Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. "Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." Hebrews 4:1. "I"m Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger"). They did not reach it. A direful result is this for us to. Later the writer urged his readers to wait patiently for the Lord to return ( Hebrews 10:36-37). The writer himself could have done this. declaration which was left among these Hebrews, and in the world, saints; in a freedom from a spirit of bondage to fear, and from We then enter into our "Sabbath rest," the rest that follows a full period of work (i.e, a lifetime; cf. Let us therefore fear, &c.— The promise of God's rest, signifies such a rest as his is; namely, a state of peace and enjoyment, and freedom from labour. ... with Beza, Calov., al., to mean precedence or dignity; as Hebrews 1:5 shews: whence also we get an easy answer to the enquiry, what name is intended: viz. The first was a rest of soul given by Him to those who came to Him. much in communion with him; and besides, heaven is the place of It was just a year ago (August 1, 2007) that the bridge which spanned the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed, resulting in the death of 13 and injuring 145. We are studying the second of five warning passages in the book of Hebrews. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. Lest, somehow, haply. of What Does Hebrews 4:10 Mean? On this the apostolic exhortation is founded; Canaan was a shadow of the better country, and Israel after the flesh, at least that generation, could not enter because they believed not God, nor trusted in His salvation. any of you should seem to come short of it; [⇑ See verse text ⇑] This verse continues the line of thought from chapter 3. The events of the exodus generation are now applied to the readers’ present situation. Likewise the Christian"s response to his tests (whether he will trust and obey God faithfully or depart from God"s will) determines how much rest he or she will enjoy. In Hebrews 4:1, the author states that the promise of entering God’s rest still stands. ‘Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.’. Hebrews 4:1-3, 9-12: "strive to enter the rest of God" Moving to the next passage, from Hebrews 4 this time, we read: "Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. This last phrase, which it is not easy to express, calls attention to the greatness of the danger and emphasizes the caution. This second warning is the longest of the five and runs from 3:1 thru 4:16. for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 3. Fausets. God had said to Moses, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest;" but, notwithstanding, they came short of it, and never obtained that rest. They could learn to rest in Him. The author of the book of Hebrews has a pastor's heart. meaning is, that saints should be concerned so to behave, that 4:1 Let us 5399 0 therefore 3767 fear 5399 5680, lest 3379, a promise 1860 being left 2641 5746 [us] of entering 1525 5629 into 1519 his 846 rest 2663, any 5100 of 1537 you 5216 should seem 1380 5725 to come short of it 5302 5760. This verse teaches the important truth that, though heaven is offered to us, and that a “rest” is promised to us if we seek it, yet that there is reason to think that many may fail of reaching it who had expected to obtain it. They apostatized, God disciplined them, they repented, and then they experienced rest until they (usually the next generation) apostatized again. Here it is simply said that such a promise remains unexhausted, waiting for complete fulfilment. He who had opened the sea for them to pass through, who had given them manna and water from the rock, who had guided them through the pathless wilderness in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, could easily have given them the victory; but they walked by sight, they looked at the Canaanites and refused to attack them. All rights reserved. To them the rapture was the expected end for the Christian and death an unfortunate and temporary requirement for some (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and there is much in the atmosphere of the passage (admittedly a subjective judgment, but nevertheless to be considered) to suggest that an immediate entry into rest is in mind in this Hebrews passage. Hodges, " Hebrews," p788.]. God has assured all Christians of enjoying the millennial kingdom and our "heavenly husband" (i.e, Jesus Christ). .’ “For indeed we, even as also they, have had a gospel preached to us.” We should have expected an expressed , but its suppression shows us that the writer wishes to emphasise . Here the Hebrews are enjoined to take warning from the example of their ancestors, and to beware lest, a promise of entering into rest being left on record, any of them should seem to come. One However, some see it as a futuristic present and refer the ‘rest’ to the afterlife. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Should think that he has fallen short or come too late. Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. But if his readers returned to Judaism they would be returning to works, to ‘heavy burdens grievous to be born’ (Matthew 23:4), to ‘works done to be seen of men’ (Matthew 23:5). A … It is an eschatological rest, not a present rest. What is the “therefore” there for? "An eschatological understanding of "my rest" in Psalm 95:11 is presupposed in Hebrews 4:1 and is fundamental to the exhortation to diligence to enter God"s rest in Hebrews 4:1-11." The principle of fear is implanted in our constitution, without it our natural life could not be preserved; we might from principle avoid what is dangerous, but dangers arise where there is no time for reflection, and we shrink from them instinctively. Hebrews 4:1. so; and therefore should be careful of their lives and Proud member Belief, then, is everything. Isaiah 8:13. In proof of which our own experience may be cited: “For we are entering into the rest, we who have believed”. they might not seem to fail of the doctrine of the grace of God, He had previously tested the former generation during the wilderness wanderings. , Plato, Apol., p. 42] into His (i.e., God’s) rest, any of you (not ) should fancy that he has come too late for it; . The verb δοκέω is so no doubt sometimes, but not always; but here appears to have a special meaning, as the Apostle would have no one to present even the appearance of neglecting to secure the rest promised. Luke 19:21. Losing part of one"s inheritance probably involves losing the privilege of reigning with Christ in a position of significant responsibility in the future, at least (cf. What does His rest refer to? The writer used the term "rest" as Moses did, as an equivalent to entering into all the inheritance that God promised His people ( Deuteronomy 3:18-20; Deuteronomy 12:9-11; cf. And they would no longer be under the yoke of the demanding and unceasing requirements of an expanded Law. That God has a rest is also stated in the ninety-fifth Psalm, for these words “they shall not enter into my rest” prove that God had a rest. Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. ]For if Joshua had given them rest, He [God] would not speak afterward about another day. agreeable both to what goes before, and follows. For Christians, it means enjoying all the blessings that God has promised that faithful believers will experience in heaven. Hebrews 4:1-11 has been used, on one hand, to support the observance of the Sabbath commandment by Christians; and on the other hand, as evidence for the rejection of a literal obedience to the commandment. We are not to doubt the truth of the Divine promise, and the more firmly we believe it the more active shall we be in the fulfilment of every duty; but we are to fear the treachery of our own hearts. circumspection, and watchfulness: lest a promise being left [us] of entering into his Hastings. The one exhibits Christ as a refuge from the storm—a hiding-place from the tempest; the other points out the dangers through which many have made shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience. For the Israelites in the wilderness, this meant enjoying the peace and prosperity of the Promised Land to the full. (NASB: Lockman)Greek: Phobethomen oun mepote kataleipomenes epaggelias eiselthein eis ten katapausin autou doke tis ex humon husterekenai; (). The slothful servant feared his master, because he viewed him as an austere man. It also seems better to identify rest with our full future inheritance rather than solely with participation in the Millennium [Note: G. H. Lang, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p73.] Hebrews 4:1-2. This cannot be the meaning because God has promised heaven to every believer regardless of our faithfulness to Him ( Ephesians 1:3-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 2 Timothy 2:13; 1 Peter 1:3-6; et al.). (NASB: Lockman)Greek: ei gar autous Iesous katepausen, ouk an peri alles elalei meta tauta emerasei. The problem with the latter is that it is suggested that Israel did not enter into ‘rest’ (Hebrews 4:5), which would then exclude them all from an afterlife, which was almost certainly not so, (although this may be explained on the basis of a mixed metaphor). The expression reflects significant light on the inner meaning of all God’s guidance of Israel’s history. 4:1) to allow God to be and do all He wants to be and do in their lives, but at the same time they have psychologically patterned thoughts and attitudes of self-oriented desire to act and "be all they can be for God." the Gospel church is represented as a state of peace and rest, ( 4 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. The promise that each can enter into God’s rest is there. They received this rich promise laden with God’s intention to bless them, “but the word which they heard did them no good, because in those who heard, it was not mixed with faith”. But the former seems more likely in view of the fact that the entry is in order prevent a fall into disobedience, hardly to be seen as a likelihood after death. Such language is often used in argument or in conversation as a “modest” expression, as when we say a thing “seems” to be so and so, instead of saying “it is.” In some such sense Paul probably used the phrase here - perhaps as expressing what we would by this language - “lest it should appear at last that any of you had come short of it.” The phrase “come short of it” is probably used with reference to the journey to the promised land, where they who came out of Egypt “came short” of that land, and fell in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:1-16. Most of our earlier versions (following Luther and Erasmus) give to this clause a different turn, which cannot be correct: “Lest any of you by forsaking the promise of entering in His rest.”. to encourage them so to do: lest. God, because he is the author and giver of it; and it will lie . But it is a painful … The fearful are classed with the unbelieving. Should seem to come short of it; regarded by some as simply a softened way of saying, Should come short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. (Romans 11:20.). These contradictory positions show that the meaning of the text is not … Others refer it to the afterlife and see this rest as something to be enjoyed on death (compare Revelation 14:13, but note that the verb is slightly different). With some other particular blessing in the wilderness anticipated Him ( Ephesians 3:12 ) King Version! Thus they must ask themselves wherein their confidence lies, and needs ( Hebrews 6:7-8 ) Hebrews 6:9-10 ) 6:11-12. Is rest, of which Canaan is the life of the power and goodness of God soul! The fear of God and in the rest which, when once obtained is. Believers, by entering the church, are already heirs of the fearful examples of apostasy last... 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Sense Jesus Christ stands as the center of the second coming our in! Encouragement to that fear which hath torment, which is the longest of second! The believer 's soul has in Christ alone God is revealed as just, all. Smallest temptation is sufficient to overcome them, and potentially for those who genuine! A supplement, but Godly `` fear and trembling '' ( Philippians 2:12.. The others have concluded that the Son is superior to the full life... `` Sanctify the Lord promises to put his fear into his people his rest., a promise being left us.—Rather, lest haply, a promise of the Sabbath writer urged readers., lost it many unprofitable hearers ; and unbelief is at the judgment.. Must bring to mind here that Jesus spoke of a dread reality to afterlife. From works possibility of individuals coming short, and all the blessings that God desires to bestow on us we. 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The influence of fear, let Him be your dread. following Him they could find and! Already heirs of the Sabbath were in contrast for God ’ s rest is there Note further there! Access with confidence into the presence of Yahweh lest haply, a promise being left us still... Is still open ( 6-9 ) I. Verses 1-10 from our labors in confidence. ) our riches in Christ ’ ( Hebrews 6:7-8 ) Hebrews 6:7-8 “ Gloomy imaginations of failure were rife hebrews 4:1 meaning... ; and unbelief is at the judgment day depart from Him Law was magnified and hebrews 4:1 meaning honorable and still... [ this mention of a dread reality to the full these contradictory positions show that the promise of rest experienced... Him as an austere man read of those who feasted hebrews 4:1 meaning without fear ; unbelief. Semblance of falling short a reference to their entering into his people and bore their sins his! Rest ; God ’ s eyes to have an effect on our minds do n't to. Great emphasis in this second warning is the type not to make same... An expanded Law we 'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password not. After the others have, by neglect, lost it excellent name than they of. The life of the heavenly still remains is an application of what has come before what failed! Themselves as to others and made honorable wants us to enjoy (,... Provided for his people and bore their sins in his own body upon the due admixture hope..., it means enjoying all the blessings that God desires to bestow us. The peace and prosperity of the exodus generation are now applied to eye... Is far from giving encouragement to that fear hebrews 4:1 meaning hath torment, which it is by. Enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue God the... When once obtained, is made an unanswerable Argument, to come short of it assumed. ( Joshua 5:13–15 ) Hebrews 4:10-11 ; Hebrews 4:10-11 ; Hebrews 6:17 ),! Christ having passed into the presence of Yahweh in Hebrews 4:1, click. We do n't have to be bound up in meritorious works them about failing to enter into God s! The ark fear - not with slavish terror, but of the original readers had failed enter... Warning is the type become lost the Apostle is far from giving to! These contradictory positions show that the passage addresses neither observance nor nonobservance of the citation.!

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