Jesus Christ is Superior to Joshua as God’s Rest-Provider (Hebrews 4:1-13)

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” (Hebrews 4:1-5, NKJV)

Entering God’s Rest is Conditional

“Therefore,” in view of the fact that the unbelieving/disobeying Israelites did not enter God’s physical rest in Canaan (3:16-19; cf. 3:11), a promise remains of entering God’s spiritual rest. “Today,” referenced five times in this section (3:7, 13, 15; 4:7), applies to what is currently relevant. While inheriting the Promised Land was denied to those who were rebellious and disobedient, it was given to the next generation (Josh. 3:14-17; 21:43-45; cf. Acts 7:2-5, 17, 45). Now an even better rest is available.

“Let us fear” [phobéō], not merely “be careful” (NIV) but be fearfully anxious, “lest any of you seem to have come short of it” (cf. 2:3; 3:12). The noun phóbos describes fear, dread, terror (2:15), although another connotation is reverential fear (of God) (cf. Rom. 3:18; 8:15; 2 Cor. 7:1). Those drifting away from Christ ought to be fearfully anxious, while the faithful should also fear for them but not necessarily for themselves (cf. Phil. 4:6; 2 Tim. 1:7).

 

The verb rendered “the gospel was preached” (NKJV) is euēggelisménoi, meaning, “we have had good news proclaimed.” The ancient Israelites also had “good news” (NASB) proclaimed to them with respect to their temporal rest, whereas the good news Christians have received involves a superior rest.

The Israelites did not profit from the good news they received because it was not mixed or united with “faith” [pístis]¹ (cf. Num. 13:31–14:4, 11); “they were not united by faith with those who listened” (ESV). They did not trust in God’s promise to give them the blessed inheritance, so they refused to do what God expected them to do in order to receive it. Instead they wanted to return to their former life in Egypt.

Their lack of faith meant they did not obey God (cf. v. 6, 11; 3:18-19). In contrast, we the “believing [or ‘faithful’] ones” [pisteúsantes] are entering the rest (4:3-5). The participial expression “believing [or ‘faithful’] ones” is not a statement of what we have done but is descriptive of who we are (cf. Acts 2:41, 44; 16:33, 34). We are entering [eiserchómetha] (present tense), currently. This could be in reference to the spiritual rest and peace we now enjoy in Christ (cf. Matt. 11:28; John 14:27; Eph. 2:14). Contextually, however, it seems to be alluding to the future rest in heaven (cf. vv. 1, 9, 11), which is so certain, based on God’s promise, it can be spoken of as a present reality, but only for those who are faithful (cf. 1 John 2:25; 5:13). Scriptural confirmation is given (cf. 3:11) by repeating Psalm 95:11.

God’s works of creation were completed “from the foundation of the world,” alluding to his “rest” (cessation of creative activity) as he retired into heaven following the formation of the universe. All who are faithful have the assurance of entering God’s rest. Two OT quotations, Genesis 2:2 and for the third time Psalm 95:11, confirm that God’s rest has been prepared from the beginning, although forfeited by faithless Israelites.

Some Must Enter God’s Rest

“Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, ‘Today,’ after such a long time, as it has been said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts’” (Hebrews 4:6-7).

Those to whom it was first proclaimed (v. 2) did not enter God’s rest because of “disobedience” [apeítheian] (cp. 3:18-19). Again Psalm 95:7-8 is quoted, being spoken by the Holy Spirit (3:7) through David (4:7). The significance of “Today” is that God’s promised rest is currently valid but is also conditional: “if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

The New Heavenly Rest

“For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:8-10).

The Hebrew name “Joshua” corresponds to the Greek name “Jesus.” The physical rest in Canaan under Joshua’s leadership was not all that God had in store for his people in view of “another day.” “There remains therefore a [sabbath] rest for the people of God” (cf. John 14:1-6; Phil. 3:20). The Greek term sabbatismós (“sabbath rest”), its only occurrence in the NT, is not a reference to the day of rest but the type of rest. When God’s rest is entered, we will cease from our earthly labors and toils.

Diligence in Entering God’s Rest

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:11-13).

We are to “be diligent” [spoudázō], “to be especially conscientious in discharging an obligation, be zealous/eager, take pains, make every effort, be conscientious” (BDAG 939).² We have not yet arrived. It is not the time to sit back and slumber. We must diligently strive and eagerly march forward to enter God’s rest.

Why is this so important? Lest anyone fall³ according to the same example of disobedience (cf. v. 6; 3:16-19). “For” [gár] God’s written word, which speaks of Israel’s foolish defiance, has a powerful effect on those who are receptive to it. The word of God is “living,” not a detached, lifeless document of mere paper and ink (cf. 1 Pet. 1:23, it “lives and abides”). The Holy Spirit gives life and relevance to the inspired message (cf. 3:7; 10:15-16; Rev. 2:1, 7, 8, 11, etc.)

God’s word is therefore “powerful” (NKJV), “active” (NASB) [energēs], i.e., effective, able to sufficiently accomplish what the Lord intends (Isa. 55:11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). It is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (cf. Eph. 6:17; Rev. 1:16; 2:12; 19:15), cutting in every direction, to the innermost depths of a person’s being. God’s word is able to intricately dissect what appears to be inseparable.

The word of God affects the entire person. It pierces to the division of “soul and spirit,”⁴ the spiritual part of man (cf. 1 Thess. 5:23),⁵ whereas “joints and marrow” represent the physical part of man. It also discerns/judges the “thoughts and intents of the heart,” the intellectual part of man. God’s word effectively transforms one’s “heart” [kardía] and thereby transforms the whole person (cf. 1 Cor. 14:24-25; 1 Thess. 2:13).

The source of this living and powerful word is God himself, who sees, hears, and knows all things (Psa. 33:13-15; 147:5; Prov. 15:13; Rom. 11:33). We are therefore accountable to him (Rom. 2:16; 2 Cor. 5:10).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ This is the first appearance of pístis in Hebrews (not counting 3:12, 19), used thirty-two times in the epistle, plus the adjective pistós five times, verb pisteúō twice, apistia (“unbelief”) twice, for a total of the pístis word group in Hebrews forty-one times.

     ² Eph. 4:3; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Pet. 1:10; 3:14.

     ³ Cf. Heb. 3:12-13; 4:1; 12:15, 25; 10:35-38; Gal. 5:1-4; 2 Pet. 2:20-22.

     ⁴ The word “soul” [psuchē] is used in a variety of senses: (a) person (Acts 2:41; 1 Pet. 3:21); (b) life force (Psa. 78:50), (c) inner spirit (Acts 2:27; Jas. 1:21; Rev. 6:9; Psa. 77:2-3; 143:4-11). The word “spirit” [pneuma] also has various meanings: (a) wind or breath (John 3:8; 2 Thess. 2:8); (b) the inner person (Luke 8:55; Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 5:5) or (c) mind/heart (Matt. 5:3; 26:41; 1 Cor. 2:11); (d) attitude/disposition (Rom. 8:15; 11:8; 1 Cor. 4:21); (e) angel (Heb. 1:7, 14); (f) evil spirit (Matt. 8:16; Mark 5:2); (g) Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:8; 4:1).

     ⁵ T. Hewitt makes a distinction here between soul and spirit: “It penetrates into the deepest and most hidden parts of a man’s life and dissects his lower animal life with its desires, interests and affections, from his higher spiritual life with its aspirations for spiritual communion with God” (Hebrews 90).

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Jesus Christ is Superior to Moses as God’s Lawgiver (Hebrews 3:1-19)

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house” (Hebrews 3:1-3, NKJV). 

The Reason Christ is Superior to Moses

“Therefore,” since Jesus is a merciful and faithful High Priest, having become human like us in all things, including suffering and temptation (2:9-18), we are thus “holy” [hágioi] (set apart/sanctified) “brethren” [adelphoí] (cf. v. 6) as spiritual family thanks to our brotherly bond with Jesus Christ (2:11-17). We are therefore “partakers/sharers” of a heavenly calling (Phil. 3:14, 20; Col. 3:1-2). Christ (messiah) Jesus (savior) is the “Apostle” [apóstolon], one sent forth (cf. John 3:17, 34; 5:36, 38; 6:29, 57; 7:29; 8:42; 10:36; 11:42; 17:3, 18, 21, 23, 25; 20:21; etc.), and “High Priest” [archieréa], a concept introduced in 2:17 and developed in 4:14 ff. as one of the main themes of the epistle and a unique feature of Hebrews.

Our confession [homologia] (3:1; 4:14; 10:23) is not merely verbal but is lived out in the everyday lives of all who are devoted followers of Christ.¹ As Moses was faithful in all of God’s house (Num. 12:7; cf. Ex. 40:16), so Jesus has been faithful to the One who appointed him (cf. John 9:4; 17:4). He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses (3:3a): he who builds the house has more honor than the house (3:3b). Jesus is creator of all things (cf. 1:2, 10). He is the builder of his church (cf. Matt. 16:18). He is the king over God’s spiritual kingdom (cf. 1:3, 8). Moses is included in God’s household but is not over it (cf. v. 5).

“For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God” (Heb. 3:4).

For the original reading audience and all other Bible believers, this is an axiomatic truth. For everyone else, it serves as a simple and compelling statement of God’s existence and creative power. The so-called cosmological argument affirms that the universe, which clearly exists, has not always existed nor did it create itself. Therefore, something (or Someone) superior to and beyond itself must have caused it (cf. Rom. 1:20).  

“And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end” (Heb. 3:5-6).

Moses was merely “a servant” [therápōn] (free, personal service; a role of subservience albeit a position of honor) in God’s house, but Christ is a Son over his own house. WE are (emphatic!) this house (cf. Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:5) as Christians rather than physical Israel of the past. Condition: “if [eán] we hold fast the confidence [parrēsían] and the rejoicing [kaúchēma,  lit ‘boast’] of the hope firm to the end” (3:6b). Our confidence is exhibited by a bold, open profession of the Christian faith (cf. 4:16; Eph. 3:12).

The “boast of the hope” is opposite of being ashamed (cf. Rom. 1:16; 2 Tim. 1:12). It is the open assurance of an earnest expectation (cf. Rom. 5:3-5; 8:24-25; Col. 1:23, 27). “Firm to the end” (not in all manuscripts) is an expression of endurance, perseverance (cf. v. 14; 6:11; Rev. 2:10). 

A Call to Faithfulness

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘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”’” (Heb. 3:7-11).

Having established the supremacy of Christ over Moses, the argument shifts to an exhortation. “Therefore” [dió], in light of the fact that we are God’s house in persevering, “as the Holy Spirit says [légei]” (present tense, “is saying”), presently and continuously, via a quote from Psalm 95:7-11. This simple statement affirms both the divine inspiration of scripture (cf. 10:15-16) and its current and ongoing relevance.

What is the Holy Spirit saying? “Today,” applicable to the day this psalm was first written and every day since when it is read and heard, “if you will hear His voice ...” Reading scripture and hearing it read is to listen to the voice of God as the Holy Spirit speaks, which in the context of Hebrews is to hear the voice of God’s Son speaking (cf. 1:1-2).

The contrasting example is Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness (cf. Ex. 17:1-7; Num. 14:1-38; 20:1-13). They “have not known” God’s ways (v. 10) because they have not listened with open hearts (vv. 7-8) and have therefore faced grave consequences (cf. John 8:43, 47).

Reference to kardía (“heart”) occurs six times in this section of Hebrews (3:8, 10, 12, 15; 4:7, 12). The term “rest” [katípausis] appears eight times in chaps. 3–4, and only once elsewhere in the NT.²

Warning and Exhortation

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion’” (Heb. 3:12-15).

“Beware” (NKJ), “Take care” (NAS) [blépete] (“look,” “behold”) “brethren” [adelphoí], note v. 1; cf. 2:11-17. “Apostasy is the ultimate consequence of unbelief; and unbelief, as the next verse indicates, is brought on by the heart that is hardened through sin. Thus the logical order of the downward process is sin, a hardened heart, unbelief, apostasy” (N. Lightfoot, Jesus Christ Today 90).

What are we to do? “Exhort” (NKJ), “Encourage” (NAS) [parakaléō] (lit. “call to one’s side”). Who? “one another” or “yourselves” [heautoús], a reciprocal duty (cf. John 13:34; Col. 3:16). How often? “daily” or “each day” [hekástēn hēméran] (cf. Acts 2:46). Why? “For” [gár] “we have become” [gegónamen] (perfect tense: in the past, continuing in present) “partakers” or “sharers” [métochoi] of Christ (cf. 1 Co.1:9; 2 John 9; Gal. 2:20). Condition: “if we hold the beginning of our confidence [or ‘assurance’] steadfast to the end” (3:14), a call for perseverance, pressing on (note v. 6; cf. also 2:2; 6:19).

Lessons from rebellious Israel3

“For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:16-19).

It is interesting to note that the “disobeying ones” [apeithēsasin] (v. 18) were guilty of “unbelief” [apistían] (v. 19); cf. 4:6, 11. It follows, then, that to be a believer in the biblical sense is to obey (cf. 5:9; 11:31).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Cf. 2 Cor. 9:13; 1 Tim. 6:12. On the verb homologeō, see Heb. 11:13; 13:15; cf. Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Tim. 6:12.

     ² Heb. 3:11, 18; 4:1, 3(x2), 5, 10, 11; Acts 7:49 (quote Isa. 66:1-2). The verb form katapaúō occurs in 4:4, 8, 10, and only once elsewhere in the NT (Acts 14:18). Note also sabbatismós (“sabbath rest”) in 4:9, the only occurrence of this word in the NT.

     ³ Cf. Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-11.

Related Posts: Heb 4:1-13

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Jesus Christ is Superior to the Angels as God’s Mediator (Hebrews 1:4–2:18): Part 3 of 3

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.’ And again: ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ And again: ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given Me’” (Hebrews 2:10-13, NKJV). 

Christ’s Oneness and Brotherhood with Humanity

Despite his divine hand in creating all created things (cf. 1:2-3, 10-12), what Jesus has accomplished through his earthly life, ministry, and death has been integral to the divine plan “in bringing many sons to glory ...”¹ Through his human fragility combined with immense sufferings, he has been made perfect [teleioō]² in the sense of completing what he set out to accomplish, qualifying him to be the “captain” (NKJV), “author” (NASB), “pioneer” (NRSV) of salvation (cf. 1:3; 5:8-9).³

Jesus is the sanctifier, having become “one” [heîs] with the human race so that we might be sanctified, set apart, made holy (cf. 10:10; 12:10, 14; 13:12).⁴ His familial brotherhood with mankind, along with subservience (sonship) to God the Father, is affirmed and substantiated with three OT quotations. Psalm 22:22 places the Messiah in the midst of worshipers whom he regards as “brethren.” Words of Isaiah—whose name means “Yahweh is salvation” and who spoke through the spirit of Christ (1 Pet. 1:10-11)—are then quoted (Isa. 8:17-18) from a time of despair when trust in the LORD was bolstered by divine promises kept involving Isaiah’s children (cf. 7:3; 8:3). In messianic fulfillment, all who are sanctified by the sanctifier are both his “brethren” and his “children.”

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). 

Like all others of God’s children, Jesus has shared “flesh and blood” (cf. 5:7; 10:5, 20),⁵ enabling him to experience life and death in the human world (cf. v. 9).⁶ It is through the apparent defeat of having died that he has conquered the ultimate archenemy of God, thus we now have freedom from the devil’s enslaving power of sin and death.⁷

The Benefaction of Christ

“For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:16-18).

Christ’s distinction from the angels and his union with mankind is again affirmed: he does not epilambánetai angels as he does the seed of Abraham. The verb epilambánetai (from epilambánō) means to take hold of or seize; “to assume a portion of, to assume the nature of, or, to attach or ally one’s self to” (H. K. Moulton, Lexicon 157-58). This could mean to “take hold of” in the sense of “take on the nature of” (KJV) or in the sense of “give aid to” (NKJV). Either way, Jesus has taken on the nature of humanity in order to help humanity. And this is narrowed further by the expression “the seed [offspring] of Abraham,” which is clearly in reference to Abraham’s spiritual descendants – the church (cf. 12:22-24), most readily benefitting from Christ’s benefaction.⁸

To what extent did Jesus become one of us? The text affirms, “in all things” or “in every respect” [katá pánta], having no unfair advantage over the rest of humankind. This has enabled him to accomplish a twofold mission. First, to be a merciful (compassionate) and faithful High Priest, an important concept introduced here and developed later as one of the main themes of the epistle (cf. 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:1, 5, 10; 6:20; 7:26-28; 8:1-3; 9:7, 11, 25; 13:11). Second, concerning the sins of the people, to make hiláskesthai (pres. infinitive of hiláskomai), meaning “expiation” in the sense of atonement, or “propitiation” in the sense of appeasement (of divine wrath), although both are contextually applicable⁹ to the “things pertaining to God.”¹⁰

Because of what Jesus has done, he can now assist all who are tempted and tried. Having been there and done that, he has successfully accomplished the perfect will and the perfect plan of God (cf. 4:15-16).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ See also Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 3:26-27; 4:4-7.

     ² Teleióō occurs fourteen times in Hebrews, more than in any other NT writing. Here, according to H. K Moulton, it means “to perfect a person, advance a person to final completeness of character ...” (Lexicon 401). BDAG notes, “to overcome or supplant an imperfect state of things by one that is free fr. objection, bring to an end, bring to its goal/accomplishment .... of Jesus ... as the context indicates, he receives highest honors via suffering and death in his identification w. humanity ...” (996).

     ³ The word archēgós means “leader, ruler, prince … originator, founder” (BDAG 138).

     ⁴ Eph. 5:26; 1 Thess. 4:3-8; 1 Pet. 1:14-16.

     ⁵ John 1:14; Phil. 2:7-8; 1 John 4:2.

     ⁶ Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; 1 Cor. 15:3; Phil. 2:8.

     ⁷ John 8:32-36; 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 John 3:8.

     ⁸ Gal. 3:26-29; 6:16; Rom. 4:9-12.

     ⁹ See also Rom. 3:24-25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10.

     ¹⁰ Compare Ex. 4:16; 18:19; Deut. 31:27; Rom. 15:17.

Related Posts: Part 1 (Heb 1:4-14), Part 2 (Heb 2:1-9), Jesus Christ: the Son of Man, Heb 3:1-19

 

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