God's House And God's Rest (Heb. 3:1-4:13)

by J.K.D. Johnston, Musselburgh | Category: Themes From Hebrews | Mar 1980

The early chapters of Hebrews, from which we have been drawing monthly lessons, have brought before us the surpassing glory and greatness of the Son in various aspects. The truths presented to us in chapters 3 and 4 are also seen to be related to the glorious Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Parallels and contrasts are drawn between Israel's experience in the past dispensation and the experience of those in the present dispensation to whom the epistle was addressed. Israel were redeemed in Egypt, baptized and separated from Egypt, and constituted the people of God at Sinai on the basis of their obedience to the covenant God made with them. In the outworking of God's purposes relative to Israel Moses played a vital role. He was their apostle, sent to them by God for their deliverance, the mediator of the covenant God made with them, and the channel through whom God communicated His purposes to them. The divine revelation that God gave through Moses had a particular objective; the acquiring of a people for His own possession among whom He could dwell. The faithfulness shown by Moses in supervising the construction of the Tabernacle according to the God-given pattern made the realization of God's cherished desire possible. God had patiently waited for more than 2,500 years of human history to achieve this objective.

Those addressed by the writer of Hebrews had known spiritual experiences that paralleled Israel's, and they formed part of a spiritual house as Heb. 3:6 shows. The people of God and the house of God are closely related. In the past dispensation the people provided the material for the construction of the Tabernacle in which God would dwell in their midst (Exod. 25:1-8). In the present dispensation those who are constituted the people of God also form His spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5,9). Individual believers are described as living stones, and as such are potential material for the spiritual house, but do not automatically find a place there. Scattered stones or indiscriminate accumulations of stones do not make a house. It is only when stones are built up according to a predetermined pattern that a house is formed; this rule also applies in the realm of spiritual things. Persons, as living stones, must come to Christ, the Chief Corner Stone, and take their place in alignment with Him and in association with other living stones to be built up to form the spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:4-7). The tenses used in this passage of Peter's epistle make it plain that the action is a continuing one. The house of God today is a conditional thing (Heb. 3:6) even as the house of God in the past was. The history of Israel demonstrates this. The Tabernacle, constructed in the wilderness, was eventually erected at Shiloh, where it was in the course of time forsaken by God because of serious failure on the part of His people (Psa. 78:60). The Temple built by Solomon, and the house built by the remnant were similarly forsaken (Lam. 5:20-22; Matt. 23:38).

In the spiritual house of God today the authority of Christ is absolute, He is 'Son over God's house', and He serves as high Priest on behalf of the people of God. Our continuing association with Christ as partners in the service of the house of God is, however, dependent upon holding fast our confidence or assurance in relation to these spiritual truths (Heb. 3:14).

God, in His dealings with Israel, set apart one day in the week, the Sabbath day, as a day of rest for them (Exod. 20:7-11). He also set apart a land, the land of Canaan, as a land of rest for them. Furthermore, He told them that He would choose a place in that land to be, the divine centre for their corporate worship and service (Deut. 12:5-14), and the place of His rest.

Unbelief prevented the generation that came out of Egypt from entering into God's rest in the land of Canaan. They heard the report of the spies, and heard also the confident exhortations of Joshua and Caleb, but their response was characterized by unbelief and disobedience. They were, therefore, not permitted to enter Canaan, but were turned back to wander and perish in the wilderness. It was the succeeding generation under the leadership of Joshua that entered into the land, but they also failed to possess it fully (Judg. 1:27-36; Heb. 4:8). This failure led to the periods of departure and servitude recorded in the book of Judges (Psa. 106:34-45).

A brighter day dawned for Israel when David, the man after God's own heart, ascended the throne. He took Jerusalem and the stronghold of Zion from the Jebusites and later had it revealed to him that Zion was the place that God had chosen for His habitation (Psa. 132:13,14). Under the leadership of David Israel willingly and obediently embraced the opportunity presented to them to enter into the rest associated with God's house. Thus there was a period of spiritual prosperity in the days of David and Solomon (1 Chr. 29:14).

The record of Israel's failure is set out in the New Testament for the admonition of the people of God of the present dispensation (1 Cor. 10:11). Some Hebrew saints had become dull of hearing and retarded in their spiritual development (Heb. 5:11-14). The possibility of their falling into the same example of disobedience as Israel because of lack of spiritual diligence was, therefore, very real indeed (Heb. 4:11).

We know that in this dispensation history again repeated itself, and the

spiritual house established in the days of the apostles was eventually forsaken by God because of continuing failure and disobedience on the part of His people. They too failed to learn the lessons of history.

God still wants His people to enter into His rest. We are still in the 'today' of opportunity and service. It will be noted that the exhortation, "Today if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts" is given three times (Heb. 3:7-8, 15; 4:7). To hear the voice of God and obey it, and to continue to do so is vital to the continuing existence of God's house and people, and to the experience of entering into God's rest. To enter into God's rest requires diligence. The entering in is a continuing and progressive action. We may not be fully entering into God's rest although we are numbered among the people of God.

There are several rests referred to in the New Testament Scriptures.

(i)Rest associated with salvation (anapauo - to give rest) (Matt. 11:28) This is a rest for the weary, and it is the portion of the burdened sinner who comes to Christ for salvation. The burden of sin is removed and the sinner is given rest.

(ii)Rest associated with discipleship (anapausis) (Matt. 11:29)

This is a rest for the soul obtained through labour. Having been relieved of the crushing burden of sin the believer is invited to take the Master's easy yoke and light burden of service and in doing so he finds rest and refreshment.

(iii) Rest associated with the house of God (katapausis) (Heb. 4:3)

The two previous aspects of rest are mainly individual experiences but this rest is related to a collective experience. It is this aspect of rest that is under consideration in chapters 3 and 4, a rest for the people of God (Heb. 4:9). It is paralleled with the rest offered to Israel associated with the possession of their inheritance in Canaan, and with the place of God's rest in that land. That rest was related to a collective experience and therefore Joshua and Caleb were hindered for some 38 years from entering into it because of the unbelief of others.

The people of God or God's holy nation to whom the kingdom of God has been given have a present spiritual inheritance which must be possessed by faith and diligent exercise (Matt. 21:43; Acts 20:25,32). The kingdom of God, the house of God, the people of God and the rest of God are closely related truths that demand continuing spiritual exercise (Acts 14:22; 1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 4:11).

The warning to 'take heed' is a timely one for each of us. There is ever the danger of sin hardening our hearts against the word of God and making us

deaf to its warnings and entreaties so that, instead of 'holding fast', we fall away. There is no possibility of our falling away from our place of eternal security in Christ, but we may fall away from our place of divine blessing and privilege in the service of God. The corrective is found in the day by day exhortation of one another from the word of God, which is 'living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword' (Heb. 4:12).

J.K.D. Johnston, Musselburgh | Mar 1980
Themes From Hebrews