Friday 9 October 2026
- Bible Book:
- Hebrews
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. (v. 1)
Background
Having earlier introduced the idea of the rest of God (see yesterday's notes), the author of the letter to the Hebrews continues to reflect on it here. The main emphasis within the text is that Christians are called to ‘enter God’s rest’ (v. 11), to be participants in the new life brought by Jesus.
The author begins by reflecting once again on the wilderness generation. While they had been invited to enter God’s rest, they had failed to reach it. Like the generation to whom Hebrews is addressed – and every generation since – the invitation to enter God’s rest does not mean that people always will take it. Crucially, the author indicates that entering God's rest involves faith, since ‘we who have believed enter that rest’ (v. 3).
The argument which develops is complex and involves the author’s reflection on some key verses. Alongside citing Exodus 20:11 in verse 4, the author unpacks the significance of Psalm 95:11, previously referenced in Hebrews 3:11. Since the Psalm was written well after the wilderness wanderings, the discussion of a coming day of rest means that this cannot be about the rest of the Promised Land, the rest that Joshua had obtained (v. 8). Rather, a ‘sabbath rest still remains for the people of God’ (v. 9).
This sabbath rest undoubtedly includes a future dimension – salvation has not yet fully come – but ‘entering the rest’ implies that it is accessible in some form today (vs 10-11). Earlier, the author had claimed that faith is key to accessing this rest (vs 2-3), but here he emphasises that obedience is necessary too. As the philosopher and Christian thinker Dallas Willard once argued, faith is opposed to earning but not to effort. Especially in the context of the persecution faced by the readers, keeping the faith can at times be a struggle.
To Ponder:
- In what ways does faith feel like a struggle at times?
- How might the promise of ‘entering God’s rest’ encourage you in your discipleship?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Ed Mackenzie
Ed Mackenzie works at Cliff College as the Programme Lead for the BA in Theology and Mission and the Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies and Biblical Theology.