Sabbath Rest

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. (Hebrews 12:15)

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. (Hebrews 4:1)

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. (Hebrews 4:1 NRSV)

I spent some time this morning in Hebrews 4 because I felt that I wanted to understand better the rest that I am supposed to enjoy on this Sabbath. I know that very, very few people have much of a grasp on the real nature of the rest that God has designed for us to experience, either on the Sabbath or in our life in general. What I didn't expect to find was a striking parallel to what I have been flushing out in Hebrews 12 over the past few weeks.

Without spending a great deal more time uncovering all the potential parallels, I have immediately noticed the familiar phrase come short of which alerted me to potential insights that could be enhanced by comparing both of these passages. Sure enough, they have a lot in common and I find that what I have been learning from 12 translates well into learning about the rest in 4 and vice versa.

Some of the key ideas that are either identical or very similar are:

• The need to live from the heart focused more on internals than externals.

• The need to avoid hardening of the heart, which can come from external-oriented religion.

• The coming short of something very crucial to living successfully as a real Christian. In chapter 12 it was grace and in chapter 4 it is rest – quite interesting.

• The element of faith in both chapters. Chapter 12 follows on chapter 11, the famous faith chapter and 12 begins with the greatest example of faith ever – Jesus. In chapter 4 it is shown that the reason the rest was come short of was because the good news was not mixed with faith.

• The listing of examples of people on both sides of the issue.

The opposite of coming short of that rest (which is also experiencing grace) is found in verse 11. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:11) I like the rendition of this verse from another translation.

Because of this, let us have a strong desire to come into that rest, and let no one go after the example of those who went against God's orders. (Hebrews 4:11 BBE)

I do not claim to be within the full definition of this rest at this point yet in my life. I believe that God is guiding me into that experience as I learn what it means to live from an unhardened heart, to know the real truth about what the good news is and then to mix that with faith. I think that means choosing to consciously apply it to myself. It also comes from understanding in these texts that rest and grace have a great deal in common with each other and I need to have a rich experience in both.

I am saddened as I look around at the lack of real spirit-rest in so many who claim to be “keeping the Sabbath” holy. They are convinced, as I have been for much of my life, that Sabbath-keeping is primarily an external exercise in figuring out what is acceptable and what is not and then trying very carefully to walk that gauntlet. This focus on the externals generally causes a strong distraction away from noticing the condition of the heart or paying attention to what is going on in our spirit. It often fosters a subtle spirit of bitterness to some extent and their spirit takes on an edge that can effect others, though they do not realize it themselves.

In our attempts to keep the Sabbath holy we become so obsessed with getting the appearances correct that we often make them more important than the way we treat each other or the feelings induced in those we are around. We somehow believe that God will overlook the damage going on at the heart level (of which we are usually unaware) if we just satisfy His strict requirements for getting our act right during the 24-hour period that comes around each week.

I am not just pointing the finger at others on these issues. I am just as guilty of external Sabbath routines as many others. However I am becoming aware of the false sense of security that many find in what they believe is proper Sabbath-keeping that is a counterfeit of the assurance of salvation that is only found in complete trust in the grace provided by Jesus Christ. We preach and teach and talk about grace and salvation but we very often still don't really get it. It is still true of us that we too have not yet entered into His rest.

Father, please enlighten me much more about how to really rest in You, to know the assurance of real grace, to be animated with the abundant life and joy of Jesus living inside of me. Mentor me in this business of entering into Your rest and make me an example of Your grace.

(next in series)