Day 72: Hebrew 3 - 4. Jesus, our Sabbath Rest
The anonymous writer of Hebrews begins chapter three by comparing Jesus to Moses -- except Jesus is MORE worth of praise, more worthy of following. Moses is the house, and Jesus is the builder of the house. But now, we are God's house, the whole church, and Jesus is the one who has built us and is also our firm foundation.
So, the writer continues, it's important that we hold fast to the covenant, don't get discouraged, don't harden our hearts. He (or she?) reminds them of the story of the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, and the promise of sabbath rest. But there's more to the story than meets the eye. Sabbath rest is about a literal rest from labors once a week, but it's more than that: it's about entering God's rest, it's about trusting the faithfulness of God, whether in the wilderness or the promised land. So ultimately Jesus is God's sabbath rest -- the One who trusted God perfectly also offers us a Sabbath rest when we trust him, when we trust his mercy.
This section of scripture ends with a marvelous short teaching about God's word: "Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account."
What does this scripture have to do with God's rest? Well, as a Lutheran, I was taught the phrase that it is important to "rightly divide Law from Gospel." The sabbath rest available to us is an utter confidence in the gospel. The law does accuse us, and we know that God knows everything about us, that nothing is hidden from him. But we rest in the promise of forgiveness given freely to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But, we are not done praising Jesus. (Can we ever be?) In the next chapters, we learn even more....
So, the writer continues, it's important that we hold fast to the covenant, don't get discouraged, don't harden our hearts. He (or she?) reminds them of the story of the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, and the promise of sabbath rest. But there's more to the story than meets the eye. Sabbath rest is about a literal rest from labors once a week, but it's more than that: it's about entering God's rest, it's about trusting the faithfulness of God, whether in the wilderness or the promised land. So ultimately Jesus is God's sabbath rest -- the One who trusted God perfectly also offers us a Sabbath rest when we trust him, when we trust his mercy.
This section of scripture ends with a marvelous short teaching about God's word: "Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account."
What does this scripture have to do with God's rest? Well, as a Lutheran, I was taught the phrase that it is important to "rightly divide Law from Gospel." The sabbath rest available to us is an utter confidence in the gospel. The law does accuse us, and we know that God knows everything about us, that nothing is hidden from him. But we rest in the promise of forgiveness given freely to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But, we are not done praising Jesus. (Can we ever be?) In the next chapters, we learn even more....
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