Read or listen The Epistle to the Hebrews chapter 4 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

The section dealing with unbelief and disobedience began already in the third chapter (3:7-19) and continues in 4:1-13. The end of the third chapter can be said to be a warning about unbelief and its consequences. The beginning of the fourth chapter is a promise of rest for those who remain faithful to the end.

This is often the case elsewhere: God's word contains promises for those who want to obey it and warnings for those who break it. However, this should not be understood too straightforwardly, mechanically, in the sense that the righteous always prosper and the wicked always suffer. Even Job had to ask why the wicked prosper. God pays out according to his own timetable. Ultimately, at the final judgment, everyone will have to face their judge (Matthew 25:31-46).

Endure to the end – Hebrews 4:1-13

God is still calling people to his Kingdom. The call will continue until the end of the world (verse 1). The problem is not the lack of the call, but the unwillingness to follow it (verse 2).

The end of verse 1, "failed to reach it", can also be translated as "to fall behind", "to leave out". These fits well in the context of the wilderness journey. "To fall behind" also fits the idea of ​​the church as the wandering people of God in the Letter to the Hebrews. During the wilderness journey, an Israelite who strayed from the main body was doomed to destruction. This easily happens to those who fall away from the common gatherings of the church - of the wandering people of God (verse 11, Hebrews 10:25).

Some proponents of so-called sanctification Christianity interpret this Biblical passage as meaning that there are two turning points in the life of a Christian: first, conversion, which is represented by the exodus from Egypt, and then the "second blessing," which is represented by entry into the Promised Land. But if we read the passage carefully, we see that it cannot be interpreted this way. Verses 3-5 specifically state that the entire nation of Israel - with the exception of Joshua and Caleb - died in the wilderness. The nation was not allowed to experience these two stages: only the descendants of those who left Egypt reached the Promised Land. Second, it is worth remembering that entering the Promised Land did not mean a new era of peace and happiness, but a struggle, as the book of Joshua tells us.

We should not try to read too much into the parables and types of the Bible. Often they have only one "tip," one main message. In this passage it is: true rest is only in the future, in heaven; this earthly journey is a battle in which the Christian is required to be faithful to God's will. There is no more fighting in heaven, there is no more sin.

The quote in verse 7 is Psalm 95 verses 7-8:

"For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness"...

In Greek, Joshua is written exactly the same as Jesus, which is an abbreviation of the name Yehoshua (verse 8).

"Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience."
(verse 11)

Verse 11 should not be understood to mean that a person must earn his salvation by his works. The point is not to turn his back on God and the church. The central idea of ​​the book of Hebrews is the atoning work of Christ, by which he made all our merits and works in the matter of salvation null and void (compare Hebrews 9:11-25). Scriptures should never be taken out of context; many heresies have arisen in that way.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
(verse 12)

Verse 12 reminds us that the Bible is not just a book of history - a book that only tells about the past. It is a book for today, and it even tells about the future. God has not only worked in history, but he is also working today.

Verses 12 and 13 show that man cannot deceive God. It is said that "all men may be deceived some of the time. Some of the men may be deceived all the time. But all men may not be deceived all the time." To this statement we may add: "God cannot be deceived even for a moment."

Even though God knows us to the core, he loves us. Why? Not because we deserve his love, but by grace alone:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
(Eph. 2:8-9).

The Throne of Grace – Hepr 4:14-16

Scholars have debated whether this section is a summary of the preceding chapters or whether it begins the discussion of Christ’s priesthood, that is, belongs to the beginning of chapter five. It was typical of Jewish thought to combine the two: while summarizing what had come before, it also laid the groundwork for what came next. The analogy of a chain is instructive: each link in the chain is connected to two links: one that precedes and one that follows.

Perhaps the author thought that the description of the journey in the desert and the recipients' sense of their own sinfulness would make the readers sink into despair. Therefore, they had to be encouraged to walk as Christians despite their falls into sin.

Isaiah 16:5 predicts that in the Messianic era a righteous judge will come.

"then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
and on it will sit in faithfulness
in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
and is swift to do righteousness.”
(Isa. 16:5)

God gave even more: Christ is not only a just judge, but also a merciful one.

Jesus can understand us because he too experienced temptations. We can even think that Jesus’ temptations were even greater because he had greater power, better opportunities to respond to Satan’s attacks (compare Matthew 4:1-11). But Jesus did not fall into sin, but was obedient even to the cross:

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
(Phil. 2:8)

To hold fast to the profession (verse 14) should not be understood too narrowly. It does not mean simply holding a certain creed to be true, but confessing oneself as a follower of Christ. Confession also always means that we are ready to live according to faith, even when we have to pay a price for it (compare Hebrews 13:12-13).

The "with confidence" in verse 16 does not mean boasting ("chest bowed, head held high"), but a true trust in God's promises. We do not get to heaven by our own merits but by the work of Christ alone (compare Luke 18:9-14, the Pharisee and the publican in the synagogue).

Jesus helps us not only in spiritual matters, but in everything (verse 16, compare Matthew 6:25-34). However, it is worth remembering that God's care does not mean the fulfillment of all our wishes, but the fulfillment of God's will in our lives.