Hebrews 4:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

NIV: For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "On the seventh day God rested from all his works."

NASB: For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: 'AND God RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS';

CSB: For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.

NLT: We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: 'On the seventh day God rested from all his work.'

KJV: For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

NKJV: For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;

In verse 4, the writer of Hebrews uses the same tongue-in-cheek expression found in Hebrews 2:6. The reference to "somewhere" does not mean the author does not know or remember. On the contrary, the Scripture cited is assumed to be so familiar to the reader that they will immediately recognize it. In this case, the reference is to Genesis 2:2, where God rests after completing His creation.

This passage is part of a warning not to forfeit our spiritual inheritance through a lack of faith. In order to counter the claim that this inheritance "rest" is no longer available, the writer of Hebrews joins together several key messages of the Old Testament. These will come to a conclusion in verse 10. The overall point is that God's "rest" from creation is ongoing and happened only after He had accomplished His work of creation. The "rest" Israel was promised was denied to them only because they failed to complete the work God gave to them.

In other words, in order to enter into this "rest" inheritance, we need to complete the works assigned to us by God. This helps explain the implication of the term "rest." It implies a completion, and a fulfillment, of what was required. As with other such references in Hebrews, this is not a question of salvation. All who express saving faith in Christ will be eternally secure (John 6:39–40), but only those who "hold fast" in obedience will obtain the full rewards of His kingdom (Revelation 2:26–27).

Hebrews 4:1–13 reassures Christians that they have not missed their opportunity to enjoy the ''rest'' promised by God. Chapter 3 warned about the dangers of losing faith and disobeying God. In this passage, the writer points out that psalmists like David, who came long after Moses, encouraged Israel to obtain God's rest ''today.'' Since God's rest on the seventh day of creation came only after His work was done, and Israel only suffered loss when they failed to complete their assigned work, Christians should strive to complete the work given them by God, in order to obtain the greater heavenly rewards. The most potent tool we have in this effort is the razor-sharp Word of God.

In Hebrews chapter 4, the author refines the theme of chapter 3. An entire generation of Israel lost out on their inheritance of the Promised Land due to a lack of faith. Here, the author points out that the rest promised by God is still offered, through Christ. The razor-sharp truth of the Word of God will separate what is truly spiritual from what is faithless. We should make every effort to obtain our inheritance in Christ, which is something separate from our eternal salvation. We can also be confident, knowing Jesus can uniquely sympathize with our temptations and sufferings.

Chapters 1 and 2 explained how Messiah could not be an angel, but had to be human in order to become our example and the ''Captain'' of our salvation. Chapter 3 described Jesus as worthy of greater glory than Moses, since Jesus fulfilled the promises Moses only spoke of. Chapter 4 will continue to place Jesus as a higher example than Old Testament figures, including Joshua. This chapter bridges the focus of Hebrews from our need to ''hold fast'' in faith to Jesus' status as our ultimate High Priest.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.