Hebrews 4:1-16

Hebrews 4:1-10:

^4:1Therefore let us be caused-to-fear lest-perhaps, (during the time of the) promise being left-down to go into His rest, someone from you may consider to have lacked²;
^.2for also we are having been good-messaged² fully-as those-people-also, but the word of hearing did not profit those-people (who were) not being mixed-together² with the belief to the (people) having heard; ^.3for we go into rest, the (people) having believed;
according as He said², “…as I swore in My wrath, ‘If they will go into My rest’” and-so (after) the works from (the) throwing-down of (the) world having been caused-to come-to-pass, ^.4for it said² somewhere concerning the seventh thus, “And God rested in the day, the seventh (day) from all His works” ^.5and in this again, “If they will go into My rest’”, ^.6therefore since there is left-away some-people to go into it, and the (people) formerly having been good-messaged did not go-into (the rest) because-of unbelief, ^.7again He marked-out-definitely some day “Today” in David saying after so-much time according as it was said-beforehand², “Today if-ever you may hear His sound you may not harden your hearts,” ^.8for if Joshua rested them He used not ever utter-forth concerning another after these days. ^.9Consequently a sabbath-rest is left-away for the people of God, ^.10for the (one) having gone into His rest also he rested from his works wholly-as God from (His) own (works).

Following-on logically (from what is written in chapter 3), let us be caused to fear… This is a polite command or a very strong suggestion advising the writer himself and all of us holy-people reading or hearing this writing to have fright, be afraid at the consequences of the performance of any wrong behavior, and therefore manifesting the awe and respect that is rightfully due and ought to be shown towards God. This usage of “let us” is again written in verses 11, 14, and 16 below.

Therefore, let us be caused to fear…

lest-perhaps (whether or not, whether it may happen at any time or not that),
- while it is now the time when the promise is being left remaining (the proclamation, the declaration of the message of God’s intention is still applicable to us holy-people today) – what promise? – the promise to go/come into God’s rest (His resting time and place, downtime, when and where God permanently ceases from pertinent work at its completion, when the task is finished; rest connotes victory, final rest from disturbance, salvation, safety, security, stability, and wholeness),
someone from among you may consider to have lacked and continue to lack (one of you would suppose that you were and still are in want, deficient, fall sort, behind in something; refer to Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, 6, and 11-14, and 10:36-39).

In truth we presently are in the state that we also have already been good-messaged (we have been told the gospel, we have been evangelized to) and this fact has not changed – even just as those people (the unbelieving people who were not allowed to enter into the promised land of Israel with Joshua and Caleb; refer to Hebrews 3:7-19 and Numbers chapter 14).

The good-message was first recorded in Genesis 3:15 regarding the Christ giving the availability for mankind to go into God’s rest. God’s rest followed His 6 days of creation and then resting on the 7^th day – however mankind rejected it by refusing to believe what God said and so were evicted from there (Genesis 3:15-24). In this writing, Paul is reminding the people that God is making it available for us to enter into God’s rest. It has not happened yet but it will definitely happen at a future time as promised by God. We are heirs of salvation and we will receive our inheritance (refer to Acts 20:32; Romans 8:16 and 17; II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:14 and 18-23; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 1:2, 4 and 14, 6:12-20, 9:11 and 15).

We holy-people have been good-messaged fully-as also those unbelieving people, but emphatically the difference between the two groups of people is that the word of hearing (the spoken-account of the thing-heard, the word that was spoken to be heard, God’s spoken and heard report)…

did not profit (benefit, advantage) those-people who were not being mixed-together (not caused to be intermingled, blended, the parts were not combined in conjunction with each other to make a whole compound) and that truth did not change – they were not mixed together with what? –
- with the belief to the people having heard (with the words making known God’s belief concerning the specific situation or circumstance that was spoken to them and was heard by all of the people; the ‘belief’ is the information that God made known to them to have confidence-in with assured certainty and surety, what God gave to them to believe and it was heard by all the people, including Joshua and Caleb who did believe it).

In truth, we presently go/come into rest, emphatically and specifically the people having believed. We holy-people are the people who have already believed what God has given us to believe concerning Himself and His son the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are in the process of going into God’s rest. We do not lack anything so as to stop us from going into that rest.

All of this is according as God said and continues said (God has not withdrawn His statement – it is still applicable today), “…as I swore in My wrath, ‘If they will go into My rest’” (refer to Psalm 95:11 and Hebrews 3:11-15)…

even yet (though indeed) He said that after the works from the throwing-down of the world were caused to come-to-pass (God said that after the deeds happened, after the effects were produced away from, since the time of the casting-down of the world).
- [To throw/cast something down is as throwing a stone aimed at something in particular, or as scattering seed on the ground. Here, the noun translated “throwing-down” refers to the time when the world (ordered arrangement) was placed in the situation that it is continuing in today. This throwing-down occurred immediately after God had promised the Christ (refer to Genesis 3:15 and following). For further information on this, you may read my study of Appendix to Romans, the fall of Adam.]

In truth, the word of hearing said and continues said somewhere about the seventh day (specifically Genesis 2:2 and 3, which the readers of this letter should be very-much aware of) in this manner…

“And God rested in (during) the day, emphatically and specifically the seventh day from all His works” –

…and in this (on this topic of God’s rest) again,

“If they will go into My rest’” (Psalm 95:11; Hebrews 3:11 and 18).

The sequence:

God rested on the seventh day from all His works (Genesis 2:2 and 3)
The throwing-down of the world happened (Genesis 3:15-24)
God told Moses and all the people of Israel at that time about entering into God’s rest (Numbers chapter 14; Deuteronomy 12:9)
God repeated it to David (Psalm 95:11)
God again repeats it to the church of holy-people today (Hebrews chapters 3 and 4).

Following-on logically, since there is left-away some-people to go into God’s rest (the people who are away from His rest now but when the time comes God will bring them into it)…

and the people formerly having been good-messaged (the people who had been evangelized to before, prior to now, previously) did not go-into the rest because-of unbelief (lack of faith relative to God and the things of God; refer to Hebrews 3:17-19 [some Greek texts have the verb “un-persuaded”]),

…again God definitely marked out some day “Today” (God separated a certain length of time which He called “Today” as the boundary, the limited-area, the horizon) – where? – in David (within the sphere of action of David, the king and prophet in his psalm) saying after such an amount of chronological time according as it was said-beforehand (previously definitely communicated with words, it has been foretold before the completion has occurred) and this truth has not changed…

“Today (not some other day but today, the present time) if it should ever happen that you would hear His sound/voice you should not harden your hearts (the center/core of your beings, the seat of your personal selves and living, harden as a leaf having dried-up, because of your refusal to partake of God's supply of "water," which is God's spiritual blessing, and thus become stiff like a leaf having detached itself from the tree that was to be its source of water and nourishment to give and maintain life”; refer to Psalm 95:7 and 8, Hebrews 3:17-19),

…for if Joshua rested them He used not ever utter-forth concerning another after these days. In truth, if Joshua caused them to cease from pertinent work at that time then God would not ever have continually spoken about another rest after the days that they entered into that land.

“Joshua” is the same Greek name that is also translated as “Jesus” - but in this context it is clearly referring to the Jesus/Joshua who led the descendants of Israel into the promised land at that time. However, the completeness of this truth is referring to the still-future event of entering into the new Jerusalem and Paradise of God, as recorded in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

In correspondence to what has just been explained, a sabbath-rest is left-away for the people of God. A “sabbath-rest” is a keeping of what is to be carried-out on the sabbath, which means a day of rest, of lying down from works on the seventh day and keeping that day holy worshipping God. Consequently a sabbath-rest is left away (reserved for future use) for/to the people who belong to God.

In truth, the one who has already gone/come into God’s rest also emphatically he rested from his works wholly-as God rested from His own works. Jesus is the one who has already gone into God’s rest. This does not mean that Jesus is now doing nothing, not working, or bored to tears! This means that Jesus has entered into God’s rest because he has done what God asked him to do. Jesus has successfully completed his assigned task of accomplishing all that was required to make redemption and salvation available to/for mankind.

Now Jesus is continuing to do what God asks him to do during the present time (refer to Hebrews 3:2 and 6) and he does this from the position of being at God’s right-hand side on God’s throne (see Acts 2:33, 5:31, 7:55; Romans 8:34; I Corinthians 15:23-28, Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 1:13, 3:1; Hebrews 1:3 and 8, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2; I Peter 3:22). When we holy-people will receive our spiritual bodies at the moment that Christ Jesus comes to gather us all together with him, then we also will enter into God’s rest.

[Reference: Genesis 2:2 and 3, chapters 1-3; Exodus 16:30, 20:8-11, 35:2; Deuteronomy 12:9, 31:1-3 and 7; the Book of Joshua; Psalm 95:7-11, 132:10-18; Acts 7:45 and 49, 17:26-31; Romans 8:19-24, 10:17, 11:20; I Corinthians 12:24, 15:58; Galatians 3:2 and 5; Colossians 1:13-29; I Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 1, 2, 6, and 7-19; 10:36 and 37.]

Verses 11-16:

^.11Therefore let us be earnestly-diligent to go into that rest in order that someone may not fall in the same pointing-out of unbelief, ^.12for the word of God (is) living, and in-working, and more-cutting over every two-edged sword, and reaching-through continuously-until (the) distribution of soul and of spirit, both of joints and of marrows, and apt-to-judge (the) thinkings-within and mind-purposes-within of (the) heart, ^.13and there is not a creation not-manifest before Him but all-things (are) naked and having been exposed-at-the-neck² to the eyes of Him with Whom (is) the word to us;
^.14therefore having a great chief-priest having gone-through² the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us strongly-hold the agreement, ^.15for we have not a chief-priest not being able to suffer-together with our weaknesses but having been tempted² according to all-things according to likeness without sin, ^.16therefore let us go with boldness towards the throne of the grace in order that we may receive mercy and find grace for well-timed help.

Following-on logically, let us be earnestly diligent (have speedy application, performance, assiduity, let us endeavor with earnestness) to go/come into that rest (not any other rest, ‘that’ rest is God’s rest) – we will definitely go into God’s rest, but we are to be earnestly diligent while we are in the process of going there – why?…

for the purpose and result that someone may not fall in the same pointing-out of unbelief (so that one of us would not fall – from the higher plane of believing God’s Word to the lower plane of not persevering in believing God’s Word in the walk/behavior category – fall within the same indication or display of unbelief, the presentation of same thing would be pointed out plainly under someone’s eyes which would be his lack of faith, his not trusting what God gave him to believe; this unbelief is the same unbelief that was pointed-out regarding those people who did not previously enter into God’s rest referenced in Hebrews 3:18 and 19, and in verse 6 above),

…for the word of God is living (the word “living” is a verb in participle form and is placed first in this phrase in Greek to emphasize this truth – LIVING is the word of God, what God speaks is alive, the spoken account of God’s inner thoughts are presently and actively living, being alive, in continuous action),

and in-working (the word of God is adjectively described as: energizing, effective, at-work, work is being wrought within, productive; refer to I Thessalonians 2:13, Philemon 1:5 and 6),
and more-cutting over every two-edged sword (‘two-edged’ literally means ‘two mouths’ as of a river branching in two directions, but here referring to a knife having two edges; the word of God has comparatively more cutting ability, it is sharper than, above, beyond all/every double-edged knife used for slaughter, cutting or slicing its way through obstacles in every direction),
and reaching-through (coming through, passing all the way through) continuously until the distribution (the impartation, what is imparted, as dividing something into parts and then distributing the different parts to others, the apportionment)…
- of soul (soul-life, which is the life of the physical body evidenced by breathing, this includes all that emanates from the soul such as movement, speech, etc, actions done according to and motivated by soul) and
- of spirit (spirit-life, this includes all that emanates from the spirit, such as movement, speech, etc, actions done according to and motivated by spirit; every holy-person has received holy spirit-life inside of us),
  - both of joints (joinings, the places where things fit together, fastenings, as the joints in a physical body which are necessary to hold the different parts together, or as where a door closes or shuts entrance to a room enclosing all within that room) and
  - of marrows (the substances that are essential being inside what surrounds them, as the marrow inside bones in a physical body, what is closed or shut inside, metaphorically referring to the inward fat or best parts of what is being referred to),
and apt-to-judge (skillful in judging, critical, apt at making decisions pertaining to) the…
- thinkings-within (the revolving or fermenting of thoughts, the mind’s intensely passionate considerations) and
- mind-purposes-within (the concepts arrived at following the mind’s consideration, the attitudes, resolutions)
  - of the heart (belonging-to and emanating-from the center/core of a person’s being, the seat of self and living),

…and there is not a creation not-manifest before Him (there is not a created-thing that is not evident in God’s sight or presence) – but all-things…

are naked (unclad, without wearing cloths or any kind of covering that would cause a creation to be hidden from God) and
having been exposed at the neck (as bending the neck backwards so as to expose the throat of an animal in the position for sacrifice, for being cut with a knife across the throat thereby ending its life if it were necessary to use the knife for that purpose) and continuing exposed at the neck

…to the eyes of Him (to God’s eyes) with Whom is the word to us (the word to/for us holy-people is with God). God spoke and continues to speak His word to/for us. After He spoke His word it did not desert Him so that He does not have it anymore. The spoken account of God’s inner-thoughts has a purposed reference towards God Himself and it accomplishes what God intends, as a sword/knife being used by the one who is holding it.

Therefore…

having a great chief-priest (we presently and actively have a high priest who is large in magnitude, quality, etc, see Hebrews 2:17, 3:1; the chief/high priest was the only priest who was permitted by God to offer sacrifice for the sins of all the people including himself and make atonement once a year entering into the Holy of Holies; as we continue in Hebrews we will learn the details of the truth that we have a great chief-priest - Christ went into the true Holy of Holies being the chief-priest after he was raised from death and when he literally went into God’s presence)
- having gone-through and continuing gone-through the heavens (this great chief-priest has already come/passed through the heavens, which is literally referring to the areas above the earth, but figuratively referring to the spirit realm, excluding his Father Who is the only true God because he is not beyond or above His Father, God; refer to Ephesians 4:10),
Jesus the son of God (Jesus who is God’s son is our great chief-priest, see Hebrews 1:2 and 3),

…let us strongly-hold the agreement (take strong hold of the agreement, be strong with forceful strength saying the same thing, speaking the same words, our speech in agreement with him, our assent; see Romans 10:8-10 and Hebrews 3:1)…

for we have not a chief-priest not being able (we don’t have a high priest who does not have the ability, the able-power, the capability) to suffer together with our weaknesses (to experience our weaknesses in conjunction with us, to be affected by the infirmities that we have, to sympathize with our lack of strength)
but having been tempted and continuing tempted (he was made trial of, tried in the bad sense of being put to the test with evil and ill-intent being enticed to do wrong, try to cause him to fall-aside from the truth of God’s Word, he was enticed to disbelieve what God says; the devil is the one who tempts with/by evil, he tempted Jesus and this fact has not changed)
- according to all-things (in accordance, conformity and proportion to/with all the things that affect us, everything)
- according to likeness (a similar quality to us)
  - without sin (apart-from sin, Jesus did not commit any sin against God, he did not miss or swerve from the mark of what God says, God’s Word),

…therefore let us go with boldness towards (come in company and association with freedom of speech, frankness and openness of speaking, towards)…

the throne of the grace (the throne is the high seat designated for the king and so includes all the regal authority associated with that position, see Hebrews 1:8; the throne that contains, is characterized-by, and has the quality of the grace)
- [Grace is what is freely bestowed without any merit on the recipient's part; it includes reference to the attitude and quality of the one giving something favorable to another. Grace is not bestowed because somebody deserves a wage that is owed for something they said or did, nor because they begged so hard, nor because they forced the giver to give! Grace is bestowed because the giver wants to give by his own freedom of will to the recipient - it is completely unmerited favor from the giver to the recipient.]
for the purpose and result that…
- we may receive mercy (we would take what would be given to us to use, which is mercy, active-relief because of withholding merited judgment, not bestowing punishment on us who would deserve to be punished relative to the walk/behavior category) and
- we may find grace (we would come-upon and receive what Jesus would offer to us)
  - for well-timed help (with a view to and resulting-in timely aid and support, help given at the good specific period, the opportune season, the precise occasion when needed).

“…therefore let us go with boldness towards the throne of the grace in order that we may receive mercy and find grace for well-timed help.”

[Reference: Matthew 4:1-11, 9:4, 12:25; Luke 22:28; John 1:1-4, 12:48; Acts 1:24, 9:20, 13:33, 15:8, 17:29; Romans 1:1-4, 5:1, 2, 15, 17 and 21, 10:8-17, 13:4, 16:20; I Corinthians 1:4 and 9, 14:24 and 25, 15:24-28, 16:23; II Corinthians 1:5 and 19, 5:17-21, 7:7-10, 11:2, 12:9, 13:13; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 1:19-23, 2:7, 4:10, 5:2, 6:17; Philippians 2:16, 4:23; Colossians 1:13; I Thessalonians 1:10, 2:13, 5:23 and 28; II Thessalonians 1:12, 3:18; II Timothy 2:1; Philemon 1:25; Hebrews 1:8, 2:4, 17 and 18, 3:1, 7:26, 8:1, 9:11, 10:34 and 35, 12:2; James 1:13; I Peter 4:1; I John 1:3 and 7, 3:23, 4:15, 5:5 and 20; II John 3; Revelation 22:1 and 3. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

Hebrews Chapter 5