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1 Therefore we should fear, since a promise of entering His rest still stands, lest any one of you should expect to have come short of it.*
There is still a promised rest
2 Really, because we are continually hearing Good News† just like they did, but the word that they heard did not profit them, since they were not intimately united with the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed do enter that rest, just as He has said, “So I took an oath in my wrath, ‘As if they will ever enter my rest!’ ”—His works were certainly finished from the foundation of the world, 4 because somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day like this, “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works,”‡ 5 while again, in this place, “As if they will ever enter my rest!”§ 6 Therefore since it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly had the Good News proclaimed to them did not enter because of disobedience, 7 He again designates a certain day, after such a long time,* saying through David: “Today” (as was stated above), “Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8 Because if Jesus† had given them rest, He would not have spoken afterward of another day. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 Further, the one having entered into His rest has himself also rested from his own works,‡ just as God did from His.
We must give an account
11 Therefore, let us take pains to enter into that rest so that no one may fall through the same pattern of disobedience. 12 Because the Word of God is living and efficient, and sharper than any two-edged sword, actually penetrating to the point of separating soul and spirit,§ joints and marrow; in fact, it is able to evaluate a heart's reflections and intentions.* 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight; rather all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.†
We have a Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens,‡ Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the Confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but He was tested in all points, in similar ways, without sin. 16 So let us approach the throne of grace§ with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace, for timely help.
* 4:1 This verse is a continuation of the whole preceding paragraph that emphasizes the need to persevere in faith, so as to enter the rest. If someone decides he has already fallen short, he will likely give up, stop trying. † 4:2 Strictly speaking it should be “we are continually being good-newsed/evangelized”, but to try to make a verb out of ‘good news’ is awkward; on the other hand ‘evangelize’ has the connotation of preaching the Gospel to an unbeliever, which is not the point here. I take the “Good News” here to be God's Truth, on any and all topics. ‡ 4:4 See Genesis 2:2. § 4:5 Dear me, this is the third citation of the oath! When He took it, God was “very angry” (3:10 above); is the author implying that 1,500 years later God is similarly angry with those who insist on disobeying? Then it will still be true in our day (another 2,000 years later). [The syntax of these verses is rather convoluted—reminds one of Paul.] * 4:7 About 500 years. † 4:8 Beyond question, the Greek Text has ‘Jesus’, as in the AV, but most modern versions put ‘Joshua’. I suppose that ‘Jesus’ was judged to be an anachronism, and so ‘Joshua’ was elected to relieve the situation. To be sure, the Septuagint we know (based on inferior Alexandrian manuscripts) uniformly spells ‘Joshua’ as Ιησους (Jesus) [as a linguist I wonder why the translators transliterated ‘Iehoshua’ as ‘Iesus’], and perhaps in consequence, in Acts 7:45 Luke refers to Joshua as ‘Iesus’ [it was not his purpose to correct the LXX]. However, looking carefully at the context in Psalm 95:7-11, Joshua just does not fit. Consider: it is presumably Jehovah the Son who is speaking (“Jehovah our Maker”, verse 6), and since the reference is to those who fell in the wilderness during the forty years, Joshua cannot be in view. It was precisely Jesus, Jehovah the Son, who did not allow that generation to enter the ‘rest’. For further discussion please see the Appendix: “ ‘Jesus’ or ‘Joshua’?”. ‡ 4:10 We enter God's rest through faith in Christ's Work, not through our own works. § 4:12 If soul and spirit can be separated, they obviously cannot be the same thing, just as joints and marrow are not the same thing. * 4:12 Meditating on God's Word can be uncomfortable; it is a ‘mirror’ that tells us the truth about ourselves. † 4:13 We must give an account to a Judge who knows ALL the facts. This knowledge really ought to turn us into serious people, diligent seekers of God, but… ‡ 4:14 “Heavens” is plural, so He passed through at least two of them, so God's throne must be in the third heaven (unless there are still more in between). § 4:16 Now precisely which, or whose, throne might “the throne of grace” be? I imagine it would be the throne that Jesus is presently occupying at the Father's right. Notice that it is up to us to “approach” and ask.