God's Rest

"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God from his."  Hebrews 4:10

The writer of Hebrews has a profound knowledge of ancient Jewish history.  He knew that the original Exodus generation suffered from self-induced misery because of failure to trust in the character of Yahweh in spite of incredible concrete evidence.

Yahweh provided concrete evidence through persuasive events, and situations that would allow his people to conclude that they were valued and loved.  However, for some reason they were unable to consistently place trust in the character of Yahweh.  Their collective 'trust' in Yahweh proved to be tenaciously anemic and distressingly episodic.

This collective attitude of unbelief in spite of the immediate support of Yahweh revealed a deeper reality at work within the community.  Their action of consistent unbelief toward the Grace-action of Yahweh reveals a shallowness and arrogance that opens for us a powerful window into the psychology of groups.  There was a settled and self-destructive attitude of unbelief.

Unbelief is bankrupt of hope, and without hope the soul-life is consigned to agonizing self-molestation.  The people of Yahweh would not allow themselves to enter into his rest because that would not give up symbiotic idolatry.

Their symbiotic idolatry was unbelief  in the character of Yahweh.  Symbiotic idolatry invaded their minds and hearts, but it did not benefit them in any manner.  Therefore Grace-action was lost upon them as a community.  Unbelief blinded them unto death.  Although, it did not appear to them that this was the case.

Their unbelief had a cumulative price. They struggled against their unbelief and did not see it.  Yahweh's provisions were never enough to convincingly win them away from the silent and inward terrorism of unbelief.  Their dismal practical atheism wore them out.  They wallowed in self-defeat, and it culminated in radical spiritual indifference.  They sacrificed appropriate obedience to Yahweh and became emotional basket-cases.

Their emotional excess was the end result of a process that germinated as suspicion and matured into the bitter fruit of unbelief.  Their works (practical atheism) exhausted and demeaned them as a community.  Yes, they had the Ark, the Tent of Meeting, the Furniture of the Tent of Meeting, the Priesthood, the system of Sacrifice, the Torah, etc., but their hardness of heart undermined the spiritual content of Yahweh's provisions.

They could not enter into His rest because of unbelief.  The one, however, who enters into Yahweh's rest has ceased from his own works.  That is, he has stopped the madness of struggling to find rest in his efforts. Success has never been enough to satisfy the thirsty soul.  There has to be more than 'success.' What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose (ruin) his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The Exodus generation failed to enter into the rest of Yahweh because "...the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."  Hebrews 4:2

The rest that Yahweh gives is sufficient for our needs.  His rest sets me apart from the exhausting struggle of sinful unbelief.  His rest takes up my soul fragmented by the abuses of this life, and gives me purpose (telos), and makes me whole, or a compete person.

There is rest in God that heals the sin sick whole.  There is rest in God that makes me whole.  The rest of God is available to you today.

Blessings to you.

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