Enter His rest….
“In Christ the Sabbath rest is no longer a shadow prefiguring the real, a token holy day in the week, but the celebration of a perfect redemption in which the exact image and likeness of God is revealed and redeemed in human form. Man’s innocence is redeemed. “Having made purification for sins, he sat down…” The executive authority of his throne is established on the fact of our innocence! Sabbath is now a place of God’s unhindered enjoyment of man and man’s unhindered enjoyment of God. Through the torn veil of hia flesh, he has triumphantly opened a new and living way for mankind into the life of their design in the loving embrace of their Maker.”
Francois du Toit Intro to Hebrews, Mirror Word
Hebrews 4:3-4 MW
3 Faith (not our own works) realizes our entrance into God’s rest (into the result of his completed work). Hear the echo of God’s cry though the ages, “Oh! If only they would enter into my rest.” His rest celebrates perfection. His work is complete; the fall of humanity did not flaw its perfection.
(Some translations read, “As I have sworn in my wrath” derived from orge, meaning passionate desire, any strong outburst of emotion. “Oh! If only they would enter into my rest.” First Adam failed to enter into God’s finished work, and then Israel failed to enter into the consequence of their complete redemption out of Egypt, and as a result of their unbelief perished in the wilderness. Now let us not fail in the same manner to see the completed work of the Cross. How God desires for us to see the same perfection; what he saw when he first created man in his image and then again what he saw in the perfect obedience of his Son. God is not “in his rest” because he is exhausted, but because he is satisfied with what he sees and knows concerning us! He now invites us with urgent persuasion to enter into what he sees. His rest was not at risk. “His works were finished from the foundation of the world.” The word, apo, translates as away from, before and katabalo, cast down, the fall of humanity, sometimes translated, foundation [see notes on Eph 1:4 ] “This association goes back to before the fall of the world, his love knew that he would present us again face to face before him in blameless innocence.” The implications of the fall are completely cancelled out.)
4 Scripture records the seventh day to be the prophetic celebration of God’s perfect work. What God saw satisfied his scrutiny.
(Behold, it is very good, and God rested from all his work. [Gen 1:31, 2:2] God saw more than his perfect image in Adam, he also saw the Lamb and his perfect work of redemption! “The Lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world.” [Rev 13:8] “That which has been is now; that which is to be, already has been” [Ecc 3:15])
Enter His rest….
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