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Does the phrase entering into God's "Rest" take on different meanings?

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  • Does the phrase entering into God's "Rest" take on different meanings?

    Good article that I read and wanted to share:

    Defining Rest (Hebrews 4:1-10)


    psalmist spoke of a rest that was still available, a greater rest. And that rest was God’s “Sabbath rest,” a rest still available, a rest of ceasing from futile works in an effort to earn God’s favor. The one who has entered God’s rest has set aside striving in the flesh, and has trusted in the work God has finished, in Christ (4:7-10).


    ********

    Quoting: Shabbat Rest and Renewal

    menuchah, and “rest” is an inadequate translation. To say that Shabbat menuchah means a “Sabbath of rest” only tells half the story. In the Shabbat liturgy we are given a more complete, many-layered understanding of the word. It is, the Minchah (afternoon) service tells us, “a rest of love freely given, a rest of truth and sincerity, a rest in peace and tranquility, in quietude and safety.” Yet, at the same time, it is a rest yoked in the same breath to “holiness.” And inextricably linked to that concept is the fact that this rest comes from the Almighty and exists so that we might glorify God’s name, to bring holiness to God.
    Last edited by Marta; 02-19-2017, 02:52 PM.

  • #2
    The particular “rest” referred to here was that of the land of Canaan. Into that rest God solemnly said the Israelites who disobeyed Him would never enter (Hebrews 3:11). They had been rebellious. All the means of reclaiming them had failed. God had warned and entreated them; He had caused His mercies to pass before them, and had visited them with judgments in vain; and He now declares that for all their rebellion they should be excluded from the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:16–19). But, eventually, the next generation did place their faith in God and, by following the leadership of Joshua, they, some forty years later, entered into God’s rest, the land of Canaan (Joshua 3:14–17).

    Using the Israelites as an example of those who were not resting in God’s promises, the writer of Hebrews goes on in chapter 4 to make the application personal, both to the Hebrew Christians and to us: “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it” (Hebrews 4:1). The promise that still stands is the promise of salvation through God’s provision—Jesus Christ. He alone can provide the eternal rest of salvation through His blood shed on the cross for the remission of sins. God’s rest, then, is in the spiritual realm, the rest of salvation. Faith, the author goes on to assert, is the key to entering God’s rest. The Hebrews had had the gospel preached to them, just as the Israelites knew the truth about God, but the messages were of “no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith” (Hebrews 4:2). Some had heard the good news of Christ, but they rejected it for lack of faith.

    *********************

    Hebrews 4 is the definitive passage regarding Jesus as our Sabbath rest. The writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to “enter in” to the Sabbath rest provided by Christ. After three chapters of telling them that Jesus is superior to the angels and that He is our Apostle and High Priest, he pleads with them to not harden their hearts against Him, as their fathers hardened their hearts against the Lord in the wilderness. Because of their unbelief, God denied that generation access to the holy land, saying, “They shall not enter into My rest” (Hebrews 3:11). In the same way, the writer to the Hebrews begs his readers not to make the same mistake by rejecting God’s Sabbath rest in Jesus Christ. “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:9–11).


    Reference:


    Question: "How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest?"


    How can we enter into God’s rest?



    William Barclay's Daily Study Bible
    :
    "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it."

    Hebrews 4
    ii) In Hebrews 4:1 the writer to the Hebrews bids his people beware lest they miss the promise. The word we have translated beware literally means to fear (phobeisthai, Greek #5399). This Christian fear is not the fear which makes a man run away from a task; nor the fear which reduces him to paralysed inaction; it is the fear which makes him put out every ounce of strength he possesses in a great effort not to miss the one thing that is worth while.

    THE TERROR OF THE WORD (Hebrews 4:11-13)
    4:11-13 Let us then be eager to enter into that rest, lest we follow the example of the Israelites and fall into the same kind of disobedience. For the word of God is instinct with life; it is effective; it is sharper than a two-edged sword; it pierces right through to the very division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it scrutinizes the desires and intentions of the heart. No created thing can ever remain hidden from his sight; everything is naked to him and is compelled to meet the eyes of him with whom we have to reckon.

    The point of this passage is that the word of God has come to men and is such that it cannot be disregarded. The Jews always had a very special idea about words. Once a word was spoken, it had an independent existence. It was not only a sound with a certain meaning; it was a power which went forth and did things. Isaiah heard God say that the word which went out of his mouth would never be ineffective; it would always do that which he designed it to do.

    Comment


    • #3
      We today are not like the normal Jew, but are part of the priesthood. The Priests observed the Sabbath rest but "worked' harder on a Sabbath then other days, so are we like them?

      Comment


      • #4
        The psalmist was invoking the statement that was made to Moses/Joshua in a metaphorical sense and applying it to a victory that had not yet taken place. Then the writer of Hebrews was was building on the psalm's metaphor further, and comparing this rest also to the actual sabbath.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by bling View Post
          We today are not like the normal Jew, but are part of the priesthood. The Priests observed the Sabbath rest but "worked' harder on a Sabbath then other days, so are we like them?
          The question you asked, "so are we like them?" If I am at peace or at rest "inside" then, no. However, if everything inside of me is in turmoil, then yes - we are like them because we our not at rest within ourselves and not with God. Luke 19:29-44 : Palm Sunday:

          41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

          Entering into God's "rest" is the equivalency of returning back to paradise, in away it is very similar. We are therefore at peace with God. The prophets, of Old, continued to tell the Israelites to follow the commandments so they would enter into that peace. Baruch Chapter 3, "13 For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelled in peace for ever." - What a similarity with Jesus when he wept over Jerusalem. Yes, we "ourselves" can enter into sin fall into the same unrest or we can enter God's rest - every verse in the New Testament is a guide to enter it. This is my favorite passage:

          "Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!" (Romans 4:9-10)

          And, nailing the verse is this passage, "13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

          The ancient Israelites had the gospel in a veiled form, in symbols such as the bronze snake, the washings, the sacrifices and festivals. But despite the miracles, the people did not have faith in God and the message did not do them any good. We do not have to make the same mistake. “For we who have believed enter that rest.” Believe what? Believe the gospel. All who look to Jesus, who have faith in Jesus, are entering God’s rest.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Obsidian View Post
            The psalmist was invoking the statement that was made to Moses/Joshua in a metaphorical sense and applying it to a victory that had not yet taken place. Then the writer of Hebrews was was building on the psalm's metaphor further, and comparing this rest also to the actual sabbath.

            Comment


            • #7
              and I'm not taking down the picture - its was too good to resist!

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Marta View Post
                The question you asked, "so are we like them?" If I am at peace or at rest "inside" then, no. However, if everything inside of me is in turmoil, then yes - we are like them because we our not at rest within ourselves and not with God. Luke 19:29-44 : Palm Sunday:

                41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

                Entering into God's "rest" is the equivalency of returning back to paradise, in away it is very similar. We are therefore at peace with God. The prophets, of Old, continued to tell the Israelites to follow the commandments so they would enter into that peace. Baruch Chapter 3, "13 For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelled in peace for ever." - What a similarity with Jesus when he wept over Jerusalem. Yes, we "ourselves" can enter into sin fall into the same unrest or we can enter God's rest - every verse in the New Testament is a guide to enter it. This is my favorite passage:

                "Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!" (Romans 4:9-10)

                And, nailing the verse is this passage, "13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

                The ancient Israelites had the gospel in a veiled form, in symbols such as the bronze snake, the washings, the sacrifices and festivals. But despite the miracles, the people did not have faith in God and the message did not do them any good. We do not have to make the same mistake. “For we who have believed enter that rest.” Believe what? Believe the gospel. All who look to Jesus, who have faith in Jesus, are entering God’s rest.
                I would say we are to be like the priest in that we worship 24/7 and are thus in the Sabbath Rest 24/7. This is the age of Jubilee (A continues Sabbath rest).

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by bling View Post
                  I would say we are to be like the priest in that we worship 24/7 and are thus in the Sabbath Rest 24/7. This is the age of Jubilee (A continues Sabbath rest).
                  Hi bling - why was I underneath the impression that the age of Jubilee had ended, am I wrong on that? I'll quote, "Pope Francis has said of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, an “extraordinary time of grace,” a “year of the Lord’s favor.”

                  Jubilee , HOLY YEAR OF.—The ultimate derivation of the word jubilee is disputed, but it is most probable that the Hebrew word jobel (YVBL) to which it is traced, meant "a ram's horn", and that from this instrument, used in proclaiming the celebration, a certain idea of rejoicing was derived. Further, passing through the Greek iobelaios, or iobelos, the word became confused with the Latin jubilo, which means "to shout", and has given us the forms jubilatio and jubiloeum, now adopted in most European languages. For the Israelites, the year of Jubilee was in any case preeminently a time of joy, the year of remission or universal pardon. "Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year," we read in Leviticus, xxv, 10, "and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of jubilee." Every seventh year, like every seventh day, was always accounted holy and set aside for rest, but the year which followed seven complete cycles of seven years was to be kept as a sabbatical year of special solemnity. read more


                  ******

                  Pope Francis Announces New Global Jubilee

                  Dinar Chronicles, Nov. 16, 2016

                  http://inteldinarchronicles.blogspot...ew-global.html

                  Symbolically calling on the entire global Roman Catholic church to take up his papacy’s central message of compassion and pardon, Pope Francis on Friday announced that he is convoking a jubilee year to be called the Holy Year of Mercy. read more



                  ******

                  Statement on Year of Jubilee 2017

                  YEAR OF JUBILEE 2017

                  PART IV: WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

                  As noted above, our Jubilee is a time to rejoice and celebrate, but it is also a time to look back on what we have learned over the last fifty years of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Here are some of the important things that we have learned, and we need to remember and apply, so that we can grow in wisdom and maturity as a “current of grace,” and as an Ecclesial Movement in the Church:

                  1) Catholic Charismatic Renewal needs to understand itself as both a “current of grace” and “an ecclesial movement”: Be open to both special outpourings of grace (revival graces), and step-by-step building with the Lord led by the Holy Spirit. The whole movement is a “charism” for the Church, so we are more powerful in the Holy Spirit when we stay united with the International, National and Diocesan Offices (Centers, Leadership Teams) for Catholic Charismatic Renewal, rather than staying isolated in our groups or ministries.

                  2) We need to integrate being both “fully Catholic” and “fully charismatic”: Recent popes have called us not to lose our “prophetic” call to remind the Church to be open to all the workings of the Holy Spirit and to live a fully charismatic life. Let us seek to grow in the knowledge of our Catholic faith so we can integrate charismatic experiences with all of the Catholic faith.

                  3) We need an “experience” of baptism in the Spirit, but also a “lifestyle” in the Spirit: Pope Francis has confirmed that baptism in the Spirit is meant for the whole Church. We seek to be a reminder in the Church of the “full role” of the Holy Spirit (union with God; transformation for holiness; ministry empowered by the charisms; building community). Our relationship with the Holy Spirit should influence every part of our lives. We should not be just “experience seekers.”

                  4) We need a unity of mind and heart to accomplish fully God’s purpose for the Renewal: We need a heart for unity, building community, and ecumenism...read more

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