Albert Barnes Commentary Hebrews 4:1

"Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it." — Hebrews 4:1 (ASV)

CHAPTER IV.

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER.

This chapter comprises two parts. In the first, Hebrews 4:1–13, the apostle pursues and completes the exhortation which he had begun in the previous chapter, drawn from the comparison of the Savior with Moses (see the analysis of chapter 3); and in the second part (Hebrews 4:14–16), he enters on the consideration of the character of Christ as a high priest, which is pursued to the end of the doctrinal part of the epistle.

In the first part (Hebrews 4:1–13), he describes more at length the character of the "rest" to which he had referred in the previous chapter. He shows (Hebrews 4:1) that the promise of a "rest" still remains, and that there is still danger, just as there was formerly, of coming short of it, or of losing it.

He affirms that such was the nature of that promise, that it is applicable to us as well as to those to whom it was first made, and that the promise of rest as really pertains to Christians now as it did to the Hebrews of old (Hebrews 4:2). The reason, he adds (Hebrews 4:2), why they did not enter into that rest was that they did not have faith.

This he had established in the previous chapter (Hebrews 3:18). In Hebrews 4:3-6, he proceeds to demonstrate more at length that there is a "rest" remaining for those who believe. The great object in this part of the chapter is to prove that a "rest" remains for believers now—a rest of a spiritual character, much more desirable than that of the land of Canaan, a rest to which Christians may look forward, and which there may be danger of losing.

Addressing Hebrew Christians, he, of course, appeals to the Old Testament. He refers to several places where the word "rest" occurs and argues that these expressions are of such a character as to allow that a "rest" still remains for Christians. It would have been easy to affirm this as a part of the Christian revelation. However, throughout the epistle, he brings his illustrations from the Old Testament, showing the Hebrew Christians to whom he wrote that there were abundant considerations in the Old Testament itself to constitute an argument why they should adhere inviolably to the Christian religion.

He says, therefore (Hebrews 4:4), that God Himself had spoken of his own rest from His works. When He had finished the work of creation, He instituted a rest characterized by the peace, beauty, and order of the first Sabbath after the work of creation, when all was new, lovely, and pure.

This might be called the rest of God—a beautiful emblem of that which dwells around His throne in heaven. The meaning of this verse (Hebrews 4:4) is that the Bible spoke early of a rest that appertained to God Himself. In Hebrews 4:5, he goes on to say that the prospect of entering into His rest was spoken of as a possible thing. Some were excluded, but there was a place deserved to be called "the rest of God"—My rest—to which all may come.

Of course, that rest must be of a spiritual nature and must be different from that of the promised land. The apostle implies that "rest" was possible to attain. He does not argue this point at length but assumes that God would not create a place of rest in vain; it was made to be enjoyed. Since those to whom it was at first offered were excluded, it must follow that it remained still. And as they were excluded by the want of faith, it would also follow that it was reserved for those who had faith. Therefore, it is offered to Christians now (Hebrews 4:6).

He proceeds to confirm this view with another consideration (Hebrews 4:7–8). David, who lived nearly five hundred years after the Israelites had occupied the land of promise, spoke then of the possibility of entering into such a "rest." He says (Psalms 95:7) that, in his time, the people were called to hear the voice of God. David warned them against the guilt and danger of hardening their hearts, reminded them that this was why the Israelites were excluded from the promised land, and said that the same thing would occur if those in his own time should harden their hearts.

It followed, therefore, that even in David's time there was a hope and promise of "rest." There was something more intended for the true people of God than merely entering the promised land. There must be something in advance of that, something that existed up to David's time—and it must be, therefore, a spiritual rest.

This, the apostle adds (Hebrews 4:8), is conclusive. For if Joshua had given them all the "rest" that was contemplated, then David would not have spoken as he did about the danger of being excluded from it in his time. Therefore (Hebrews 4:9), he comes to the conclusion that a "rest" must still remain for the people of God—a "rest" to which they were invited and which they were in danger of losing by unbelief.

He adds (Hebrews 4:10) that whoever enters into that "rest" ceases from toil, as God did from His when He had finished the work of creation. Since, therefore, such a "rest" exists, and since there is danger of coming short of it, the apostle urges them (Hebrews 4:11) to make every effort to enter into it.

He adds (Hebrews 4:12–13) a consideration to quicken them to earnest effort and anxious care, lest they should be deceived and fail: the fact that God cannot be deceived, that His word penetrates the heart, and that everything is naked and open before Him. There should, therefore, be the most faithful investigation of the heart, lest they fail to receive the grace of God and lose the hoped-for rest.

In the second portion of the chapter (Hebrews 4:14–16), he enters on the consideration of the character of Christ as High Priest and says that since we have such a High Priest as He is, we should be encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace. We have encouragement to persevere from the fact that we have such a High Priest, and in all our conscious weakness and helplessness we may look to Him for aid.

Let us therefore fear. Let us be apprehensive that we may possibly fail to attain that rest. The kind of fear which is recommended here is that which leads to caution and care. A man who is in danger of losing his life or health should be watchful; a seaman that is in danger of running on a lee-shore should be on his guard. So we who have the offer of heaven, and who are yet in danger of losing it, should take all possible precautions lest we fail to attain it.

Lest a promise being left us. Paul assumes here that there is such a promise. In the subsequent part of the chapter, he goes more into the subject and proves from the Old Testament that such a promise is made to us. It is to be remembered that Paul did not have the New Testament then to appeal to, as we have, which is perfectly clear on the subject; he was obliged to appeal to the Old Testament. This he did, not only because the New Testament was not then written, but because he was reasoning with those who had been Hebrews and who regarded the authority of the Old Testament as decisive. If his reasoning appears somewhat obscure to us, we should put ourselves in his place. We should remember that the converts then did not have the full light that we now possess in the New Testament.

Of entering into his rest. The rest of God—the rest of the world where He dwells. It is called his rest because it is that which He enjoys and which He alone can confer. There can be no doubt that Paul refers here to heaven and means to say that there is a promise left to Christians of being admitted to the enjoyment of that blessed world where God dwells.

Any of you should seem to come short of it. The word "seem" here is used as a form of gentle and mild address, implying the possibility of thus coming short. The word here—dokew—is often used so as to appear to give no essential addition to the sense of a passage, though it is probable that it always imparted a shading to the meaning.

Thus, the phrase esa videatur is often used by Cicero at the end of a period to denote merely that a thing was—though he expressed it as though it merely seemed to be. Such language is often used in argument or conversation as a modest expression, as when we say a thing "seems to be so and so," instead of saying "it is." Paul probably used the phrase here in some such sense—perhaps expressing what we would by this language: "lest it should appear at last that any of you had come short of it." The phrase "come short of it" is probably used with reference to the journey to the promised land, where those who came out of Egypt came short of that land and fell in the wilderness.

They did not reach it. This verse teaches the important truth that although heaven is offered to us, and a "rest" is promised to us if we seek it, there is reason to think that many who had expected to obtain it may fail to reach it. Among those will be the following classes:

1. Those who are professors of religion, but who have never known anything of true piety.
2. Those who are expecting to be saved by their own works and are looking forward to a world of rest on the ground of what their own hands can do.
3. Those who defer attention to the subject from time to time, until it becomes too late. They expect to reach heaven, but they are not ready to give their hearts to God now, and the subject is deferred from one period to another, until death arrests them unprepared.
4. Those who have been awakened to see their guilt and danger, and who have been almost, but not quite, ready to give up their hearts to God. Such were Agrippa, Felix, the young ruler (Mark 10:21); and such are all those who are almost but not quite prepared to give up the world and to devote themselves to the Redeemer. To all these the promise of "rest" is made if they will accept salvation as it is offered in the gospel; all of them cherish a hope that they will be saved, and all of them are destined alike to be disappointed.

With what earnestness, therefore, should we strive that we may not fail to receive the grace of God!