December 18 - Hebrews 1-6: The Place of Rest

When I saw the blogging schedule and realized that I get to open and close Hebrews, I cringed a little.  Such a difficult book, "a tough read" (Crabb).  One of those books where I've put lots of question marks over the years.  As I read today, I don't have answers that I've uncovered, but I am hearing God's promise of rest and in this season, this is a very compelling promise.

For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified... If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting.  But not if we don't have faith.  Remember that God said,

Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest...."

So this promise has not yet been fulfilled.  Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient.  God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:

Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear...

And so this is still a live promise.  It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God, wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today."  The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people.  God himself is at rest.  And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God.  So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.  (4:1-3, 6-11)

Just yesterday, I wrote in someone's Christmas card that I hope they'll experience some times of rest during the Christmas break.  It's such a felt need - to give my mind a break, to let my body slow down, to take off some of the pressure that I've been carrying.  And every year, I hold on to this idea that the time off at Christmas will provide this.  Sometimes the holidays provide momentary relief, sometimes I just a replace one stress with another.

What is God saying in these verses?  He promised rest, but His people never experienced it, they didn't listen, they didn't receive it, they were disqualified.  It seems like God is renewing this promise to us today and everyday in the book of Hebrews.  Not lay-around-and-do-nothing rest (is that really rest, anyway?), but something deeper, more meaningful.  The kind of rest God experienced after "the seventh day, having completed his work." (4:4)  I'm  missing what God is offering here.  I just took an afternoon nap on the couch and I still don't feel rested.

"Something is missing from our lives.  It's the enjoyment of God as our supreme treasure.  Something is wrong with our approach to life.  It's our foolish determination to enjoy something else as  much as only God can be enjoyed and to value our pleasure more than God's glory....

"This is the weary generation.  Christians are as burnt-out as pagans, sometimes more.  We're discouraged with ourselves and how life is turning out for us.  We thought for years it would be different.  Sometimes we wonder if there's any point to living as a Christian...

"I  hope you're desperate for a divine encounter, a genuine, noncontrived, deeply felt meeting with God that both exposes sinful pleasures as cheap counterfeits of soul joy and reveals to us that our nervousness about whether our lives will turn out well is an insult to the God who gives us Himself and says, 'Enjoy the feast!'"  (The Pressure's Off, Crabb)

I think this is similar to what the writer of Hebrews is saying to us today,

Now that we know what we have - Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers.  We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality.  He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin.  So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give.  Take the mercy, accept the help.  (4:14-16)

Father, You are rest.  In You alone can I find mercy and help.  You know my crabbiness when I'm tired and how easily I excuse my snippiness when I'm weary.  You've offered Yourself and in You is rest, a feast to enjoy, and the great High Priest who provides direct access to You.  I don't want to let it slip through my fingers while I'm reaching for cheap counterfeits of peace and joy.