"For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." (Heb 4:10)


I think this trend of thought will be more of a technical than inspirational one. There are just too many implied pronouns in Hebrews. Everyone becomes 'he', whether it be Moses, Jesus, God, or human beings in geneal. However the 'he' in this verse was identified as 'the people of God' from the previous verse. We, who believed and are baptized, are defined as this 'he' mentioned. As many verses in the Bible could be taken at the physical or spiritual level, the message in this verse does not differ.

When 'rest' is mentioned, it takes on its physical meaning of the time we take off from the world on Sabbaths to attend worships. This is the time we dedicate to God and take a leave of absence from the world. To 'rest' on Sabbath doesn't mean we do no work. It simply means we separate ourselves from worldly matters and focus on the matters concerning God. Therefore, we still cook that one dish for pot luck love meal, wash dishes, mop the floor, take out the trash, etc...Jesus also upheld the performing of good deeds on Sabbath by healing a man with a withered hand when it was clearly unlawful (Mt. 12:10-13). However, this 'rest' is a temporary rest that we enjoy one day out of the seven day week.

The spiritual meaning of 'rest' is that eternal rest promised by God. When we obtain that eternal rest, we will be separate from this world. There will be no more worldly worries, no more work, and no more school. It is for that eternal rest that we strive for while we still live. When we enter that eternal rest, there will be no love meals to cook for, no trash to take out, no floors to mop, and no more dishes to wash. That rest is a true rest, a total rest from tasks of this world. Since we are still of this world, Sabbath is the closest we can get to that heaven on earth feeling. Let us take advantage of what God has established for us to enjoy, a rest under His wings.