13 January 2023
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said
Hebrews 4:1-5,11, NRSV
The author of the letter to the Hebrews continues to encourage the community to persevere in their faith and so achieve the promise of eternal rest in the Kingdom of God. He wants each and every member of that community to realise that the promise of such rest is still open to them despite past failures. Their ancestors who had escaped from Egypt lost their reward of rest in the land of Canaan for a whole generation because of their failure to listen to God and to complete the tasks they had been given. The Hebrews to whom this letter is addressed are offered an even greater rest if they stay true to God’s will for them. If they listen to God, they will receive all that they need to complete the tasks entrusted to them. They will then enjoy the same rest as God enjoyed after the completion of Creation.
- How would these words have affected the community to whom they were written?
- What does the promise of entering into God’s rest mean to you?
Reflect on the tasks that God needs you to accomplish.
