Hebrews 4:9-11 – So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
The entire point of Sabbath rest that is highlighted throughout Scripture is to prepare us for Heaven. A Heavenly rhythm is six days of honest productive work, and one day of total rest for the body, mind, and soul to replenish and recover by doing whatever makes you healthy, happy, and holy. From this, we learn four things about why a day off is Heavenly:
- If you don’t get a break, you break. If you never lay down for a nap, eventually you exceed the capacity of your humanity and lie down in a hospital bed.
- Rest and home are connected concepts in the Bible. The context of Hebrews 4 was God’s people in the Old Testament leaving Egypt and making the journey home to the Promised Land where they could rest. To practice for the Father’s House in Heaven, you need to have your home be a place you can rest, recover, and replenish.
- Everyone wants Heaven. Not everyone wants God. The context of Hebrews 4 is that some folks had faith in God, and they would enjoy the eternal rest of Heaven. Others, sadly, wanted Heaven but not God and are spoken of in terms of “fall” and “disobedience”. The same is sadly true today. The truth is Heaven is not just a place, it’s also a person named Jesus. Apart from Jesus, there is no place like Heaven. Apart from Jesus, no one makes it to the real Heaven.
- Those who do not understand the real heaven try to make their version of Heaven on earth in vain. The Israelites who were given the fourth Commandment in Exodus 20 about the Sabbath are spoken of in Hebrews 4. These are the same people who got drunk, had crazy naughty parties, and worshipped a golden calf, which was likely some crazy cult concept that they borrowed from their slavery in Egypt. Today, the cover of the magazines in our grocery store line, and most pictures we post on social media, are efforts to portray heaven on earth as if we did not need the real one. There is marriage heaven, perfectly dressed family heaven, organized home heaven, car stereo heaven, nice meal heaven, fancy vacation heaven, fast car heaven, expensive cigar heaven, weight loss heaven, big house heaven…the list goes on forever. Of course, this never works, and the people who get their heaven find it to be a veritable hell which explains why the most successful people are often also the most miserable.
Is there any way you have tried to make your own little heaven on earth without God?