Post 29 of Study: Hebrews 4:11

I am a little split, studying four different passages in my life right now, thus the delay on this one. Thankfully, on Thursday mornings I have time to myself. I'm attending two groups that are in Philippians, I will be teaching from Matthew starting October 11, I'm working on a book about Philemon, and then there's Hebrews. Fortunately, it all hangs together around Christ, and until we get that, we're just studying words. 

4:11 really seems to be logically disconnected, despite the "Therefore." I had to reflect on this. Many of us know verses 12 and 13 or parts of it, but how do we get there. In verse 10 we have the end of the warning passage about entering rest, and not holding back from entering rest. "For he who has entered God's rest has himself also ceased from his works, as God did from His (in creation). Then verse 11 seems to follow:

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest. 

Diligent does not mean struggling, hard working, etc. here. I think it means focused, aware, mindful, intent. Be diligent about not working hard, but trusting God. Be aware of your need for God in every part of your life and how He can release you from the idols and idle work that you think are saving you. Specifically here, He can release the Jewish converts from their cultural reliance on the law and practices of Judaism that were fulfilled in Christ and do not need to be followed any longer. 

I think about my Muslim friends. Culture is so strong, especially when one is in a foreign country with a new language and all the people who are like them linguistically (and thus deeply in their world view) are of a faith that does not really allow such a thing as conversion to another religion. If they were in their home countries, conversion might be a crime.  I see the same thing for the original readers of Hebrews. 

So, Hebrews 4 calls us to empathy for why we all have such a hard time entering into full rest in Christ. It requires diligence. 

But why verse 12? Why does the writer bring up the Word of God, at that time mostly the First Testament and the gospels, and how it has power to energize and to do surgery on our innermost psychology (in the original meaning of psuche, soul)?  I'll ponder and get into that tomorrow.