The Rest God Began – Hebrews 4:3–5 | Good News Unlimited
The Rest God Began – Hebrews 4:3–5
Sep 10, 2025 251
“For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’ And again in this passage he said, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” (ESV)
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The Rest God Enjoys
The writer of Hebrews takes us back to page one of the Bible. After six days of creation, “God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” (Genesis 2:2). This was not God collapsing in exhaustion. It was God delighting in His finished work. Creation was complete, good, good, good, good, good, and very good!
And notice something unique: day seven never ends. Every other day in Genesis closes with “and there was evening and there was morning.” Not the seventh. God is still in His rest, still delighting in His finished work, still inviting His people to join Him.
The Rest Israel Missed
But Israel refused that invitation. Twice this passage repeats the warning: “They shall not enter my rest.”
The promised land was meant to be a foretaste of God’s Sabbath rest – life with Him, freedom from enemies, worship in His presence. But unbelief cut them off. A whole generation missed out, even after seeing God’s mighty hand of salvation and hearing God’s promises.
The lesson is clear: unbelief keeps us restless. Like Israel, we grumble, strive, chase idols, and put anything but God at the centre. The result is exhaustion.
The Rest We Need
Our world celebrates hustle. Always busy, always on, always chasing the next thing. We carry the phone in our pocket, answer emails at midnight, and wear busyness like a badge of honour. But it never truly delivers. It leaves us restless.
God’s rest is different. It’s not just one day off. It’s delight in His finished work. It’s peace in His presence. And through Christ, we are invited into it. Just as God completed creation, Jesus has completed redemption. On the cross, He cried, “It is finished.”
The invitation is open: we who have believed enter that rest, not through hustle, not through self-salvation, but through faith in Christ.
Reflection:
Spend time thanking God for His finished work of creation and His finished work of redemption in Christ. Ask Him to keep you from unbelief, and to find true rest in Him alone.
