The Rest Of God

The Rest of God

Does anyone like to rest? When I was a teen, I used to be able to sleep until 2pm! Now-a-days, I wake up a few times during the night and I can’t seem to sleep past 6:30am! Sometimes, I just would like to sleep late! But of course, waking up is a good thing to be able to do too!

But getting rest can mean a lot of things. Rest can be sleep, but it can also mean, just relaxing and hanging out. Or vacation, or retirement, or just not having to do anything, freed of responsibility and stress and just living the good life. Seems some rich people get that but being rich sometimes has it’s own problems so many rich people sometimes wish they weren’t rich! Weird, huh? Yeah, if you don’t want it, I’ll take that peril off your hands! LOL!

Exodus!

Moses and Aaron led all of the Jewish people out of Egypt.

Spies were sent into Cannan but all of the spies gave a bad report but two gave a good report. Joshua & Calab. They said the people were like giants in their eyes, but Josua and Calab said they could take them. So the decision was made to not go into the promised land at that time.

So, instead of entering the promised land, what happened? They were doomed to wander for 40 years in the wilderness South and East of the promised land.

What happened during those 40 years of wandering ? The people got bit by snakes!

God’s remedy was for Moses to make a brazen serpent and if someone was bit by a snake, all they had to do was to look up at the brazen serpent on the stick and they would survive.

Those who did as the Lord prescribed, and looked up at the brazen serpent, miraculously survived! Those who did not, died. The book of Numbers sort of talks about the Numbers of people from Exodus! The brazen serpent was, of course, a symbol of Christ on the cross!

John 3:14,15

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

So look to Jesus and live!

During that time, Moses disobeyed God when he struck the rock twice when he was specifically told to only strike it once. So Moses got to look onto the promised land but didn’t get to enter into it and he died. The leadership was handed to Joshua.

So of all the people, who survived and got to enter the promised land?

Pretty much everyone who left Egypt died! Specifically everyone over 40 died except for two people. Anyone know which 2 over 40 didn’t die and got to enter the promised land?

Joshua and Calab.

So In Psalms we find out how God felt about that people that left Egypt!

From Psalm 95:7b-11

Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

So the people who left Egypt weren’t really God fearing people. They didn’t have faith in Him, they easily turned to idols, and did horrible deeds. Remember what happened at Mount Sinai where the people turned to the golden calf and did unspeakable deeds? Not only that, but while wandering, they grumbled and complained at God and pretty much just wanted to go back into slavery under the false Gods in Egypt! Sick!

So, they were promised the Promised Land, yet none of them got to enter it but two! Why did they not enter? They had no faith in God! At all! In fact, they rejected God!

Matthew 7:13,14

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

So now we arrive at the Book of Hebrews chapter 4 where the writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) explains what happened back then.

Hebrews 4:1-11 (1-3a)

1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,