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Hebrews 3 and 4 of the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible with my commentary:
We are in the new covenant after Jesus, who continues to faithfully build “God’s entire house” after Moses.
Jesus is greater than Moses, God sent them both to build “God’s entire house”.
Moses laid the groundwork for Jesus to continue building “God’s entire house”, started by Moses.
Today, the Holy Spirit calls “God’s entire house” in the new covenant to enter His “rest” that God did not allow those "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years to enter by an oath before coming to the Promised Land.
We must not be like those "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years, disobedient to the point of spending God’s patience with their disobedience. We need to encourage each other every day, as long as there is time to grow and not be like them, disobedient in “God’s entire house” to His word. We are of Christ if we obey God in all that He has revealed in His word. We must grow in obedience and not share in their disobedience "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years.
Those who rebelled are the ones that Moses brought out of Egypt and Jesus expects greater obedience than Moses did. The “oath” not to enter God’s “rest” was to those "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land. They did not enter God’s “rest” punished for disobedience. They did not enter because of their unbelief in what revealed is in the word of God. Moses spoke to them about the Sabbath from evening to evening, but they were not allowed to enter God’s "rest" from evening to evening near the Promised Land with a morning to morning seventh day Sabbath with the manna that was not the correct "rest" near the Promised Land. For 40 years they kept the Sabbath which was correct in Eden, but not correct near the Promised Land, as they would then keep from evening to evening when they arrived in the Promised Land.
No person has the correct "rest" of God’s Sabbath; even up to the time that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. The "let us do our best to enter that rest" mentioned later is still future to correct the Sabbath tradition of Judaism that thinks that the Sabbath in Israel is a day of the week as it was in Eden established in Genesis as with the manna from morning to morning when it falls in Israel between two days of the week from evening to evening because remembered it is in the Eden time zone. Paul did not understand what he was writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What God seeks to save us is that we "share the faith of those who listened to God". Although Israel had the written account of the creation week that we have, they did not "share the faith of those who listened to God", like Abraham's faith, to learn from Genesis God’s definition of a day that shows that a Sabbath in Israel is not a day of the week like in Eden. We who believe, “let us do our best to enter that rest”. God’s “oath” shows that He is against those who do not “share the faith of those who listened to God” to enter into His Sabbath “rest”. The only “rest” that God entered is the “rest” He made holy on creation week. Not entering God's "rest" means that you don't have His correct Sabbath because if you had His correct Sabbath, He could not prevent you from entering His "rest".
The reason God does not want us to enter His “rest” is because we don’t “share the faith of those who listened to God”. God clearly tells us that He is speaking of another Sabbath “rest” than the Sabbath tradition of Judaism that believes that the Sabbath in Israel is a day of the week when it is not a day of the week as it was in Eden. What remains for God’s people is the “rest” of the corrected Sabbath that Judaism has not corrected because they did not “share the faith of those who listened to God” to learn that God defined a day in Genesis different from how He taught Israel to remember the Sabbath because remembered it is in the Eden time zone. The only “rest” that we know God entered is the "rest" of that first Sabbath. “Let us do our best to enter that rest” that corrects the human tradition of Judaism to find the true “rest” that God entered on that first Sabbath in creation week.
Corrected is the Sabbath by studying the word of God. The truth of the Sabbath was foretold by God from the beginning and the reason we do not have the truth about the Sabbath is because we do not "share the faith of those who listened to God". This “rest” spoken of in the passage, those “whose corpses lay in the wilderness” could have entered if they “share the faith of those who listened to God”.
Changing a tradition that has been with us for so long is difficult, but we have Jesus as our High Priest to help us hold firmly to the word of God that corrects our traditions to enter the true Sabbath “rest” of God prepared from the beginning in the creation week. United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house. (Hebrews 3:1-2 NLT)
We are in the new covenant after Jesus, who continues to faithfully build “God’s entire house” after Moses.
But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. (Hebrews 3:3-4 NLT)
Jesus is greater than Moses, God sent them both to build “God’s entire house”.
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. (Hebrews 3:5-6 NLT)
Moses laid the groundwork for Jesus to continue building “God’s entire house”, started by Moses.
That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” (Hebrews 3:7-11 NLT)
Today, the Holy Spirit calls “God’s entire house” in the new covenant to enter His “rest” that God did not allow those "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years to enter by an oath before coming to the Promised Land.
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Hebrews 3:12-15 NLT)
We must not be like those "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years, disobedient to the point of spending God’s patience with their disobedience. We need to encourage each other every day, as long as there is time to grow and not be like them, disobedient in “God’s entire house” to His word. We are of Christ if we obey God in all that He has revealed in His word. We must grow in obedience and not share in their disobedience "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years.
And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest. (Hebrews 3:16-19 NLT)
Those who rebelled are the ones that Moses brought out of Egypt and Jesus expects greater obedience than Moses did. The “oath” not to enter God’s “rest” was to those "whose corpses lay in the wilderness" for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land. They did not enter God’s “rest” punished for disobedience. They did not enter because of their unbelief in what revealed is in the word of God. Moses spoke to them about the Sabbath from evening to evening, but they were not allowed to enter God’s "rest" from evening to evening near the Promised Land with a morning to morning seventh day Sabbath with the manna that was not the correct "rest" near the Promised Land. For 40 years they kept the Sabbath which was correct in Eden, but not correct near the Promised Land, as they would then keep from evening to evening when they arrived in the Promised Land.
God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.” (Hebrews 4:1-5 NLT)
No person has the correct "rest" of God’s Sabbath; even up to the time that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. The "let us do our best to enter that rest" mentioned later is still future to correct the Sabbath tradition of Judaism that thinks that the Sabbath in Israel is a day of the week as it was in Eden established in Genesis as with the manna from morning to morning when it falls in Israel between two days of the week from evening to evening because remembered it is in the Eden time zone. Paul did not understand what he was writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What God seeks to save us is that we "share the faith of those who listened to God". Although Israel had the written account of the creation week that we have, they did not "share the faith of those who listened to God", like Abraham's faith, to learn from Genesis God’s definition of a day that shows that a Sabbath in Israel is not a day of the week like in Eden. We who believe, “let us do our best to enter that rest”. God’s “oath” shows that He is against those who do not “share the faith of those who listened to God” to enter into His Sabbath “rest”. The only “rest” that God entered is the “rest” He made holy on creation week. Not entering God's "rest" means that you don't have His correct Sabbath because if you had His correct Sabbath, He could not prevent you from entering His "rest".
So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. (Hebrews 4:6-11 NLT)
The reason God does not want us to enter His “rest” is because we don’t “share the faith of those who listened to God”. God clearly tells us that He is speaking of another Sabbath “rest” than the Sabbath tradition of Judaism that believes that the Sabbath in Israel is a day of the week when it is not a day of the week as it was in Eden. What remains for God’s people is the “rest” of the corrected Sabbath that Judaism has not corrected because they did not “share the faith of those who listened to God” to learn that God defined a day in Genesis different from how He taught Israel to remember the Sabbath because remembered it is in the Eden time zone. The only “rest” that we know God entered is the "rest" of that first Sabbath. “Let us do our best to enter that rest” that corrects the human tradition of Judaism to find the true “rest” that God entered on that first Sabbath in creation week.
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT)
Corrected is the Sabbath by studying the word of God. The truth of the Sabbath was foretold by God from the beginning and the reason we do not have the truth about the Sabbath is because we do not "share the faith of those who listened to God". This “rest” spoken of in the passage, those “whose corpses lay in the wilderness” could have entered if they “share the faith of those who listened to God”.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT)
Changing a tradition that has been with us for so long is difficult, but we have Jesus as our High Priest to help us hold firmly to the word of God that corrects our traditions to enter the true Sabbath “rest” of God prepared from the beginning in the creation week. United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge