Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11We've all been teenagers. And so, we've been grounded for a week, approximately two days before the "world's largest party" or that concert that "all of our friends are going to"....etc. You know what I mean. We were almost there....but it just didn't happen. We messed up.... we blew it.... we did something so horrible that our parents- two days before the event- pulled the trump discipline, "You are grounded for a week." "No!"....our world came crashing down. We could smell it, taste it, see it....but then, it was out of sight. We were the only person in the vast universe sitting at home while the rest of the world got to go.
Okay, that was rather dramatic for being a generic, hypothetical scenario. Actually, there is a real story behind it, but I wanted to protect the guilty (me). Anyhow, I am sure that you recall the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The bible makes it clear that they did not get to enter their rest (The Promised Land) due to the hardening of their hearts.... disobedience.... rebellion. What should have been an eleven day journey, ended in 40 years of walking around in the wilderness and never reaching the promised destination. They were divinely "grounded."
The author of Hebrews is imploring his readers to "make every effort to enter that rest" and to not "harden their hearts." Bottom-line, the "rest" that the scriptures talk about only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. You either have it or you don't. Are you tired of walking in the wilderness? There is a way out!
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