Hebrews 7:1–10

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” ³ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. ⁴ Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. ⁵ And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶ but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷ Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. ⁸ Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. ⁹ Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Preamble: The mention of Melchizedek in the previous verse (Hebrews 6:20) begins again the Word of God's exposition of his priestly position and service, to now show the superiority of it to Aaron's. And so the Lord Jesus Christ as now the One and Only High Priest of God has been called according to it, and not according to the temporal priesthood that came through Aaron. And so in this section we are shown the marked distinctions between Melchizedek's priesthood and Aaron's. 

Commentary
Vs. 1 "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,"

Unlike Aaron, Melchizedek bore two titles and served in two capacities. The first one mentioned is that of being king, specifically king of Salem, which means king of peace. Now Salem geographically corresponds with Jerusalem, and so in Melchizedek we clearly see the precursor for the Lord Jesus Christ's own Kingship, and thus His fulfilling this aspect of that office and service for God, and for us all who believe in Him. Now the second aspect of Melchizedek is that he alone in the days of Abraham was called the priest of the Most High God. This is very important because in being called according to the order of Melchizedek and not Aaron, the Lord Jesus Christ likewise is now the One and only High Priest before God, therefore we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ do not trace our spiritual beginnings to Aaron and Moses, but to Abraham who first believed God (consider Gal 3:5-9, 15-18, 19-25, 26-29 etc.), who was alone blessed by Melchizedek, which then set the stage for the Spiritual descendancy that followed, which we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ all belong too (1 Peter 2:9-10). And so when Melchizedek met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings (that is those kings who had first assailed and taken prisoner Abraham's nephew Lot and the people who dwelt with them (see Gen. 14, vs. 18-20), this Melchizedek, king of Salem, being priest of the Most High God, after Abraham had secured the victory then met Abraham and blessed him alone. Now the nature of this blessing will not be discussed here for the Word of God is not focusing on that, but rather on the importance of the position and person of Melchizedek (as a precursor to Christ) and thus Abraham's response to him as priest of God Most High. 

Vs. 2 ² to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 

Abraham then upon this meeting then gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils from the war. Now this is very significant because by doing so Abraham was acknowledging that Melchizedek was indeed priest of God Most High, and thus far greater than himself. And so imagine if you will that this great man Abraham (the father of the faith) whom God alone had called, by receiving and honoring Melchizedek's person and position did so as his willing subjection to God through God's priest Melchizedek, because his position as priest of God Most High was the precursor for Christ's. Therefore if Abraham received and honored God's priest Melchizedek who blessed him, how much more should we now likewise receive and be in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ as God's High Priest alone. For the parallels between Melchizedek and the Lord Jesus Christ are so clear and are being shown us all by the Word of God so that no one in anyway would dare lesson Jesus Christ's Person or High Priesthood by seeking to return themselves (or others) to the Law and Aaron's. For again Melchizedek is the precursor of all that God intended to do through the Lord Jesus Christ's own Priesthood. For God's blessing on His people does not come upon us through Aaron and Moses and the Levitical priesthood that came through them, but only through the Lord Jesus Christ's. And so here it is also stated that Melchizedek was first called "king of righteousness" as well as "king of peace", two titles that could never be attributed to Aaron or his descendants and their priesthood, because Aaron was never called by God a king, nor did his person or his service as priest ever bring about a righteous standing with God, or peace with God, for anyone. Only the Lord Jesus Christ has done this for everyone who believes in Him crucified and risen from the dead for all their sins and transgressions, and thus now is subject to Him as God's One and only High Priest who is Lord of all.

Vs. 3 "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually."

And so this Melchizedek as the precursor of all that God was going to do through His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ, also had to be without a father, and without mother, (that is genealogical parents), having neither beginning of days nor end of life, and thus being made like the Son of God (in regards to these things) remains a priest continually. Now this eternal aspect of Melchizedek's person and priesthood is the critical point being made here, because both Aaron's person and priesthood, and all the priest's, and specifically all the high priests who came through him, were all temporary, they began on earth, and thus their service ends on earth (Rev. 20:6). And so theirs is not the everlasting priesthood for God, theirs was the service that the Law required until the Seed should come through whom all of God's promises and provisions for us all who believe in Him would come to fruition.

Vs. 4  ⁴ Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 

The significance of Abraham giving Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils should not then be lost on any of us, because Abraham here being called the patriarch (of our faith) in doing so was pointing us all through the person and service of Melchizedek to the Person and Priesthood of Christ, whom we are all to honor and be in subjection too (John 5:22-23).

Vs. 5-6 ⁵ And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶ but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

And so now an analogy is being drawn between the sons of Levi who received the priesthood from God, and thus were commanded to receive tithes according to the Law from their brethren, who also came through the loins of Abraham, and so all of these who were commanded to receive tithes from the people under the Law first all paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham (vs. 9), and thus themselves are likewise subordinate to God's Priest Melchizedek, just as Abraham was, though that is not the whole point here, for though they all came through Abraham who himself paid tithes to Melchizedek, who again did not come from the tribe of Levi, or even through Abraham, but by God. Therefore since Abraham their (and our) father acknowledged and received and honored Melchizedek as being exceedingly greater then himself, received and honored him in anticipation of Christ fulfilling this service for him and for all. How much more then should Abraham's descendants do likewise and be in subjection to God  as Abraham was by receiving and honoring His High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ who was also sent to them. And so whether one is of Aaron or Levi or one of the other tribes of Israel is irrelevant, because Abraham their father in submitting himself to God through Melchizedek set the stage for all of his descendants (whether biological or Spiritual) to follow. Therefore if you believe in God then be in subjection to God as Abraham the Patriarch was by honoring and obeying God's High Priest who is not now Melchizedek, but the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Vs. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 

Abraham being the lessor of these two great persons; Melchizedek and himself; is blessed by the better, something which Melchizedek did when he came out to meet Abraham after the slaughter of the kings (vs. 1). Again the point is that if Abraham who preceded Moses and Aaron, and thus is the patriarch to whom God gave the promises, in reverence received God's priest Melchizedek who was sent to bless him, how much more should his own descendants hold God's Son and Abraham's and our own High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ in reverence and thus be in subjection to Him. For Christ Jesus the Lord was sent as God's King and High Priest to bless and keep everyone who repents and believes in Him. 

Vs. 8 ⁸ Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 

Here on earth mortal men receives tithes, the reference being to sons of Aaron, the priests appointed by God to administer the Law. And so their service was earthly, temporary, they only officiated while they lived and while the Law was governing, while Melchizedek's service did not begin on earth, nor does it end on earth, and thus it is a marvelous model for the Lord Jesus Christ's own High Priesthood which was foretold through it. And thus through Melchizedek's unending service we have the witness that he still lives, and thus if he still lives, so too does the Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest before God (Heb. 4:14-16). For Melchizedek's service was not pointing to himself, but to Christ Himself.

Vs. 9-10 ⁹ Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Not only did Abraham pay tithes to Melchizedek, but so too did Levi, for as the Word of God makes clear here, when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, Levi his descendant also did because he was still in the loins of his father Abraham when Melchizedek met him. And so again the point is that Melchizedek's person and position is not only greater than Abraham's but it also preceded and excelled all that came through Aaron, because it was a precursor to Christ's. The next section of Scripture then will bring this truth to bear with even more compelling reasoning's so stay tuned.   

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 6:13-20

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, ²⁰ where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Commentary
Vs. 13-15 ¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Carrying on from the exhortation that we should imitate the faith and patience of those who inherit God's promises, the Word of God now gives us the example of Abraham, the father of our faith, a man chosen by God, who believed God, and thus went onto obey God in offering up Issac, and so God promised him saying, "“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise, (vs. 14-15, citing Gen. 22:16-17). Therefore though Abraham believed God he was not immediately rewarded with God's promise, he had to patiently endure many trials and tribulations before God's promise unfolded to him; some of which he saw in his own lifetime, some of which came much later too and through his own descendants, and now as God's Promise finds it's fulfillment In Christ, Abraham now observing from heaven is seeing the the innumerable multitudes who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ likewise fulfilling God's Word spoken to him, by having God's longstanding Promise and blessing coming to fruition in our own lives as well, in that we too have become apart of God's chosen people in fulfillment of His promise spoken to Abraham (1 Peter 2:9-10). And so the point that is being made is that trust in God's Promise spoken through His Word is the most assured place to have ones trust and hope, because what God promises He always fulfills. Therefore if you have not yet placed all your faith, hope and trust in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ for your own redemption from sin and death please do so now, because God's Promise in John 3:16 was given by Him for you. 

Vs. 16-18 ¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

If mortal men swear oaths by something or someone greater then themselves as a confirmation of their own words, and thus their word is believed and trusted, how much more should we trust God's Word (vs. 16). Because God in determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, also confirmed it by an oath, not that His own Word needs any such confirmation, but rather He wanted to show us all who are and will be the heirs of His promise the immutability of His counsel, that is the unchangeable nature of it (vs. 17). Therefore when God swore His Promise He also confirmed it by an oath. Now this He did, not that He needed to confirm His own Word, but rather He did this so that all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to whom His Promise of becoming His people is given, and thus of having His eternal salvation is for, would have strong consolation in His Person, in His Word, and thus in His Promise. For it is impossible for God to lie, therefore we who believe have strong consolation in God's Person, Promise, Counsel and Word, because having fled to Him for refuge from the wrath to come we now have everlasting salvation through His Son, and thus we have now laid hold of all of God's Promises which are all bound up in Jesus Christ alone. 

Vs. 19-20  ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, ²⁰ where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Therefore this hope of (eternal life by faith In the Lord Christ) we have as an anchor of our souls, for it is sure and it is steadfast, and it enters the Presence behind the veil; a reference to the holy Presence and sacred place of God, which the high priest once a year entered to make atonement and intercession for the people of God. And so just as this was once performed on earth in anticipation of God's Promises fulfillment, now this hope given us through God's Word's fulfillment In the Lord Jesus Christ likewise has now entered the Presence of God behind the veil in heaven, where Jesus the forerunner of us all who believe in Him has entered for us. Therefore in becoming the High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, Jesus has not only made the everlasting atonement for us all who believe in Him, but He has also established an everlasting and unchanging Priesthood of which He alone officiates in the Presence of God on our behalf (Heb. 4:14-16). 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 6:9-12

⁹ But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Commentary

Vs. 9 "But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner."

The Word of God's tone now changes from a dire warning to a tone of much encouragement, because all that was previous stated was not an indictment of us who believe, but rather those who don't. Therefore He say's, "...we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner." 

Vs. 10 "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."  

Therefore God is active in preserving our faith in His Son (1 Sam. 2:9; Psalm 31:23; 37:28; 97:10 etc.). For He is not unjust, for He both remembers and rewards all that we do in our love and labor for His Name. And so all that we have done and do in love towards His people (i.e. ministering to the saints), God remembers and repays, just as He remembers and will repay all that is done in ministering to those who cannot minister to you (Luke 14:12-14; also consider Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:23-25, vs. 24 where we will be rewarded for our faithful service to others as done unto Christ). 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

In light of such things everyone should be even more encouraged in their faith and labors of love, and thus show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end that saints of old did, because being sluggish in ones faith, love, and life is not the way of Jesus Christ, and neither anyone of us who truly believe in Him. Therefore let us all imitate the lives, faith, and patience of those who have inherited the promises, and will inherit the promises.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 6:1-8

¹ Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. ⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; ⁸ but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

It's important to note that what is being stated here is not abandoning the teachings of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. For these things are the foundations of a sound faith, and so forsaking them is not what is being stated here. What is being stated is that their should a progression in our faith and lives, and thus a moving on from the essentials of the faith and onto maturity. There is no need then to debate whether people are commanded to repent and believe, or be baptized upon their salvation, or of the validity of the laying on of hands, or of the ressurection of the dead and eternal judgment. These things have all been verified by the Life, Death and Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-16). Maturity then for us who believe is not found by us endlessly reiterating and or debating these to and amongst ourselves. Rather Spirit maturity requires our faith, and thus our living by faith in God through Christ, by which we must grow in both grace and truth if we are to attain to maturity (John 1:17; Gal 1:6-8; 2 Peter 3:18 etc.). 

Vs. 3 "And this we will do if God permits."

The thought here is that no one; whether an individual believer, or an assembly of believers grows apart from God. We are all dependent upon Him for our growth and our maturing. Yet God does not hinder our growth (only we do that) when we refuse to obey Him not only as the Author, but also the Perfecter of our faith (Heb 10:14). Lets us then work with Him in His grand designs to bring us all to maturity by our obeying the Biblical teachings of His Spirit gifted leaders, just as they rightly use His Word to instruct us and deliver us from every false way (consider Eph. 4:11-16). 

Vs. 4-6 ⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

The sin of apostasy is what is being warned about here, a sin of which there is no repentance from. Not that the original recipients of this epistle had done so, (for if they had there would be no need to write to them), but rather to warn them against the peril of not progressing in ones faith. Now there are several things to note about this, first is that these individuals were once enlightened, they had heard the Good News about God's salvation by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and so they were enlightened, not only about their own sinful condition, but more importantly about the Lord Jesus Christ and His Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead which is the only remedy for them and for all. And so God's promise went out to them, just as it goes to all, offering and bringing new and everlasting life to everyone who repents and believes in Christ. And yet with their being enlightened this did equate with their salvation. For one can hear the Gospel and yet not receive it's promise of remission of sins and everlasting by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so though they were enlightened, they did not take the next step and make a positive move towards a definitive faith and trust in God through the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Gospel always demands a response from us, and not to respond is only to waste an opportunity for ones own redemption. For it also says that they tasted the heavenly gift, that is they found themselves in a situation or circumstance where the glory of God's salvation was clearly shown them, they thus tasted the heavenly gift, yet they did not partake of the heavenly gift, for Jesus Christ Himself clearly warns us all that, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (see John 6:53-59). Therefore you cannot have just a little bit of the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot accept and receive only those aspects of His Person or His teachings that you find agreeable or believable. Your must eat and feed on all of Him, or you will have none of Him. And so going to church, or an evangelist rally, and partaking in all of the praise and worship and Spirit born activity, and thus to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit and His work in and amongst God's people is not the same as being born again by the Holy Spirit which is a definitive work of God who does this and seals everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore where there is a resistance in an individuals heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ completely and unconditionally there He will not go (for the antithesis of that see Jesus' Promise in Rev. 3:20). And so though these people had all kinds of exposure to God's Son Person and His salvation and His working in and through His people, and thus they tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come (vs. 5), and yet it did not equate with their believing and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their own. They may have gone to Bible studies and joined small groups etc. but at some point in their hearts they stalled out and instead of growing in faith until they came to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ upon which the Holy Spirit would have entered them and thus begun His work of sanctifying them, they only gave up their pursuit of Him, and instead of believing in Him for eternal life they only fell away from Him, and thus all that God had done and planted in their hearts and lives in the hopes of redeeming them has been lost forever, since they themselves made in their hearts at some point a definitive rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ's Person. Therefore they cannot be renewed to repentance, since they would then crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (vs. 6). Therefore there is no redemption for anyone who does so. This passage then is a dire warning for us all to heed because God will not endure anyone who does so (consider John 3:35-36).

Vs. 7-8 ⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; ⁸ but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Now these verses metaphorically represent the life of the individual who has fallen away from Christ and thus whose unregenerate life now only bears the fruits of sin and death, and thus there is contained with them a warning about bearing the good fruits that God desires in all of our lives, because just as the earth is watered and nurtured by God so are we, and if we do not bear the good fruits of repentance in our own lives (Matt 3:8-10; Acts 26:20), then we too may be cursed and rejected and ultimately burned. For there is a ressurection of the just and the unjust and so the responsibility always lies with us to bring our faith and lives inline with God's (John 5:24-30). 
Therefore I urge you to take the Word of God deeply into heart and Person and life and let the Lord Jesus Christ deeply transform you. Because that is where everything Christian and life giving begins, with Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior indwelling you, for then you will have all of fruits of the Spirit of God within you, the love, the joy, the peace, the patience, the kindness, the goodness, the faithfulness, the self control all which makes for living a fruitful and satisfying and purpose filled life. Therefore don't delay receive the Lord Jesus Christ today!

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 5:12-14

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Commentary 
Vs. 12 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food." 

Continuing on from the rebuke of their being dull of hearing (see Heb 5:11) the Word of God now makes an appeal to their false sense of being mature in the faith. For not unlike today, there are always some who need to move beyond the essentials of the faith and move onto maturity. And so though they should have been teachers, both in terms of their knowledge and understanding, and even their lives, and thus they should have been well established in the faith. Instead they were still found to be in need of the first principles of the oracles of God, and thus like infants they were still needing and feeding on milk and not solid food. And so somewhere along the way they stalled in their faith, and instead of moving onto maturity they lost sight of the Way. Maybe they returned to Jewish legalism (Rom 10:3-4), or maybe they continued to emphasize Spiritual gifts and giftedness rather than moving onto love (1 Cor 13). Whatever it was, it was bad enough for the Word of God to need to rebuke their inattentiveness to His Word and His wanting to lead them onto maturity. And so before we go on we all need to examine ourselves and make sure that what we think is being mature really is! Because nothing stifles growth and maturity and unity more than clinging to and exalting those things that are meant to lead us into maturity, and not into their own exaltation and servitude. 

Vs. 13 "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe."

For everyone (from the Pastor to the new born child of God) who partakes only of milk (a metaphor for beginning things of our faith, more on this in chapter 6) is only unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Notice it is God's Word that is the standard of righteousness by which we discern both good and evil. And so like the machinist who calibrates his very precise measuring tools against a known and unchanging standard, so must we calibrate our faith and beliefs and lives by the Word of God, which is the unchanging and unalterable standard of God. For it is the only true standard and measure for us who believe of what is righteous and holy and just conduct in the sight of God and what is not. And so being well versed in God's Word, both in belief and practice, is how we learn and discern God's will for us and for all. 

Vs. 14 "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Therefore solid food belongs to those who are mature, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Spiritual discernment then is both a gift of the Spirit of God as well something that comes to us by our putting the Word of God in practice. Maturity then is linked to our obeying the Word of God and it's truths, as God by His Spirit reveals these things to us. For by doing so we not only mature in the faith, but we will also grow in our abilities to discern between good and evil. Something that is desperately needed as this world undoes all that is Godly and true and righteous and sound so as too leave no other standard then their own degenerating values for people to measure their lives and conduct by, and so rather than following that pathway of sin which leads to death (Rom 3:23), turn by faith too the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior not only for the remission of all your sins, but also for the regeneration, and thus transformation of your person and life! For it is Jesus Christ and Him alone who can and will bring you into a living and eternal relationship with God the Father Himself the moment you believe! Therefore be reconciled to God today, open your heart and mind and receive Jesus Christ so that you will have remission of all your sins and everlasting life united with God through Christ forever (Rev 3:20). 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 5:5-11

⁵ So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” ⁶ As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; ⁷ who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, ⁸ though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, ¹⁰ called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” ¹¹ of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Commentary

Vs. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”

Just as Aaron and his sons did not glorify themselves in serving God as high priests, since it was God who called them alone to serve Him in that capacity until the time of reformation (see Heb. 9:6-10). So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, for it was God who said to Him alone, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” (Psalm 2:7). Therefore if the Aaron and his sons alone were to serve God as His high priests, since God called them alone, how much more is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Person the Scriptures declare to be His Son and foretold He would be His High Priest. For the Lord Jesus Christ alone having accomplished eternal salvation for us all who believe in Him, is now alone called by God the Father to serve and intercede for us as His High Priest. 

Vs. 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;

Melchizedek' priesthood was unique in that it was without beginning and end (Heb 7:3), thus it is here distinguished from Aaron's which came into being with the giving of the Law. And so the Lord Jesus Christ being the Author of eternal salvation did not have His High Priesthood come according to the order of Aaron, for Christ did not come to reestablish the Old Covenant and it's priesthood but to fulfill it, so as to make way for the New Covenant, and thus establish His own High Priesthood which is according to the order of Melchizedek, whose person is without beginning and without end, who alone served God in that capacity, and as such he then signifies all that God planned to do through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Priesthood (consider Heb 9:6-14). 

Vs. 7 "who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear" 

The Lord Jesus Christ when He became a Man was fully human, fully capable of experiencing all the fears and pains and even death that we can and do, yet He alone is without sin. As well as a Man Jesus Christ in laying aside all of His Privileges as the Son of God, was just like us in another way, and that is He was faced with a reality that He was now totally dependent on God. Yes Jesus could do miracles and such as a Man, but everything that He now did was fully dependent upon God. Even His very life which is the point being made here, was fully subject too and dependent upon the Will of God (consider John 19:10-11). And so when in Gethsemane, (and likely at other times), when Jesus offered up prayers and supplications and vehement cries to God who was able to save Him from death, Jesus was heard because of His Godly fear. Therefore God did not give Jesus over to the graves corruption, rather Jesus Christ three days after His Crucifixion death rose to new and everlasting life, so that He might be the Author of eternal salvation for all who now obey Him (Heb. 5:9)

Vs. 8 "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."

Though Jesus Christ was a Son, the Son of God, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. That is Jesus learned obedience as a Man comes at a cost, for there is always resistance and opposition in this sinful world to anyone doing the Will of God. Therefore Jesus had to experience in the flesh the very things that make for obedience: the risks (Matt 10:34-42, vs. 36), the self denial's (Matt. 16:24), the "losses" (Mark 8:35), the facing of ones own fears (Matt 10:27-28; 2 Cor 7:5-7; 1 Peter 4:14-19; Heb 13:12-14 etc.). Therefore don't confuse this passage with any notion that Jesus ever had any inclination to disobey God the Father, because He never has (John 8:29). 

Vs. 9 "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" 


Perfection here pertains not to Christ's Person per-say, but what He has accomplished as our Lord and Savior, and specifically as our High Priest, as all of this pertains to our salvation. Therefore Perfection for Christ came through suffering, suffering for His obedience to God the Father and obeying His Will even to the point of death on a cross, Jesus Christ alone then has become the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. 

Vs. 10-11¹⁰ called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” ¹¹ of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Since Jesus Christ alone has been called by God as High Priest, called according to the order of Melchizedek, and thus called into an everlasting priesthood from which He alone serves as God's sole Mediator between God and sinful humanity (1 Tim 2:5), there is much more that needs to be stated about Melchizedek, and will be stated in chapter seven so as to enlighten and enrich us all as to the nature of Christ's Priesthood, which is being exalted way higher and far above Aaron's in both it's nature and it's scope in what it is able to accomplish for us all who believe In the Lord Jesus Christ. That all said there is a slight rebuke here of the original audiences dullness of hearing in that in learning such things as pertaining to both the nature of the Law and it's sacrifices and priesthood, as well as the priesthood which performed all such things prescribed within; which again is only being stated so as to show the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ's Person, salvation, and priesthood all which has provided the everlasting atonement and redemption for everyone who repents and believes in His Person and calls upon His Name (Rom 10:9-10,13, Eph. 2:8-9); some had become dull of hearing, something which can happen to you too if don't believe and receive the Word of God's truths for yourself, so that you may also be a partaker of God's gift of new and everlasting life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts. 2:39 Therefore don't become dull of hearing instead receive the Lord Jesus Christ who will bring all the life and love and fullness of God deep inside you, for it is He alone who will fully satisfy and justify and sanctify you and keep your whole person and life until this redemption work and glory concludes with all our journeys home in heaven.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted
Vs. 8 Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887.

Hebrews 5:1-4

¹ For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. ³ Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. ⁴ And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.

Commentary

Vs. 1 "For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins."

Under the Old Covenant the high priest was taken from among men so that He could present on behalf of the individual, as well as the nation of Israel, all their gifts, and the commanded sacrifices for sins according to the law. It was a solemn duty that was assigned by God to the sons (i.e. male descendants) of Aaron. They alone then were to officiate at the altar of God (Numbers 3:10). 

Vs. 2 "He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness."

And so though they were chosen, set apart, and sanctified by God for such a solemn duty, they were still just men, subject to all of the weakness (gr. ἀσθένεια) that is the human condition. Therefore they could have compassion on those who were ignorant and going astray, because they themselves being daily required to keep all the righteous requirements of the law, (that is all the moral and priestly and ceremonially aspects of it), they knew first hand both their own inability, as well those they were officiating for, inabilities too live it all out without fault or transgression before God, all that the law required of them all. (For a brief N.T. exposition of this dilemma, and the Apostle Peters rebuking those Jews who wanted to return the believing Gentiles back to the Law, see Acts 15:6-11, vs. 10). Therefore the high priest could have compassion (gr. συνπαθεο) on those who were ignorant and going astray, since he himself was also subject to weakness. That is the high priest knew that he himself was also capable of sin and error, and thus *he was to be tender in his dealings and moderate in his judgment; being neither to severe or tolerant; with those who are ignorant and going astray.  

Vs. 3 "Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins."

Therefore these high priests though being taken from the sons of Aaron were still just mortal men, they were no in way infallible, they also needed to have atonement made for their sins before they could make atonement and intercession for anyone else (Lev. 9:7; 16:6). The contrast then between these fallible high priests and their temporarily officiating as high priests before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ and His Work and Intercession now as our High Priest is a theme then that runs throughout the Book of Hebrews (consider Hebrews 7:26-28). 

Vs. 4 "And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was."

Because of the exclusive nature of God's priesthood being taken from the sons of Aaron, the position of being a high priest before God is an honor that no man can take to himself (consider Num. 16, vs. 38-40 and what happened to Korah and those with him there). Now this is being reiterate here so as to elevate the Lord Jesus Christ and His Priesthood. Since if the priesthood of God that came exclusively through the sons of Aaron was off limits to anyone but them, as the Scripture warns, "let them be put to death" (Num. 18:7), how much more then is the Lord Jesus Christ's High Priesthood Sanctified and Set apart for Him alone as the Sole Intercessor for us all who believe in Him. Therefore no man can take this honor to himself, that is of now acting as God's high priest, and thus acting as a Mediator between God and man, therefore all who do so now risk coming under the judgment of God in seeking to usurp the Authority of Christ by taking that solemn position unto themselves, for that honor, privilege, and duty belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ alone (1 Tim 2:5-6).

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. (1982). (Ac 15:6–11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Additional Resources Consulted 
Vs. 2 *Gleaned from: Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Heb 5:2). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Hebrews 4:14-16

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Commentary
Vs. 14 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession."

In the previous section it was revealed that the Word of God reveals our condition to us, so that by repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we can have remission of all our sins and everlasting life. Having then believed and received the Lord Jesus Christ we are not then just left to ourselves to wrestle with all the temptations and trials that we will have to face in this life. For Jesus Christ is not just our Lord and Savior, He is our High Priest, who unlike the mere mortal high priests of times past who died and then their tenures ended, has past through the heavens, that is Jesus Christ the Son of God when He rose from the dead and then fifty days later ascended back to God the Father in heaven has established for Himself an Everlasting Priesthood, that does not and will not end. Therefore let us hold fast our confession because our High Priest has a Priesthood that does not end. From His Atonement for us, to His ongoing intercession to God for us, Jesus Christ the Son of God is for us all who believe in Him then is the point being made in these verses. 

Vs. 15 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

 When God's Son Jesus Christ became a Man He did so not only to provide the Atonement for us all so that by faith in His Person we can be reconciled back to God, but He also did so I believe to answer the age old cry, that is God as Spirit, dwelling high up in heavens cannot possibly understand what we as mortal flesh in all of our physical weaknesses, limitations and fleshly temptations daily face (consider Job's despairing cry's in Job 10). Now I know that such cries are often born out of broken hearts and disenfranchised lives, just as I once was. Yet it was there in all of my darkness and despair that God not only saw me, but He also saved me, when I rejected the lies that I was beyond redemption and I just let my longing heart receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and with that and without hesitation God opened the door of His Kingdom to me, bringing all of His Son's life, love, grace and all that is His salvation into me. And so I also want you to know and believe that the same grace of God is available to you as well, for God is loving and kind and He is Omnipresent and He does see us, and He does care for us in all of circumstances of life. And so Jesus was subject to all of the same temptations and fleshly desires and weaknesses that we as human beings all face (or will ever face), and yet He did so without sin. And so now Jesus Christ as our High Priest can and will sympathize with all us in our of weaknesses and circumstances of life. 

Vs. 16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Therefore in light of God's love for us, and what Jesus has done to make His grace freely available to us all, let us all come boldly to the throne of grace. For it is from God's throne of grace that Jesus Christ as God's High Priest and Judge of all not only officiates as High Priest, but also makes intercession for us all. The invitation then is to one and to all, to come and have remission of all your sins and new and everlasting life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore be reconciled to God today, receive Christ, and have new and everlasting life and all of the healing and cleansing and transforming of persons and lives that God's salvation freely brings to one and to all.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 4:11-13

¹¹ Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Commentary

Vs. 11 "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."

The example of the wilderness wandering Israelite's having failed to believe and obey (and thus apprehend God's salvation that was offered to them) are to be an example to us all to be diligent and enter God's commanded rest, which we do by believing and then obeying the Lord Jesus Christ's Gospel (Rom 1:5; 16:26). For again the Israelite's who came out of Egypt did not believe God that He could bring them into the Promised Land when they saw the opposition and difficulties before them, and so rather than walking by faith, they turned away from Him in their hearts and instead they desired to return to Egypt, the very place of their bondage (Num. 14:1-4)! And so when they did so God swore in His wrath "they shall not enter My rest" (Psalm 95:10-11). Therefore let everyone be diligent to enter God's rest by repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which we do enter God's rest and find eternal rest for our souls (Matt 11:28-30).  For today is the day of salvation, and tomorrow may not be a day when one can apprehend it for themselves, therefore be diligent and do enter Christ's Rest today! 

Vs. 12-13 ¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Now God's command to enter His rest comes to us all through the Living Word of God, that is the Holy Scriptures, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (vs. 12). And so by it God reveals to us all just what we are and where we stand with Him, whether reconciled by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or alienated by ones own willful unbelief. The Word of God then not only declares God's unchanging truth, but it also cuts through and exposes all that is false (vs. 12). No liar, no deceiver, then will ever outwit the Word of God (Matt 22:1-14, vs. 13). For the living and powerful and piercing reality of God's Word always reveals the truth about ourselves. It makes us see what God already knows and sees. There is then no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (vs. 13). There is a good reason that the sword of the Spirit for us who believe is the Word of God, for it is by it that we discern for ourselves all that has come forth from the Word of God, and all that has not. Conviction of sin is never a bad thing then, especially if it makes one change course and choose a new direction, which happens when anyone repents and believes in the Gospel, therefore don't remain dead in your sins and transgressions, alienated from the life of God, choose Christ, choose life! 

Scripture Quotations 
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 4:1-10

¹ Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. ³ For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. ⁴ For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; ⁵ and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” ⁶ Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” ⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. ⁹ There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. ¹⁰ For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Commentary

Vs. 1 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it."

The Holy Scripture having already given us a strong warning in chapter three by drawing it's lesson from those Israelite's who did not enter the Promised land because of their rebellion and disobedience and ultimately it was their unbelief that kept them out of the Promised land; therefore having shown us by their example of what not to do we are all to fear lest anyone now who professes faith in the Lord Jesus Christ likewise comes short of it, because a promise remains of entering His rest. Therefore no one should presume upon the grace of God, or play flippant with the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, because God is not mocked, whatever a person sows that they shall also reap! (Gal 6:7) 

Vs. 2 "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." 

The gospel here means the Word of the Lord; the Promise of His giving and taking the Israelite's into the Promised Land (also consider Rev. 14:6). Yet as the Word of the Lord declares here the Word which they heard did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it. And so those who did not believe the gospel spoken to them did not enter the Promised land, instead they all perished in their own sins in the wilderness. The warning to us all is that hearing the Gospel and not believing it will likewise only end in ones own eternal condemnation (John 3:16-21). 

Vs. 3 "For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world."

Now that is not the state which we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are in, or will ever be in, since the Holy Scripture states here we who have believed do enter that rest, for having been sealed by the Holy Spirit of God the moment we believed our eternal fate is settled (Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore in quoting Psalm 95:11 the Holy Scripture is making it clear that unbelief is the cause of God's wrath falling on any individual who does not believe His Word, and thus that is what excluded those unbelieving Israelite's from entering the Promised Land, and that is what will now exclude those who do not believe the Gospel from entering the Kingdom of heaven (John 3:35-36). Now that the works were finished from the foundation of the world is stating that the works needed for our eternal redemption were settled from the foundation of the world. For God already knew what would happen when He created the world and humanity on it, and so He also knew what He was going to do (and when He was going to do it) to redeem us from sin, Satan, death. And so the point being made and will be made in the upcoming verses is that salvation is not based on what we do, or have done or not done, (whether good or bad), it is based solely on what God has done through the Crucifixion death and ressurection from the dead of His Son Jesus Christ and ones faith in Him (Rom 9:11). Anything that anyone then tries to do to add to that finished work completed and accomplished by God's Son for our eternal redemption is not counted as grace, but rather is charged as debt against them (Rom. 4:4-5). And so just as God rested from His works on the seventh day, so we who believe in Christ are to rest from ours, that is from every work (whether according to the law or not) that is only an attempt by us to try to earn salvation for ourselves by our own works and not by faith in God's. For the works were finished from the foundation of the world, and as it will be made clear in the following verses God is commanding us all to enter His Rest by faith in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Vs. 4-5 ⁴ For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; ⁵ and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

And so to bring this point home to us the Holy Scripture now recalls God resting from His works on the seventh day, that is having completed everything He needed to do to bring us and all of creation into being, God rested from His works. For it was a settled issue God had completed everything that needed to be done. Therefore if God Himself rested from His works when they were completed so now should we rest from ours, because as we will also see in the following verses those who did not obey God did not enter God's rest. And God has commanded that we rest from our works, having used the seventh day, and then the Sabbath under the law, to reveal this Spiritual reality to us all, that He has through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ already accomplished everything that is needed to be done for our eternal redemption.

Vs. 6-7  ⁶ Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

The Holy Scripture now reminds us that the promised rest was not just preached to the O.T. Israelite's and then ended, but it is open to one and all who repent and believe in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now to those whom it was first preached; that is the Old Covenant Israelite's who did not enter God's rest; they did not enter because of their disobedience, that is in refusing to believe and obey God they instead tried to return to Egypt, and thus return to their state of bondage which He had delivered them from. Therefore it was their own disobedience, again being born out of their own unbelief in not believing God could bring them into the Promised land, that they themselves shut themselves out of the Promised Land. So today both Jew and Gentile must beware that they too do not follow that same example of disobedience by not believing the Gospel (vs. 6). For God's Promise is not limited by or linked to time, for even in David's generation God was still extending His Promise to one and to all who would repent and believe, saying, “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” And so He does so even now not wanting any to perish but rather that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). 

Vs. 8 "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day."

Therefore the Promised rest did not come through Joshua, "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day." Joshua then was not the Savior and Canaan was not the Promised Land through whom we find salvation and have eternal rest for our persons and souls. For that day of salvation is the day that God is always alluding to throughout the Scriptures so that both the Old Covenant Israelite's and every generation of humanity since would diligently look forward too and wait on the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ when He would accomplish and fulfill all that is required for our (and all of creations) redemption from sin and death, and thus Jesus has brought and He will usher in that Glorious Rest to us all who believe in Him (Matt. 11:28-30; 1 Peter 1:10-12). 

Vs. 9 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 

Therefore the rest spoken of and often alluded too in the O.T. Scriptures is not then found through the Old Covenant which required diligent and constant and ongoing observance to all of its statutes and decrees, rather the Promised rest foretold and spoken of in the Holy Scriptures comes to one and to all through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 11:28-30; also see Acts 15:7-11). And so there remains a rest for the people of God which God Himself will usher in when He has gathered together all the people of God through Christ to Himself. And so though we have entered that rest by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Person we will not fully and eternally experience it completely and uninterrupted eternally until we are all gathered together in the Kingdom of heaven.

Vs. 10 "For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His."

Having then entered God's Rest through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we who believe (and thus are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone for our salvation), have likewise ceased from our works as God did from His. Now works here is anything and everything that ones tries to do to atone for ones sins and transgressions whether done under or according to the Law or not. Therefore we who believe having ceased from our works as God did from His is not saying that we cease from serving the Lord, or doing good towards others; works here is trying to earn forgiveness or salvation by doing something. And so maybe for some of us before we knew God personally through Christ we were motivated by a sense of guilt or shame, or religious duty, rather than being motivated by the grace of God which not saves us, but also frees us to be all we can be. Therefore this is critically important for some us to understand because trying to earn salvation for oneself whether by observance of the Law or some other means (observing the doctrines and commandments of men which are not found in the Holy Scriptures, or are a perversion or misapplication of what is stated there) will not end with one receiving the grace of God, but rather the wrath of God for trying to supplant His Works with ones own (Rom 4:4-5). Therefore if you have not yet believed and thus received the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, placing all of your faith and hope on Him and what He has done out of God's love for you, by suffering Crucifixion death for you (John 3:16), then please don't delay receive Jesus Christ the Lord today! By a simple prayer of faith confess your need for Him and desire to have Him come into your heart and life and He will just as He Promises, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20 Therefore invite Jesus into your heart and life today!

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.