The Labour of Rest

 

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:11

We are told to "labour into his rest" in Hebrews 4:11. It sounds like an oxymoron. You have to "Labour" which is active, but it is into the "Rest" which basically is inactive. How does one actively do something inactive, and expect a result?

To understand the full context of the verse, we need to look back starting from Hebrews 3:9.

The context is, the people of Israel did not enter into the rest of God, which was symbolized by the promise land. The promise land was where it was flowing with milk and honey. And they did not enter it, because they were in unbelief that God will give them the victory. They saw the giants, and they did not esteem to the pillar of cloud and fire. They were in unbelief about the power of God to make good what he said.

When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. Hebrews 3:9,11.

They did not enter into the promised providence of God, because they did not belief that God had the intention or the means to put them into the promise land.
Just a reflection, we need to ask ourselves, do we belief God’s intention of good things for our life? and then secondly do we belief he can pull it off?

 

So what is the “Rest” of God?

Is it just the peace that is above our understanding? That is part of it, but it includes much more than this, as it has more practical applications than we think, it is not just an emotional disposition. Let’s unpack this from the symbolic of the Promise Land. When the Israelites entered into the promise land, the fields were already flowing with milk and honey, and had clusters of grapes that needed 2 man to carry (numbers 13). They didn’t need to build hives, raise cows, and plant grapes, this was all already there, when they were to go occupy, they inherit what is already there. They don’t need to labour to get these.

Lets look at how the writer of Hebrew expressed it.

4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest .Hebrews 4:4-5

 

It was the same rest, that God had after he has FINISHED all his work at creation. God ceased to have an active creation plan, but is at rest, where his already established order and law is working and producing. Adam didn’t need to plant in order to reap, he harvest that which God has already set in motion.

So how does this show us what we are to do when we enter into the Rest of God?

In the same way, that the promise land was already built up to produce and the Garden of Eden was already fruit filled. In the rest of God, things are already provided for. In contrast, we are not there to build the hives, raise the cows, and plant the vines, these are already provided for. We just enjoy what God has already provided for.

So how does the “Labour” part work?

It is a “labour”, because it is counter intuitive.  It is going against the curse of “by the sweat of our brow we will eat”. Gen 3:19. Man being historically under the curse from Adam’s time. Man has understood in order to eat, we need to labour the cursed ground. What that means is, we need to work hard, in order to get little, because the ground is cursed.

For us to enter into the rest of God, which is a place of providence, we need to labour, “work hard” in the renewal of our mind, renewing to what God said and has already done, and mix faith to what he had said he has already done.

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:2-3

So what does this look like in the practical? When faced with a situation, labour to make the decision that God has got this, and whilst things may not look clear, and a 1,000 things can go wrong. Trust in God that those 1,000 bad things won’t happen, and whatever the hurdle is, God has already got a solution lined up, and is available, because Jesus had it finished.

Remember the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. In all our situation, if we look only at the physical, from what we see, feel, hear and smell, we are not seeing the holistic picture of the real world, where things seen are framed by the things unseen.  And by only esteeming the physical and making decisions based on that, we are not approaching life with a full deck.

Does that mean, we seat back and relax, and all things will be merry and things will be automatic? No, because that is an inaccurate picture of rest. Rest is not being frozen, or you walking around, and a grape will fly to your mouth, you still need to take “action” to put the grape in your mouth. However at rest, you take action to reap what Jesus has sown, and receive what God has already given in Jesus. At rest, you are in communion with God, and the holy spirit will show you the right things to take action on.

The reality of the Rest of God, is very much active and available today, there is a process of transformation of our mind to be able to perceive it. But it is the position that God wants us to be in, at Rest. And his every intention is for us to enjoy this rest.