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unbelief. Because the life of rest was available in Old Testament times, at the
same time when the Sabbath was in operation for the Israelites, the Sabbath
cannot be a historical type of the life of rest. The following paragraphs provide
the exegetical basis for the conclusion that in Hebrews 4 the life of rest was
available in Old Testament times.
Hebrews 4:3, 5 quotes Psalm 95:11, where God said of the rebellious gen-
eration who left Egypt and rebelled at Meribah (Exod 17:2-7): ÒThey shall not
enter my rest.Ó The reason why the ancient Israelites did not enter GodÕs rest
was not because such rest was available only to future Christians when type met
antitype, but because they did not believe (Bruce 1964: 73-75).
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If they had
believed, they would have entered GodÕs rest. James Moffatt comments on this
aspect of Hebrews 4: Ò. . . the reason why these men did not gain entrance was
their own unbelief, not any failure on GodÕs part to have the Rest readyÓ (1924:
51). The next generations could also have entered GodÕs rest, but because of
unbelief they stopped short of completely subduing Canaan and therefore failed
to enjoy peace from striving against their enemies (Judg 1-3).
Hebrews 4:8 says: ÒFor if Joshua had given them rest, God would not
speak later about another day.Ó Although rest was available as a result of the
Conquest under Joshua, it was not attained then because of unbelief, and God
had to make a later appeal through the Psalmist (Ps 95:7-8), which is quoted in
Hebrews 4:7: ÒToday, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.Ó If GodÕs
rest would only become available when the seventh day Sabbath and the Israelite
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F. F. Bruce makes this interesting comment: ÒIt was not because the ÔrestÕ of God was not
yet available that the wilderness generation of Israelites failed to enter into it; it had been available
ever since creationÕs work was ended. When we read that God Ôrested on the seventh day from all
his work which he had madeÕ (Gen. 2:2), we are to understand that He began to rest then; the fact
that He is never said to have completed His rest and resumed His work of creation implies that His
rest continues still, and may be shared by those who respond to His overtures with faith and obedi-
ence. This interpretation which views the divine sabbath as beginning from the moment when
creationÕs work came to an end and going on to the present time is paralleled in Philo and is im-
plied by our LordÕs words in John 5:17, ÔMy Father worketh even until now, and I workÕ. It differs
from another interpretation which was widespread in the early Church, according to which the
seventh day of Gen. 2:2f. is a type of the seventh age of righteousness which is to follow six ages
of sinÕs domination. The identification of the rest of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews with a com-
ing millennium on earth has, indeed, been ably defended; but it involves the importation into the
epistle of a concept which in fact is alien to itÓ (1964: 74-75). While I agree with Bruce that the
divine spiritual rest experience described in Hebrews 4 has been available to human beings since
they were created, I find that he has not clearly defined the relationship between literal rest on the
seventh day and the continuous rest experience which begins on the seventh day. Genesis 2:2-3
says that God rested on (Hebrew preposition b) the seventh day. This passage does not say God
began to rest on the seventh day. Thus, Genesis 2:2-3 defines the seventh day as a unit of time
during which rest occurs. It is true that God has not resumed His work of creation in the sense
described in Genesis 1-2, but He does work, as shown by John 5:17, which is cited by Bruce.
Therefore, I interpret Genesis 2:2-3 as describing GodÕs literal seventh day rest, which serves as
an example of literal rest to human beings. But this literal rest symbolizes a continuous ÒrestÓ expe-
rience available to human beings ever since the first Sabbath.