When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith
1-3For
as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's
goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We
received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the
promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the
promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state
of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
"They'll never get where they're going,
never be able to sit down and rest."
3-7God
made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation
of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day,
having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll
never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been
fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because
they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the
date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the
original invitation:
Today, please listen,
don't turn a deaf ear . . .
8-11And
so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of
Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for
"today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's
people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll
surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the
place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.
12-13God
means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a
surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense,
laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to
God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.