HEBREWS 4:7
“He again sets a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.’”
One thing we don’t see a lot here in the hills of East Tennessee is the horizon. We are surrounded by mountains and hills which don’t allow you to see the horizon like you would see in Florida or out west. Our horizon is kind of a rolling horizon. There is something beautiful about seeing a clear horizon, especially at sunrise or sunset. I particularly love watching the sun “splash” into the ocean while at the beach.
Why am I talking about the horizon? Because the Greek word used by the writer for “sets” is horizo from which we get our word “horizon.” It means to set a boundary. God has set some boundaries for who will enter into His rest. David mentions this in Psalm 95, which we have seen the writer use a lot thus far. This rest wasn’t just for those God addressed in the wilderness. When David wrote these words which are quoted here, 500 years had passed since the wilderness experience. So, this rest was applicable to all.
ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)
What do you see here in this verse? There is Something new about God here, not in the sense of something brand new, but something new we can learn. God is a God of specifics. Everything He does is done with great detail. For instance, this same Greek word, horizo, is used in Romans 1:4. Let’s back up to verse 3 to get the context. “3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The word “declared” is horizo. What does that tell us? God specifically stated this!
Some other boundaries God made have to do with how we find this rest. There is only one way. You may hear the world say that there are many ways to God. Not so. John 14:6 tells us that. Do you know that verse? “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.’” That’s a clear boundary, isn’t it?
The next time you see a beautiful horizon, think about this? God set the boundaries of earth and sky. He set the boundaries of the oceans and the beach. He set the boundaries between the sun and the earth. And He set the boundaries for His rest. The sooner people recognize that and accept it, the sooner they can come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Let’s commit to pray for that. The world needs to know the boundaries.
I praise You, Lord, for setting clear boundaries for mankind to enter Your rest.
