Read Hebrews 3:11 and Hebrews 4:1, Hebrews 4:3, Hebrews 4:5, Hebrews 4:10. How does God characterize the rest He invites us to enter?

Both the Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 and Moses’ restatement of it in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 invite us to remember what God has done for us. As we have seen, what God wrote on tablets of stone point us to the finishing of His work of Creation (Exodus 31:18; Exodus 34:28). In Deuteronomy Israel is commanded to keep the Sabbath in view of God’s finished work of deliverance, from Egyptian bondage.

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The Exodus from Egypt pointed forward to the ultimate work of deliverance from sin that Christ would accomplish on the cross when He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). So the Sabbath is doubly blessed and, in fact, is especially meaningful for Christians.

Read Hebrews 4:9-11, Hebrews 4:16. What are we called to do?

The Sabbath rest celebrates the fact that God ended, or finished, His work of Creation (Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11) or redemption (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Similarly, Jesus’ enthronement in the heavenly temple celebrates that He finished offering a perfect sacrifice for our salvation (Hebrews 10:12-14).

Notice, God rests only when He has secured our well-being. At Creation, God rested when He had finished the creation of the world. Later on, God rested in the temple only after the conquest of the land He had promised Abraham was completed through the victories of David, and Israel “lived in safety” (1 Kings 4:21-25, ESV; compare with Exodus 15:18-21, Deuteronomy 11:24, 2 Samuel 8:1-14). God had a house built for Himself only after Israel and the king had houses for themselves.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Read Hebrews 4:4-8. What is the meaning of entering rest “today” in connection with keeping the Sabbath?

The unbelief of the desert generation prevented them from entering into the rest God promised. But God kept urging His people to enter this rest and not to harden their hearts. Paul repeats several times that God’s promise “remains” (Hebrews 4:1, Hebrews 4:6, Hebrews 4:9, NKJV). He uses the Greek verbs kataleipo and apoleipo, emphasizing that “the promise of entering his [God’s] rest still stands” (Hebrews 4:1, ESV).

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The fact that the invitation to enter this rest was repeated in the time of David (Hebrews 4:6-7, referring to Psalm 95) implied both that the promise had not been claimed and that it was still available. In fact, Paul suggests that the experience of true Sabbath rest has been available since the time of Creation (Hebrews 4:3-4).

God invites us “today” to enter into His rest. “Today” is a crucial concept throughout Scripture. When Moses renewed Israel’s covenant with God at the border of the Promised Land, he emphasized the importance of “today” (Deuteronomy 5:3, compare Deuteronomy 4:8, Deuteronomy 6:6, etc.). It was a moment of reflection to recognize God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 11:2-7) and a time of decision to obey the Lord (Deuteronomy 5:1-3). Similarly, Joshua called on the people of his time to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).

In the same way, “today” is a time of decision for us, a time of opportunity, as well as danger, as it has always been for God’s people (See 2 Corinthians 6:2). “Today” appears five times in Hebrews Chapters 3 and 4. It emphasizes the importance of listening to God’s voice (Hebrews 3:7, Hebrews 3:15; Hebrews 4:7) because failing to listen and believe God’s word leads to disobedience and the hardening of our hearts. It could even delay our entrance into the heavenly Canaan, just as it kept the wilderness generation from entering the earthly Canaan.

But Jesus has defeated our enemies (Hebrews 2:14-16) and inaugurated a new covenant (Hebrews Chapters 8-10). Thus, we can “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:14-16). The appeal “today” invites us to recognize that God has been faithful to us and has provided us with every reason to accept His invitation right away without delay.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/tuesday-today-if-you-hear-his-voice/

The titles of the thirteen Sabbaths of study this quarter give us two hymns to use as the themes:
Hymn 593 – In Times Like These and
Hymn 177 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness.

This week’s title gives us
Hymn 523 – My Faith Has Found a Resting Place with the Sabbath afternoon reading adding
Hymn 382/383 – O Day of Rest and Gladness,
Hymn 381 – Holy Sabbath Day of Rest and
Hymn 391 – Welcome, Welcome Day of Rest. These hymns are again expressed on Wednesday and Thursday.

The gift we see on Sunday is “God would show….where He would dwell among them” –
Hymn 62 – How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.

Sadly, on Monday, the Israelites lacked faith, the opposite to
Hymn 523 – My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.

Hymn 361 – Hark! ‘Tis the Shepherd’s Voice I Hear and
Hymn 359 – Hark! The Voice of Jesus Calling echo the study on Tuesday.

We are bound for The Promised Land! Hallelujah!! –
Hymn 620 – On Jordan’s Stormy Banks. Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Read Hebrews 3:12-19. Why was Israel unable to enter into the promised rest?

The sad story is that those who were delivered from Egypt were unable to enter into the rest that God had promised them. When Israel arrived at Kadesh Barnea, at the border of the Promised Land, they lacked the faith that they needed. Numbers 13 and 14 explain that the Israelite spies “brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land” (Numbers 13:32, ESV). They affirmed that the land was good, but they warned that the inhabitants were strong and that the cities fortified, and that they would not be able to conquer it.

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Joshua and Caleb agreed that the land was good and did not dispute the fact that people there were strong and the cities fortified. But they said that God was with them and that He would bring them into the land (Numbers 14:7-9). Yet, the people who saw God destroy Egypt through plagues (Exodus 7-12), annihilate Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea (Exodus 14), provide bread from heaven (Exodus 16) and water from the rock (Exodus 17), as well as manifest His continuing presence and guidance through the cloud (Exodus 40:36-38) — they failed to trust in Him now. It is a tragic irony that the generation who saw such mighty displays of God’s power became a symbol of faithlessness (Nehemiah 9:15-17, Psalm 106:24-26, 1 Corinthians 10:5-10).

God promises His children gifts that are beyond human reach. That is why they are based on grace and are accessible only through faith. Hebrews 4:2 explains that the promise Israel received “was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed” (Hebrews 4:2, NIV).

Israel traveled to the borders of the Promised Land as a people. When the people were faced with contradictory reports, they identified with those who lacked faith. Faith, or lack of it, is contagious. That is why Hebrews admonishes its readers to “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3:13), “to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24, ESV), and to “[s]ee to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God” (Hebrews 12:15, ESV).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Read Genesis 15:13-21. What did God promise Abraham?

When God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, His purpose was to bring Israel to the land of Canaan, where they would be able to serve and obey Him freely (Exodus 8:1; Psalm 105:43-45), including enjoying the Sabbath rest that Pharaoh had prohibited (Exodus 5:5).

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The land of Canaan was the inheritance that God had promised to their father Abraham because he had obeyed God’s voice and left his country to go to the Promised Land (Genesis 11:31-12:4).

God’s purpose in giving the land to Israel was not simply for them to possess it. God was bringing them to Himself (Exodus 19:4). God wanted them to live in a land where they would be able to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him, without any hindrance, and would also be a witness to the world of who the true God was and what He offered His people. Like the Sabbath of creation, the land of Canaan was a framework that made possible an intimate relationship with their Redeemer and the enjoyment of His goodness.

In Deuteronomy 12:1-14, the Lord told the people that they would enter the rest, not simply when they entered the land, but when they had purged the land from idolatry. After that, God would show them, the Chosen, a place where He would dwell among them.

Read Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15. What two things does the Sabbath rest commemorate, and how are they related?

God connected the Sabbath of creation with the deliverance from Egypt. He instructed Israel to observe the Sabbath as a memorial of creation and as a memorial of their redemption from Egypt. Creation and redemption are both enshrined in the Sabbath commandment. Just as we did not create ourselves, we cannot redeem ourselves. It’s a work that only God can do, and by resting we acknowledge our dependence upon Him, not only for existence but for salvation. Sabbath keeping is a powerful expression of salvation by faith alone.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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