“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9).
A look at the original language of this passage reveals an important nuance behind the word “rest”…
“The writer uses here a different Greek word for ‘rest.’ In his previous references to the idea of rest, he has used katapausis, meaning ‘a cessation from activity,’ thus ‘a rest,’ a general word for the idea of rest. Now, he uses sabbatismos, the word used of the Sabbath rest. The word points back to God’s original rest, and speaks of the ideal rest.
It is a Sabbath rest because the believer reaches a definite stage of attainment and has satisfactorily accomplished a purpose, as God did when He finished the work of creation. It is not the believer’s rest into which he enters and in which he participates, but in God’s unique, personal rest in which the believer shares.” (1)
To this, another Pastoral author adds…
“To all of us Christ offers rest, not in the other life only, but in this. See Heb_4:3; Heb_4:11. Rest from the weight of sin, from care and worry, from the load of daily anxiety and foreboding. The rest that arrives from handing all worries over to Christ, and receiving from Christ all we need. Have we entered into that experience?” (2)
So Hebrews 4:9 represents a promise of rest both now and in the future. This message offers genuine comfort and encouragement as we face the difficult and wearisome demands of life. This rest is part of the inheritance that awaits God’s people and should motivate us to fulfill the charge given to us in the Biblical book of Colossians…
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).
We can find rest and fulfillment today whenever we seek to view our duties and obligations as responsibilities that God has given to us. And unlike the temporary respite offered by a vacation or a holiday, we can find renewed strength and encouragement when we consider the future (and permanent) rest that God offers us in Christ. Thus, as we are told in the New Testament book of Galatians…
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10 NIV).
(1) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament (Hebrews 4:9) Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(2) Meyer, Frederick Brotherton. “Commentary on Hebrews 4”. “F. B. Meyer’s ‘Through the Bible’ Commentary”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/fbm/hebrews-4.html. 1914.