Commentary on Hebrews 4:12-16

The preacher of Hebrews, whose focus is on God’s salvation history, includes 21st-century Christian believers in an unbroken line of Israelites as one pilgrim people whose wilderness experiences are like all the vicissitudes of believers. As God appeared to and sustained Israelites in their wilderness struggles and pilgrimage, he will indeed manifest his godliness to us who have faith in him. God, who is the author of the “Sabbath,” invites eschatological believers to have a time of rest, or sabbatizing—a period to desist from all forms of labor. 

Indeed, Sabbath rest is both an experience of salvation and a divine season to be formed, shaped, awakened to, and transformed by the wisdom of God. Regardless of the pressures of this world, the Sabbath rest is legalized by God, and it remains available to all who have been called by God. As a symbol or metaphor for salvation, Sabbath rest involves hearing from God, whose word is “living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (verse 12). 

From a Global South Christian perspective, Sabbath rest summons believers into a deeper understanding and living out of what it entails to be a true believer in God. First, all who believe in God, in the gospel, and in the power of the Holy Spirit are assured in knowing that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided them with salvation as a gift. The only requirement and “work” one must do is to have faith in Jesus Christ and an unwavering trust in God. Hence, disobedience and self-pride may lead to a forfeiting of one’s eternal life with God. 

Second, resting leads to a deep sense of humility, thanksgiving, and obedience in all that God has done, is doing, and will do in the future. In a humble caution, the Hebrews sermon summons all believers to know that God is an all-seeing One, whose divinity observes all that humans do on the earth. Hence, God’s voice is as active as it has always been, and will continue to bear fruits for the benefit of all believers. 

In other words, the preacher of Hebrews emphasizes that God is the source of all things and that his Word, or Scripture, is living and has the power to penetrate and expose human inner thoughts. God has the power to search, judge, test, and condemn, and as such, hearers of the Word should be doers of God’s words in the world. Christians as creatures of habit can act in ways not open to the physical eye and ear, but Hebrews informs us that there is no way humanity can cover up its sins or disobedience from God. Pretense, performance, and trickery are skill sets of the self-pride of humanity, but God in his own time will expose all for the world to see. 

The inspired words of the Hebrews preacher are echoed in all Gospels, especially in Mark 12:28–31, where Jesus says: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (see also Luke 10:27; Matthew 22:36–40).

In simple but poignant words, God’s wisdom allows all human beings to see their true nature. Hence, confession is the heart of all who fear and love God, for in our words, God forgives, renews, molds, shapes, and restores us to our creaturely status. The comforting message in the Hebrews sermon is that our relationship with God is one of both belief and faith. These two are the balancing spiritual practices that keep us centered on God and shape our being and discipleship in this world. 

With Jesus Christ as the center and our redeemer, the preacher returns to the main theme, which was left in verse 3, pointing us to the pastoral and priestly experiences of Jesus in his humanity, for he went through the pain, grief, suffering, and fears of this world, so believers have an empathizer. The human Jesus, who did not sin but was tempted and tried in every way, is able to bear with us in our weaknesses, and by his grace, we will also be victors in all ways. Hence, the invitation is to all who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

In an inclusive gospel call we are invited by the preacher, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:15–16). Individually and as a community, we are invited to approach God whenever, wherever, and at any cost, with the assurance that God is near to us, inside of us, and ready to respond to all our prayer requests. 

Yes, Jesus the human brother and sibling, the divine Son of God, is touched by the feelings and experiences of our pain, suffering, and sorrow. Regardless of the intensity of our pain, struggles, fears, and sufferings, we should not yield to the voices of negativity or shrink in shame, but always know that our high priest, Jesus Christ, is our victor. For in times of challenge, Christians succumb to fears that God is not present with us, but the preacher of Hebrews reminds us that God is never a distant power, absent from human pain. 

Instead, God always cares deeply, so much that he graciously condescends deep into our innermost humanity and pulls us into greater heights of heaven. Christ was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, but he did not yield to any of the devil’s pressures, and Christians should not yield, even if it means death. Temptations, trials, persecutions, and sufferings are part of one’s Christian faith and journey, but temptations leave us much stronger in faith and in spirit. 

The preacher’s exhortation is meant for all Christians in every age, and our lips should confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In our faith journeys, each one of us stands to give an account to God on Judgment Day, and the account may involve our testimonies for both the pains and joys of earthly living. Hence, confession is balm for the soul, and acknowledging our shortfalls is not a sign of weakness but an acknowledgment of our vulnerability. It is only Jesus Christ, by his grace, love, and blood, who covers our human sins and weaknesses. 

Like Joshua, who led the children of Israel into the promised land after Moses’ death, Jesus is our true high priest who entered the heavenly sanctuary on behalf of all believers and will at his second coming lead us into God’s heavenly sanctuary. The present tense of the exhortation in “Let us …” means that the throne of God is always available to welcome us and afford us mercy and dwelling in God’s grace, to assist us in times of need (verse 16). 

At the end of it all, and when all is said and done, the preacher of Hebrews reiterates the truth of the faithfulness of God as Emmanuel, God with us and for us. In him we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). The “drawing near” in verse 16 signals that believers have a bold right to enter the presence of God, made possible by the blood of Jesus, who dispenses gifts of grace from God.