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After reading the poll about what we call the day of the week that we set aside for the Lord, I starting thinking about this idea of Sabbath Rest in Hebrews 3 & 4. To what does this refer?
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Let's look at the text.
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Hebrews 3:5-6 5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house-- whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
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Besides the preeminence of Christ over Moses we are told that we are part of the household of the Son, "if we hold fast our confidence." The word for confidence denotes speech. In other words, if we hold fast to what we confess then we prove that we are of the household of faith.
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Hebrews 3:7-12 7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, 8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, 9 WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. 10 "THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS'; 11 AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'" 12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
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Why was Israel judged? Why did they experience the anger and wrath of God? Because of unbelief (v. 12). The writer of Hebrews is introducing a rest that is contingent on (1) belief (2) obedience.
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Hebrews 3:13-14 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
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The principal of our obedience (hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end) is inexorably linked to being "partakers of Christ."
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Hebrews 3:17-19 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
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Once again, unbelief was the reason why Israel did not enter into the physical land of rest. But we know the writer of Hebrews is not talking about a physical land - at least not directly.
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Hebrews 4:1-3 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
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Hear is where the text becomes clear. We already understand the warning against unbelief in chapter 3. Here in chapter 4 we see that the rest is tied directly to the gospel.
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. The good news is the εὐαγγελὶον, the gospel. The rest of Hebrews 3 & 4 is being born from above. But it's not just being saved, it also has the idea of running the race set before us and finishing well (Hebrews 12). It is the hope that is set before us, the eternal state which is our true rest.
I'll let others develop the Sabbath question more fully, but I will add that the Sabbath referred to may be a better Sabbath. Instead of an earthly Sabbath rest that could never provide complete rest; the Sabbath is perfected in glory when we will truly rest from all our earthly labors and enjoy Christ for eternity.