Shortly after leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey that God had promised to give to the Israelites.
When the spies reported back, 10 of them agreed the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey. But they complained about how difficult it would be to defeat the strong people already living in the land.
Joshua and Caleb believed God would give them the land the way He had promised to. They were ready to trust God, act on their belief and lead the people into the promised land so they could take possession of it.
The other 10 were too afraid of the challenges ahead of them. They would face and have to fight the giants who already lived in the land. God had promised to give them the land, but they didn’t want to trust Him.
God became angry.
In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews explains what happened. Moses, the leader of Israel, was the faithful servant in God’s house. Christ, the builder of the house.
God became angry. “I swore in my wrath,” He said. “They will not enter my rest.” That’s a sobering statement. Why couldn’t they enter God’s rest? Because they didn’t trust Him.
That day, the Israelites discovered the prerequisite for entering into God’s rest; faith followed by obedience. Believe and then act on that belief.
The writer agreed finding rest can be difficult and it takes a lot of hard work. He writes, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
When entering God’s rest seems impossible, the writer instructs readers to rely on reading the Word of God. Its words are living and active. They cut to the very core of a person’s motives. They sort out thoughts and intentions. The writer urges each person to fight to enter that rest by reading scripture.
You can hold fast to your beliefs because Jesus is now seated in heaven with His Father. He, too, was human, and he feels compassion for you. He understands your weaknesses. He was tempted in the same ways you, too, are tempted, and yet He didn’t sin.
You can draw near to God’s throne with certainty, knowing that you will find both grace and mercy to help you through your times of greatest need.