Chapters 3-4 are part of one larger point to show the superiority of Jesus over Moses and the Law. If Hebrews is a sermon, then these two chapters are an exposition of Psalm 95, and an extension of the warning not to harden our hearts and fail to enter into the rest that God has promised us. This week expands the discussion from Moses and the Psalm to include Joshua as well. Joshua was Moses’ successor, and the one who was able to lead the people into the Promised Land after Moses had died. You might remember that in Numbers 14, Joshua was one of two spies (with Caleb) who wanted to trust God and go into the land. 40 years later, he got to lead them in. Even what Joshua provided was not the ultimate rest, though.

On Sunday we will explore the ideas of sabbath and rest. Spiritual practices, including Sabbath, are a hot topic in Christian books and articles right now, and for good reason. We can all feel like there is something we must be missing, longing for a greater experience of God’s presence and power in our lives. Sabbath, in particular, is attractive because very few of us feel adequately rested. I know that our family is careening toward the end of the school year this week and next, and we can definitely use some rest. Let’s look to God’s Word together to gain a greater understanding of sabbath and rest.

We have already seen Jesus’ superiority to the prophets, angels, and the ultimate mediator for all of humanity. As we continue this week we will see the first part of a longer argument through chapters 3-4 that Jesus is the greater Moses, offering the ultimate Sabbath rest. Chapter 3 helps give a strong warning against hardening our hearts like God’s people did in the time of Moses. We will take time to see how the text leads us to the antidote for hard hearts.

On Sunday we will step back into our series in Hebrews with Hebrews 2:5-18. This is a beautiful passage that emphasizes the reality and truth that God came near to us in the incarnation of Jesus. The incarnation is foundational to our faith. Jesus became our brother so that we could be brought into the family of God. I can’t wait to dig into the text with you on Sunday.