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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadMatthew Poole Commentary - Hebrews 4:1 - 4:1
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HEBREWS CHAPTER 4
Heb_4:1-11 The rest of Christians to be attained by faith.
Heb_4:12,13 The power of God’s word.
Heb_4:14-16 Having Jesus the Son of God for our High Priest, we
must hold fast our profession, and come boldly unto
the throne of grace.
Let us therefore fear: the Spirit draws this counsel from the former sad event of unbelief in the progenitors of these Hebrews, who were shut out of an earthly Canaan by it, which was promised to them: hereon he adviseth them to avoid that sin which will have now as fearful a punishment, viz. the shutting them out of the heavenly Canaan, tendered and promised to believers in thee gospel. Fear is that affection of the soul, by which it avoideth and shunneth what is hurtful to it, and here carrieth it in a gracious and child-like care and jealousy of slighting the Father’s promise, and coming short of heaven; it is a fear issuing from faith, Phi_2:12.
Lest, a promise being left us; lest the promise of God to men, who sware some should not enter, but promised others should, as Num_14:23,24,30,31; a promise of the most excellent, glorious, and heavenly rest made to believers, Isa_11:10. This was graciously left or made to them by God; but kataleipomenhv here is an act of sin, lest we by sin should leave or reject God’s promise of the better, as the Hebrews did of the literal, rest, by their unbelief and disobedience to God’s law; and so is the proper object of fear, and therefore ought to have been read, lest the promise being left behind.
Of entering into his rest; of a free entrance into heaven, and enjoying a glorious rest with God there.
Any of you should seem to come short of it: he would have it the fear of all, that not one soul tnight be endangered by it; so as not in any measure to slight such a promise, nor as much as to seem so, flying from the very appearance of evil, 1Th_5:22; usterhkenai, a metaphor taken from racers, where any are outrun and left behind; noting the miserable state of such Christians who profess to run to heaven, but never do so as to obtain it, 1Co_9:24-26. Alas, he that falleth short of heaven, reacheth home to hell!