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NOVEMBER 8
7 I am for peace; God is living and powerful, and sharper than
But when I speak, they are for war. any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
Proverbs 28:15
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
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Like a roaring lion and a charging bear and intents of the heart. And there is no crea-
Is a wicked ruler over poor people. ture hidden from His sight, but all things are
naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom
Hebrews 4:1–16
we must give account.
Therefore, since a promise remains of enter- 14 Seeing then that we have a great High
4 ing His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem Priest who has passed through the heavens,
to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our con-
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was preached to us as well as to them; but the fession. For we do not have a High Priest
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word which they heard did not profit them, not who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
being mixed with faith in those who heard it. but was in all points tempted as we are, yet
For we who have believed do enter that rest, as without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to
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16
He has said:
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
“So I swore in My wrath, and find grace to help in time of need.
‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”
although the works were finished from the
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foundation of the world. For He has spoken in
a certain place of the seventh day in this way:
“And God rested on the seventh day from all 4:12 two-edged sword. While the Word of
God is comforting and nourishing to those
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His works”; and again in this place: “They
shall not enter My rest.” who believe, it is a tool of judgment and exe-
6 Since therefore it remains that some must cution for those who have not committed
enter it, and those to whom it was first preached themselves to Jesus Christ. Some of the
Hebrews were merely going through the
did not enter because of disobedience, again motions of belonging to Christ. Intellectually,
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He designates a certain day, saying in David, “To- they were at least partly persuaded,but inside
day,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
they were not committed to Him. God’s Word
“Today, if you will hear His voice, would expose their shallow beliefs and even
Do not harden your hearts.” their false intentions (1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Pet. 4:5).
division of soul and spirit. These terms do
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For if Joshua had given them rest, then He not describe two separate entities (any more
would not afterward have spoken of another than “thoughts and intents” do) but are used
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day. There remains therefore a rest for the as one might say “heart and soul” to express
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people of God. For he who has entered His fullness (Luke 10:27; Acts 4:32; 1 Thess. 5:23).
rest has himself also ceased from his works as Elsewhere these two terms are used inter-
God did from His. changeably to describe man’s immaterial self,
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that his eternal inner person.
rest, lest anyone fall according to the same
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example of disobedience. For the word of
DAY 8:What does Hebrews 4:14–16 teach about prayer?
Just as the high priest under the Old Covenant passed through 3 areas (the outer court, the
Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies) to make the atoning sacrifice, Jesus passed through 3 heavens
(the atmospheric heaven, the stellar heaven, and God’s abode; 2 Cor. 12:2–4) after making the per-
fect,final sacrifice (v.14).Once a year on the Day of Atonement the high priest of Israel would enter
the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the people (Lev. 16).That tabernacle was but
a limited copy of the heavenly reality (8:1–5).When Jesus entered into the heavenly Holy of Holies,
having accomplished redemption,the earthly facsimile was replaced by the reality of heaven itself.
Freed from that which is earthly, the Christian faith is characterized by the heavenly (3:1; Eph. 1:3;
2:6; Phil. 3:20; Col. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:4).
And Jesus as our High Priest was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”(v.15).Jesus
became fully capable of understanding and sympathizing with His human brethren.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace” (v. 16). Most ancient rulers were un-
approachable by anyone but their highest advisers (Esth. 4:11). In contrast, the Holy Spirit calls for
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