Hebrews 4:1,2 - Be careful!

 4:1

The original call to enter God’s rest comes from Gen 2:1-3. The words in Psalm 95 were written while they were in the Promised Land, this implies that the Promised Land itself was not “God’s rest”. “Since the promise of entering His rest still stands”. Note that this is a promise. It is God’s purpose that we enter His rest. In Deuteronomy Moses reminds the people of the lessons they should learn from the failures and the sins of the desert. Here the writer is calling on the people to learn from the failures of Israel. We are still called to enter God’s rest, and so should ensure that we do not fall short. Note that although it is a promise, that does not mean that we do not have responsibilities.

4:2

“For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us”. This implies that the Israelites had the good news preached to them. It is sometimes said that the gospel is hidden in the Old Testament, or that Jesus is concealed in the Old Testament. The reason it was hidden was because of the lack of faith of the hearers. “They did not share the faith of those who obeyed”. This implies that some did believe. Moses, David etc are examples of those who did believe. They knew that there was something greater. Note also the combining of faith and obedience.