Read: Hebrews 4:1-11
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (v. 9)
The great Albert Einstein was traveling on a train from Princeton, New Jersey. When the conductor came through collecting tickets, Einstein grew frantic because he couldn’t find his ticket. The conductor reassured him. “Dr. Einstein, I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry, I know who you are.” Einstein replied, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going!”
This story, although probably apocryphal, makes an important point: It’s not enough to know who you are. You also need to know where you’re going. The writer of Hebrews wanted to remind the early Christians who they were and where they were going. He warned them to not be like their ancestors who hardened their hearts toward God. As a result, they didn’t get to enter the promised land—the place of rest. He writes: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God . . . . Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience” (vv. 9, 11).
Sabbath, says Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, is a foretaste of the world to come. Keeping the Sabbath “rehearses heaven.” It points us beyond the present world to our final destination: eternal rest with God in God’s new creation. A Sabbath heart lives every day with that destination in mind. Today, rehearse heaven by remembering you’re a child of eternity and, in God’s great mercy, your future is secure.
As you pray, ask God to help you live each moment today in light of your future hope.
About the Author
Brian Keepers has been an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America for 23 years. He is currently serving as the lead pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. Brian is married to Tammy, and they have two daughters and a granddaughter.
