Question on Hebrews 4?

Dear Brett:

First, welcome to the Network! Good to hear from you! I hope you find much good spiritual food here. 

To your question, first let me say that I believe quite firmly that I don't know the details of HOW God created the world, EXCEPT that I know that a) He did it (it was NOT an accident), and b) that it was GOOD. 

I have read many, many articles, and theological works regarding creation and I can honestly say that, regardless of whether you want to argue for a "not-literal 6 "days" " of creation or for a "literal 6, 24-hour days", I can see nothing relevant to that argument in Hebrews 4, or the surrounding passage.

The whole context of the passage relates to perservering in doing the "good works" that God has given for us to do. The writer of Hebrews uses the positive example of how God did "good work" for six days and then entered His rest--a well-deserved break from all he had done. The author of Hebrews then goes on to give the negative example of how the people of Israel, after they were rescued from Egypt, did NOT do the faithful work that God had called them to, at first, and so that whole generation was denied entry into the "rest" of the promised land, and had to wander the desert for 40 years instead.

The writer then connects this to us, saying, in effect, "Follow God's pattern laid out in creation: do the good work laid out for you, then, when it is done, you will be called into His rest. Don't shirk that work like Israel did!"

To somehow take this passage and make it about how many days (or what kind of days) creation took would be to completely miss the point of the passage, and to throw an interpretation on there that really doesn't exist. 

Hope that is helpful. 

Blessings on you and your friend. May God draw you closer to him always.

Hello Brett,

Like you I'm new at this but not so young anymore and unfamiliar with this medium.

As to your question, the rest to which the author of the Hebrews refers to is three-fold 1) the rest of God after finishing His work of creation (4:4); 2) the rest Israel was to enter when entering the promised land (4:8), and 3) the rest promised to God's people when they are resting from their work when "crossing their Jordan" (4:9).

The author is urging his audience to make sure they do not fall short in paying careful attention to what hey have heard, namely the message of salvation (2:1-4), as the Israelites did when on the way to the promised land they were disobedient in their unbelief to the message to them. He is urging this lest they/we by their/our disobedience of faith or lack of faith/trust in the Lord fail to enter that rest. 

The mention of the seventh day (4:4) is a referrence to the Genesis creation account of God's rest. Relating this to the other two kinds of rest in this passage, indicates that there is more to this rest than just physical rest, as if God were tired as we may be tired after a weeks work. This in turn should give us pause to use this text to claim that all of creation was made in six days as we have them today. Apart from science there are just too many questions around the creation account to know exactly how it all happened other than that God created all and it was very good when he completed it. In the meantime we do well in our preaching and teaching the message of salvation to stick to the way that He has given it to us without making all kinds of claims about how things actually happened from a scientific point of view.

Wishing you much wisdom and grace,

Peter

Thanks Peter and Daniel for your replies and welcome. Yes I beleive as you both stated yourselves concerning Hewbews 4 and try as I may can see no other interpretaion for it. Guess there are, now days, many odd doctrines around and that people read into scripture what they want it to say. Many thanks again.