The hope of God's Sabbath rest has always pointed beyond physical rest to something much greater: the fullness of life in God’s glorified kingdom. From creation, God's rest was never about recovering through sleep.  It points to His true shalom. This "shalom" was meant for Adam, lost in sin, and held out again as a model to Israel after the Exodus. Yet like Adam, Israel fell in the wilderness, grumbling despite witnessing God’s mighty acts of deliverance.

Hebrews draws on Israel’s story to call us to perseverance in Christ. We see that the promise of entering God's rest still stands because Joshua, though faithful, did not bring ultimate rest. True rest is found only in Christ. Therefore, to turn away from Him is to risk missing the shalom God offers eternally.  Now tasted in the Spirit, but we are assured of its full physical glory.

Striving to enter this rest is about living with a Spirit-driven eagerness to see our Lord. True faith is not indifferent, but hungers for Christ and longs for our physical reunion with Him. Every Lord’s Day as we gather in worship, we get a foretaste of the rest to come, and our Lord resets our affections.

Let us be a people who strive in the Spirit, longing to glorify Christ, resting in His finished work, and pressing on in faith toward His eternal promise.