While living in the wilderness, the Israelites murmured and complained because they didn't believe God would take care of them in every way. Every time something happened, they thought God had failed them. When they arrived at the Red Sea, they believed God couldn't deliver them. When they ran short of water, they thought He failed. When a food shortage occurred, they thought God brought them out into the wilderness to die. When He rained down manna from heaven upon them, they complained because they had no meat. Even when Moses called them to Mt. Sinai to make them a nation of priests, they refused to go.
Hebrews 3:19 (Amplified) says, "So we see that they were not able to enter (into His rest) because of their willingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God (unbelief had shut them out)."
God showed them His willingness to be their Everything they'd ever need. Still, after He's shown them not only His ability to do it, but His willingness to do it as well, they doubted His heart for them. He had been everything they could need, but they still refused to believe. No one got sick, no one died and no one went hungry or thirsty, but their unbelief still stopped them from entering into "resting" in His love for them to be their everything.
Our salvation included everything we could ever need or want. I know they you have need of clothing, shelter, food and other things. Jesus asked, "If I take care of the birds, then will I not take care of you?" God didn't just intend for us to be His children when we get to heaven. He intended to be our Father even now.
The forgiveness of our sin was in order to reinstate us to a place of right standing with God. Now that we're brought back into His family by justification, then we can now expect our Father to be a Father. When God brought us back into His family as His children, then God Himself made the decision to be fully responsible for us. Every Father who brings life to his children is supposed to take responsibility for them. Can our Heavenly Father do any less?
The "rest" that God spoke of in Hebrews, referred to our trusting by faith that He will accept His place as Father and will meet our every need. This is what gives Him the most pleasure in His Own family. He desires that we trust Him to do that which He wants to do for us. That's His will for us. James 1:18 (Amplified) says that, "And it was of His Own (free) will that He gave us birth (as sons) by (His) Word of truth, So that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures (a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself)."
It was by His Own will that God gave birth to us by His Word and His Spirit. He'd intended to by our Father and provide for us when He gave us sonship rights with Him. The thing that displeased God in the wilderness was the people's not believing He would do it. They wouldn't rest in His promise to care for them.
Hebrews 4:7 (Amplified) says, "Again He sets a definite day (a new day) today (and gives another opportunity of securing that rest) saying through David after so long a time in the words already quoted, Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts."
This promise of full protection and security is still being offered to those who would hear. If we do hear or don't hear, then it doesn't remove us from being His children. You're saved through your faith in Jesus as your Sacrifice Lamb. But, we're most pleasing to God when we believe that as our Father, God will take full responsibility for us.
To "rest" in this kind of faith is what God wants most from us. When we "rest" in this, then we have stopped relying on our own efforts in our flesh and become totally dependent on Him.
For many years we have relied on our own works to gain favor with Him. We have set up rules and rituals to prove ourselves worthy of His grace. His grace is a gift and it cannot be earned or manipulated by our own righteousness. We still try depending on our own works in order to gain God's approval. Jesus was the One on Whom He approved of and all who are in Christ Jesus have already met God's approval.
If we can finally come to the place in our faith where we can allow Him to be a Father, then He will be our Father. We keep trying to lift Him so high as to lose the very thing that He sent Jesus to do. Knowing Him as Father, doesn't diminish His Own greatness, but only enhances it. Jesus came to give us His Name and they hated Him for it. The Name He came to give us was Father. Every Jew knew His Name was Yshway or Jehovah, so it wasn't these names He revealed. No one would dare call God Father. Even in what we refer to as "The Lord's Prayer," Jesus began by controversially saying, "Our Father." He prayed, "Lead us not into temptation (trials, tests), but deliver us from evil or the evil one."
Many of us haven't even trusted God in this. In many worldwide churches, they still teach that it's our Father God Who tests and tries us. They pray for God to deliver them from evil, but still believe that God not only doesn't deliver us from evil, but that He uses satan to test and prove His family.
This is a prime example of not "resting" in His promise of Father. This is what they did in the wilderness. Does the devil still test and try the Church? Of course he does. But, didn't Jesus tells us that He (through the permission of our Father) gives us authority over the devil? When the devil came up against Jesus or any of His disciples, they simply used the authority of Jesus' Name and pushed him back. They used this authority over sickness, death, hunger and even eternal death and bondage over the people. They used Jesus' Name not just to change a government or anything we understood, but to change the entire world by allowing God's will and His Kingdom to come here and rule.
As individuals, you and I don't have authority over all that goes on in this earth. But, if the whole of the family would allow God to do what He wishes in our lives, then we could have the same said about us that the disciples did in Acts 17:6 (Amplified) which says, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also."
There was something about the early Church that proved to have more faith than what we witness today. This faith was produced in them because the Name of Jesus held full power and authority in their hearts. Today, we believe that the Name of Jesus will forgive sin (maybe). Many still consider themselves to be sinners even after being born again. We don't always believe in the "rest" and the full protection and provision of our Father. We believe everything will be alright when we arrive in heaven. We wait for our place in the eternity of God. When you got born again, you already entered the eternity of God. Rest in your place with Him now.
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