Hebrews Chapter 4/Commentary

Hebrews Chapter 4

Introduction The writer had mentioned a “rest” that the Israelites had failed to obtain (3:11), yet the “rest” of the Promised Land was only a figure or type of the real “rest” intended. Long after Israel acquired the land and dwelt in it, God through David spoke of a “rest” that remains to be entered (4:3-9). This “rest” is heaven (4:1011). In like manner with the Israelites who failed, Christians can also fail to enter because of unbelief (4:1-2,6,11). In the midst of various passing issues of each generation, God’s people would do well to remember that the fundamental issue has always been between unbelief and belief. Every generation will face this issue and be tested, if we fail in this, we have failed in everything.

4:1 “Therefore, let us fear lest”: There is no need for fear where there is no danger in falling away. This verse only makes sense if these Christians can likewise fail as did their ancestors (3:18-19). There is a time to fear; the writer knew that everything depended upon these Christians remaining faithful. “Sober and thoughtful men are diligent to avoid a danger when they solemnly recognize that danger for what it is” (Reese p. 54). “Lest”: “lest perhaps” (Wey). Here is the language of freewill. “While a promise remains of entering His rest”: The promise to enter God’s rest is still valid. The failure in the wilderness did not nullify it, nor did the next generation which actually entered Canaan fulfill it. “The writer takes up the word ‘rest’ found in Psalm 95:11, and thereby introduces the topic that will be the point of discussion through much of chapter 4---namely, that there was more to God’s promise of ‘rest’ than simply entering into and living in the land of Canaan” (Reese p. 54). In fact, these Christians were probably living in the Promised Land, and yet there is a “rest” to which they have not yet entered. It is called “His rest” because He presently enjoys it. “Any one of you should seem to have come short of it”: Any Christian can fall away, and it would be a tragedy for even one Christian to end up lost. This warning to Christians is not an empty threat; it was as real as was the warnings given to the generation that came out of 1

bondage. To argue that these Christians could never really fall away is to destroy the argument that this writer is making. The phrase “come short of it” means, “to be too late, to fail to teach the goal” (Robertson p. 360). The word “seem” can also be translated, “be judged” or “be found”, for the problem was not in “seeming” to come short, but was the danger of actually coming short.

4:2 “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also”: Good news was proclaimed to both groups, the Law of Moses had a tremendous amount of good news in it! (Deuteronomy 28:1-13). “The parallel between the Israelites in the Old Testament and the people of God in this new age is close enough for the disaster that befell the former to serve as a warning to the latter” (Reese p. 55). The “gospel” was not preached to the generation in the wilderness, yet they did hear “good news” about a rest they could enjoy. The Hebrew writer has already noted that “we” have had much better news preached to us (Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:1-4). Note the generation that failed was given many opportunities (1 Corinthians 10:1ff), yet great opportunities do not translate into salvation if unbelief is allowed into the heart. “But the word they heard did not profit them”: One can hear a great message, and yet fail to appreciate or profit from it.

The generation that failed actually heard the Word of God from the great leader Moses! In like manner, there were people who heard Jesus speak and yet did not listen or obey (Matthew 12:41-42). “Because it was not united by faith in those who heard”: God expected them to act on what they heard, and this very failure to act, accept, obey, and trust what God said—is what excluded them. Here is another place in the Bible where it is rather plain that faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Just like without digestion, food will not profit the body, without faith, the Word of God will not profit us (John 8:37).

Observe that “faith” is something that the reader of Scripture must provide. Faith does not fall from the sky, and neither is faith something miraculous that God imparts. Too many people think that it is God’s job to make them believe, or, if they are unbelieving, then it is because there is a lack of evidence. People need to recognize, that faith is something that we must provide. If I fail to believe, then it is entirely my fault.

4:3 “For we who have believed enter that rest”: If unbelievers are excluded from this “rest” then it is only for believers. Unbelievers do not go to heaven! “Now the writer sets out to show that there is a ‘heaven’ still awaiting Christians, that is, 2

a promise of entering His rest still remains in effect” (Reese p. 56) “Enter that rest”: “It does not say the entrance into rest is already accomplished, but rather that ‘entrance into rest’ is something in the process of being attained. It is something they might come short of (4:1); it is something they should make every effort to enter (4:11)” (Reese pp. 56-57). Remember, the reason that the Hebrew writer is proving from the Old Testament that there still remains a “rest” to enter for Christians, is because he is writing to Christians from a Jewish background who are being tempted to return to Judaism, erroneously thinking that such is more than sufficient for their spiritual needs. The fact that a rest remains for believers proves that this rest is not entered by mere physical ancestry, for the believers under consideration are believers in the good news preached by Jesus Christ (2:14).

4:3 “Just as He has said”: This is a quote from Psalm 95:11, the very passage used in chapter 3. The meaning of the term “rest” in Psalm 95 is going to be unfolded in verses 4-8, that is, what is the precise “rest” under consideration? “As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest”: If the readers will just think about the passage for a moment, they will realize that a rest remains for the people of God. When David wrote Psalm 95, the new generation of the people of Israel was already in the Promised Land. Therefore, the “rest” that Psalm 95 threatens is exclusion from something other than the Promised Land. If the “rest” is not Canaan, then it must be heaven, which means that it is something into which all believers can still enter. “Although His works were finished from the foundation of the world”: This is a reference to Genesis 2:1, where God rested after Creation.

Note, Genesis 2:1 is not millions of years from the beginning; rather, Genesis 2:1 is from the foundation of the world. This passage teaches that creation has ceased, which agrees with the First Law of Thermodynamics.

The idea here is that though God’s own rest had been from the beginning and man had not yet entered it, yet the possibility of his doing so had not ceased to be intimated, rather, it has remained open for mankind. See also Matthew 25:34, where a kingdom is prepared for the righteous from the foundation of the world.

4:4 “For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day”: Consider the word “for”; this word ties verses 4 and 5 together. “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”: The first place that the word “rest” is used in Scripture is in Genesis 2:2. After God finished His work of creating, He ceased 3

creating, that is, He rested. “His rest is one of satisfaction and enjoyment because of the sense of accomplishment and completion once the creating work was done” (Reese p. 58). We should note that God’s rest is not one necessitated by fatigue, nor one consisting in idleness. God ceased creating, but He continues to uphold this creation (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17). “In Hebrew thought the word ‘rest’ has a positive meaning and stands for the consummation of a work accomplished and the joy and satisfaction attendant upon such” (Wilson p. 52).

“This rest of eternal blessedness and fulfillment is what God wants to share with His children” (Kent p. 82). “And again in this passage, ‘They shall not enter My rest’”: Again the Hebrew writer calls attention to the passage in Psalm 95:11, where the word “rest” occurs.

4:6 “Since therefore it remains for some to enter it”: Genesis 2 spoke of God “resting”. Psalm 95:11, written centuries later, speaks of God’s “rest”. This infers that God is still enjoying His “rest”, and it also proves that neither did the Sabbath Day nor the possession of the Promised Land fulfill this “rest”. Long after the Sabbath was given in Exodus, and the Promised Land inherited, David still spoke of God’s rest as something yet future, as something that God’s people had not yet entered. Clearly, this rest is heaven. The Sabbath Day was only a shadow of that rest (Colossians 2:16). “And those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience”: The door to this rest has remained open from the beginning of time, but unbelievers, people who hear the good news and reject it, are never allowed to enter! The point being made once again is that his readers had heard the gospel (2:1-4), and they were being tempted to neglect the good news that they had heard. One great truth that Christians today should learn from this section is that unbelievers never had been allowed to enter this rest, neither before the Law, during the Law, or in the New Testament age. Disobedience to the Word of God always cuts one off from heaven.

4:7 “He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today’, saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’” The point being made is that the time “Today” did not merely apply to the generation that failed in the wilderness. Some 400 years after God swore this generation would not enter His rest, David spoke of “Today” to his 4

contemporaries. Israel’s earlier failure did not mean that the promise or the threat was dropped. It was still valid for David’s generation centuries later, and if this is true, then it is still valid for Christians in the first century and Christians today as well. It was still “Today” in the time of David! Observe that time does not dismiss the relevancy of God’s word.

4:8 “For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.”

An argument is anticipated. Someone might try to argue that under Joshua’s leadership they entered the Promised Land and received this rest. The point is while Joshua brought the next generation into the land, some 400 years later, David in Psalm 95 spoke of a “rest” yet to be entered. Therefore, the Promised Land was not the fulfillment of the term “rest”. The rest in Canaan was only one very limited aspect of that blessed rest. More was involved in the rest promised to the wilderness generation than simply entrance into the Promised Land.

4:9 “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God”: Seeing that this rest was never fulfilled in the beginning, the days of Moses, Joshua, or David, it still remains to be entered. “Sabbath rest”: This does not mean that Christians must still keep the Sabbath (Colossians 2:14-16). The terminology here is “Sabbath rest” and not “Sabbath day”. The writer is speaking of the ideal Sabbath rest, that is, the rest that the Sabbath day was but a mere shadow, that is, heaven.

“Called because it is not ordinary rest, but one which finds its ideal and actual fulfillment in God’s own rest on the seventh day” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 280).

Another reason we know that this is not the perpetual observance of the Sabbath day, is because these Christians had not entered this rest, that is, this is not something that was in their full possession (4:11). In addition, people were keeping the Sabbath day prior to the time of David and during David’s time, yet in Psalm 95 David spoke of a rest yet to be entered. “The change to ‘Sabbath rest’ was doubtless made because the author wants his readers to think in terms of God’s own rest, which was just explained in its connection with creation (4:4). The rest in Canaan is not what remains to be entered, but the sharing of God’s presence and the blessedness which that affords” (Kent pp. 85-86).

5

4:9 “For the people of God”: This has been defined in this chapter as those who believe and obey God’s word.

4:10 “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His” “Who has entered”: Aorist tense, once and for all (Vincent p. 425). Entering this rest happens at death (Philippians 1:21,23), for these living Christians had not yet entered this rest (4:11), even though they had been faithful in the past (10:32-34).

“Also rested from his works, as God did from His”: Heaven is not a place of inactivity, for God ceased creating, but continued to work (John 5:17). Just as God first worked then rested, so we must first work then rest (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14).  This rest is not keeping the Sabbath day, for keeping the Sabbath was followed on the very next day by another six days of labor, and this was done week after week. Compare with Revelation 14:13.  Heaven is not a place of idleness or mere inactivity, but rather, it is to enjoy the same satisfaction and fulfillment of a job well done that God enjoys. It is a place of intense fulfillment and satisfaction.

4:11 “Let us”: “Since there is a rest whose attainment is worth all our efforts; since so many have failed of reaching it by their unbelief, ‘therefore’” (Barnes p.

103). “The urgency of this exhortation stems from the very real danger of falling short of God’s rest” (Wilson p. 55). “Be diligent to enter that rest”: Jesus taught the same truth (Luke 13:24). The term “diligence” means “to exert oneself, endeavor, hasten to do a thing, be zealous or eager, that pains, and make every effort”. Contrary to the claims of some, heaven has never been obtained through just sitting back and letting God do all the work. Heaven is never obtained but by diligence, and no one enters there who does not earnestly desire it. Heaven is not entered by accident or chance. Note that the “rest” in this context is a rest yet to be entered by Christians. “Lest anyone”: Each person must care for himself (Philippians 2:15-16), God does not want any to fail (2 Peter 3:9). “Fall through following the same example of disobedience”: “Lest anyone fall (by placing his foot) into the mark left by the Exodus generation” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 281). The term “fall” indicates the complete ruin of those who disobeyed God, “In order to avoid

6

this unhappy fate it is vital that they spare no pains and make every effort to enter into that rest which is offered to them in the gospel” (Wilson p. 55).  We can behave just like the unfaithful Israelites (1 Corinthians 10:1-12).  Bad examples are easy to follow.  If we can fall into the same temptations, as did the Israelites, then the Old Testament is a very valuable book for us to learn from (Romans 15:4), for same temptations still plague mankind.  God did not spare the unfaithful in times past, and neither will He spare the unfaithful in our time (2 Peter 2:4-9).

“Being faithful to Jesus deliberately and with planned attention is the way to be ‘diligent’ and avoid the ‘same example of disobedience’” (Reese p. 63).

4:12 “For”: This is the reason for being diligent lest any unbelief is permitted to take root in our hearts, that reason is namely the abiding validity of God’s Word.

“The treats and promises one reads in Scripture still come true” (Reese p. 63). The power of the Word of God is here described to point out that God will detect all unbelief, we cannot escape His scrutiny, and all insincerity and hypocrisy will be detected. “The revelation which sets forth the promise of rest is not a dead, formal precept” (Vincent p. 426). “The author reminds his readers that God’s Word continues to distinguish believers and unbelievers” (Kent p. 89). “In case anyone might be tempted to treat God’s Word as a ‘dead’ letter which could be ignored with impunity, the admonition is reinforced by the stern reminder that it is ‘living and active’ and so is quick to detect and punish the first secret stirrings of unbelief in the heart” (Wilson p. 55).

4:12 “The word of God”: That is, God’s word revealed in Scripture, which is also likened to a sword in Ephesians 6:17). In the context, this is not only the Old Testament, but also the truth that would compose the New Testament as well, 4:2 “we have had good news preached to us”. “Is living and active”: It has vital power in itself. The word of God is likened to “seed” (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23). It is called a very powerful message (Romans 1:16). It is “active” in the sense that it is effective, powerful, valid and operative. Because it is the word of the Living God, therefore this word is always backed up with God’s power and authority and is an ever-relevant message. The Bible is not a dead or lifeless book, rather, wherever it is read or heard, something happens, far beyond merely our rejection or 7

acceptance (Isaiah 55:11). “The promises of Scripture, and the warnings of Scripture, are ever new. Scripture does not speak only in the past, but also in the present, and it will produce faith (Romans 10:17) if its message is carefully listened to” (Reese p. 63).

4:12 “And sharper than any two-edged sword”: “The double-edged sword is not only a more formidable weapon than a single-edged offering less resistance and therefore cutting deeper, but a common simile for sharpness (Proverbs 5:4)” (Gr. Ex. N.T. pp. 281-282). “Is a figure of speech indicating that the word of God can cut both ways, it can encourage and it can condemn” (Reese p. 63). “And piercing”: Means penetrating, or to go through. “As far as the division of soul and spirit”: “The purpose here is to point out this word of God has the utmost ability to penetrate the complex nature of man, to convict him of sin and to expose his most hidden motives” (Coffman p. 96). “With its clear and convicting insights, the word of God can distinguish between the person who lives in the realm of the spiritual (soul and spirit), and the person who lives only in the realm of the physical (joints and marrow)” (Reese pp. 63-64).

At this point there is quite a bit of discussion in various commentaries concerning the distinction between soul of spirit. We find the same distinction in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The above passage infers that whatever distinction exists is a very fine line.

4:12 “Of both joints and marrow”: This is probably a figurative expression, for the word of God obviously does not need to analyze our bodily processes. Here we see the sharpness of this sword, it just does not cut to the bone, but rather, it cuts into the bone right down to the marrow. This expression seems to be clarified in the next statement, that is, this word is so sharp that it can penetrate into the most inner recesses of man’s nature and thinking. “And able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”: That is, “quick to discern”, “fit for judging”, “skilled in judging”. The expression “thoughts and intents” can refer to the pondering or thinking out, the reflections of the heart, and the purpose and designs of the heart. “Impulses and designs” (Rhm); “secret thoughts and purposes” (Wey).

All unbelief will be apparent to God. When a person encounters the word of God, it is but a short time before that man’s real motives are exposed. Is he a seeker of 8

the truth and a lover of good? Does he have an honest and good heart? Does he love the light or the darkness? The term “intentions” is apparently chosen to reflect the idea that God knows exactly the real motives behind why people reject the gospel or fall away. “God’s word probes the deepest recesses of the human heart and provides spiritual light for those who will accept its truth. If allowed to do its probing work, the Word leaves nothing hidden. It will reveal completely what a man is” (Kent p. 90). This verse also infers that there is no “good” reason for falling away. Whatever “good” excuses people think they have for not serving God, they need to seriously reexamine. People can fool themselves, but God knows the real reason!

Another reason to give diligence 4:13 “And there is no creature hidden from His sight”: “Men are such an open book to God, that He knows exactly the message men need to hear when they read a verse of Scripture” (Reese p. 64). “Every human being is wholly known to God. God distinctly understands all of man’s thoughts, feelings, and plans.

Nothing remains invisible to Him” (p. 64). The term “creature” here can mean individual things or beings, or anything that is the product of God’s creation. “Not a creature exists that is hidden from Him” (Ber).

Here we see the folly of trying to hide from God or remove the Bible from our lives. Eventually we must deal with God Himself! No man has ever been able to indefinitely postpone accountability with God. 4:13 “But all things”: All people and all thoughts and actions. “Are open”: Before God we are forced to present ourselves as we really are (2 Corinthians 5:10). Before God, all pretending, all excuses, and so on, are stripped away. “Laid bare”: This is an interesting word that the Holy Spirit selected. It is the Greek word trachelizo, which means to twist the neck, and was a wrestling term, used in the sense of taking someone by the throat. The literal sense of the word seems to be “with head thrown back and the throat exposed” (Vine p. 320). It was to grip an antagonist by the throat and thus render him limp and powerless. “This characteristic figure then may be held to represent either the denuded or helpless plight of all created persons when brought face to face with their Creator and Lord” (Wilson p. 56). “It is clear that the idea of being fully exposed is demanded by the sense of the verse” (Kent p. 90). “With whom we have to do”: God is the 9

one to whom our account must be given, to whom we are responsible. We must deal with God eventually. God sees all (Proverbs 15:3,11), and this is the God that we must deal with (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 7:21-23). Here is tremendous motivation to be honest and pure.  Seeing that the word of God is so discerning and powerful, this word can expose any sins in our lives and is a tremendous resource in correcting ourselves (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  There is no good reason why anyone should continue to remain ignorant concerning what is good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).  “God’s word is not only a judge but an instrument to reveal one’s condition.

Therefore rectification can be accomplished while it is still called ‘today’” (Kent p. 90).  We should take Bible study very seriously, for whenever His word is set before us, our lives, including our innermost secrets and motives, are being exposed.

Hebrews 4:14-16 The Holy Spirit changes the tone from severe warning to gentle appeal. The writer now resumes the thought introduced in 2:17-3:1. The high priesthood of Jesus will now be discussed through 5:10. Kent notes, “Was part of the reader’s problem that they missed the Jewish priesthood? Then let them understand that Christians have a great high priest. No priest in the Old Testament was ever called a ‘great high priest’. Furthermore, the Christian’s high priest has passed through the heavens. Just as the Aaronic priest passed from the altar through the outer court and then through the holy place to the holy of holies beyond the veil, so Christ also has passed from view. It was not a momentary passing through some earthly chambers, but an ascension through the heavenly regions to the actual throne room of God (4:16)” (p. 91).

4:14 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God” “This transitional paragraph makes two points: Because of Jesus’ greatness, ‘let us hold fast our confession!’ and, because of His human experience, ‘let us draw near’” (Reese p. 65). Concerning the statement, “passed through the heavens” 10

see Acts 1:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:22. In contrast to the priests in the Old Testament who passed through the veil into the holy of holies, Jesus passed into the very presence of the Father, “but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us” (9:24). Instead of Jesus’ absence depressing us, it should rather encourage us. He is absent because He is in the presence of God making intercession for us. “Jesus the Son of God”: Not the son of Aaron, rather the Son of God. “Let us hold fast our confession”: To “hold fast” means to cling to carefully and faithfully what one has confessed. Throughout this letter Christians are reminded that they are responsible for their own faithfulness (3:6,14; 6:11; 10:23,35). The importance of this confession in Christ is that without it one cannot be saved (Matthew 10:33).

Wilson notes that these Christians might have been ridiculed by their kinsmen that their religion had no living high priest who could guide them. “Many still cannot rise to the spiritual reality of New Testament truth and must needs worship a visible Vicar of Christ on earth who claims to be ‘Pontifex Maximus’— the greatest High Priest” (p. 57). The point is that Jesus is living and very active and does not need anyone to fill in for Him on earth. “The appearing of Jesus in glory affords convincing proof that His sacrifice was acceptable to God and assures His people of the prevailing power of His intercession on their behalf” (p. 57).

4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses” To “sympathize” is to feel for, have compassion on, suffer with another, and to be affected similarly. The term “weaknesses” means, “lack of strength”.

 Jesus being in heaven does not make Him cold and insensitive to our needs.

“He repels the idea which might have found entrance into their minds, that an absent, heavenly priest might not be able to sympathize” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p.

283).  Jesus knows all about human problems. Jesus is great both in power and compassion.  “This is more than knowledge of human weakness, it is feeling it by reason of a common experience with men” (Vincent p. 430).

11



“Was it being implied that having a high priest in heaven was no substitute for a priest on earth to whom one could go with his problems?” (Kent p.

91).

4:15 “But one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” Someone might ask, “How could Jesus be tempted in all points, since He never married, never had children, never had to deal with old age, and so on?” The truth is that all temptation comes down to the same basic avenues (1 John 2:16).

Calvinists seek to argue Jesus’ temptations were different from ours because our temptations come from a sinful nature (within) and Jesus’ temptations came from without, yet this would contradict the idea that He was tempted just like us. The temptations that we experience also come from without (Romans 6:13-16). The difference between Jesus and us is that Jesus never responded to any of these temptations; He never yielded, while we have (James 1:12ff).

“When we consider the temptations in the wilderness, for example, we can see an appeal to one who is desperately hungry to use improper means to assuage his hunger. Someone has said, Jesus thus knows the temptation a poor man has to steal that his family may be fed. There were temptations to pride, and to selfishness, to go some way other than God’s way, to avoid hurt and pain that service to God sometimes carries with it, etc.” (Reese p. 67).

In this area we need to be careful that we do not overreact: First, we need to be careful that we do not paint a picture of Jesus really wanting to yield to a temptation, for “lusting” is sinful as well as the actual act itself (Matthew 5:28).

Jesus clearly understood what the devil was offering Him, He understood what He would have avoided (pain, etc), He understood the wealth, fame, and worldly power that was being offered Him. He clearly felt the pangs of hunger, yet He did not sin. Jesus thus was able to understand and feel the full force of temptation, yet nothing in Him yielded for one moment to a sinful thought in that direction.

Secondly, we need to be careful that we do not paint a picture of Jesus as someone who did not feel hunger, or someone whose emotions were never stirred.

12

Thus Jesus is the perfect high priest. He is not out of touch, as if He was never tested Himself, neither is He too lax because of His own weaknesses. Rather, He is the perfect blend of strength and sympathy.

4:16 “Let us therefore draw near with confidence”: Such a sympathetic and victorious high priest should motivate us to draw near. The term “draw near” is in the present tense, “let us keep on coming to”. That is, instead of deserting Him, let us make daily use of Him. This is the phrase used in this book for a reverent approach toward worship (7:25; 10:1,22; 11:6). “With confidence”: “Free and fearless confidence, cheerful confidence” (Thayer p. 491). This expresses the thought that Christianity is the religion of free access to God. Draw near with confidence, because we know He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7). Draw near with confidence, because our sins have been forgiven and we can approach without the fear of rejection! “Boldness is here not opposed to godly fear, but to slavish dread” (Wilson p. 59). “Obviously, if they repudiate Jesus and quit the Christian religion, they also forfeit the help of the great High Priest” (Reese p. 68). “The throne of grace”: This is the source from whence grace is dispensed. If we do draw near to Jesus with confidence in Him, then we will find grace, mercy and favor. People who do not want to trust Him will find something else.

4:16 “That we may receive mercy and may find grace”: “Mercy is the love that helped the wretched, grace the love that pardons the guilty” (Wilson p. 59). “To help in time of need”: “For timely help; assistance in hours of temptation must be timely or it is useless” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 285). This is well-timed help, help in the nick of time, convenient, and opportune. “The most dangerous of all temptations is to believe, that one can avoid or overcome them by our own strength, and without asking the help of God” (p. 285). In verse 15 we have the assurance that Jesus has perfect knowledge of the help needed, and verse 16 gives us the assurance that the help shall be given as needed, and in the time of need.  Are we making good use of Jesus or are we trying to endure trials without His help? Do we only call upon Jesus for help after everything else has failed?  Do we believe that Jesus truly understands the temptations that we are encountering? Do we approach God with confidence or are we unsure of our relationship with Him?

13