Hebrews 3:18 Commentary and Bible Study

God’s rest is reserved for his people and the wicked will never see it. To make unbelieving Israel completely clear that this was not a matter of doubt and that God would never change his mind about it, he made an oath to that generation that he would not bring them into his rest. He swore in his wrath because unbelief is such a provocation to God. God does not lash out with outbursts of uncontrolled fury in the way that human passion is expressed, but his settled indignation determined to punish Israel. There had been no change in the state of heart of that first generation over the entire forty-year period, even though the patience of God had not judged them all immediately but had continued to miraculously provide the means of life in the wilderness. The rest which they were denied entry into was the typical rest of the promised earthly land. The next chapter will explain the significance of that rest, but it was fitting that the typical people should be denied the typical blessing because of their unbelief, and the lesson is clear to those who live in New Testament times: that the real blessing will also be denied us if we give way to unbelief. By doing so, we will show that we never truly had faith in the first place.