S4: Week 21 Day 4: Connecting Joshua 21:43-45 & Hebrews 4:5-11

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Episode: Season 4, Week 21, Day 4: Connecting Joshua 21:43-45 & Hebrews 4:5-11
Release Date: May 22, 2025
Host: Beth & Co-Host: Alexa
Source: The Daily Grace Co. Podcast Transcript

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Introduction

In this insightful episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace, hosts Beth and Alexa delve into the profound connection between two pivotal Scripture passages: Joshua 21:43-45 from the Old Testament and Hebrews 4:5-11 from the New Testament. As part of Season 4’s "Christ in All of Scripture" series, this session aims to uncover how these passages intertwine to reveal the centrality of Jesus Christ in the biblical narrative.

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Understanding the Context of Hebrews

Beth begins by setting the stage for understanding the Book of Hebrews, emphasizing its purpose and audience:

“The Book of Hebrews is essentially an encouragement to a group of Christians who are tired and have experienced great trial and likely lots of persecution.”
— Beth (00:38)

She highlights that the author of Hebrews seeks to remind believers that Jesus surpasses all else as their source of relief and strength during times of suffering and exhaustion. This foundational understanding is crucial for unpacking the passages being discussed.

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Teaching About Rest: Joshua and Hebrews

The conversation shifts to the theme of rest as depicted in both Joshua and Hebrews. Alexa prompts Beth to elaborate on the lessons these passages offer:

“What does this passage teach the original readers and us about rest?”
— Alexa (01:24)

Beth articulates that true rest is intrinsically linked to Jesus, illustrating God's unwavering plan to provide this rest through Him:

“True rest is found only in Jesus and that God has always planned on providing his rest through Jesus.”
— Beth (01:33)

She connects this idea to previous discussions on God's provision and faithfulness, noting that while Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land—a temporary rest—it ultimately points towards the eternal rest that Christ offers.

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Christ as the Fulfillment of Rest

Alexa acknowledges the progressive revelation of rest:

“I love how God gives His people little tastes of rest as he points to the true rest to come.”
— Alexa (02:02)

Beth expounds on this by referencing Hebrews 4:9-10, explaining that the Sabbath rest signifies the grace provided through Christ:

“Which tells us therefore a sabbath rest remains for God's people, for the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.”
— Beth (02:12)

This underscores that rest is a divine gift, not something that can be earned through human effort, echoing the Israelites' inability to enter the Promised Land despite God’s assurances.

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The Balance Between Grace and Obedience

A pivotal part of their discussion revolves around Hebrews 4:11, where believers are urged to strive to enter the rest to prevent falling into disobedience:

“Make every effort to enter that rest so we will avoid disobedience.”
— Alexa (02:45)

Beth clarifies this by distinguishing between the origins of rest and the role of obedience:

“Grace and rest have been offered for freely, we can and should still respond in faith to Christ through our own personal obedience.”
— Beth (02:52)

She emphasizes that while salvation and rest are not earned by obedience, living in obedience allows believers to fully experience the rest that God has graciously provided through Jesus.

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Encouragement and Practical Application

Alexa wraps up the theological exploration with encouragement to live out the rest that Jesus offers:

“That's good and such a great encouragement to live out the rest Jesus gives us by obedience to Him.”
— Alexa (03:26)

Beth and Alexa express anticipation for future discussions that will focus on practical applications of these truths, inviting listeners to continue their journey of studying and living out God's Word.

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Conclusion

This episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace masterfully bridges the Old and New Testaments, revealing the continuous thread of Christ’s provision of true rest. Beth and Alexa guide listeners through a thoughtful examination of how Joshua’s narrative and the teachings of Hebrews collectively illuminate the sufficiency of Jesus in providing enduring peace and rest amidst life’s trials. The hosts effectively balance theological depth with practical encouragement, making the episode both informative and applicable for believers seeking to deepen their understanding and relationship with Christ.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Beth (00:38): “The Book of Hebrews is essentially an encouragement to a group of Christians who are tired and have experienced great trial and likely lots of persecution.”
• Beth (01:33): “True rest is found only in Jesus and that God has always planned on providing his rest through Jesus.”
• Beth (02:12): “Which tells us therefore a sabbath rest remains for God's people, for the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.”
• Alexa (02:52): “It's not that our obedience will save us, but through obedience we will experience the fullness of the rest that has been so provided to us by God through Christ.”

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For additional studies, journals, and resources to enhance your journey through God's Word, visit thedailygraceco.com. Join Beth and Alexa as they continue to explore the depths of Scripture, fostering a deeper love and understanding of Jesus in every believer's heart.

Transcript

[Beth]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Alexa]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire Biblical story, but the center of it.

[Beth]

Hey friends, welcome back to another day of A year in the Bible. My name is Beth and as usual I am here with Alexa, my co host.

[Alexa]

Hi everyone. Today we are making the Christ connection between Joshua 21:43, 45 and Hebrews 4, 9, 10. So Beth, can you help us unpack the Christ connection between these passages?

[Beth]

For sure. Before we get there, I do want to say just a little bit about the context of the Book of Hebrews. So we don't need to go into great detail here, but I think it is helpful to know why the author is writing this book. And so it is essentially an encouragement, encouragement to a group of Christians who are tired and have experienced great trial and likely lots of persecution. So throughout the book, the author is constantly reminding them how Jesus is greater than anything else they could turn to for relief in their trial. So these verses that deal with rest are extremely relevant to these Christians who are tired and in search of rest.

[Alexa]

That's really helpful to know that context. So with that in mind, what does this passage teach the original readers and us about rest?

[Beth]

Yeah, it teaches us that true rest is found only in Jesus and that God has always planned on providing his rest through Jesus. So remember what we talked about on Monday and Tuesday? We talked about God's provision and his faithfulness. So he was faithful to bring about the promise that he had made to bring rest to his people. And he provided that rest once through Joshua. But Joshua and the Promised Land both ultimately pointed towards Christ who will bring true rest to all of the people of God.

[Alexa]

I love how God gives His people little tastes of rest as he points to the true rest to come. So how exactly does Jesus offer that true rest?

[Beth]

The answer to that is found in Hebrews 4, 9, 10, which tells us therefore a sabbath rest remains for God's people, for the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. And so we see here that it is the grace of God offered to us through Christ that has given us rest. We don't have to earn it. We can't earn it, actually. And we are just as prone to disobedience obedience as the Israelites who were forbidden from entering the Promised Land. So our only chance at finding true rest is not dependent on our own works, but it's dependent on the work of Christ on the cross.

[Alexa]

So how does that work with verse 11 that tells us to make every effort to enter that rest so we will avoid disobedience?

[Beth]

Yeah, I think that's a really good question. I think what's going on there is that the author is reminding his readers that although grace and rest have been offered for freely, we can and should still respond in faith to Christ through our own personal obedience. So it's not that our obedience will save us, but through obedience we experience the fullness of the rest that has been so it's not that our obedience will save us, but through obedience we will experience the fullness of the rest that has been provided to us by God through Christ.

[Alexa]

That's good and such a great encouragement to live out the rest Jesus gives us by obedience to Him. Well, I'm looking forward to discussing some more how we can practically respond to the passages we looked at this week, so we hope you join us tomorrow as we close out this week talking about application thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode, and make sure you're following a daily Grace podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement. We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye friends.

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