In Moses’ day the Israelites failed to obtain God’s rest in Canaan because of disbelief (Heb. 4:4-6). Under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites did enter the land and, after seven years of conquest, obtained God’s rest, but then failed to secure their inheritance in faith after receiving it. Consequently, the rest Jehovah had for them was never fully realized and, in time, was lost.
The writer of Hebrews uses their failure as an exhortation, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11-12). The matter of victorious living has not changed; continued faith and obedience ultimately translate into obtaining divine possessions and rest. Labor without faith or faith without labor will never translate into divine conquest and spiritual peace, but will rather conclude in human failure and emotional anxiety. Christ is the believer’s inheritance and resting place. The practical blessing of those present possessions granted the believer in Christ will be experienced through faith and obedience as one engages in active conquest and is enabled to do so by resurrection power.
Conquest and the Life of Rest is a “commentary style” devotional which upholds the glories of Christ while exploring the book of Joshua within the context of the whole of Scripture. The book includes many principal gleanings from other writers.
Conquest and the Life of Rest is the fifth of fourteen books in the Old Testament Devotional Commentary Series.