The first few four chapters of Hebrews are a little confusing to me. I don't understand what everything stands for. What is "rest" refering to? I think that it might be salvation/faith. But I really don't know or understand. And then does "works" stand for the law of the old testament? I know the rest of the book is comparing and contrasting the law of the old testament, which had faults (8:7) to the perfect law of liberty which is in Christ. And then in 4:3 what works is He refering to that were finished from the foundations of the world? And what about 4:10? I don't understand it!
	For the whole book of Hebrews, always in your mind look for comparisons with the children of Israel in the Old Testament, coming out of Egypt, heading for the promised land. "Rest" in the analogy of the book stands for the victorious life available to them and waiting for them in the promised land. They would enjoy victory over their enemies, reap blessings they didn't deserve, eat food they didn't grow, and generally have it pretty good. (cf. Joshua 24:13) They had the chance to get this shortly after leaving Egypt, but they lost faith, rejected Josh and Caleb's counsel, and spent the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness. They failed to enter into "rest" because they refused to move forward in "faith" due to perceived difficulties (Joshua 1:13-15). That analogy is exactly what the author of Hebrews is warning about. The Christians he addresses are looking at the difficulties of Christianity in the 1st century, and considering returning to Judaism, rather than going forward for Christ in faith. The author's advice? Don't miss out on the marvelous victories of the Christian life by losing faith now. The "works" aspect refers to the fact that God has already accomplished everything that needs to be done. God had already promised victory over the Canaanites. In creation, God "rested" when He had completed creation. As Christians we "rest" in the completed work of Christ. That's where Hebrews 4:10 comes in. So, in summary, "rest" is the realization of the blessings God had provided, and the accompanying victory we OUGHT to be experiencing as Christians because of what He has done for us. What to read more on this subject? Check out this book...
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