“… again He designates a certain day, saying in David, ‘Today,’ after such a long time, as it has been said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:7-9).
“Common sense” is the rational acceptance of reality as it is.
Even though it seems to be coming less and less common, it still remains an essential to an accurate understanding of God’s Word. Common sense is rooted in a few obvious and infallible laws of rational thinking.
Two examples of these are found in this inspired passage.
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The Law of Identity. For the first ten verses of Hebrews four to make any sense, the word “rest” cannot used in every instance to refer to the same thing. The “rest” Moses’ generation did not enter but Joshua’s did enter is not the same “rest” David spoke of five hundred years later. If that “rest” had occurred in Joshua’s day, it is illogical for God to speak of it as being available in David’s day (Hebrews 4:8).
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The Law of Implication. Since “rest” from God was possible in David’s day and is not the “rest” Joshua gave God’s people, there remains therefore a “rest” for the people of God who do not harden their hearts to His word (Hebrews 4:9).
Understanding the Bible accurately does not require vast amounts of formal training. It does, however, demand the continual use of common sense.
