When we are going to travel to a place, we usually consider the best route and throughout the journey obey traffic rules as much as possible in order to arrive at our destination safely. This also applies to our journey of faith, God has provided a special path to the place of notification or what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews calls a "resting place". A place that fills true peace. The beginning of eternity with God that awaits everyone who believes in Him.

The passage we read today is an integral part of the previous chapter, namely Hebrews 3:7, "Today, if you hear His voice". Now it is continued with the opening words "Therefore let us be vigilant, lest any of you be counted as having fallen short, while the promise of entering His rest still stands" (4:1). This warning confirms that God's promise was still valid when the letter to the Hebrews was written and received by the congregation at that time, but one day that promise will surely end and those who have not entered due to their negligence and unbelief will be left behind. The word ‘beware’ is a translation of the Greek word ‘phobeomai’, which can also be translated as ‘fear’. Therefore, we can understand that the message to be conveyed is very important, so that the congregation does not experience a tragic fate like the Israelites in the past, as discussed in chapter 3. Christians must be very vigilant, even afraid, lest there be those among them who fail to enter the place of rest promised by God, even though the promise is still valid. Given that the church is one body, personal and community salvation is very important.

Hearing the good news alone is not a guarantee of salvation, faith is also needed, submitting oneself totally to God. The Word of God has extraordinary power, knows everything in humans and will demand accountability from every person who hears it. The Word of God is alive, as the God who speaks it is the living God. the same as the parable that Jesus conveyed about the Sower, that the Word can grow and produce fruit (Matthew 13: 1-23). The Word is strong, active, and effective, like rainwater that wets the earth and produces (Isaiah 55: 10-11). In addition, the Word of God is also very sharp, sharper than a double-edged sword, which is able to penetrate into the spiritual part of man, namely the soul and spirit. The soul is the spiritual part of man that is the place of feelings and thoughts, while the spirit is the deeper spiritual part of man, a part of man that is most appropriate to meet the Spirit of God and be transformed by Him (Romans 8: 5). We can see the comparison between the word/word and the sword in relation to the similarity in how they work. just as a sharp sword can pierce into the human body, so is the Word of God sharp, so that it can penetrate and investigate the deepest parts of the human person (heart, soul, and spirit). The entire human being, even all creatures, are "naked and exposed" and at the same time helpless before the Word of God that judges (verse 13).

Ultimately, human openness leads to surrender to God. This surrender is what produces obedience. One thing that needs to be realized is that obedience can only be realized when someone dares to deny himself and makes God's will the main guideline of his life. Aren't we often so arrogant and try to justify wrong actions, instead of fighting to obey them? This effort is not easy, therefore ask God for help, so that HE will accompany, guide and guide us.