Brother, the Holy Spirit speaks through the prophets and has nothing to say himself to us directly. This silence of the Holy Spirit for us individually is what is used as an excuse to disobey the Sabbath message by the Holy Spirit in the book of Hebrews.
For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:16-21)
This is what we asked of God so that we would not die, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through prophets like Moses and the Holy Spirit does not speak to us directly as God did at Sanai.
For this is what you yourselves requested of the LORD your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’ “Then the LORD said to me, ‘What they have said is right. I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’ “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the LORD?’ If the prophet speaks in the LORD’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the LORD did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared. (Deuteronomy 18:16-22 NLT)
Paul in Hebrews chapter 4 below tells us what he means by his use of the word "rest". "Rest" in this passage does not mean anything other than what Paul tells us he means in the following passage.
For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” (Hebrews 4:3-4 NLT)
Not allowing them to enter God's Sabbath "ready since he made the world" was a punishment during those 40 years for their disobedience. It means they did not enter the Sabbath during those 40 years with Manna. They kept the wrong Sabbath being the seventh day of the week, when the seventh day of the week is too late to enter the Sabbath by half a day near Jerusalem. When the Sabbath in Jerusalem is entered half a day earlier then the seventh day of the week in Jerusalem.
You have a misunderstanding of the free of work righteousness obtained when you first believe, exemplified in David's sin with Bathsheba. David did not do any work at the temple to obtain forgiveness because he believed God's message through the prophet Nathan that he was worthy of death for his sin with Bathsheba. Subsequent forgiveness for additional sins by David would have to be gained by doing the works of the temple for the forgiveness of sins. It means David was lost to sin because he did not do the works of the temple for the forgiveness of his sin of taking another man's wife. God through Nathan told David he would die for that sin and David believed God and that belief was counted as work that completed his new faith granting him forgiveness without the need to do the works of the temple. It is a special case of forgiveness for past sins where your having believed is counted as work to gain forgiveness only at the beginning of your faith.
Yes! God knows I obey Him like Abraham! How do I obey Him differently from David? Unlike David, I turn to the temple for forgiveness. Jesus has taught me how to get up again and again quickly when I fall until I no longer fall. It is not that I can never fall, but that I know what God expects from me when I fall, which David failed to do by not going to the temple. God expects me to ask for forgiveness in prayer to get up again and again until I no longer fall. If David had gone to the temple, he would have been saved from his sin, but because he did not go to the temple, David was lost to sin, until he gained a new faith through the prophet Nathan. David got forgiveness free of the works of the temple when he was forgiven for his new belief of being worthy of death for committing adultery with Bathsheba without having done the regular work at the temple for his forgiveness. What many think can only happen after Jesus happened to David before Jesus! I say again, what has been assumed as unique to the new covenant David experienced before the new covenant! Way before Jesus' death on the cross, David received "righteousness" for having believed, free of the regular work of animal sacrifices at the temple for the forgiveness of his past sin of adultery! Something everyone thinks only happens after Jesus happened to David before Jesus! David's free "righteousness" experience of getting "righteousness" free of the regular work of animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of the past sin of adultery took place before Jesus.
David was furious. “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “
any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! . . . Then
David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD by doing this, your child will die.” (
2 Samuel 12:5-7a,
13-14 NLT)
David gained initial forgiveness for his free of regular work "righteousness", having done no regular work at the temple when God counted his having "believed" he was worthy of death for adultery as equivalent to an act of "work" to complete his new faith of being worthy of death for breaking the Seventh Commandment of committing adultery with another man's wife. David gained forgiveness for his past sin of adultery without having done the regular work of animal sacrifices at the temple! What many think happens after Jesus, gaining free work credit of an act of "righteousness" without having done the regular work of animal sacrifices at the temple, happened to David before Jesus. David's experience of gaining an initial act of "righteousness" without having done the regular work of animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of his past sin of adultery was before Jesus!
When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But
people are credited righteousness (work), not because of their work, but because of their faith/belief (pistis) in God who forgives sinners.
David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are credited righteousness (work) without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.” Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that
Abraham was credited righteousness (work) by God because of his faith/belief (pistis). But how did this happen? Was he
credited righteousness (work) only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! (
Romans 4:4-10 NLT fixed)
United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
