Limitations

"Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Heb 4:7 AV)

According to the writer of Hebrews, Psalm 95, from which this quote comes, is written by David.  Yet, the context is Israel’s charge to enter the land of Canaan.  The comparison is to the older generation that lacked faith.  They turned back from the challenge of God when first offered the land of Canaan.  Fresh out of Egypt, the former generation was charged to enter Canaan from the south.  They sent out Joshua, Caleb, and ten others to spy out the land.  When they returned, ten of the spies reported that the people of the land were too great and mighty for them to take the land without suffering significant losses.  The nation took the advice of the ten faithless spies and rejected the advice of Joshua and Caleb.  So, the LORD took from that generation the opportunity to enjoy a life of liberty and growth.  Psalm 95 calls that life a rest.  Now, the writer of Hebrews is comparing that event to the offer of salvation in Christ.  Especially as it concerns Israel.  The suggestion is that God’s offer of grace is not without limit.  There is a time limit to the offer.  In the Old Testament, when the former generation realized their mistake, they attempted to take the land.  God was not with them, and they suffered great casualties.  When God makes an offer, it is prudent to take it without balking at it.  The offer may only stand for a short while.  Limited opportunity is understood by the phrase, “he limiteth a certain day”.

Opportunities define us all.  Our willingness to take risks and seize the opportunity at hand will shape what our lives will become.  Have you ever been offered something that sounded too good to be true?  Most of the time, these opportunities are just that.  They are too good to be true.  If you have an email account, you probably get dozens of these offers a day.  I love how one store put it.  They mark everything up and then put it all on sale.  That way, when you check your merchandise, cashier can show you “how much you saved today”.  The thing is, if I had never stepped foot in that store, I would have saved even more.  I didn’t save anything because I spent money in the store.  A sale here.  A sweepstake there.  Opportunity abounds.  Most of it is not worth the attention one pays it.  However, there are times when something genuine comes along.  Many years ago, a friend of mine bought me a discovery flight for my birthday.  He had heard that I spent a great deal of time on flight simulators, so he gave this to me as a thank you.  The thing is, I am deathly afraid of heights.  Getting me up in a plane is a great undertaking.  Flying it myself even more so.  Here was an opportunity.  I could have cashed it in use the funds for something less anxious.  Nonetheless, we took the flight, and it is a memory I will never forget for as long as I live.

Whether it is service, career, relationships, etc, God may limit a day.  He may offer an opportunity at grace only so many times.  He could be offering us a change in direction.  He could be offering something as simple as forgiveness.  Whatever the offer, the day is limited.  Not only does He limit a day.  He limits a certain day.  We often see the offer of God’s grace as ongoing until He runs out of patience.  They may be true is certain applications.  However, the verse above would seem to indicate an offer of rest was for a certain time.  Not before.  Not after.  In other words, the plan of God is on a schedule.  Some things may span the entire timeline.  Most does not.  Most of God’s plan is on a schedule.  There is a time and a place for everything.  This is David’s point here.  There was a day when the LORD wanted Israel to enter Canaan.  They refused.  Now that Jesus has come and died for them, there is a certain time period where they can accept Him as Messiah.  Yet the time is limited.  When it comes to the saint, the opportunities of God may come around only a few times.  They come at a certain time of the plan.  They do not come earlier.  They will not come again.