Psalm 95:11
So I swore on oath in My anger, "They shall never enter My rest."
So I swore in My anger
This phrase reflects a solemn declaration made by God, emphasizing the seriousness of His response to the disobedience and unbelief of the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "swore" (נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי, nishba'ti) conveys a binding oath, underscoring the irrevocable nature of God's decision. The mention of "anger" (אַף, aph) highlights God's righteous indignation, a response to the persistent rebellion of His people. This phrase serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of hardening one's heart against God's voice, as seen in the historical context of the Israelites' wilderness journey.

They shall never enter My rest
The term "rest" (מְנוּחָתִי, menuchati) in Hebrew signifies a place of peace, safety, and divine blessing. Historically, this referred to the Promised Land, a physical manifestation of God's promise to His people. However, in a broader theological context, it symbolizes spiritual rest and eternal salvation. The phrase "shall never enter" (אִם־יְבֹאוּן, im-yevo'un) is a conditional statement, reflecting the consequence of disbelief and disobedience. This serves as a cautionary tale for believers, urging them to remain faithful and obedient to God's word to partake in His promised rest, both in this life and the life to come.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The speaker in this verse, expressing His judgment and decision regarding the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The people to whom God is speaking, specifically those who wandered in the wilderness and tested God.

3. Wilderness
The place where the Israelites wandered for 40 years due to their disobedience and lack of faith.

4. Rest
Symbolic of the Promised Land, representing peace, fulfillment, and God's blessing.

5. Oath
A solemn promise made by God, emphasizing the seriousness of His declaration.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Disobedience
God's oath highlights the severe consequences of disobedience and unbelief. Believers are called to trust and obey God fully.

Understanding 'Rest'
The concept of rest goes beyond physical rest; it includes spiritual peace and fulfillment found in a relationship with God. Believers are encouraged to seek this rest through faith in Christ.

The Danger of Hardened Hearts
Just as the Israelites hardened their hearts, believers today must guard against unbelief and rebellion, which can lead to missing out on God's promises.

God's Faithfulness and Justice
God's response to the Israelites' disobedience demonstrates His faithfulness to His word and His justice. Believers can trust that God will fulfill His promises, both of blessing and of judgment.

Invitation to Rest in Christ
Jesus offers a rest that is available to all who come to Him. This rest is characterized by peace, forgiveness, and eternal life, contrasting with the rest denied to the disobedient Israelites.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does the concept of "rest" mean in the context of Psalm 95:11, and how does it apply to our spiritual lives today?

2. How can we guard against developing a hardened heart like the Israelites, according to Hebrews 3:7-11?

3. In what ways does Jesus' invitation to rest in Matthew 11:28-30 fulfill the promise of rest that the Israelites missed?

4. How does understanding God's justice and faithfulness in Psalm 95:11 impact our view of His character and our relationship with Him?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's rest in your life. How can you encourage others to seek this rest through faith in Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Hebrews 3:7-11
This passage references Psalm 95:11, warning believers not to harden their hearts as the Israelites did, which led to their exclusion from God's rest.

Numbers 14:22-23
Describes the specific rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness, which led to God's oath that they would not enter the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 12:9-10
Discusses the concept of rest as entering the Promised Land, a place of safety and divine provision.

Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites those who are weary to find rest in Him, offering a spiritual rest that contrasts with the physical rest denied to the Israelites.
Divine Judgments on the UnbelevingR. Tuck Psalm 95:11
Obstinate Sinners Doomed to Eternal PerditionR. South, D. D.Psalm 95:11
Christ the Rock of Our SalvationJ. W. Hardman, LL.D.Psalm 95:1-11
Inciting One Another to Praise GodPsalm 95:1-11
Praise the Outcome of Divine InfluencePsalm 95:1-11
PsalmodyJ. W. Reeve, M.A.Psalm 95:1-11
Public Worship - its Necessity and AdvantageC. Short Psalm 95:1-11
The Genesis of PraiseW. G. Horder.Psalm 95:1-11
The Grandest of Creature ServicesHomilistPsalm 95:1-11
The Invitatory PsalmS. Conway Psalm 95:1-11
The VeniteD. Laing, M.A.Psalm 95:1-11
Israel's Provocation Against GodSketches of Four Hundred SermonsPsalm 95:10-11
People
Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Anger, Enter, Oath, Rest, Sware, Swore, Truly, Wherefore, Won't, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 95:7-11

     5048   opportunities, and salvation
     6185   imagination, desires
     6223   rebellion, of Israel
     7223   exodus, significance
     8126   guidance, need for
     8743   faithlessness, nature of

Psalm 95:8-11

     8836   unbelief, response

Psalm 95:10-11

     1210   God, human descriptions
     5431   oaths, divine
     7429   Sabbath, in OT

Library
Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

O Come, Loud Anthems Let us Sing
[1180]Park Street: Frederick M. A. Venua, c. 1810 Psalm 95 Tate and Brady, 1698; Alt. DOXOLOGY O come, loud anthems let us sing, Loud thanks to our almighty King, And high our grateful voices raise, As our Salvation's Rock we praise. Into his presence let us haste To thank him for his favors past; To him address, in joyful songs, The praise that to his Name belongs. For God the Lord, enthroned in state, Is with unrivaled glory great; The depths of earth are in his hand, Her secret wealth at his
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Weighed, and Found Wanting
'And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3. And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4. And they said one
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Temporary Hardening.
"Lord, why hast Thou hardened our heart? "--Isa. lxiii. 17. That there is a hardening of heart which culminates in the sin against the Holy Spirit can not be denied. When dealing with spiritual things we must take account of it; for it is one of the most fearful instruments of the divine wrath. For, whether we say that Satan or David or the Lord tempted the king, it amounts to the same thing. The cause is always in man's sin; and in each of these three cases the destructive fatality whereby sin poisons
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Epistle xxxi. To Phocas, Emperor .
To Phocas, Emperor [218] . Gregory to Phocas Augustus. Glory to God in the highest who, according as it is written, changes times, and transfers kingdoms, seeing that He has made apparent to all what He vouchsafed to speak by His prophet, That the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will (Dan. iv. 17). For in the incomprehensible dispensation of Almighty God there are alternate controlments of mortal life; and sometimes, when the sins of many are to be smitten,
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Fundamental Oneness of the Dispensations.
Hebrews iii. i-iv. 13 (R.V.). "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High-priest of our confession, even Jesus; who was faithful to Him that appointed Him as also was Moses in all his house. For He hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some one; but He that built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant,
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Careful Walk of the Christian.
Text: Ephesians 5, 15-21. 15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk [See then that ye walk circumspectly], not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always for all things
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

The Shepherd and the Fold
... Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' EXODUS XV. 13. What a grand triumphal ode! The picture of Moses and the children of Israel singing, and Miriam and the women answering: a gush of national pride and of worship! We belong to a better time, but still we can feel its grandeur. The deliverance has made the singer look forward to the end, and his confidence in the issue is confirmed. I. The guiding God: or the picture of the leading. The original is 'lead gently.' Cf.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Arguments Usually Alleged in Support of Free Will Refuted.
1. Absurd fictions of opponents first refuted, and then certain passages of Scripture explained. Answer by a negative. Confirmation of the answer. 2. Another absurdity of Aristotle and Pelagius. Answer by a distinction. Answer fortified by passages from Augustine, and supported by the authority of an Apostle. 3. Third absurdity borrowed from the words of Chrysostom. Answer by a negative. 4. Fourth absurdity urged of old by the Pelagians. Answer from the works of Augustine. Illustrated by the testimony
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Psalm 95:11 NIV
Psalm 95:11 NLT
Psalm 95:11 ESV
Psalm 95:11 NASB
Psalm 95:11 KJV

Psalm 95:11 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Psalm 95:10
Top of Page
Top of Page