selah

סֶלָה
"Firm, hard, heavy, like a rock"
"Stop and listen."
"Pause, and think of that."

One of my favourite word in the Bible is not an actual word. Instead, it is a command to pause, to think, to ponder. In a deeper sense, it also calls for the reader to stop reading. I remember hearing about selah in a service once and it struck me, the depth of the word. Hebrew chapter 4 calls for an action to rest. It is quite strange how I have read the chapter countless times, but never really saw it as that till last week in church when we talked about it.

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. (verse 1)

The chapter starts off commanding the reader to not fall short or sin and to enter rest, as promised.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (verse 15)

Then we find a God that is in every way human. I cannot even begin to grasp this concept. But knowing that He is in every way human. To

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (verse 16)

It takes courage. To know a God of holiness, to know that sin is not an option and to approach Him. In all reverence and awe. If I were to be totally honest, rest is so hard to find in times of need. Our first response is to react. To react out of fear and insecurity. Anxiety is often regard as society's most acceptable sin. We often forget that if God is for us, nothing can come against us. Nothing. More often than not, we should learn to step back, to pause, and remember why Jesus knew the importance of selah.