The Certainty of God’s Promise

The Book of Hebrews

Hebrews 6:13–20

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         The following passages will help set the stage for an understanding of this complex passage: Genesis 14:17–20; 22:1–18; Exodus 26:31–35; Psalm 110:1–7.

2.         In Genesis we find the promise that God made to Abraham, that he would be blessed and he would be “multiplied.” The Akida, the story of the Sacrifice of Isaac, who was born 25 years after the promise God made to Abraham, is part of the multiplying and a fulfilling of the promise despite being fulfilled after long years.

3.         God confirmed His promise to Abraham with an oath, a verbal and legal mechanism understood in that era, and from the Creator God it is unchangeable.

4.         God’s Word is unchangeable because it is impossible of Him to lie, therefore those who “have fled” to Him for refuge can be encouraged to “hold fast” to the “hope” that is ours. And there is no maybe attached to the definition of hope here: it refers to a sure thing.

5.         Instead of a maybe we have an “anchor” in ourselves, for we are a soul, a living being. (see Genesis 2:7) Here the Hebrew is nephesh meaning living creature.

6.         Jesus, the forerunner, meaning that He, in the ascension to heaven, is in the presence of the only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is there “on our behalf” the eternal and only High Priest. The order of His priesthood is like that of Melchizedek, not a Levite, no ancestors or offspring to follow as priest, and who is symbolic or prophetic of the high priesthood of Jesus.

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