Study in the Book of Hebrews: Hebrews 6:13-20

Even though Abraham failed in someways, he is a model of faithful perseverance. God made him a promise and he had to wait many years to see the fulfillment of the promise. Then, after fulfilling the promises, God tested his faithfulness with the potential of sacrificing his only son. Abraham was tested and his faith was honored. The writer recalls the model of Abraham faithfulness to encourage his readers to stay faithful.

Hebrews 6:13–15 CSB

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: 14 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. 15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.

A. The power of God’s promise is rooted in the core of his being. ()

What God promises always comes to pass.

Name some of God’s promises to us.

You can be confident that whatever God has promised will come to pass because his promises are rooted in his character. However, we must remember that by their very nature, promises demand patience.

B. God promised to bless Abraham. (; )

Genesis 22:15–18 CSB

15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies. 18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

The four-fold promise of God to Abraham

i. Personal blessing to Abraham

ii. Numerous off-spring

iii. Abraham’s descendants will successful

iv. All the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham’s line

C. Abraham obtained the promise ()

The fulfillment of the promise did not come immediately. Abraham had to wait on the Lord. Some of the fulfillment of the promise did not come for generations and yet Abraham believed God and trust his word.

2. The Nature of Oaths ()

Hebrews 6:16–18 CSB

16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. 17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.

In the culture of his day, the writer notes a couple of things about the nature of oaths.

A. Oaths only matter if they appeal to someone of higher status than the one making the oath. ()

This is about credibility. We understand this in our culture today, we say, “I promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” Our entire justice system is based on telling the truth and discovering the objective truth. This is why it is so devastating if a person lies under oath. They are undermining the underpinnings of the justice system. When you take an oath you are rooting your integrity in the integrity of a higher power.

B. Oaths are taken to affirm the reliability of the witness. ()

Once a person takes an oath and makes a statement on the record, their testimony is regarded as true, unless some objective fact contradicts their claim. We presume truthfulness when an oath is taken. The concept the writer is presenting is if we can establish objective truthfulness in human courts of law, we can be even more confident of the validity of God’s promises when God swears on himself.

C. God guaranteed the promise with an oath. ()

God, understanding how humans guarantee truthfulness, condescends to human level and makes on oath based on his own character. Did he need to make an oath to validate his promises? No, he did it for the benefit of humanity. God wanted to make the nature of his unchangeable purpose perfectly clear.

i. God’s oath showed the unchangeable nature of his purpose.

It is as if God gave us a sworn affidavit that his will is unchangeable and cannot be annulled. You don’t have to worry that the terms of the contract will be altered.

ii. It is impossible for God to lie.

With this bedrock foundation, the writer encourages his reader to to hold of the hope offered by God to them.

D. God’s oath should cause confidence in the hope set before them.

Now having said these things, what do we do with Jesus’ teaching concerning oaths in ?

Matthew 5:34–37 CSB

34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

Is this an example of the Bible contradicting itself? No, the people were using oaths to compensate for their lack of truthfulness and trustworthiness. It should be that Christians are people of their word. We shouldn’t need to resort to making oaths because our word should be our bond. In Hebrews, the presentation is different. God is not making an oath to shore up his lack of integrity, God is encouraging and assuring his people. The reason for God’s oath is not found in his need, but rather in ours. That is why I said God condescended to us. He makes an allowance for our human weakness.

One more note before we move to the last two verses. We are not to use God’s promises as a way to manipulate him. This is the health and wealth gospel error. Didn’t God promise to give you whatever you ask in Jesus’ name? If God has promised and you have asked, but you haven’t gotten it, then you are calling God a liar. Is God a liar, no, so then you step out on faith because God is obligated to come through for you. This line of reasoning is close to what Satan was doing in the temptation of Jesus.

Matthew 4:5–7 CSB

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

Jesus, throw yourself off the pinnacle of the temple. God is obligated by his word to come to save you. This is an attempt to manipulate God to accomplish your will. “Our part is to submit to his will, not to attempt to dictate our will to him using his promises for support.” (NIV Application, p. 247)

3. The Firm Hope ()

Hebrews 6:19–20 CSB

19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

This word is a speaking of a literal anchor. It speaks of stability.

A. Our hope is anchored and is firm and secure. ()

Talk about anchoring. Our anchor is not in shifting sand. Our anchor is in the rock of the unchangeable purposes of God. Our hope offers both safety and a reliable basis for living.

B. Our hope entered the Holy of Holies to make the eternal sacrifice for us. ()

C. Our hope is found in nothing less than Jesus Christ who is our high priest forever, like Melchizedek.

The barrier of the curtain has been removed. It has been torn away by the new covenant of Jesus Christ. Our security is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ who entered into God’s presence and blazed the path for us to follow. Having left the similarities between Christ and Melchizedek, the author now returns to that subject for further development.

Related Media

Related Sermons