A SECURE HOPE
OPENING PRAYER:
Be my hope, Jesus. I need You.
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a] 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:13–20
[a] Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17
REFLECT:
‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord’ (Romans 12:11). How zealous for God are you?
The writer is still dealing with the danger of falling away (12) – don’t get lazy, or lukewarm. But now the focus is on the reassuring certainty of God’s promise. We are to imitate those who have gone before – to keep on like Abraham did (13–15).
He trusted God’s promise even though he had to wait 25 years for Isaac to be born (Genesis 12:4; 21:5), and another 60 years for grandchildren (Genesis 25:26). His patience was rewarded as he saw God’s promise begin to unfold (15). We are heirs of that promise (17; Genesis 22:18). On top of the promise, God made an oath (17; Genesis 22:16). And God cannot lie (18), so we know that the two things – His promise and the oath – will never change. Why did God do this? So that all who hope in Him might be certain that this is a forever promise (17) and be greatly encouraged (18).
Our hope is in our Savior Jesus, who is the anchor of our lives. ‘Firm and secure,’ it is lodged with Him in the ‘inner sanctuary’ in God’s presence (19,20). No matter how long we have to endure stormy seas, our future hope in Christ is anchored by God, with God. This is our certain hope.
APPLY:
Search the Word this week for God’s promises. Write them down when you find them and keep them to hold onto when the going gets tough.
CLOSING PRAYER:
I praise You, God, for Your promise, this sure hope, and Your amazing love.
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