Today we’ll be taking a look at Hebrews 6:13-20:
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The author to the Hebrews begins with a story his hearers would remember: father Abraham (who at this time did NOT have many sons). This promise takes place before God’s promise that they would have a son the following year was given to Abram and Sarai. Yet even then God promises to bless and multiply them, which meant they had to trust God with everything. And the reason they could trust God is because He is the ultimate being where there is nothing or no one greater. He is the end to everything! Which means when He makes an oath, the only thing He has to swear by is Himself! But because He has sworn by Himself, we can trust that He is working all things our for our good. Because He is good we can hold fast to the hope we have coming, a hope that never needs to fade. Now I don’t know about you, but I often lose heart and hope and forget God’s promises! I’m so fickle I can be amazed by God’s provision one hour and start to worry about it the next. This is where I love the imagery given in the last 2 verses.
Our hope is not based on circumstances or fleeting feelings, but on the fact of the resurrection. As we just celebrated Sunday, the tomb is empty! And that fact serves as the anchor of our souls. An anchor is one of the most vital pieces of a ship (at least it was during this era of human history). If the ship has a good anchor that can grab a hold of the ground beneath the sea, then the ship can withstand anything nature wants to throw at it! No matter how big the waves or dark the sea, as long as the anchor remains secure, the boat’s not going anywhere! But our anchor, instead of borrowing into the ground, has ascended into heaven! The author mentioned the curtain. In the temple there was a 4” curtain separating the holy of holies from the rest of the temple. It was so thick no one could see behind it! But when Jesus died, that curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom reminding people that God was now out among his people. He could not be contained by anything, much less a curtain. Yet that’s where Jesus has now gone: to the Holy of Holies on our behalf! He now sits at God’s right hand until He returns to judge the living and the dead. And as long as He’s sitting on His throne, we can hope, we can trust, and we can weather any storm that is thrown against us!
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Pastor Mike's Musings 