Hebrews 6:13-20 – Jesus is Greater Than Abraham

Session 16 – August 24, 2020 – Men’s Morning Hebrews Haverim

Our Men’s Haverim group is reading through and discussing the book of Hebrews during the months of August and September. For more information, see this blog post.

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.

Hebrews 6:17-19a New International Version

Summary:

• As an example of one who’s faith and patience we should imitate (end of the last section), the author offers Abraham. God promised to bless him and give him “many descendants”, and Abraham waited patiently for the prayer to be answered.
• The author then offers an explanation of how God’s oath to Abraham provides us with great assurance in our faith. God confirmed His promise to Abraham with an oath, providing two unchangeable things in which he cannot lie: both a promise showing his purpose for Abraham and all mankind, and an oath He swore against Himself, having no one greater to swear by.
• God’s promise to Abraham is a great assurance for us in our faith, and “anchor for the soul” (v. 19) because we now have Jesus, who being greater than Abraham was able to enter the inner sanctuary on our behalf.
• This section ends by getting back to the author’s explanation about Melchizedek, which he addresses in the next chapter (7).

Other Thoughts:

• Abraham developed his faith through learning patience. He displayed some impatience with God’s promise through the birth of his first son Ishmael, but later when he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his son Isaac, the true heir to the promise, God credited it as righteousness (Genesis 22), so Abraham became Father of our Faith to the Jews. Jesus, as author of our salvation, provides us with greater faith than Abraham!
• The author provides a great assurance of our faith through the promise and oath that God gave to Abraham. These “two unchangeable things”, His word/promise and oath sworn on Himself because no one is greater, and the fact that God’s unchangeable nature makes it impossible for him to lie, gives us great assurance in the promise that He made for our salvation through Christ. Where it’s impossible for those who’ve turned back to again to be brought to repentance (Hebrews 6:4), it’s also impossible for God to turn back on his promise of our salvation (v. 18-19).
• The author uses the analogy of an anchor to illustrate the hope we have for salvation, secured by God’s promise through Jesus. And Jesus has gone ahead as a forerunner to ensure that the anchor is placed securely. He places it in the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. We learned previously that the High Priest could only enter there once a year, with a rope around his ankle in case he died in God’s presence, but we have Jesus seated next to God giving us confidence to approach him in mercy and grace, with no need for a rope to secure us.
• Are you confident in the assurance of your faith, the anchor of hope we have in salvation through Jesus Christ?