The Promise Keeper
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. 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 offered to us may be greatly encouraged Hebrews 6:17,18
How did Abraham, the classical biblical example of faithful patience, hang on to God’s promise? After all, the promise wasn’t fulfilled for twenty five years (Genesis 12:4 c.f. 21:5) and there were severe testings all the way.
God did two things. First, He made a promise to Abraham; second, He confirmed it by an oath. ‘When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”’ (6:13,14). Abraham believed a God who could not fail and a promise that could not change.
When God made the promise, Abraham and Sarah had no child, no heir, and no prospect of having one. God spoke of multitudes but this precious couple saw nothing, not even one. Yet they continued to believe the rich promises of a faithful God.
The ‘two unchangeable things’ were God’s faithfulness on the one hand and His spoken promise on the other. This is why we can trust God in the most testing situations. The God who makes promises keeps them.
Applying this to his readers, the writer says ‘we … have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us’ (6:18). Urgency was needed. This was no idle action. The readers had to flee from one way of thinking to ‘take hold of the hope offered us.’
Have you done that? Faith is never passive. Have you ‘fled’ your old way of thinking to take hold of Christ? There is only one hope in this world and that hope is in Him. Is your faith and trust exclusively in Christ?
Can you join with millions of others in these amazing words?
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
‘My Hope is Built on Nothing Less’ by Edward Mote
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