Hebrews 6:12-20 (HCSB)
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:
I will indeed bless you,
and I will greatly multiply you.
And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. For men swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, 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. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Abraham received this promise from God in genesis 22:16-18. The promise was made with an oath that relied on two absolutes, two unchangeable things: God’s nature and His purpose, so it was an absolute surety that the things promised would happen.
And they did happen, even in Abraham’s lifetime. Ishmael became the father of twelve sons, who became chieftains of 12 tribes (Genesis 25:12-16). Isaac, the son of the promise, had twin sons 15 years before Abraham’s death (Genesis 25:7, 26b). And after Sarah died, Abraham took another wife, Keturah, who bore him six more sons, each of whom became the father of a nation. The writer’s point is that the God who was true to the oath made to Abraham has also been true to the oath he swore to Jesus, that He would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5:5-6). This priest does not merely come into God’s presence with the blood of a bull one day a year. This priest stands in God’s presence eternally, with His own blood as a sacrifice to atone for and to make intercession for the sins of all mankind.
It is that assurance in what Jesus has done, and what He continues to do, that is the bedrock of our faith.
Father, you have always been true to Your word. You have always kept Your promises to us. And this is an amazing promise that we can rest on now and forever. Thank You for this reminder of how trustworthy You are, and of how amazing as well are all that Jesus did and is doing on our behalf. Amen.