Our very great reward
“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”
Hebrews 6:13-20
Let’s provide some context for this passage: Back in chapter 5 the author of Hebrews started teaching about Jesus being our High Priest (and we are going to come back to that), but he takes a pause to admonish his audience because he was concerned they were not spiritually mature to handle the conversation. He longs to talk to them about theology, but they are still needing milk, or the basic fundamentals. He ends this speech by encouraging them to “continue on to maturity” and by reassuring them that “God has not forgotten the work and love they have demonstrated for Him” (verse 10). He wants them to “demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of [their] hope until the end, so that [they] won’t be lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (verses 11-12).
So this is where we picked up in this week’s verses, with the author reminding his audience of the promise and the hope we have in this promise.
Who are “those” people that the author is referencing that we should imitate as those who “inherited the promises through faith and perseverance”? If you are familiar with Hebrews, you know that the author, later in chapter 11, is going to go through what is known as the Hall of Faith. While we have many role models in the faith, we must first start with the One in whom we put our faith. We need to know the One in whom we can place all of our trust. We need to be sure that our faith and hope is not misplaced. The author of Hebrews reminds the audience of the promise made to Abraham and the focus here is less on Abraham and the promise itself, but more so on the God who made the promise.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself....For people 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.”
Let’s visit Genesis 15, where we see the promise God made to Abraham:
God appeared to Abram in a vision and said “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; you very great reward.” Abram’s response to this was “what can you give me? I have no son to leave this inheritance to.” Abraham was worried about a single heir to leave an inheritance of an earthly territory and riches. God not only promised Abraham an heir from his own body, but that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (and the sands, when He later confirms His promise in Genesis 22). We tend to focus on the promise of a son, and the promise of a nation. But God was offering something so much greater to Abraham. He told Abram: I am your shield; I am your reward. It is here that we see God Himself, His protection and His blessing, is the inheritance. When God promised an heir to Abraham, it wasn’t just for an immediate inheritance, or even for a few generations. God was thinking beyond earthly descendants with an earthly inheritance. God was making Abraham a father in the faith with a multitude of spiritual descendants who will have an eternal inheritance, a legacy of faith, and a promise of righteousness for believing. God’s covenant with Abraham was the promise of eternal life in the presence of God through Jesus. And because of our faith in Jesus, we, too, inherit the promise made to Abraham.
What did Abraham do to get this promise? Nothing! It was God’s gracious gift to him. Abraham lived a life of obedience and faith. When God told him to go, he went. When God gave a promise, he believed God and “it was credited to him as righteousness.” He looked to God as his source (when he refused to take possessions from the King of Sodom) and he honored God with his wealth (when he gave a tithe to Melchizedek, the High Priest of God). When God asked Him to sacrifice his only son, Abraham was obedient. There was nothing he would withhold from God. God honors those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30) and He chose to honor Abraham’s faith with this promise.
Now, this was the promise that was made to Abraham, and he patiently waited to receive his promise and he “believed, hoping against hope.” But how can we be certain this promise is for us too?
Hebrews 6:17 tells us that God wanted us to be certain of His promise (“because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath.”) We read in Genesis 15 and Genesis 22 that God not only swore by His own name, but made a covenant, binding oath with Abraham. God’s word alone should be trustworthy, but the ever gracious and compassionate God, understands our human weakness, and guaranteed it with an oath, not to hold Himself accountable, but make clear His promise to us. This covenant with Abraham was not just for Abraham—it is for all those who believe.
Romans 4:13 confirms this: “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.” Romans 4 continues by saying “This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all” (verse 16). And in verse 23: “Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us.”
It was never about what Abraham did; it was always about who God was and what God said He would do. Abraham demonstrated faith in a God who was faithful. Therefore, we have faith because God is faithful. Our faith is not misplaced when we place it in God. It is His character that prompts us to faith and it is our faith that moves Him. He will always be faithful to who He is and to what He said He would do.
So the author of Hebrews encourages us, because of God’s trustworthiness, because of His steadfast character, that we can grab a hold of this hope set before us.
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.
Hope is defined as “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” As a verb it is defined as “to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence; to believe, desire or to trust.”
Our hope ties directly to our faith. This hope that fill us is not just positivity. It is not wishful thinking. it is rooted in the the unwavering confidence (belief) in Christ and that “God can be trusted to keep His promise (Hebrews 10:23).
Because God is steadfast, our hope is also “firm and secure, an anchor for our soul.”
I think it is important to note where this hope is found: “it enters the inner sanctuary where Jesus has entered on our behalf as a forerunner” (verses 19-20). Our hope is in God’s presence. When we have access to God’s presence through faith in Christ, we are anchored there by hope: the hope of eternal life, the hope that Jesus will come again, the hope that He will work all things according to his purpose; the hope that He has a plan for us, a hope for all His promises!
Consider one more verse in light of all the other passages we’ve read. Lamentations 3:24 says “I say to myself, the Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in Him.”
God told Abram: Do not be afraid; I am your shield, your very great reward. He is our refuge, our shield, from anything that would destroy our hope. In His presence, we are anchored by this hope. And moreover, He is our reward and our inheritance. What more could we hope for?
God is worthy of our hope; He is worthy of our faith; He is faithful; He is our very great reward.
In one of my first posts, And yet I still dare to hope, I focused on these very same verses, but the post is written in light of my personal testimony. I tried not to duplicate my first post, but I would encourage you to read that too.
