September 24, 2020

A Promise Unlike Any Other

Hebrews 6:13–20

Natalie Hagen
Thursday's Devo

September 24, 2020

Thursday's Devo

September 24, 2020

Central Truth

Because of who God is, we can trust what He says to be true.

Key Verse | Hebrews 6:17

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.

 

 

Hebrews 6:13–20

The Certainty of God's Promise

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, 1 6:15 Greek he having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 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, 18 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. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Footnotes

[1] 6:15 Greek he

Dive Deeper | Hebrews 6:13–20

There are a lot of quotes that talk about promises. A popular one by Jennifer K. Dean reads, "A promise is only as good as the person who makes it." There have been times when I make a promise to be somewhere and show up right on time! Sometimes I make promises I fail to keep that end up hurting people I love. Although I always want to keep the promises I make, sometimes things both outside and inside my control keep me from fulfilling them.

In Genesis 17, God made a promise to Abraham that he would have a son and be the father of many nations. Abraham found that hard to believe, as he was 99 years old when he got that news! But God didn't say, "You might have a son," or "Maybe you will have a son." God made a covenant—a promise—with Abraham saying that this would happen.

Hebrews 6:13-20 starts by reminding us of this promise and that, when God made it, He made it in His own name. There is no one greater outside of Himself to anchor a promise He makes because of who He is! Since God controls all things, there is nothing that can get in the way of Him fulfilling a promise He makes! 

God is trustworthy and unchanging. Because He is the One making the promise, it means that means His promises are similarly trustworthy. Not only is this true for the promises He makes to Abraham, but this is also true for us! Because of who God is, we can trust what He says and that His promises for us are true. There are many promises that God has for us in Scripture, including that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9). We can have confidence and peace that when God promises something, we can hold fast to what He says with assurance! 

Discussion Questions

1. How does knowing that God makes His promises to you in His own name change the way you live today?

2. What promises of God do you find easy to believe, and what promises do you find difficult to trust in?

3. Spend some time searching out promises found in Scripture that God has for you. What are some things in your life that you need to change to start living out the truth of these promises?