Hebrews 6 (5)

Introduction
The writer turns to Abraham, considered the father of the Jewish religion, to show how he persevered through trials to obtain the promise of God. The God Who blessed Abraham so abundantly has not changed; He will bless all those who persevere in waiting on Him. We have His Word on it!

Read Genesis 12.1-3; 15.7-17.

Read Hebrews 6.13-18.

Think it through.
1.  Let’s recall that the first readers of the book of Hebrews were slinking back into Judaism, hoping to find rest from the persecution their Hebrew friends and brethren were inflicting on them. Why does it make sense, therefore, that our writer should now bring out Abraham (v. 13) as an example for them to emulate? But beyond the faithfulness of Abraham, the writer points to the faithfulness of God (vv. 13-17). How can you see this, and why was it important that the writer should do this? His readers were hoping to find “rest” in Judaism; the writer insisted they look only to God for their true rest. The writer uses the language of promise for what he had previously referred to as rest; here the promised rest is referred to as blessing. What does it mean to be blessed of God? Why is resta good way of thinking about God’s blessing?

2.  God promises rest/blessing, and He swore an oath to provide it. To whom? To everyone? Or to those who follow the example of Abraham? And what is that example? Verse 17 probably refers to the event that occurred in Genesis 17.7-17. How did God take an oath upon Himself in this situation? What are the “two immutable things” the writer mentions? What does the writer mean when he says we “have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us”? To what hope is he referring?

Meditate.
“‘Through this’ oath ‘God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise’ that God’s promise, because indeed it is God’s, will never be changed. God’s oath was infallible in its being interposed, that is, between God, the angel and Abraham.” Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)

Therefore it is of faith that it might beaccording to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did… Romans 4.16, 17

My rest is in You, O Lord, to Whom I flee daily for refuge from the tribulations and trials of this life. Help me to…

Pray Psalm 127.
Meditate on the phrase “bread of sorrows” as you think about the day ahead. Use this time of prayer to prepare for any trials you may face today.

Psalm 127.1-5 (Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
Unless God builds the house, the workers toil in vain; 
unless He watches o’er us all, the watchmen have no gain.
In vain we early rise, and late retire to rest, 
for God gives precious, needed sleep to those He loves the best.

All children are a gift and treasure from the Lord, 
a token of His constant grace, the fruitful womb’s reward.
Like arrows in our hand, the children of our youth
we, trusting Jesus, shape and send to bear the Word of truth.

The blessings of the Lord on fruitful families rest.
Both friend and foe alike shall know that they by God are blessed.
Praise God, Who builds the house, and watches o’er us all, 
and grants relief and fruitful wombs to all who on Him call.

T. M Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006.