Hebrews: God’s Promises are Reliable!
Hebrews 6:13-18 - Does your face reflect the hope found in God’s promises through Christ?
“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”
Hebrews 6:13-18 NASB1995
The author of Hebrews now reassures his intended audience of the truth of God’s promises, although results may not be readily apparent for a long time. Referring back to the promises made to Abraham, God swore by Himself that Abraham would be surely blessed and surely multiplied. Abraham waited patiently for this promise (with some exceptions), which took 25 years, but Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old! Isaac had two sons and one of those sons, Jacob, had 12 sons! This isn’t even counting daughters who married and had offspring. The nation of Israel was rapidly developing.
I like what Charles Spurgeon has to say about this promise and God’s covenant as quoted in Precept Austin:
The God with whom you and I have to deal is a God who may do as He wills. He is an absolute sovereign, but He never can do anything unless it is right. He has promised to speak with reverence and with bonds and pledges in the person of Jesus Christ, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you” (Heb. 6:14).
There is a covenant entered into on our behalf between the Lord Jesus and the Father. This covenant, assuredly and certainly, brings unnumbered blessings because God cannot lie. He has given two unalterable pledges so that we may have strong comfort and will never doubt His faithfulness. Beloved, the God of the promises has appointed your future and your inheritance, so you shall stand in it at the end of the days. The God of the promises has appeared to you in Jesus Christ, and He has sworn an oath; therefore, you may rest in the blood of Jesus, which makes the covenant sure.
He has promised never to leave His people. He told Jacob, “I will not leave you” (Gen. 28:15), and He says the same to you. He will never forget to give what He has promised. “I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” What blessed words! This divine statement is so rich, so full of the best, that to talk about it is gilding gold or adding whiteness to the lily’s beauty.
Remember this promise, and let the Holy Spirit apply it. The God who does not change has made all the promises in Christ Jesus to the glory of God. Every one of His promises made to believers will stand fast and firm. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matt. 5:18).
I think it is so important to be rid of doubts about the promises of God. Patience is the virtue that will keep us content until those promises are fulfilled. But does this mean sitting around and waiting for His blessings? Or is there such a thing as “active” patience? This story from “Today in the Word” quoted in Precept Austin is good:
The old saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.” But this waiting is more than a matter of sitting around on our hands, expecting blessings to fall from the sky. One such example is Walt Disney, who was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating Disneyland. Rather than sit passively and assume someone would call him offering money, he persisted in seeking the funds he needed.
Today we turn our attention to the fruit of the Spirit called patience. For many of us, patience has a passive connotation, a “wait and see” attitude. But Hebrews clarifies for us just what it means to exercise this fruit of patience.
Our key example is Abraham, who waited patiently for God to fulfill His promises (v. 15). He is set forth as an illustration of someone we should imitate, because through his faith and patience he did see the faithfulness of God (v. 12). This link between faith and patience is critical, because the primary motivation behind our willingness to wait on God is our faith that He will do what He has promised to do.
We see both positive and negative examples of patience in Abraham’s life. God had promised him a son, but as the years passed and no son materialized, Abraham decided to take matters into his own hands. He had a son with Hagar, the maid of his wife Sarah. Abraham’s lack of patience here is tied to his doubt that God would indeed do what He said: give him a son with his wife Sarah, who was barren.
God did fulfill His promise, and Abraham and Sarah had their son, Isaac. Then God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed, and we see an example of active patience. Even though he thought he would lose his son Isaac, he patiently believed that God would make a way to fulfill His word (see Gen. 22).
Abraham did have doubts and lost his patience, resulting in the son Ishmael through Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah. But then Isaac was born and Abraham DID exhibit extraordinary faith and active patience by obeying God almost to the point of Isaac’s sacrifice. He believed in God’s word.
Humans swear by oaths because we are so untrustworthy and incapable of telling the truth. Here is a comparison of God’s oaths and promises are applied compared to how humans can make themselves be trusted, from Precept Austin:
Courtroom Oath Illustration - In human courts, a witness swears on the Bible or by the authority of the court. The logic is: “I am appealing to something higher than myself to guarantee I speak the truth.” God, however, has nothing higher to appeal to — He Himself is the highest authority. So He swore by His own character. Application: If a courtroom oath reassures us of truth, how much more God’s self-sworn oath guarantees His promise.
Child & Parent Assurance - A child asks a parent: “Daddy, are you sure you’ll be at my game?” The father says, “Yes, I promise.” The child presses, “Promise promise?” Out of love, the father strengthens the assurance, not because his first word wasn’t true, but because the child needed extra reassurance. Application: God’s oath is His “Promise Promise” to weak believers who struggle to trust fully.
Bank Guarantee Illustration - Imagine you deposit money in a bank and receive not only a receipt but also the bank president’s personal signature guaranteeing it. The deposit was safe with just the receipt, but the signature gives you double confidence. Application: God gave His promise (safe enough), then added His oath (His personal guarantee).
Anchor and Rock Illustration (ties into Heb 6:19) - A ship lowers anchor onto the seabed. Its security depends entirely on what the anchor grips. If it grips shifting sand, it drags; if it catches on bedrock, it holds. God’s oath is bedrock — no higher, no stronger foundation exists. Application: Our anchor of hope is secure because it holds in God Himself.
King’s Decree Illustration - In ancient times, when a king stamped a decree with his royal seal, no one could revoke it. God, the King of kings, has “sealed” His promise with His own oath. Application: If earthly kings could not be overruled, how much more God’s oath cannot be broken.
It’s impossible for God to lie, so His oath is secure in Him along with His promise. We can take refuge in that fact! We can have strong encouragement (NASB translation) or consolation (NKJV translation) in His “city of refuge”. This commentary from David Guzik in Enduring Word touches on the theme of refuge and strong consolation:
c. That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation: The two immutable (unchanging) things are God’s promise and God’s oath. It is impossible for God to lie in either of these two things.
i. The absolute reliability of God’s promise should impress us. “Now, brethren, who among us dare doubt this? Where is the hardy sinner who dares come forward and say, ‘I impugn the oath of God’? Oh! But let us blush the deepest scarlet, and scarlet is but white compared with the blush which ought to mantle the cheek of every child of God to think that even God’s own children should, in effect, accuse their heavenly Father of perjury. Oh, shame upon us!” (Spurgeon)
d. Strong consolation: God isn’t content to give us mere consolation. He wants to give us strong consolation. Spurgeon described some characteristics of strong consolation:
· Strong consolation does not depend upon bodily health.
· Strong consolation does not depend upon the excitement of public services and Christian fellowship.
· Strong consolation can’t be shaken by human reasoning.
· Strong consolation is stronger than our guilty conscience.
i. “It is a strong consolation that can deal with outward trials when a man has poverty staring him in the face, and hears his little children crying for bread; when bankruptcy is likely to come upon him through unavoidable losses; when the poor man has just lost his wife, and his dear children have been put into the same grave; when one after another all earthly props and comforts have given way, it needs a strong consolation then; not in your pictured trials, but your real trials, not in your imaginary whimsied afflictions, but in the real afflictions, and the blustering storms of life. To rejoice then, and say, ‘Though these things be not with me as I would have them, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure;’ this is strong consolation.” (Spurgeon)
e. Who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us: This is another reason for encouragement, knowing that God has a refuge of hope set before us. We can think of this refuge of hope like the cities of refuge commanded by the Law of Moses, as described in Numbers 35.
· Both Jesus and the cities of refuge are within easy reach of the person in need. The place of refuge is of no use if it can’t be reached.
· Both Jesus and the cities of refuge are open to all, not just the Israelite. No one who comes to the place of refuge is turned away in time of need.
· Both Jesus and the cities of refuge were places to live. In time of need, one never came to a city of refuge just to look around.
· Both Jesus and the cities of refuge are the only alternative for the one in need. Without this refuge destruction is certain.
· Both Jesus and the cities of refuge provide protection only within their boundaries. To go outside the provided refuge means death.
· Both Jesus and the cities of refuge provided full freedom with the death of the High Priest.
· However, there is a crucial distinction between Jesus and the cities of refuge. The cities of refuge only helped the innocent; the guilty can come to Jesus and find refuge.
Strong consolation or encouragement in God’s promises and refuge in Christ is greater than our health, our fellowship, our reasoning, or our guilty conscience.
So what does this hope do to the patient believer? It is the anchor for our soul! This conclusion from a sermon by Steven Cole quoted on Precept Austin tells us how that hope is seen by others:
I read of a Christian man who made a trip to Russia in 1993. He felt conspicuous walking down the streets of Moscow and could not figure out why. He wanted to blend in, but it was obvious that people knew he was not Russian. He asked the group of Russian educators with whom he was working whether it was his American clothes: jeans and a Chicago Bulls shirt. “No, it’s not your clothes,” they replied.
“What is it, then?” he asked.
They huddled together and talked for several minutes. Then one, speaking for the group, answered politely, “It is your face.”
“My face!” he laughed. “How does my face look different?”
They talked again and then one of the teachers quietly said, “You have hope.” (World Magazine [3/6/99], p. 37.)
As Christians living in a world that Paul describes as “having no hope and without God” (Eph 2:12+), we should stand out as people of hope. The certain hope of our future salvation is the anchor that God has given to us to steady our souls, even in times of storm.
A cheerful older Christian was asked the secret of his triumphant attitude. He said, “I’ve read the last book of the Bible, so I know how the story ends. I’m on the winning side!” We have a high priest within the veil. He has promised to save all who take refuge in Him. Let’s take hold of our certain hope in Jesus! (Hebrews 6:13-20 An Anchor for Your Soul)
We can conclude that this passage in Hebrews is telling the wobbly believers to have faith in God’s oaths and promises (using Abraham as an example), to have patience, and to have hope beyond all other things.
My next devotional examines Hebrews 6:19-20 - Our souls are anchored in the High Priest forever.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I trust in Your promises and the oaths You have sworn on Yourself for humanity’s deliverance through Your Son. Amen!
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 11/27/2025 to review commentary for Hebrews 6:13-18. Within Precept Austin the Steven Cole Sermon is: Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2004, All Rights Reserved. His sermons can be found Bible.org. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com
Within the Enduring Word Commentary:
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)