And so the writer/preacher speaks to them in 6:18 of a double-lock - the promise of God to Abraham, sealed with an oath made in his own name. This is intended to end all argument: the God for whom it is impossible to lie has spoken. This is more than a promise being set in stone; this is embedded in his own strength of character. Nothing could be more certain.
The upshot is that those who receive the promise, who stake their all on it, “may be greatly encouraged”. In a world of slander and the slippery pathway into temptation’s big blue eyes, there is a hope that has a secure foundation. It doesn’t rest in the performance of the readers; it isn’t guaranteed by their resolution. It depends entirely on the God whose promise is to bless all peoples - a promise sealed by his oath.
This secure hope has been taken back into God’s presence, carried there by “our forerunner Jesus”. That journey into the inner sanctuary, the throne-room of God, makes this hope “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”. Nothing can change what God has said and what Jesus has done. Nothing can move him from his commitment to his promise; nothing can cause him to revoke the oath with which it was sealed.
Our world has many similarities to that in which this letter was written. Uncertain times, faith under duress, temptations aplenty. The death by a thousand cuts that is compromise. The sudden squall of emotional breakdown that demands comfort at any price. These are days when our souls can feel anything but secure, when we sense our weakness and vulnerability, as we sadly conclude that we, too, are “prone to wander”.
Here is a word in season for all who know that dark foreboding: we can be “greatly encouraged”. Not simply jollied along for a while but made strong in the grace that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. The outcome is settled, the One who calls us does not lie - it is impossible for him to do so. He is the God of all truth. His loving commitment to rescue and make new, to destroy the one who held the power of death, to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, that we might serve the living God - all this is immutable.
He does not change and we cannot be lost.
With such a hope before us, when all around is desolation and despair, the example of the readers of Hebrews carries great weight: they had “fled to take hold of the hope before [them]”. They ran, full pelt, to the One whose word cannot fail and whose salvation is secure. They saw their danger and didn’t wait to see if they might be able to tough it out; they went, in desperate haste, to the faithful One, the God of the double-lock.
We can make that journey ours, too.
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There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for every passing day;
A glimpse of glory now revealed in meagre part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiven;
And Christ in me, the hope of heaven!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
To make His will my home.
There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Saviour there!
Through present sufferings, future’s fear,
He whispers ‘courage’ in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.
There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
And every longing satisfied.
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.
(Stuart Townend & Mark Edwards Copyright © 2007 Thankyou Music)
