For God, having promised to Abraham, since he had no greater to swear by, swore by himself,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee;
This verse quotes God's promise to Abraham. The words come from Mount Moriah, where Abraham laid Isaac on the altar and received him back. Older translations read "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." The writer to the Hebrews sets that sworn promise before tired believers as their surest ground.
The words come from one scene in Abraham's life. Something happened there that had never happened before.
There is a lesson here in Abraham's steadfast endurance, and in God's gracious way with him on Mount Moriah. Isaac came off the altar, and a ram that God provided was offered up in his place. Once that day the angel of the Lord called out of heaven to Abraham, telling him to spare his son. Then the angel's voice came a second time. This time God not only spoke, but bound Himself by an oath to fulfil what He would say. Never before had Scripture said that God swore.
God's word was already true without an oath. He swore for our sake, not for His own.
He had to have patience. He saw little fulfilment on earth of what God had promised. Faith finds its true strength and support nowhere but in God Himself. Here God gave all that anyone could want — not His word only, but His oath. What a precious and wonderful stooping to human weakness! God will give us as much security as we demand from one another. While faith must be faith, and therefore only in God, yet how tender He is! How well we may trust Him!
God had no higher name to appeal to, so He staked Himself. One writer sets this oath beside another oath in the same letter.
This quotation comes from Genesis 22:15-18. It is clearly meant to contrast with Hebrews 4:3: "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" In that case the oath of God raises a solemn question about those who in unbelief have doubted God's faithfulness. But here in chapter 6, God's own oath assures Abraham of His unconditional blessing, because Abraham believed God. How strong that oath is! God swore by Himself. The entire glory of God is therefore bound up in this great oath. Wonderful, unchangeable, absolute certainty! And if the promise was long in coming, the waiting time only proved the reality of the faith that believed God.
The verse quotes only part of what the angel said that day. One writer asks why it stops at "multiply you."
Did our writer stop at "multiply you" to draw attention to this one promise apart from the rest? Abraham did see this one promise begin to come true. He saw the twin children, Esau and Jacob, born when Isaac was sixty years old. Then he could say that the multiplying had begun. Yet he had to wait patiently for many a year even for that... So he obtained the promise — the promise, notice, not promises. He obtained it after years of patient endurance. And that is written for our instruction. God's people often have to wait, and wait patiently.
Abraham owned nothing yet. God had just asked him to give up his son.
He had to give up Isaac, the child of promise, to death, and receive him back, as a figure, in resurrection. In view of that obedience of faith, God declares with an oath. He could swear by none greater. Men always call a greater one to witness, but God swears by His own great self. He will bless this man of faith, who owns nothing at present, and He will fulfil every word He has promised. It is as though God had said: as long as He is God, this promise stands. He would have to stop existing before the faith that counted on Him could be disappointed.
God spoke the oath to one man. It was never meant to stop there.
God did not give this twofold solemn guarantee for Abraham's sake only, or for those who came right after him. He wanted to show the heirs of the promise more fully how unchanging His purpose is. So He stepped in with an oath. It lifts the eyes of all who believe away from present and visible things, to the hope that rests on His word confirmed by His oath. What loving condescension towards those who march through enemy territory!
- Oath given. At Moriah God bound Himself by an oath for the first time. Abraham had just given up Isaac and received him back as a figure of resurrection.
- Oath by Himself. God had no greater name to swear by. So His whole glory now stands behind the blessing He promised Abraham.
- Oath as kindness. The oath adds nothing to God's word. It is God stooping to our weakness, giving us the same security we demand from each other.
- Oath waited on. Abraham saw only the start of the multiplying, and only after long patience. God's people often have to wait.
- Oath inherited. The word and the oath were not for Abraham alone. They are handed to every heir of the promise who walks through enemy ground.
and thus, having had long patience, he got the promise.
Hebrews 6:15 closes a short portrait of Abraham, set before readers tempted to give up. It raises a real question. If Abraham "obtained the promise," why does the same letter later say these men died without receiving it?
The waiting in this verse spans two moments in Abraham's life, years apart. One writer contrasts the comfort Abraham had at the first with the stronger comfort he had at the second.
Then he brings out Abraham as one who did not slacken his hand to the end. Abraham not only got the promise in Genesis 15, but went on in patience until God confirmed it by an oath in Genesis 22. We are called not only to faith, but to the patience of faith. May you not have a consolation and yet not a strong consolation? We see it in Abraham. He had a consolation in Genesis 15 and a strong consolation in Genesis 22.
The heart will do almost anything except wait. Abraham himself proves it.
The poor heart naturally prefers anything to the attitude of waiting. It will turn to any expedient — any scheme — any resource, rather than be kept in that posture. It is one thing to believe a promise at first, and quite another thing to wait quietly for it to be fulfilled... Abraham shows faith in Genesis 15, and yet he fails in patience in Genesis 16. This is the force and beauty of the apostle's word in Hebrews 6: "imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." God makes a promise, faith believes it; hope anticipates it; patience waits quietly for it.
The patient endurance the verse credits to him came after that failure, in a long stretch of silence.
The story of Hagar and Ishmael has shown that under pressure he failed in patience... Now we read, "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram." For thirteen years he patiently endured. During these years there is no record of any communications to Abraham. God waits until all hope is over of obtaining the blessing by the efforts of the flesh.
So how could Abraham "obtain" what he never fully received? One writer points to what Abraham lived long enough to see.
Now in some measure Abraham did see this promise being fulfilled. When he saw the twin children, Esau and Jacob, Isaac being then sixty years old, he could say that the multiplying had begun... Their birth was the pledge of all that was to follow. So he obtained the promise — the promise, let us note, not promises. He obtained that after years of patient endurance. And that is written for our instruction. God's people often have to wait, and to wait patiently.
Commentators differ. Another reads the gain as inward, not visible.
The sixth chapter means that God's perfect discipline gave them the spiritual good of the promise in their souls. But they did not get the substance itself. Only the coming of Christ could bring that.
God backed His promise with an oath. Then He let Abraham wait.
What a strong oath from the mouth of God! It assures Abraham of His unconditional blessing, because Abraham believed God. God swore by Himself. The entire glory of God is therefore involved in this great oath. Wonderful, unchangeable, absolute certainty! Even if the promise was long delayed, that waiting time would only prove his faith in God was real: he "patiently waited."
God's guarantee to Abraham was never meant to stop with Abraham.
God did not give this twofold solemn guarantee for Abraham's sake only, or for those who came right after him. He wanted to show the heirs of the promise even more clearly that His purpose never changes. So He stepped in with an oath, to lift the eyes of all who believe from present and seen things to that hope which rests on His word confirmed by His oath. What loving condescension to those who march through an enemy's land!
- Promise — God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 15; the oath that sealed it did not come until Genesis 22. The gap between them is the whole subject of this verse.
- Patience — Faith believes a promise; patience waits quietly for it. Abraham had faith long before he had patience, and failed in the second before he learned it.
- Proving — The delay was not empty time. It showed his faith was real. It ran on until the flesh had nothing left to try.
- Portion — Commentators differ on what he obtained. Some say the first signs of the multiplying he lived to see. Others say the spiritual good of the promise held in his soul. Neither is the full substance, which waited for Christ.
- Purpose — God gave that oath with later readers in view. Abraham's long wait is your encouragement too.
For men indeed swear by a greater, and with them the oath is a term to all dispute, as making matters sure.
Hebrews 6:16 points to a habit everyone knows: the oath that ends an argument. The writer uses this custom to explain a puzzle — God's bare word is already perfect, yet He added an oath to His promise to Abraham.
An oath calls God in as witness. Once a person swears, the argument is over.
A solemn declaration with an appeal to God that what is said is true. The apostle said that among men an oath for confirmation is the "end of all strife" or dispute.
People can question a man's plain word. His sworn word closes the case. God chose to put that same weight behind His promise.
People give far more weight to an oath than to a man's mere word. So grace on God's part stoops to make this solemn oath, to give us unshaken assurance of His blessing. In fact His word is just as certain as His oath. But the very fact that He swore shows His tender compassion toward man, because He wants us to be fully sure. How marvellously gracious He is!
This verse treats the oath in court as good, not evil. One writer draws out what that means for the courtroom today.
But we must carefully remember that our Lord in no way forbids an oath before the magistrate or judge. This is not evil but good, being of divine authority. For men swear by a greater, and the oath puts an end to all dispute by making matters sure. To refuse it is to deny God's authority in those who represent Him in earthly things. Scripture calls such men by His name, translated "judges," as in Ex. 21:6, Ex. 22:8-9, 28.
Courts still put witnesses on oath, and the reason says something about us.
Why are men put on oath in the law courts of the land? Because they are capable of lying. The psalmist said in his haste that "all men are liars" (Ps. 116:11), and men have not changed. In happy contrast we are told that it is "impossible for God to lie."
One case breaks the rule of verse 16. There is no one above God.
When God made His promise to Abraham, He could swear by no greater, so He swore by Himself. The entire glory of God is therefore involved in this great oath. Wonderful, unchangeable, absolute certainty!
If God's word alone is enough, why the oath? The answer lies in the state of the person receiving it — not in any deficiency in God.
God had already given good ground of assurance to Abraham, who led the way. He had added His oath to His promise: a wonderful confirmation for the tried, even though they were far from being opposers. When the conscience is in earnest, we feel our own weakness, and the way of Christ seems difficult, dangerous and off-putting. So the gracious wisdom of God gave His oath in addition to His promise, as we may read in Gen. 22:17-18.
The verses that follow turn this everyday custom into a guarantee for everyone who has run to Christ.
It was not for Abraham's sake only that God gave this twofold guarantee, His Word and His oath. God acted on certain principles towards the fathers of old. He applies those same principles to the children of faith now, so that "we might have a strong encouragement." … He gives strong encouragement to everyone who has fled to Christ for refuge from judgment. They can take hold of the hope set before them, instead of turning back because of the difficulties on the way.
And that encouragement asks very little faith of us.
This same strong consolation is designed for us in connection with the very smallest measure of living faith in the Word of God. It is not a question of great attainments in knowledge, experience or devotedness … The very feeblest spark of God-given faith secures eternal life, strong consolation and everlasting glory, because "it is impossible for God to lie."
- Custom — An oath calls God in as witness and ends a dispute. It carries far more weight than a bare word.
- Exception — God had no greater to swear by, so He swore by Himself. His whole glory now stands behind the promise.
- Reason — The oath adds nothing to God's truthfulness. It is tender compassion meeting a tried conscience that feels its own weakness.
- Reach — The double guarantee was never for Abraham alone. God applies it to everyone who has fled to Christ for refuge.
- Result — It is impossible for God to lie. So even the faintest real faith rests on His word and His oath, and need not turn back.
Wherein God, willing to shew more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, intervened by an oath,
God gave Abraham a promise, and then He swore an oath on top of it — and this verse tells us why He did it. God's word never needed propping up; the heirs of the promise needed convincing.
God's word was already certain, so His oath added nothing to it. What the oath added was reassurance for the people who inherit the promise.
Notice first that His counsel cannot change: change is absolutely impossible. The oath adds nothing to the Word; it only confirms it. But it shows the abundant goodness of God's heart. He is willing to give the heirs of the promise every encouraging assurance.
God gave this oath in Genesis 22, after Abraham had been willing to give up his son Isaac and had received him back. The extra assurance came to a man who had just been through the hardest test of his life.
He had added His oath to His promise: a blessed confirmation for those under trial, even though they were far from contradicting Him... When the conscience is in earnest, we feel our own weakness, and the way of Christ looks hard, dangerous, and unattractive. So the gracious wisdom of God gave His oath as well as His promise, as we may read in Genesis 22:17-18. It was a precious encouragement to a man who at that very moment received his son back, as if raised from the dead.
Where the ESV says "purpose," older translations read "counsel." The word does not mean advice. It means settled intention. The first readers of this letter had left Judaism for Christ, and others pressed them hard to go back. They needed to hear that God's intention toward them could not be revised.
The word "counsel" really means purpose. Who would know better than God how much these hearts needed strengthening? They had turned from Judaism and accepted Jesus as their Lord... So God led the apostle to tell them that He had an unchangeable purpose, and that He had bound Himself with an oath to carry it out. That purpose had their eternal blessing in view.
The verse does not say God swore the oath for Abraham alone. He swore it for "the heirs of the promise" — everyone who believes.
God did not give this twofold solemn guarantee for Abraham's sake only, or for those who came right after him... So He stepped in with an oath. He wanted to lift the eyes of all who believe away from present, visible things to that hope which rests on His word, confirmed by His oath. What love, that He stoops to those who march through enemy country!
The two unchangeable things are God's word and God's oath. Both come from one side only. That is the whole point. A promise rests on one party keeping it. An agreement between two parties fails if either party fails.
Where the principle is promise, the blessing depends on only one... Now in this matter of our eternal salvation, God wants us to have absolute certainty, sure and steadfast. So He gave us two things in which it was impossible for Him to lie — His promise and His oath... As with Abraham, God confirmed the promise of Genesis 12 when Abraham received Isaac back from death as a picture, in chapter 22. So the promise is fulfilled to us in the actual death and resurrection of Jesus. What certainty! What strong encouragement!
The image here comes from Israel's cities of refuge. Someone who killed a person by accident could run to one of these cities and be safe there. That is the picture behind fleeing to Christ for refuge.
So there are two unchangeable things: His Word and His oath. In both of them it was impossible for God to lie. Through them He gives strong encouragement to all who have fled to Christ for refuge from judgment. They can take hold of the hope set before them, instead of turning back because the way is hard. The picture is the city of refuge, where a person who had killed someone could flee.
- Purpose. God's purpose is settled. The verse says it cannot change at all.
- Promise. God gave that purpose to Abraham as a promise. A promise rests on one party alone, which makes it safer than any two-sided agreement.
- Oath. God added His oath after Abraham was willing to give up Isaac. The oath added nothing to His word. It showed His goodness: He stoops to reassure people who feel their own weakness.
- Heirs. The two unchangeable things were not for Abraham only. They lift the eyes of every believer off what is seen and on to the promised hope.
- Refuge. The result is strong encouragement for those who have fled to Christ, as people once fled to the city of refuge. That is a reason not to turn back when the road is hard.
that by two unchangeable things, in which [it was] impossible that God should lie, we might have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.