ACC ~ Hebrews 6 v13 - 20

OVERVIEW:

The Fathers were most impressed that God took an oath in making the promise to Abraham, “even though it be unworthy of him that he should not be believed.” The oath of God never fails, as God and his Word cannot lie (ATHANASIUS, CLEMENT OF ROME, EPHREM). But this was promised as much for us as for Abraham (CHRYSOSTOM). Jesus our forerunner did not go just into the shrine of the tabernacle like Moses but into the inner part of the veil of heaven. As our high priest he offered fitting sacrifice for all nations, after the pattern of Melchizedek (EPHREM). While we are still in the world we are already living among the promises. Through hope we are already in heaven. Hope is like an anchor for us in the storms of life (CHRYSOSTOM).

6:13-20 | The Unchangeable Character of God’s Purpose

HE SWORE BY HIMSELF. CHRYSOSTOM: Do you see that God regards not his own dignity, but more so how he may persuade people, even though God bears with having unworthy things said of himself. His wish is to impart full assurance. In the case of Abraham, indeed, the apostle shows that the whole promise was of God, not of [Abraham’s] patient endurance, since God was even willing to add an oath—for it was by him by whom men swear that God also “swore,” that is “by himself.” People swear by one greater. God swore not by one greater, for there was none greater, yet he did it. It is not the same thing for man to swear by himself as for God, for man is not the final authority over himself. You see then that this is said no more for Abraham than for ourselves: “that we who have fled for refuge,” he says, “might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.” Here too again, “having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” …

He did not say, “when he swore.” One shows the seriousness of an oath by speaking of swearing by one greater. But since the race of humanity is hard of belief, he condescends to communicate on our level. So then for our sake he [so to speak] swears, even though it be unworthy of him that he should not be believed. So also in this sense the apostle made that other statement, “He learned obedience through what he suffered,” because people think going through experience to be more worthy of reliance. ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 11.2.

OATH AS WITNESS. THEODORET OF CYR: As God has no one superior to him (he is saying), his oath was witness; he swore by himself, in fact. Yet though making a promise and doing it with an oath, he did not immediately fulfill the promise; instead, the patriarch needed great patience, and only with the passage of a great length of time did he thus see the realization of the promise. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 6.

GOD’S PROMISE WILL NEVER BE CHANGED. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: “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. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

HEAVEN IS THE CURTAIN. THEODORET OF CYR: By “curtain” he referred to heaven: the Lord promised to give the kingdom of heaven to those believing in him. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 6.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GOD, SAVE LYING. CLEMENT OF ROME: With this hope, then, let us attach ourselves to the one who is faithful to promises and just in judgments. The one who bids us to refrain from lying is all the less likely to lie. For nothing is impossible to God, save lying. 1 CLEMENT 27.1-2.

SCRIPTURES DO NOT LIE. ATHANASIUS: Through Moses God gave commandments about sacrifices, and the whole book of Leviticus is taken up with acceptable ways for them to be carried out. The Lord, through the prophets, found fault with those who contemptuously misstated these things, calling them disobedient to the commandment. He told them, “I have not asked you to do these things! … Neither did I speak to your fathers about sacrifices, nor give them commands about whole burnt offerings.”

Some have put forth the opinion that either the Scriptures do not agree or that God, who gave the commandment, is a liar. But in this there can be no disagreement—far from it. The Father, who is truth, cannot lie, “for it is impossible for God to lie,” as Paul affirms. Actually, these things are plain to those who accept the writings of the law with faith and look at them in the right way. Here is my explanation, and may God grant by your prayers that I am not too far from the truth. It does not appear to me that God gave the commandments and the law concerning sacrifices right away when he led them out of Egypt. Nor did he who gave the law really pay any attention to the whole burnt offerings, as such. He was looking ahead to those things that were prefigured and pointed out by them. “For the law has but a shadow of the good things to come.” And “Those regulations were set forth until the time of reformation.”

That is why the whole law did not deal with sacrifices, although it did include commands concerning them. By means of these commands it began to teach people, calling them away from idols and drawing them to God, giving them proper teaching for the times in which they lived. So you see, God did not give the people those commands about sacrifices and offerings when he brought them out of Egypt, nor even when they first came to Mount Sinai. God is not like people, that he should want those things for himself. No, he gave the commandment so that they might know him and his Word (the Son)—and forget about those so-called gods that do not really exist but appear to do so because of the show people put on. FESTAL LETTERS 19.4.

GOD’S PURPOSE. SEVERIAN OF GABALA: When he said above, “the full assurance of the hope,” he made clear that God furnished to Abraham “full assurance,” not that which belonged to his conduct through works but that which be-longed to him through God’s redemptive plan. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 6.17.

TWO UNCHANGEABLE THINGS. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: “Through two unchangeable things,” namely, that God would never be able to lie about what had been promised and that he made the promise with an oath. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 6.18.

THE WORD FOR ALL NATIONS. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: “Through two unchangeable things” … the former is that he swore by himself. The latter is that David said, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, that you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” It is by this means that we who have been made coheirs of his promise “might have strong encouragement.” We “have fled for refuge” in order to protect ourselves, not for God’s justice, in order that God may draw and drive us away from the evils of this world, and may open for us the way “into the inner shrine behind the curtain.” We do not go in first. We do not go into the shrine of the tabernacle, where Moses went, but into the inner shrine in heaven, “where Jesus has gone as a forerunner, having become a high priest forever,” not in order to offer the victims of sacrifices, like Aaron, but to offer the word for all nations, like Melch-izedek. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

THE ANCHOR OF HOPE. CHRYSOSTOM: Paul shows that while we are still in the world and not yet departed from this life, we are already living amid God’s promises. For through hope we are already in heaven. … As the anchor, dropped from the vessel, does not allow it to be carried about even if ten thousand winds agitate it but, being depended upon, makes it steady, so also does hope.

Note what a fitting image he has chosen. He did not speak of a foundation, which would not be suitable, but of an anchor. For that which is on the tossing sea and seems not to be very firmly fixed stands on the water as upon land and is shaken and yet is not moved. For in regard to those who are very firm and who love the truth, Christ with good reason spoke of one who “has built his house on a rock.” But in respect of those who are giving way and who ought to be carried through by hope, Paul has more suitably set down this metaphor. For the surge and the great storm toss the boat, but hope does not permit it to be carried back and forth, although winds innumerable agitate it, so that, unless we had this hope we should long ago have been sunk. Nor is it only in things spiritual, but also in the affairs of this life, that one may find the power of hope great. Whatever it may be, in merchandise, in husbandry, in a military expedition, unless one sets this before him, he would not even touch the work. But he said not simply “anchor,” but “sure and steadfast,” not shaken. ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 11.3.

FORERUNNER. THEODORET OF CYR: He augmented their confidence with the name forerunner: if he is our forerunner and has gone up for us, we too must follow and be granted ascent. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 6.

HIGH PRIEST NOT AS SACRIFICE BUT AS MEDIATOR. THEODORET OF CYR: He is a high priest forever, not in offering sacrifices (having offered his own body once), but in being a mediator leading the believers to the Father; through him (he says, remember) we both have had access to the Father. The Lord himself says in the sacred Gospels, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” We must be aware, of course, that the divine apostle made mention of the oaths sworn to Abraham so that the unchanging character of the divine will should be brought out; it endures in advance the stability of high priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek, the oath being linked to the word at this place. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 6.

THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: Paul added that “Christ” has become “an eternal high priest” for us, in that Christ leads all those believing through him in each generation to God based on the hope of the resurrection. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 6.20.