- Hebrews 6:11-15
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- Heb 6:11 (KJB)
- And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the
full assurance of hope unto the end:
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- There may have been some Christians who had begun to vacillate in their
Christian ministries and the writer is encouraging them that they remain
diligent and steadfast in their callings with the full assurance that if God
said something was going to come to pass, it would, but in His own timing.
The patriarchs had received the promises but did not receive the ultimate
fulfillment of those promises. It is the same with us that even if we may
not live to see the fulfillment of the promises of a New Heaven and New
Earth, nevertheless, we live in the full assurance of those promises. Many
may have felt that God may have forgotten about them but the writer wants
these Christians to also live in the same diligence that God has not
forgotten about them and that whatever they do, is never in vain in the
Kingdom of God.
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- Heb 6:12 (KJB)
- That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith
and patience inherit the promises.
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- Slothful - Lazy, sluggish, or indolent
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- The writer is admonishing the believers not to be slothful but to be
followers of the patriarchs in Genesis who believed God. He wants them to
imitate those who had great faith in God even when they were in the midst of
their lives which were marked by suffering and great challenges when faith
in God was all they had to keep them going. He is trying to get the point
across that as they had faith and patience, so they too, must have faith and
patience realizing that God’s timing is not their timing. Laziness causes a
believer to let their guard down and that is when Satan attacks and the
believer becomes weaker.
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- Heb 6:13 (KJB)
- For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by
no greater, he sware by himself,
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- Swear and sware - Take an oath, or confirm by an oath
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- (Gen 22:16 KJV) And said, By myself have I
sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not
withheld thy son, thine only son:
There is none greater than God in the universe and
when He made a promise to Abraham, He had sworn by Himself that everything
that he told Abraham would come to pass. To swear is to take an oath and God
takes oaths very seriously. An oath is a courtroom or business procedure
designed to show the gravity of the matter at hand. The oath was not for
God’s sake because He does not need to take an oath for His word is as it
has already happened but it was for the sake of Abraham to give him
confidence that what God was telling him would come to pass without any
hesitation.
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- Heb 6:14 (KJB)
- Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee.
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- Multiplying - Increase, abound or grow
- Multiply - Same word except in the future tense
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- (Gen 22:17 KJV) That in blessing I will
bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed
shall possess the gate of his enemies; The promise
that God was giving Abraham would be two-fold: First, there was the physical
fulfillment which was the Israelites through Isaac and the Arabs through
Ishmael. Then the second part of the fulfillment is the spiritual
fulfillment which is fulfilled in Christ. All those who become saved are
spiritual descendants of Abraham. (Gal
3:29 KJV) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise. Of course, Abraham
could not live to see the ultimate fulfillment of both sides of this promise
and therefore he relied upon the promise of God knowing it would come to
pass. This is how Abraham’s faith was made great as he believed God and it
was counted to him for righteousness.
(Rom 4:3 KJV) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness.
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- Heb 6:15 (KJB)
- And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
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- Obtained - To secure for one’s own possession
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- It was 25 years between the time that God promised Abraham he would have
a son and the time it actually happened. It is important to realize that
God’s promises are not always on our time frame. Abraham had to patiently
endure with faith that what God promised him would come to pass.
(Gen 18:14 KJV) Is any thing too hard for the
LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time
of life, and Sarah shall have a son. A key phrase
in Genesis 18:14 is “At the appointed time.” We must remember that God has
appointed a time for everything, even the last day, and that timing may
cause us to bear patiently like Abraham did from the time of pronouncement
to the time of fulfillment. Abraham endured 25 years of faith living and
finally the time came when Sarah bore him Isaac. This is a great lesson for
us that faith is an integral part of the Christian walk and we must be
prepared to wait upon the Lord. (Psa
27:14 KJV) Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen
thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
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