When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
from Daily Bible Reading http://ift.tt/1M3P0wt
via IFTTT
Humanly speaking, there is a way of making a promise you'very heard people say - "I swear to God." The idea is you are invoking the almighty God as a witness to your truthfulness. This connects back to the commandment of honoring God's name (Thou shalt not take the Lord's name).
ReplyDeleteWhen children say "Cross my heart and hope to die", the words they say mean - I hope I die if I'm lying. It's swearing on their very lives. And Hebrews is drawing our attention to a moment when Israel's ancestors heard God make a covenant promise to Abraham and all his descendants saying "I swear by myself". The immortal God says 'cross my heart and hope to die' if I am lying.
The all powerful God, who created earth and heaven, time and eternity, puts all of His being on the line as collateral and proof of God's own faithfulness. For God to break faith, God would cease to be God.
Do you really believe God? God has made a promise, and God wanted to guarantee it so you could really bet your all on the divine character.
This text is mainly about God's promises. However, this text is also a reminder to honor God in how we speak.
May you trust God totally today.
May you honor the one you trust as well.
Go forth in confidence!