9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” 15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
The writer had previously harsh words to say to those who were sluggish in their faith and dull of hearing. It is an old saying, but still true. Familiarity breeds contempt. When we think that we truly “know God,” it becomes difficult to be surprised by God. That was the main issue of the Pharisees. They believed they knew God. They knew the Torah (first five books of the Bible). They knew the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (what we call the Old Testament). They could recite it. Not only could they recite it, and they could also quote what previous Pharisees commented about it. Yet when Jesus stood before them, he said you neither know me nor my Father (John 8:19). Paul says, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are unqualified?”[1]
The author of Hebrews believed that even though he was harsh with them, he saw better things for them. He reminds the reader that God is not unjust or forgetful of their love, work, and ministry in His name as they have ministered to members of Christ’s body.
The writer desires that all who read his letter will be diligent and realize the assurance of salvation and hope to the end. Don’t be sluggish in your faith but imitate faithful servants. Moses in Deuteronomy 18:9 tells the Children of Israel to not imitate the evil practices of the nations around them. Paul in 1Corinthians 4:16 calls on his readers to imitate him. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 he says, “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” Here the writer of Hebrews exhorts his readers to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Who are you imitating? Are you following good and godly examples?
God has not forgotten you. You may be in a wilderness experience where God appears far. Moses spent 40 years on the back side of the desert before God called him into service. It is easy to read about Abraham in Genesis and think God was speaking to him frequently. The fact is there is approximately 10 years between God speaking to him.
Just as God promised to Abraham that he would have a son, be the father of a nation, that kings would come from him, God has made promises to all His children. Humans make promises and swear with an oath. We swear by one greater than ourselves. God can’t. He swears by Himself. His purpose does not change, and God can’t lie. Take a moment and look at Ephesians 1;1-14 and read the promises God makes regarding your redemption. God chose you. He predestined you to be adopted into His family. He has redeemed us, lavished grace upon us, given us an inheritance and sealed us with the Holy Spirit.
This is your hope and anchor for your soul. So, hang on to the end. God is doing a work in you. Don’t give up.
[1] W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), 2 Co 13:5.
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