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    Hebrews 6:11-20
    Lesson 422

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    Are God's promises trustworthy?
     
    This study is a continuation of lessons 420 and 421.

    ​"Our Shepherd."
     
    By the American artist Jared Barnes.
    Study Tip:
     
    As you read, listen to what God is telling you.

    The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Hebrews

    The King James Bible    ​




    Hebrews 6:11-20
    Hope is our anchor
    ​
    11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
     
    12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
     
    13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
     
    14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
     
    15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
     
    16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
     
    17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
     
    18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
     
    19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
     
    20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

    ​

    Margin notes:
     
    "Shew the same diligence." (6:11) - "Show the same love."  This is a continuation of lesson 421.  Believers should "minister" to and show the same love to fellow Christians as they did in verse 6:10.
     
    "The full assurance of hope." (6:11) - The assurance that comes with knowing that God has forgiven our sins.
     
    "Be not slothful." (6:12) - "Don't be (spiritually) lazy."
     
    "Inherit the promises." (6:12) - Stay faithful to God and inherit the promise of salvation and eternal rest (Hebrews 10:36).
     
    "Because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself." (6:13) -  When we swear an oath, we usually swear by someone greater than ourselves (6:16).  For example, some might say, "I swear to God."  Who does God pledge to when he makes a promise?  See Genesis 22:16 and verse 6:16 below.
     
    "I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee." (6:14) - This is God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 22:17).
     
    "He had patiently endured." (6:15) - Abraham waited twenty-five years for God to fulfill His promise and bless him with a son (Genesis 21:1-3).
     
    "Men verily swear by the greater." (6:16) - When Israelites swore an oath, they validated it by making a pledge to someone of greater authority than themselves.
     
    "Is to them an end of all strife." (6:16) - "To them, it put an end to arguments."
     
    "The heirs of promise." (6:17) - Gentiles are the heirs of God's promise to Abraham.
     
    "The immutability of his counsel." (6:17) - "The unchangeable permanence of His purpose."  What was God's purpose?  To offer salvation through Jesus Christ.
     
    "By two immutable things." (6:18) - "By two unchangeable things."  See "Today's Question" below.
     
    "It was impossible for God to lie." (6:18) - See Numbers 23:19 and Titus 1:2.
     
    "Strong consolation." (6:18) - "Strong encouragement." 
     
    "Fled for refuge." (6:18) - Not fleeing from, but towards refuge (Jesus Christ). 
     
    "Sure and stedfast." (6:19) - "Firm and secure."  God's promise of salvation is firm, strong, and trustworthy.
     
    "Entereth into that within the veil." (6:19) - "Enters into the inner sanctuary."  The Jewish Temple had two inner rooms for worship.  The outer room, called the "Holy Place," was open to worshippers.  The inner room, called the "Most Holy Place," was used once a year by a High Priest on the Day of Atonement.  The priest would sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of the nation's sins (Hebrews 9:6-7).  A veil separated the two rooms.  It prevented worshippers from entering the "Most Holy Place."  The veil was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:50-51; Mark 15:37-38) to show that we now have direct access to God.
     
    "Whither the forerunner is for us entered." (6:20) - Jesus, our new forerunner (High Priest), has entered the Most Holy Place to plead our case before God.​​
    To learn more about God's promises, see Psalms 89:35-37; 95:10-11; Isaiah 14:24-27; and 62:8-9.


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Hebrews 6:11-20    

    11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.

    12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance.
     
    God's Promises Bring Hope
     
    13 For example, there was God's promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:
     
    14 "I will certainly bless you,
          and I will multiply your descendants beyond number."
     
    15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
     
    16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.

    17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.

    18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

    19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary.

    20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.     

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:

    1. What are the "immutable things" mentioned in verse 6:18?
    ​  
        
     
     
    God gave us the Bible so we could know Him and ourselves.
    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1. There are two immutable (permanent, unchangeable) things (truths) revealed in this passage.  One is God's divine nature (He can not lie), and the other is His trustworthiness.  Once God makes a promise, it is unalterable and totally trustworthy. 
     
     
      
     
    Application thought for the day:

    Summarize in a sentence or two the most important lesson in this passage.  Then apply it to your life.​       
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke.  Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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