The Book of Hebrews 6:13-20 "The Covenant with Abraham"
Hebrews 6:13-20 · Vern Peterman · Sep 22, 2013
Hebrews, No. 23
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49264249282

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Good morning. We're going to be looking at this passage that Randy just read for us here, actually today and then the two following weeks. So we're going to start in on the first few verses. Each week I'm having all of those verses read, 13 through 20, just so we get the full context and sweep of it here.

One of the things we'll want to bring out, and it shows up as the first slide in your handout, We've been pointing out that the pattern in Hebrews is to go through a section of explanation first, and then an exhortation. And with this passage, we begin the fourth explanation. And it turns out it's the longest explanation of any in Hebrews. It goes from 6.13, where we've begun today, into about the middle of chapter 10. So for several chapters, you have explanation here before the exhortation begins. So that's the pattern and the stage where we're at right now. Now, I have to remind you that this passage in Hebrews is very Hebrew. The passage relies upon an understanding of covenants, which is something we have contracts, but not covenants.

And especially God's covenant with Abraham is pointed out here. Abraham prepared to offer up Isaac is specifically the portion of the covenant with Abraham that we're directed to here. So this is Genesis chapter 22. And so we'll be referring back to that off and on as we go through that. So there's that understanding dealing with Abraham.

There is additionally, this passage ends with Jesus as the high priest who is of the order of Melchizedek. Well, Melchizedek also has to do with Abraham, so this is very Abrahamic, right, from beginning to end. Melchizedek and Abraham are the main theme of the beginning of the next chapter. And so we'll be taking a look at that. So this passage is addressing Abraham and the covenant with Abraham, finishing off with pointing out Melchizedek, Jesus being a high priest of the order of Melchizedek. And that's an introduction to the beginning of the next chapter, where we have Melchizedek and Abraham. And it goes through the account there and points out some things that we'll be looking at in the weeks ahead.

Now, in Hebrews 6, 13, and 14, the passage reads like this, For when God made the promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply you. Now, so why is this passage talking about Abraham? Why all of a sudden does Abraham get brought up? There's a reason for that. Last week, we looked at Hebrews 6, 9 through 12.

And that was an encouragement passage for these Hebrew believers because, remember, one of the things that had been brought out previously was in Hebrews 6, 4 through 8, there was this stern warning of, here's where you're headed if you keep going, right? And so he wanted to bring them back with an encouragement that we have confidence of better things concerning you.

And so verse 12 in that encouragement passage finished with B, I'll insert that as an implied meaning, imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. So, imitators of who? Those who through faith and patience inherit the promises, starting with Abraham, right?

So that's what this is referring to, and that's why he all of a sudden introduces Abraham. That's the connecting point between the prior passage and this one. So the readers of this book of Hebrews, and we ourselves, are learning from the life of Abraham here in this passage, which shows faith and patience. Faith and patience are the end of the passage we just studied here.

Faith in all of God's promise and patience in God's working them out. That's big. Faith in all of God's promises and patience in working them out. Now, one of the things we want to make clear as we step into verse 13, God, who is the promise maker and promise keeper, that's very important. Christians, I think, have gotten that turned around in recent years. God is the promise maker and the promise keeper.

He made various promises in the Bible, beginning with several key promises here in the book of Genesis. Many, many chapters in the book of Genesis have those promises. So those promises were part of God's covenant, not exclusively so, but largely God's covenant with Abraham. And that began with Genesis chapter 12 verses 1 through 3. And it continued through the life of Abraham, which goes into Genesis 24. So from chapter 12 to chapter 24, God continued to make promises and expand on the promises that he previously made. to Abraham so we have the question what's a covenant since we have contracts in our culture and not covenants a covenant was a promise with a sacred character and of course our culture is getting less and less sacred right so a promise with a sacred character either because it was made by God or God was called to be a witness to the covenant if God made a covenant then that was one kind, or if it was two human beings making a covenant, then God was called in as a witness, so help me God, right? Okay, so Genesis 12-24, God makes promises to Abraham, again and again and again. So God's covenant with Abraham was one.

It was unilateral, okay? Not to get too technical here, but he made a promise directly to Abraham. He didn't say, Abraham, if you'll promise this, I'll promise that. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. It wasn't one of those. It was, Abraham, guess what? I'm going to make a promise to you. So you can imagine, here's Abraham, who's really just a Gentile like all the rest, and God selects him out and says, I'm going to make a promise to you. And this is big.

The other thing, it was unconditional. God didn't say, if you're going to do this, then I'll do that. So it was unilateral. God is the one who made it. It wasn't mutual. And it was unconditional. There was no big bunch of ifs through this thing. So those two criteria. God promised with no conditions.

However, one of the things we're going to see in the passage we're looking at in Genesis 22, glancing back at here, Abraham would be asked to act in faith on the covenant that God had made. Okay, so the making of a covenant, we need to talk about that. From the days of Noah into New Testament times, covenants typically had three elements. An oath or a promise, and the word promise is what's used here in the book of Hebrews, okay? So an oath or a promise, so that's the content of the covenant, okay? The content. The next is a swearing by a deity, calling upon a deity. Of course, if God himself is the one making the covenant, then what does the passage say? God swears by himself, okay? So there's nobody higher to refer to. God swears by himself.

The third one, a gesture or a sign, often a sacrifice. Here is what we see. For example, the rainbow is God's sign of his covenant there with Noah, where he says, I'm not going to flood the earth anymore. And last week I was telling you, I was thinking about teaching on that, but I wasn't sure you'd believe me. So there would be a sign or a gesture.

Sometimes it would be a sacrifice. And in this case, there was a sign that was by God. And in Noah's case, he also had sacrifice as well. So there were both things involved. But a gesture, sign, or often a sacrifice, to accompany that, it's dying away in our culture anymore. But people would say, I solemnly swear to tell the truth. And they would raise their right hand as the gesture. Boy, you're lucky I'm lefty. I should have raised my left hand. Okay.

Examples of that would include, and here's the Genesis 9, 9-17, that would be the covenant with Noah. Genesis 21, 22-34 would be part of the covenant with Abraham. Same with chapter 24, which is the last chapter of Abraham's life. So that would be an example. And then further on in Genesis, Exodus, Jeremiah, Daniel, and this passage we're studying today. And there are other instances, so that's why I say these are certainly not exhaustive, but they are examples of that kind of thing.

So an oath or a promise, so the content of the covenant, a swearing by a deity, and the third one, a gesture, sign, often a sacrifice. Those three elements in making a covenant. So as Hebrews 6.13 says, God swore by himself since he didn't have anybody higher to swear by. So the second part of the covenant is swearing by a deity. When God made a covenant, he would swear by himself, since there was nobody higher and no other deity to swear by.

So Jeremiah 51.14 and Amos 6.8 are a couple of instances where it actually says God is sworn by himself. It actually uses that terminology as then God makes a declaration. Sometimes the passage is more subtle in that God swearing by himself, for example, Genesis 9-11 and in the covenant with Noah. So sometimes the passage just says something like, I establish my covenant. So God's making reference to himself and doesn't use the term swearing, right?

Okay. So in Hebrews 6-14, it says, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you. And you may, if you compare the Old Testament, look at it and say, well, wait a minute, that's not exactly what it says there in the Old Testament passage. And the reason is, is because this is from the Greek Old Testament that the author of Hebrews has brought it in. So by the time you translate it, it comes through a little differently. But nonetheless, I will bless you and I will multiply you.

So the author of the book of Hebrews could have chosen from a whole number of different parts of Genesis 12, from the initial promise that God made to Abraham all the way into chapter 24, to highlight the nature of covenants, but specifically the author goes in, zeroes in on this one event in Genesis 22, and I think there's good reason for the author picking that passage to go to as the example. This is taken from Genesis 22, 17, which is a chapter from which God asks Abraham to offer up his son Isaac. Then provides Ram at the last minute for the sacrifice instead of Isaac. And there will be some reasons why this is particularly apropos for the situation.

So, looking at Hebrews 6.14 and glancing back at Genesis 22, I think some of the reasons why the author chose this, Abraham was a living picture of the father giving his son. And that's going to end up in the book of Hebrews being a key theme.

Because the father gave the son, the son also gave of himself. And so Abraham in this particular instance illustrates the father giving the son, giving his life over very well. So Abraham was being tested by being asked to give his own son Isaac, but it was more than that. Abraham was also a living picture of the father giving his own son Jesus Christ our Savior.

So here's Abraham roughly 2,000 years before Christ would come and and Be a gift of the father on our behalf Here's Abraham living this out illustrating it by preparing He didn't end up following through but preparing to offer his son Isaac This would be a kind of an illustration of the sacrificial lamb as it came out being Christ himself John chapter 1 John the Baptist twice in chapter one says behold the Lamb of God and in one case who takes away who lifts up the sins of the whole world and takes them upon himself So Genesis 22 to here is God's command to Abraham he says take now your son your only son Whom you love God knows what he's doing. Your only son, whom you love, Isaac.

He's the one you've waited for all this time. He's the one who is a promise. That one. and go to the land of Moriah and by the way that's the Mount Moriah is the place where the Temple Mount is in Jerusalem okay that that's the place and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you okay is not just to be slaughtered you're gonna burn him whoa this is kind of heavy-duty okay so Abraham says well of course right isn't it amazing Abraham, being a man of faith, just says, Isaac, we're taking a trip. We're taking a trip.

And by the way, Isaac, by this time, is around age 25. This is one of the things, as I get various dramatic or artistic representations, it's hard to find one that fits because a lot of times they'll show Isaac as some young little boy about age 25. As a matter of fact, since Isaac is 25 and Abraham's 125. My guess is that Isaac could have taken his dad on pretty well. And knocked him for a loop and said, Dad, nothing doing. I'm not going to go through with this. This doesn't look very good. I don't like the sound of this.

And he had a lot of time to think about it, too. So you can imagine this. Here is Abraham, 125, his son about 25, and they're going to take a long walk, because it's actually a fair distance. And they have to be prepared for a sacrifice and some fuel. So this isn't something just kind of at the spur of the moment.

God had already tested Abraham's faith a few times, having him move away from his own family's home and his inheritance. You see, when God said, look, I've got a land for you, and I'm going to have offspring for you, and there's going to be blessing for you, And there's going to be a blessing from you. When God said that, Abraham had to let go of all the inheritance and security that he had with his father in the city of Ur. He had an inheritance already right there, and he said, I got to kiss it goodbye to follow what God promised. That's faith. He says, I've got a guaranteed inheritance here and I'm gonna kiss that off in order to take on this inheritance over here.

God would now test Abraham by telling him to give up his beloved son, his only heir. He said, I've been waiting for the longest time for an heir. I have a slave a servant who is gonna be my heir because I don't have a son and now I've got this one guy that I've been waiting for for the longest time and now I'm gonna make a burnt offering of him the one that God had been promising him for decades for about 50 years about 50 years he'd been waiting for this one to be his heir and now make a burnt sacrifice out of him. Been tested lately? Been tested lately? God appoints us to testing so that he will be glorified. He doesn't do it to see how it's going to turn out. He doesn't do it to see how it's going to turn out. God's not experimenting with our lives when he puts us through a test.

I know you've been through them. You may be going through one now. Maybe more than one. I know you're going to go through them again. And me too. But God does it on purpose. He's got a purpose in it. That he will be glorified and that you will be conformed to the image of his Son. The testing is on purpose. And Abraham's going through a test right here. There's another truth that comes out of this.

Isaac wasn't Abraham's possession. God had entrusted Isaac to Abraham. You see, Abraham could have said, no, no, man, this is my son, man, I can't do this. No. He's been entrusted to you, Abraham. He's been entrusted to you. Abraham had placed great hope in Isaac as his only long-promised heir. I've been waiting for this son, this one son. Isaac was not Abraham's personal possession. God entrusted Isaac to Abraham, but Isaac was still God's own.

And that's a key thing for us. Even our children are entrusted to us by God himself. And in fact, all the other relationships, are they not entrusted to us? All the other relationships, even if it's people here in the church, other family members, they're all really entrusted to us, put into our care by God. That's really the position that we have. God entrusts our children and others into our care.

Ultimately, they're His. They're His. Not ours to claim. nor own, nor to do what we wish, nor as they wish. I don't raise my kids. I'm speaking hypothetically since my kids are all raised. I don't raise my kids to do as I wish. I don't raise my kids to do as they wish. I raise my kids to do as God wishes. They're not mine, ultimately.

They're put into my care. And it's the same with the other relationships that we have. They've been put into our care by God himself. So this entrusted is a key theme here. A number of people whose names in the Bible came to know that the child was entrusted to them by God. And for a lot of people, that stands out more boldly. Abraham and Sarah, of course, had Isaac. And that's the instance we're looking at here. There are other instances of Samson and Samuel and John, John the Baptist, and Jesus, where there was a very strong sense of, this one has been entrusted to me.

But in fact, the realization needs to go across the board. They've all been entrusted to us, put into our hands, into our care by God himself. But they're really gods. So when we are entrusted with something or someone, whatever that is, that's a stewardship. It's a stewardship. So what would happen, Abraham would go from Beersheba to Mount Moriah, later called Jerusalem, here in the land of Israel, and that's where he was commanded to go.

And so now, still in Hebrews 6.14 and looking back at Genesis 22. So the momentous events recorded in Genesis chapter 22 have not only eternal implications, but are still impacting the whole world even to this day. So here's Abraham. You're told you can't do it here. You've got to go to Mount Moriah. Guess what?

That place is now the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was during Jesus' time the place where the sacrifices took place. The veil that was torn in two when Christ was crucified was on the front of that main temple building there. The temple mount, this being a model of it, was the place where Jesus taught in the temple courtyards. It was in the inner part of the front part of that temple. where Jesus would point out the widow's might, you know, she gave more than the others, would be the front part of that temple. It would be in that area where the sacrifices were done.

That place is Mount Moriah. This is the place where Jesus and the apostles walked and taught. This is the place where the Islamic Dome of the Rock has stood for centuries. and where Christ will return someday and by the way there is a rectangular indentation in that dome of the rock and isn't it interesting that that rectangular indentation in that rock is the size that right dimensions for the Ark of the Covenant very interesting it is the place where Christ will return someday his feet will touch upon the Mount of Olives and he will come in through the Eastern Gate. It will be a Christ's second coming as soon as seven years from today. So, we have a question here, where's the faith?

Our culture has been telling us for decades, a long time, since before I was born, feelings are top priority and many Christians have been taught The use of feeling of blessing, or lack of it, to tell whether they've been blessed or not. Oh, this is a good song because I feel blessed. It was a good church service because I feel blessed. As a matter of fact, the pastor is terribly disappointing if you don't walk out feeling blessed. Sorry to disappoint a lot of you.

Anyway, one of the things we point out here goes along this way, and that the biblical model is facts, faith, and feelings. The train and the tracks is like faith and the facts. And the feelings follow. That's the caboose. So the faith and the facts is like the train and the tracks, and the feelings follow. That's the biblical model. Paul warned the Corinthians against just following their cravings. This is 1 Corinthians 10. James called that viewpoint, this idea of, boy, I'm going to follow this and this. Double-minded.

We, however, are called to walk by faith in His Word, faith and confidence in His Word. let's read verse fifteen here in hebrews 615 and so having patiently waited he obtained the promise what's the promise that's the oath or the promise from god and it is abraham that's being referred to here so patiently waited here out of verse fifteen abraham had exercised faith in proceeding with what god had told him to do by preparing to offer up his son isaac take him to mount moriah and offer him as a Sacrifice.

It had been about 25 years since God had given Isaac as Abraham's one and only son of promise. Though God said he would multiply him. That is Abraham. How's that going to happen if I'm going to sacrifice him? It had been about 50 years since God had first made the promises back when Abraham lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Take your son and offer him up as a sacrifice.

So after the events of Genesis chapter 22, Abraham lived about another 50 years and he kept on receiving even more of God's promises. What took place there in Genesis 22 is, and this picture probably presents Isaac as a little bit younger than it should, but as a 25 year old man approximately, Isaac was put on top of the wood and bound.

Abraham prepared to lift up the knife and to slay his son, and then to offer him as a burnt sacrifice. And just as he was ready to do that, the angel of the Lord said, whoop, stop. Instead, instead, there's the ram caught over in this thicket. Use that ram instead.

Even though Abraham did see the land that God promised and a few of the offspring, because remember multitudes he was promised, that God promised and some blessings, he did have some, the promises to Abraham have actually taken many centuries to be fulfilled so far and will take many more centuries yet to be fulfilled.

So this was 4,000 years ago and God's still honoring his promise and he's not done yet. Isn't that amazing? There are about 10,000 prophecies in the Bible. About 5,000 of them have been fulfilled. There are more yet to be fulfilled and a great many of them have to do with fulfilling the promise to Abraham. Out of those 10,000 5,000 yet to be fulfilled. A great many of those have to do with fulfilling the promise to Abraham. Imagine after 4,000 years God still working on it. But here is one of the ways it's going to be fulfilled.

In Genesis 15, 18 through 20, this land that you see here will be the land of Israel in the coming kingdom. It goes all the way from The Mediterranean coast and goes all the way to the Euphrates River. It includes what is now about eight different countries. And then in Ezekiel 48, Israel's land is described by tribe. So there's that's why the reason for the kind of striped appearance there. Israel's land is described by tribe. So this is the configuration of Israel in the coming kingdom.

Like I say, could be as soon as seven years from today. This is really amazing. But this is a part of the many, many things that God has prophesied that's not yet fulfilled. Do you know that that's what God promised to Abraham? See, Genesis 15, that's to Abraham. God promised it to Abraham. Has it been fulfilled yet?

No. We've got this little tiny land of Israel. They keep slivering off to, you know, give away to others, and the reality is the complete fulfillment of it will include all this that you see here in front of you. That's the kingdom. That's the kingdom.

So Abraham had obtained the promise, verse 15, and even the promises that the Lord had given, but the promises were so big, the promises were huge, so big it will take the rest of time on this earth to fulfill, and even it will take eternity to work out and see all the promises to Abraham come into fulfillment.

When the physical and spiritual seed of Abraham and the blessings will be seen forever. You and I will be living out, we are now, we will be living out for all eternity the promises to Abraham. And you all, the families of the earth, will be blessed. We'll be living out the promises to Abraham made to that one guy about 4,000 years ago. You and I are here today as believers in Christ, saved for eternity because of the promises to Abraham. God can take a long, long time, even forever, to work out what he's promised. So, did he obtain the promise? Yes. But he didn't see the fulfillment, and we haven't seen it all yet. We haven't seen it all yet.

We're going to be amazed, along with Abraham, as to how it all gets carried out and fulfilled. I am quite certain that Abraham will be saying, Wow! And I'm pretty sure we'll be saying, Wow! Until then, until then, it's a walk by faith. Abraham believed the Lord, that's Genesis 15, 6, even though the fulfillment of all the things that God promised was centuries to millennia away or more. Can you imagine having such faith that you say, yeah, I will sacrifice my only long promised son? And yet, most of what was promised to Abraham, not to be fulfilled for many centuries to come, even future to our time.

In 2 Corinthians 5.7, the Apostle Paul wrote, For we walk by faith, not by sight. I hope you don't drive that way. We walk by faith, not by sight. What does that mean? It doesn't mean that we close our eyes when we walk.

It means that we live out our Christian life by faith in what God has revealed, not just by what we see around us. God's Word has the answers, not the world around us. What God has done, what he's already accomplished, what he is doing now, and he's doing a great deal, and what he will do in the future. All of these things are known by faith in what God has revealed.

That's why we have the Bible, to reveal things we could never figure out on our own. It's to reveal things we could never figure out on our own. We need it. Otherwise, we're going blind, right? Now, something not in your handout, but just an illustration I'll give here.

Spiritual facts from God's Word, those are the facts. We put our faith, belief, trust, those are different nuances of the same word, in the spiritual facts from God's Word. Our feelings, then, are built on top of our faith in the facts. Now, the world often favors this approach.

Faith in your feelings. How do I feel about it? How do I feel about it ends up being the criteria instead of faith in the facts, what God's revealed and the feelings follow. Faith in the facts is what this passage is talking about and it starts with, here's Abraham, God says offer up your one and only son, the one long promise, the one that you love, I want you to offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.

Faith in the facts. So Abraham followed with faith in the facts and God provided. And it's the same case with us. God has laid out what's true. What's true in his word. And he's called us to walk by faith in those facts. Things that we could never figure out on our own. never figure out on our own.

Let's thank him for what he's revealed because he loves us. Lord, we do thank you for what you've given us and shown us. We thank you for this walk of faith by Abraham. We thank you that you have, in fact, told us what we need to know. And it gives us insight into what is true spiritually, not just now, but what was always true, what was true in the past, what was true in the future, and what will always be true. And we thank you for that that you've revealed because you love us and care for us.

And we pray, Lord, that you would draw our hearts to walk by faith in those facts and not by the vision of what we see around us right now, which will come to end and pass. We thank you that you've done this because you love us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.