Wednesday after Judica Sunday
Posted on April 6, 2022 by under
Scripture: Hebrews 6:13-20 (NKJV)
6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Devotion
“Because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.”
To swear is to call someone greater than yourself to be a witness of what you say. Oaths are taken with a hand on the Bible as though to say, “As God is my witness, I am telling the truth.” If someone says, “I am not lying”, and we do not believe him, are we more likely to believe him if he adds, “I swear by myself that I am not lying”? Of course not.
If God swears by Himself, it can only mean one of two things: 1) He is a liar, or 2) He is the very highest authority of all. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day chose the first option, saying to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true” (John 8:13). However, Jesus demonstrated who He is not only by word, but also by deed. His resurrection from the dead proves that He is God and, therefore, the highest authority of all. “I AM the First and the Last. I AM He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I AM alive forevermore. Amen.” (Rev. 1:17–18).
Since Jesus is the highest authority of all, everything He says is true. When He says your sins are forgiven, they are. When He says, “This is My body … This is My blood,” we must believe that they are. We are Abraham’s children if we believe what Jesus says.
Prayer: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon Thy people, that by Thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Lent
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with the Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
