Hebrews 6:13-20
We can trust God to do what he has promised
13 God made a promise to Abraham many years ago. God used the authority of his own name to show that his promise was true. He did that because there was nobody greater than himself. His name showed that the promise was very serious. 14 God said to Abraham, ‘I will certainly bless you. I will give you many children and many descendants.’ 15 Abraham waited patiently for a long time. Finally, he received what God had promised him.
6:15Abraham was the first ancestor of the Israelite nation. Abraham and his wife wanted a son. When Abraham and his wife were very old God promised to give Abraham a son and many descendants. See Genesis 12:2; 17:1-22. Even though it was difficult to believe that he would have children, Abraham believed what God said. 16 When someone makes a strong promise, he uses the authority of a person who is greater than himself. This shows that he will certainly obey his promise. Then nobody can argue about it. 17 God wanted to show very clearly that he would never change his purpose. He wanted his people to know that he would certainly bless them. So when he made this promise, he also used his own name to make it strong. 18 These two things can never change. God cannot tell a lie. As a result, we can be brave and strong. We have trusted God to keep us safe with him. He will bless us as he has promised to do. We are sure about that.
19 We know that we will receive what God has promised to give us. This keeps our thoughts strong. We know that our life is safe with God. That hope is like an anchor that keeps a ship safe. We know that we will one day arrive in God's special place in heaven. That is like the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in the tabernacle. 20 Jesus has already gone in there. He has gone there to open a way for us. He has become our great priest for ever, in the same way that Melchizedek was God's priest.
6:19A ship with an anchor is safe, because it cannot move. We can be completely sure about what God has promised to give us.
6:20In the Old Testament God's tabernacle had an inside room that was called the Most Holy Place. A curtain made it separate from the other part of the tabernacle. Only the leader of the priests could go into that room, on one special day each year. See Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:6-7. When Jesus died on the cross, he opened the way into heaven for us. 