The Oath of God

Vi. — 16. For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.

17. Wherein God, being minded to shew more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath:

18. That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

FOR any serious man it is always a solemn thing to take an oath, and appeal to the omniscient God for the truth of what He says. But there is something more solemn even than taking an oath before God, and that is, God’s taking an oath before man. And this is what our writer proceeds now to speak of. He had already spoken of God’s oath in His wrath, They shall not enter into My rest. He will in the next chapter point out the deep significance of Christ’s appointment as High Priest being confirmed by an oath. Here he wishes to show believers what strong encouragement they have in God’s oath to expect most confidently the fulfilment of the promise. It is this confidence alone that will enable the Christian to endure and conquer.

Let us once more consider this. The oath of God plainly proves that the thing He seeks above everything is — faith; He wishes to be trusted. Faith is nothing but depending on God to do for us what we cannot do — what He has undertaken

1 Mediated.

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to do. God’s purpose concerning us is something of infinite and inconceivable blessedness. He is ready, He longs, as God, Him self to work in us all that He has promised. He cannot do this except as we open our hearts to Him, and yield ourselves in stillness and surrender for Him to do His work. Until this faith takes possession of us, we are always seeking to do His work, and we hinder Him. Faith teaches us in deep humility and dependence, in meekness and patience, to place ourselves in God’s hands, to make way for Him, and to wait His time. Faith opens the whole heart and life in expectation and hope. Then God is free to work; faith gives Him His place as God, and honours Him; and He fulfils the promise, Him that honoureth Me, will I honour. Oh, do learn the lesson, that the first and the last, the one thing, God asks is — that we trust Him, to do His work.

It is for this that He mediates, comes in between, with an oath. Just notice the expressions that are used: God willing to show — they had shown their love toward His name; they had been urged to show diligence unto the fulness of hope; here they are told what God will show them — willing to show more abundantly to the heirs of salvation the immutability of His counsel. God wills to show us how unchangeable His purpose to bless us is, if we will but let Him, if we will but trust Him, and by trusting let Him work. And He wills to show us this more abundantly. He wants us to have such more abundant proof of it, that we may, as we had it in chap. ii. i, take more abundant heed, and see that there can be no possibility of a doubt: God will do it. It was for this He confirmed the promise with an oath.

That by two immutable things — His promise and His oath — in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a

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strong encouragement. Just notice the expression — impossible for God to lie! It is as if God asks, if we do not think His word enough, if we think it possible that He, the faithful and the unchangeable One, should lie. He knows how little our darkened hearts trust Him; His promises are so large, so divine, so heavenly, that we cannot take them in. And so, to waken and to shame us out of our unbelief, He comes, and, as if it were possible for God to lie, calls us to listen as He takes an oath in our presence that He will do what He has said: Blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And all, that we, the heirs of salvation, might have a strong encouragement. Surely every vestige of fear and doubt ought to pass away, and our whole soul fall down to worship and to cry out: O God! we do trust Thee. Never, never, will I doubt Thy word again.

God, since He could swear by none greater, sware by Himself. Yes. By Himself! in that lies the power of the oath, and the power of our faith in our oath. God points to Himself — His divine Being, His glory, His power, and pledges Himself, gives Himself as security, as hostage, that, as sure as He lives, He will fulfil His promise. Oh, if we would but take time to tarry in the presence of this God, and to listen to Him swearing to us that He will be faithful, surely we should fall down in confusion that we ever harboured for a moment the doubt, which thinks it possible that He may be untrue and not keep His word. Shall we not kneel and vow that by His grace we will rather die than again make such a God a liar?

And now let us pause and realise what all this argument about the blessing and the oath of God means. In the Christian life there is lack of steadfastness, of diligence, of perseverance. Of all the cause is simply — lack of faith. And of this again the

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cause is — the lack of the knowledge of what God wills and is, of His purpose and power to bless most wonderfully, and of His faithfulness to carry out His purpose. It is to cure these evils; it is to tell His people that He will do anything to win their trust, and will do anything for them if they will trust Him, that God has taken His oath of faithfulness. Oh, shall we not this day believe God and believe in the fulness of His blessing? And shall we not count it our most sacred duty, and our most blessed privilege, to honour God every day by a life of full and perfect trust?

7. “The oath for confirmation.” The same word as in Heb. Hi. 7, 14, and vi. 19, firm. As we see how firm, how steadfast, God’s promise and the hope He gives us, our confidence will grow more firm too. The fulness of my faith depends upon my being occupied with the faithfulness of God.

2. By faith and long suffering. Having suffered long. God Is often very slow. “He bears long with His elect.” This is the patience of the saints: to let God take His time, and through all ever to trust Him.

3, That ye be not slothful: it is the faith that God will work all, that rouses to diligence both in waiting on Him and in doing His will.

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