A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 16

Moving on to the next verses, let’s see where the preacher is going.

9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 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.

After that stern warning against apostasy, now the preacher is being more gentle by reminding the listeners of the blessing that God has promised to their ancestor, Abraham. He tells them first that he expects better of them than to turn away from the salvation of God in Christ Jesus. Then he reminds them of the just and merciful nature of the Father. The word translated here as unrighteous is ʹαδικαός, which means unjust, unrighteous and unmerciful all in the same word. The negation word before it turns it around. This is a legitimate use of double negative that forms an emphasis on the positive. God is just, merciful and righteous to remember the labors of love carried out by the followers of the Son.

The preacher tells them that he desires their completion of the course by their remaining diligent as they have been to reach the full assurance of hope until the Lord returns. He urges them not to be lazy, but to follow the examples of the ones who have already earned their crowns as children of the King. Then he reminds them of the promise God made to Abraham and the oath He took on His own being, since there is nothing greater than God for God to swear upon.

God is blessing the entire descendants of Israel, including those of us who are grafted into Israel by faith in Christ. All Christians are included in these promises to Abraham. So the wish of the preacher that his listeners continue to the end also applies to us. Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are ever thinking of leaving the faith of Christ, follow the plea of the preacher in this chapter and remain steadfast until you realize the blessing of God’s eternal grace.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until September. If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. You can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.