Morning Manna | Hebrews 6:18-20 | Strong Consolation

Hebrews 6:18-20

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

If you read the previous verses, it is apparent that these two unchangeable consolations are the promise and oath of God:"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee."

Not only did God promise Abraham a city, an inheritance, and life everlasting, but He sealed this promise with an oath. Look, Christian, at how willing God is for you to be consoled and not spend your days on earth tormented by doubts! So willing was He that once He had given His promise—which was totally sufficient—He also bound Himself to this promise by an oath.

God’s promises are yea and amen. They are as unchanging as He is. But concerning His children, He would not have one doubtful suspicion arise. So He legally binds Himself to the promises He makes with an oath. What is the collateral of such a contract? Who is the co-signer on such terms? It is God Himself! He hasn’t just sworn—He has sworn by Himself!

"And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD" (Genesis 22:16)."I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return" (Isaiah 45:23)."The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts" (Amos 6:8).

So, child of God, when you are lacking consolation, look to the two unchanging bulwarks of consolation: the promise of the unchanging, all-powerful God and the covenant He has made with His people, sealed with His own blood. This is the key to consolation—not how you feel. Your feelings are the opposite of immutable; they are in a constant state of flux. Like the sea, our emotions rise and fall. Thus, we must find something unlike the changing sea to anchor in. We must anchor in the unchanging, guaranteed promises of God!

At one point in my Christian life, I did not feel saved. I did not feel forgiven. I was in desperate need of consolation. I did not find it in myself, my goodness, or my efforts, but in the unchanging, guaranteed promises of God: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!" I had believed! Thus, I was saved! Not because I felt so, but because He said so! When my confidence found its anchor in the promises of God, my soul found rest from the rising and falling tides of an ever-changing life.

Who is it that has such a strong consolation? It is we who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us! This book was written to a Hebrew audience, and this language would have reminded them of the cities of refuge laid out by God in the Torah—those cities where a man guilty of manslaughter could run and, by the letter of the law, find refuge.

That is who we are—those who realized the condemnation of our sinfulness and saw Christ laid before us in the Word of God, not just to forgive us but to justify us by the same Word that had condemned us. We ran to Him, laid hold on Him by faith, and now we no longer fear the avenger of blood! So confident are we that we may even say:

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

If today you have realized your condemnation, look now to the consolation that lies just ahead—to the Man of Refuge, Jesus Christ. Run to Him, lay hold on Him by faith, and have, for your eternal consolation, the guaranteed promise of the New Covenant.

We are anchored, we are protected, we are guaranteed—but in our last verse, we see that we are also advocated! He is the forerunner! That implies He is the leader of a group, that He has gone before us to prepare a place for us, that where He is, there we may be also! And He has entered, as it says, for us.

He is within the veil for us! He has ascended for us! He is in the presence of God for us! His wounds stand there to advocate for us! He ever liveth to make intercession for us!

Strong Consolation

What a consolation—that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous! If you don’t know Him, you don’t know peace. But to know Him and trust Him is to have a strong consolation: the consolation of His promise, the consolation of His covenant, the consolation of His protection and justification, and the consolation of His eternal advocacy on our behalf!