The Refuge of a True and Trustworthy God

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5

“So, when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:17-20

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I love the book of Hebrews. In particular times and essential ways, the Lord has used the book of Hebrews to shape my faith fundamentally. God used it early to stamp an indelible mark on my understanding of Scripture. He used a small, weekly Bible study on Hebrews to ignite in me a desire to study deeply and teach others God’s word. He used Hebrews to stoke in me a love for the Old Testament, especially the Law and Prophets.

Most importantly, though, the book of Hebrews is my constant teacher and a reminder that all of Scripture, from beginning to end, exalts the name of Jesus, which is critical to all those other things. We have hope in Christ and Christ alone, which has been the message of God’s revelation from the beginning. That message is displayed repeatedly throughout the book of Hebrews in ways big and small. This is the amazing pattern of the book: the author of Hebrews will take what the Old Testament reveals about God and show how that truth finds its glorious and greater fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We can see that pattern in these two passages from Proverbs 30 and Hebrews 6.

First, in Proverbs 30:5, we get a double statement about the trustworthiness of God. “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Like precious metal tested in a fire, every word of God proves itself to be true and trustworthy. In our context today, we are used to hearing an endless stream of words and information coming from every corner. News media, entertainment media, and social media provide more words than we could ever keep up with. One of the most important skills that anyone has to learn in this environment is to sort through the noise to discern truth from lies and to find what is good and worthwhile in the deluge of information we are surrounded by.

But it’s not so with God. Every word of God proves true. There are no flaws, no hidden traps there. People and institutions may fail and deceive, but God and his words are perfectly true. And because they are perfectly true, He is a shield, a protection for those who take refuge in him. Our hope in Him is secure. His words will always prove true. God does not lie, deceive, or fail. So, He is the perfect source of comfort and security, the truly safe refuge.

We can see where the writer of Hebrews picks up this message in Hebrews 6. In many ways, these two passages mirror each other. After the promise of Proverbs 30:5, there is the word of warning in verse 6. In Hebrews, chapter 6 begins with one of the great warning passages of the New Testament and then moves into the message of absolute assurance for those in Christ. But in both passages, Proverbs and Hebrews, one thing is clearly stated and true: God’s truth assures us.

Hebrews 6:17-18 states clearly what God’s plan was in this chapter. “When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

God desired to do two things, one leading to the other. He desired first to show convincingly the unchangeable character of his purpose. He desired to show clearly that His purposes and His work do not change; it is steadfast and consistent. It is reliable. God is not panicked like we so often can be, running from one goal to the next. There is an unchangeable character to His purposes, a unity to His words and actions that we can rely on not to change.

God was demonstrating this character for a purpose, though. It was so that we might be encouraged to hold fast to hope. God knows that there are challenges and obstacles in this life. Great and small, many things face us as we strive to live a life of faith in a fallen world. In the face of those trials, God seeks encouragement and hope. To help assure and encourage us, the author of Hebrews says that God ultimately offered “two unchangeable things, in which God can’t lie.” God’s promises are true and trustworthy. They are unchangeable, and it would be impossible for God to lie about them. Every one of his words proves true, and these promises are no exception.

In the beautiful way Hebrews works, that isn’t the end of God’s encouragement. In the amazing, glorious way we see throughout this book, the author of Hebrews takes a wonderful promise of God that his words are always true and trustworthy and shows that this assurance isn’t just a fact and a statement from long ago. The author of Hebrews takes God’s Old Testament promise and gives it a face and a name.

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

This is our hope. Jesus Christ, our great high priest. God fulfills all His promises in Him, and in Him alone, we have a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.

So what is our place in this? What is our part to do in light of the glorious Christ who has gone before, who proves all of God’s words to be true?

In both Proverbs and Hebrews, it is the same. We must flee to him for refuge. We are refugees, bringing nothing with us to guarantee or earn our security. But we can flee for certain refuge in Christ and the truth of God’s word. He is our shield and refuge, our sure and steadfast anchor gloriously revealed not just in a promise, but in the person of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Derek Riley

Derek and his wife, Brittany, have been members of Ninth and O since 2014. He currently serves as teacher for the Intermediate Couples 6 BFG and as a deacon.