Hebrews 13:20

They are the flock of his pasture, and his care and concern are for them. He feeds them, and leads them, and watches over them. The way and method in which God is reconciled, and Christ raised from the dead: Through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Now the God of peace,....

Now the God of peace - We have often seen that peace among the Hebrews signifies prosperity of every kind. The God of peace is the same as the God of all blessedness, who has at his disposal all temporal and eternal good; who loves mankind, and has provided them a complete salvation.

‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’’Hebrews 13:20-21. WHAT WE ASK OTHERS to do we should be prepared to do ourselves. Precept fails unless it be followed up by example.

The transition is natural from their earthly pastors (Heb 13:17), to the Chief Pastor, as in 1Pe 5:1-4. Compare Eze 34:23 and Jesus' own words, Joh 10:2, 11, 14. through the blood--Greek, "in," in virtue of the blood (Heb 2:9); it was because of His bloody death for us, that the Father raised and crowned Him with glory.

ALL GOD’S dealings with men have had a covenant character. It hath so pleased Him to arrange it, that he will not deal with us except through a covenant, nor can we deal with Him except in the same manner. Adam in the garden was under a covenant with God and God was in covenant with Him. That covenant he speedily brake. There is a covenant still existing in all its terrible power—terrible I say, because it has been broken on man’s part, and therefore God will most surely fulfill its solemn threatenings and sanctions.

ALL GOD’S dealings with men have had a covenant character. It hath so pleased Him to arrange it, that he will not deal with us except through a covenant, nor can we deal with Him except in the same manner. Adam in the garden was under a covenant with God and God was in covenant with Him. That covenant he speedily brake. There is a covenant still existing in all its terrible power—terrible I say, because it has been broken on man’s part, and therefore God will most surely fulfill its solemn threatenings and sanctions. That is the covenant of works. By this he dealt with Moses, and in this doth he deal with the whole race of men as represented in the first Adam. Afterwards when God would deal with Noah, it was by a covenant; and when in succeeding ages he dealt with Abraham, he was still pleased to bind himself to him by a covenant. That covenant he preserved and kept, and it was renewed continually to many of his seed. God dealt not even with David, the man after his own heart, except with a covenant. He made a covenant with his anointed; and beloved , he dealeth with you and me this day still by covenant. When he shall come in all his terrors to condemn, he shall smite by covenant—namely, by the sword of the covenant of Sinai; and if he comes in the splendors of his grace to save, he still comes to us by covenant—namely, the covenant of Zion; the covenant which he has made with the Lord Jesus Christ, the head and representative of his people. And mark, whenever we come into close and intimate dealings with God, it is sure to be, on our part, also by covenant. We make with God, after conversion, a covenant of gratitude; we come to him sensible of what he has done for us, and we devote ourselves to him.

‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’’Hebrews 13:20-21. WHAT WE ASK OTHERS to do we should be prepared to do ourselves. Precept fails unless it be followed up by example. The apostle had exhorted the Hebrew believers to pray for him in the words, ‘Pray for us;’ and then, as if to show that he did not ask of them what he was not himself. Willing to give, he utters this most wonderful prayer for them. He may confidently say to his congregation, ‘Pray for me’ who does unfeignedly from his soul pray for them. The prayer of the apostle, as you observe, is tinged with the subject upon which he had been writing. This Epistle to the Hebrews is full of distinctions between the old covenant and the new, the gist of it being to show that the former covenant was only typical of that abiding dispensation which followed it; for it had only the shadow, and not the very image of heavenly things. His subject had been the covenant, and when he prayed his garments were sweet with the myrrh and aloes and cassia among which his meditations had conducted him. According to the manner of his thoughts was the expression of his desires. He weaved into the texture of his prayer the meditations of his heart.

THE Apostle, in the 18th verse, had been earnestly asking for the prayers of the Lord's people. On the behalf of all his Brethren he said, "Pray for us." And for himself he added, "I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner." If the Apostle needed the prayers of his Brethren, how much more do we who are so greatly inferior to him in all respects?

THE Apostle, in the 18th verse, had been earnestly asking for the prayers of the Lord's people. On the behalf of all his Brethren he said, "Pray for us." And for himself he added, "I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner." If the Apostle needed the prayers of his Brethren, how much more do we who are so greatly inferior to him in all respects? We may, indeed, even with tears, appeal to you who are our Brothers and Sisters in Christ and entreat you to be earnest in your supplications to God on our behalf. What can we do without your prayers? They link us with the Omnipotence of God! Like the lightning rod, they pierce the clouds and bring down the mighty and mysterious power from on high. But what the Apostle was anxious to receive, he was careful to bestow and, therefore, he proceeded in the words of our text to plead for his Brothers and Sisters, from which we learn that if we desire others to pray for us we must set the example by praying for them! We cannot expect to be benefited by other men's prayers unless the spirit of supplication dwells in us, also. In this matter the Lord will give us good measure pressed down and running over according as we give unto others. Other hearts shall be stirred up to intercede for us if we are, ourselves, diligent in intercession. Pray, if you would be prayed for! The prayer before us was an exceedingly great one, for Paul had learned to ask great things of the Lord. The Holy Spirit had filled him with much love to the Hebrews and with a strong desire for their welfare and, therefore, he asks for that which is the greatest of all blessings to the people of God—that they may be fit for every good work and that God may work in them to do that which is well-pleasing in His sight.

Now the God of peace - God who is the Author, or the source of peace; notes, 1Th 5:23. The word “peace” in the New Testament is used to denote every kind of blessing or happiness. It is opposed to all that would disturb or trouble the mind, and may refer, therefore, to reconciliation with God; to a quiet conscience; to the evidence of pardoned sin; to health and prosperity, and to the hope of heaven; see the notes on Joh 14:27. That brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus - Act 2:32 note; 1Co 15:15 note. It is only by the fact of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus that we have peace, for it is only by him that we have the prospect of an admission into heaven. That great Shepherd of the sheep - notes, Joh 10:1, Joh 10:14. The idea here is, that it is through the tender care of that great Shepherd that true happiness is bestowed on the people of God. Through the blood of the everlasting covenant - The blood shed to ratify the everlasting covenant that God makes with his people; notes, Heb 9:14-23. This phrase, in the original, is not connected, as it is in our translation, with his being raised from the dead, nor should it be so rendered, for what can be the sense of “raising Christ from the dead by the blood of the covenant?” In the Greek it is, “the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the shepherd of the sheep, great by the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus,” etc. The meaning is, that he was made or constituted the great Shepherd of the sheep - the great Lord and ruler of his people, by that blood. That which makes him so eminently distinguished; that by which he was made superior to all others who ever ruled over the people of God, was the fact that he offered the blood by which the eternal covenant was ratified. […]