Hebrews 11...........work of faith
The doctrinal section of Hebrews ends with three practical appeals based on faith hope and love, the three Christian virtues. Chapter 10 v22 “Let us draw near in full assurance of faith...” and this is expounded in the gallery of faith in chapter 11. Chapter 10 v23 “Let us hold fast our confession of hope (Newberry margin) without wavering....”, this is the subject of chapter 12; and chapter 10 v24 “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works....” and this is discussed in chapter 13. So we come now to a very practical section of the epistle.
The entire chapter is an exposition of faith in all it’s facets. Chapter 10 ended with a dire warning against drawing back from Christ and a strong appeal to continue. Now in chapter 11, we are presented with some very interesting historical examples. There is nothing like the power of example to inspire faith, and instead of drawing back we should move forward with the faithfulness of our forefathers in our hearts.
In the chapter faith is expounded in three very powerful ways;
Verses 1-3 The essence of faith
Verses 4-31 The examples of faith
Verses 32-40 The exploits of faith
Verses 1-3 The essence of faith
a) Verse 1 we have the what of faith; So what does the bible mean by the word faith?. Great minds have been given to this and some very interesting thoughts expressed. The acrostic “forsaking all i trust him” sums it up perfectly. Faith is taking God at His word, Paul defined it in Romans 10 v17 “...so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (spoken word) of God.” No one has faith inherently, it comes through the spoken word of God. The protest “I wish I had your faith” is misguided for no one is born with it. Faith is not defined here for it is unlimited in it’s expression, as is obvious from the chapter. It is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. The word “substance” (hupostasis) has appeared before in chapter 1 v3 where it refers to the Son being the exact replica of God the Father....”the express image of His person (hupostasis-subsistence). It means all that God is the Son is, the Son substantiates God. Just as the Son of God revealed the invisible God, so faith substantiates the promises of God. The word for “things” is actually “facts”, so faith is “evidence of facts”, which are not readily obvious. There are many who have said and do say “except I see I will not believe”. This is a fallacy for we cannot see electricity, yet we believe it, because we see it’s effect. We cannot see the electronic air waves, yet we live each day to enjoy the benefits, we cannot see the wind but know it’s power. Faith translates the world to come and the things unseen into present realities.
b) In verse 2 we have the witness to faith. “By it the elders received a good report (witness).” The rest of the chapter is given to “the elders”, those who have lived before and who through many difficulties lived in unshakeable faith in God. The writer culls from the age prior to the flood (the antediluvian age), from the time of the Patriarchs Abraham to Joseph, from the Exodus out of Egypt under Moses then Joshua, from the period of the judges and the kings; he draws example after example for our encouragement and in his opening comments in chapter 12 we are “compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses”. All these were not wrong or misguided were they? They did not waste their lives did they? Their faith will be realised in time won’t it? They are the witness to faith, and they are taken from all walks of life, and the history (facts) spans almost 4000 years. It would surely be a thing of arrogance to ignore such testimony! The end of chapter 11 and the beginning of chapter 12 make interesting reading, which we can expand later, it seems the faithful of old are waiting for us to join them for theirs and our perfection.
c) In verse 3 we have the word of faith, “Through faith we understand that the worlds (aions-the time periods as well as the material creation) were framed by the spoken word of God”. The word “framed”- Greek katartizo means completed thoroughly, fully fitted; in modern parlance “fit for purpose”. Behind this word is the idea not only of original creation but the “hands on” involvement of God to see it through to it’s ultimate purpose. There remains therefore a certain mystery of creation “...the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear”. Modern science is proving the reality of this with more and more discoveries. Faith is believing God who is “unsearchable”, therefore new experiences will continue, but it is all based on facts. No scientific discovery, based on empirical fact, has contradicted the creation account. “He spake and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast” (Psalm 33 v9), this is where faith begins, in a Creator God. Ten times over in Genesis chapter 1 it is recorded “And God said...”. These worlds came into being by the spoken word of God, the Divine fiat which originated all things and made provision for their continuance. The fact that God who made all things is transcendent to all His creation, means that there are many things we can never know, but we are allowed to know enough for our well-being.
Verses 4-31 The examples of faith
It can be observed that there are no failures recorded in this summary of old testament faithfuls. A reading of the history will reveal many faults and failings, even heinous sins in some cases, but they are omitted here. This is because God is true to His word...in an epistle where the declaration has been made twice over(8 v12 and 10 v17) “their sins and iniquities I will remember no more”, He marks only faith, not failure. Some are named, others not; some receive only a mention by name, others one thing only they did, others are outstanding in their faith. In every case faith is demonstrated in terms of action, rather than on profession. We can also detect a progression of thought which marks an order of things in the life of faith.
Abel Verse 4......faith demonstrated in witness “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice.....God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh”. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, the work of his own hands. Abel brought from the flock, that which came from God alone; he brought of the “firstlings of the flock”, the firstborn was always for God. The animal was slain for he brought “of the fat thereof”, thus acknowledging that to approach God he required a blood substitute and that the fat of the animal (the best) was for God. He became the first martyr and testifies today to all the world the way to approach God. He had faith in the word of God as passed down by his parents and through him God still speaks. The witness of Abel appears throughout scripture.
Enoch Verses 5-6......faith demonstrated in walk. “Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him” (Genesis 5 v24). Unlike Abel who died, Enoch was taken to heaven without dying. This sets the pattern for the faithful of all ages, some will die ,some will be translated without dying. The crucial factor in his life was that before his translation he pleased God. His walk (manner of life) was pleasing to God, and he did so by faith, by taking Him at His word. We can see from the records, the background to this life of faith which pleased God. He walked with God on Divine revelation (God revealed the end of the world at the birth of his son Methuselah); he walked with God in a world of ungodliness; he walked with God amidst fierce opposition (last two-refer Jude v15); he walked with God and brought up a family; he walked with God consistently for 300 years; he prophesied of impending judgment. The epitaph of his life was that “he pleased God”. He did all this by faith.
Noah Verse 7.......faith demonstrated in work. This was an astonishing display of faith. He and his family built a huge boat that would take over 100 years to build to save them from an overwhelming flood (no rain had yet been seen on the earth). He apparently built it many miles from any stretch of water, and he did it under reproach from the people of his day. It was in response to a Divine warning which he believed and acted upon over many years, and at great effort for himself amid mocking from his contemporaries. His reverential fear of God by faith, overcame any fear of his fellow man. By it he saved his house and condemned the world in which he lived. By it he became heir of righteousness which is the sure reward of all who believe God.
Abraham and Sarah Verses 8-19......faith demonstrated in waiting. One of the hardest things to do is to have faith in God over long years when nothing seems to be happening, and when none of the promises seem possible. This aspect of faith was demonstrated in both Abraham and Sarah. The original promise of a seed, until it’s fulfilment was 25 years. To our modern culture demanding instant results, this is an amazing demonstration of faith. The patience of both husband and wife, in the circumstances was remarkable. They were called to leave their country and their family and their household to go to a foreign place which they saw and sojourned through, but died not having possession of it. They were called to believe in a Divine miracle of birth when both, naturally, were past bearing. Abraham was called to offer up his only son, and believed that God would raise him from the dead, when no such resurrection had ever taken place. Their faith was astonishing, particularly as their knowledge of things was less than ours today. Their faith is first seen as “obedience” giving up all they had known for the call of God. Next it is described as “sojourning in the land of promise”....they never owned it, they were pilgrims just passing through. Then they understood that the inheritance could not merely be the real estate of Canaan, but something greater, and so they fixed their gaze on the city of God where they would dwell forever. Their faith looked beyond this world altogether. In a remarkable show of physical strength Sarah managed to deliver a child when her body was beyond it, and the reason was her faith in the promises of God. This one act of faith by Sarah, after many years, gave rise to countless seed as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea shore. The detail of verses 13-16, describing their faith is very comprehensive. “They died not having received...”; “...they saw them afar off..”; “they were persuaded of them..”; “they embraced them”; “they confessed that they were strangers(away from home) and pilgrims(going home). They desired a better country, and God identified with them. The culminating act of faith, expressed in obedience to God was their readiness to give up their son, their unwavering faith in the God who promised.
Isaac Verse 20.....faith expressed in words of prophetic utterance. “Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come”. Isaac’s faith was mainly passive in character, he was a withdrawn man, domineered by his wife, yet he made the proclamation of prophetic utterance in line with the will of God. Not all men are active, nevertheless retain the integrity of faith in God, and the Holy Spirit has marked it.
Jacob Verse 21......faith expressed in worship. “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff”. In Abraham we see their patience with the Lord waiting His time; in Jacob we see the patience of the Lord with one who all his life tried to control and manipulate events for his own benefit. Jacob did it his way, but all he achieved was what God had promised him anyway. All he gained by his wilfulness was trouble and frustration, but the patient Lord broke him down at Bethel, and Padanaram, and Penuel, where in his wrestling with God he was permanently disabled. In the end the Lord had his way and Jacob worshipped, trusting only in His guidance and in the palace of Egypt maintained his pilgrim character by leaning on his staff. It is good to end well no matter how long it takes.
Joseph Verse 22.....faith expressed for the welfare of God’s people “When he died made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandments concerning his bones”. What is outstanding here is the mass of material omitted from the old testament record. More than 25% of Genesis is devoted to the life of Joseph, involving the greatest rise to world power by Divine prominence of any man. He is the most perfect type of Christ in the bible, and is seen as overcoming the hatred of his brethren, the temptations of Egypt, the injustice of wrongful imprisonment. More than 100 likenesses to Christ are recorded, yet all that is mentioned is the departure of Israel to the promised land, and his desire for his bones to be taken with them. On his deathbed not the pomp and splendour of Egypt, it’s wealth, it’s power, it’s influence; his concern was for the nation to return to the land, that God’s promises would be fulfilled, and that his remains would be there, for that is where his heart was. Reference is made to the utterance of faith by Joseph in three texts of scripture....Genesis 50 vv24-25; Exodus 13 v19; Joshua 24 v32. The language of faith is very clear “God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence”. He spoke words of faith out of long experience with God.
Moses Verses 23-29 Faith exemplified in wisdom. There is no doubt that wisdom was a characteristic of Moses and his family. By Divine providence “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7 v22). The wisdom of his parents was demonstrated in raw courage, when in a time of great danger they placed the child in the ark at the mercy of God. The wisdom of Moses was seen in his choice of lifestyle.....he refused the trappings of supreme wealth and power and exchanged it for the rigours of desert life with needy and difficult people. He properly valued the worth of spiritual things over the material. He was motivated by the eternal invisible God. By faith he forsook Egypt, he obeyed God in keeping the Passover, and he led the people out. He is an example of the proverb “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. He is an example to us all.
Rahab Verses 30-31 Faith at war with a powerful enemy. This remarkable story in the book of Joshua, where the harlot Rahab became instrumental in the destruction of an “impregnable” city. This was but the start of a campaign to take over the promised land. The faith and courage in this story are a reminder we face a strong enemy if we are to “possess the land” of spiritual blessing. Mighty power won the day, many miracles were enacted and paved the way for the expulsion of many enemies from the land. All this from the faith of Rahab who went on to become “a mother in Israel”.
Verses 30 -40 The exploits of faith
This section can be further divided into three simple thoughts; verses 30/34 the successes of faith; verses 35-38 the sufferings of faith; verses 39-40 the summary of faith. This is a reminder that faith for all of us will be different, some will have success, others will be asked to suffer, some a mixture of both. In the beautiful words of the Gaither’s song.................
“In shady green pastures so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along, where the water’s cool flow, bathes the weary one’s feet, God leads His dear children along.
Some through the water, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the blood, Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, In the night season and all the day long.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along. Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night, God leads His dear children along.
Though sorrows befall us, though evils oppose, God leads His dear children along, through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes, God leads His dear children along.
Away from the mire, and away from the clay, God leads His dear children along, away up in glory, eternity’s day, God leads His dear children along”.
Verses 30-35a The successes of faith
He begins with seven outstanding examples of those who through faith won great victories. All these won against the odds because of their unwavering faith in God, not allowing their own failures and follies to hinder them.
1) Gideon.....the vision of faith With a handful of men, and great ingenuity, and trust in the providence of God, Gideon overcame a vast army of Midian who had subdued Israel for 7 years. Armed with only trumpets and empty clay jugs and lamps and small swords they subdued the combined armies of Midian and Amalek and the children of the east. The story is in Judges chapters 6-8. Personal vision became public victory.
2) Barak......the power of faith A weak man who under the inspiration of a godly woman Deborah, found strength to overcome the might of Canaan under Sisera....the story in Judges 4/5. The song of Deborah in Judges 5 says it all...”Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeopardized their lives unto death......they took no gain of money, they fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera, the river of Kishon swept them away.....” The result? “Then the land had rest 40 years!”
3) Samson....the triumph of faith Contrary to Barak, who depended on a godly woman, Samson allowed an ungodly woman to bring him down yet he was a constant trouble to the Philistines, the sworn enemy of God’s people and at the end died “bringing the house down” in a demonstration of mighty power and devotion to the Lord. He failed to control himself yet remained loyal to the end, and the Lord has marked his faith.
4) Jephthae.....the integrity of faith Unlike Samson who had a vow from birth but did not keep it, and lost his mark of separation, Jephthae made a vow and kept it even though the vow cost him dearly. Samson’s vow was imposed, Jephthae’s vow was voluntary, and the key thing is his integrity. He honoured God in the vow. We know not whether he sacrificed his only daughter or whether she remained unmarried for life. God did not impose this vow on him, and in hindsight it was rather rash. Hindsight is always a wonderful thing and we all have to pay for wrong decisions, yet in some way he honoured the vow and this is honoured by the Spirit of God. He was an outcast of his family but he rose to honour God (Judges 11). Integrity with God is very important.
5) David also......the beauty of faith This remarkable life of faith from youth to old age. Strong, confident gifted young man that he was, he overcame persecution from a jealous king for years avoiding death 24 times as his adversary pursued him. He rose to be Israel’s greatest king, suffered personal failure, and domestic rebellion, yet he never lost a battle against his enemies. At the end God summed up his life “a man after my own heart”, a man who thought and acted like God more than any before him.
6) Samuel......the perseverance of faith The prophet who “did let none of his words fall to the ground”; that is, his life matched his lips, and so he carried authority throughout the entire circuit of his ministry “from Dan to Beersheba”. He influenced the people of God over more than 100 years. The longevity of faith is in view.
7) The prophets....the courage of faith Easy to declare the truth of God in a sectarian arena where most or all receive the word but the prophets proclaimed the truth in adversarial conditions and often at great peril to themselves. Twelve prophets are in the canon of scripture but there were many more and it was only unshakeable faith in God that saw them through.
The great variety of faith in action and in victory are now itemised: “Who through faith subdued kingdoms...” This could refer to Abraham, Joshua, Gideon, Barak, David etc.; “through faith wrought righteousness...” did what was right in the eyes of the Lord....such as Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Uzziah; “Obtained promises...” like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob etc; “...stopped the mouth of lions..as Daniel; “...Quenched the violence of fire...” as in Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ,and, possibly, a reference to the Maccabean resistance in “the silent years”. “Escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of aliens.” All these were exploits of faith too numerous to unravel, but strongly presents faith as a very powerful force in real lives, in real situations.
Verses 35b-38 The sufferings of faith “Others..” is the key to this section, people too many to mention suffering for their faith in many ways; some tortured, some with cruel mockings, and scourgings (corporal punishment), bonds, imprisonment, stoned, sawn asunder (legend has it Isaiah ended this way), tempted (placed under moral temptation), slain with the sword; they wandered as homeless, destitute, afflicted, tormented, their homes were the deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. The comment of the Holy Spirit “...of whom the world was not worthy”.....these people were too good for this world, this world in rebellion against God did not deserve such individuals, but they accomplished all this with a firm eye on a better resurrection.
Verses 39-40 The summary of faith “These all having obtained a good report.....but did not receive the promise”. As stated in verse13, they all died in faith, they endured to the end, they suffered, they died, they now have eternal witness but await the promise. This is a repetition of verse 2 “...by it the elders received a good report”. They are witnessing to all who read their story, they are also waiting for they will not be perfected until the church is complete. Their faith was not in anything of this world, but on the promise of better to come, by action they took God at His word.
The doctrinal section of Hebrews ends with three practical appeals based on faith hope and love, the three Christian virtues. Chapter 10 v22 “Let us draw near in full assurance of faith...” and this is expounded in the gallery of faith in chapter 11. Chapter 10 v23 “Let us hold fast our confession of hope (Newberry margin) without wavering....”, this is the subject of chapter 12; and chapter 10 v24 “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works....” and this is discussed in chapter 13. So we come now to a very practical section of the epistle.
The entire chapter is an exposition of faith in all it’s facets. Chapter 10 ended with a dire warning against drawing back from Christ and a strong appeal to continue. Now in chapter 11, we are presented with some very interesting historical examples. There is nothing like the power of example to inspire faith, and instead of drawing back we should move forward with the faithfulness of our forefathers in our hearts.
In the chapter faith is expounded in three very powerful ways;
Verses 1-3 The essence of faith
Verses 4-31 The examples of faith
Verses 32-40 The exploits of faith
Verses 1-3 The essence of faith
a) Verse 1 we have the what of faith; So what does the bible mean by the word faith?. Great minds have been given to this and some very interesting thoughts expressed. The acrostic “forsaking all i trust him” sums it up perfectly. Faith is taking God at His word, Paul defined it in Romans 10 v17 “...so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (spoken word) of God.” No one has faith inherently, it comes through the spoken word of God. The protest “I wish I had your faith” is misguided for no one is born with it. Faith is not defined here for it is unlimited in it’s expression, as is obvious from the chapter. It is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. The word “substance” (hupostasis) has appeared before in chapter 1 v3 where it refers to the Son being the exact replica of God the Father....”the express image of His person (hupostasis-subsistence). It means all that God is the Son is, the Son substantiates God. Just as the Son of God revealed the invisible God, so faith substantiates the promises of God. The word for “things” is actually “facts”, so faith is “evidence of facts”, which are not readily obvious. There are many who have said and do say “except I see I will not believe”. This is a fallacy for we cannot see electricity, yet we believe it, because we see it’s effect. We cannot see the electronic air waves, yet we live each day to enjoy the benefits, we cannot see the wind but know it’s power. Faith translates the world to come and the things unseen into present realities.
b) In verse 2 we have the witness to faith. “By it the elders received a good report (witness).” The rest of the chapter is given to “the elders”, those who have lived before and who through many difficulties lived in unshakeable faith in God. The writer culls from the age prior to the flood (the antediluvian age), from the time of the Patriarchs Abraham to Joseph, from the Exodus out of Egypt under Moses then Joshua, from the period of the judges and the kings; he draws example after example for our encouragement and in his opening comments in chapter 12 we are “compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses”. All these were not wrong or misguided were they? They did not waste their lives did they? Their faith will be realised in time won’t it? They are the witness to faith, and they are taken from all walks of life, and the history (facts) spans almost 4000 years. It would surely be a thing of arrogance to ignore such testimony! The end of chapter 11 and the beginning of chapter 12 make interesting reading, which we can expand later, it seems the faithful of old are waiting for us to join them for theirs and our perfection.
c) In verse 3 we have the word of faith, “Through faith we understand that the worlds (aions-the time periods as well as the material creation) were framed by the spoken word of God”. The word “framed”- Greek katartizo means completed thoroughly, fully fitted; in modern parlance “fit for purpose”. Behind this word is the idea not only of original creation but the “hands on” involvement of God to see it through to it’s ultimate purpose. There remains therefore a certain mystery of creation “...the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear”. Modern science is proving the reality of this with more and more discoveries. Faith is believing God who is “unsearchable”, therefore new experiences will continue, but it is all based on facts. No scientific discovery, based on empirical fact, has contradicted the creation account. “He spake and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast” (Psalm 33 v9), this is where faith begins, in a Creator God. Ten times over in Genesis chapter 1 it is recorded “And God said...”. These worlds came into being by the spoken word of God, the Divine fiat which originated all things and made provision for their continuance. The fact that God who made all things is transcendent to all His creation, means that there are many things we can never know, but we are allowed to know enough for our well-being.
Verses 4-31 The examples of faith
It can be observed that there are no failures recorded in this summary of old testament faithfuls. A reading of the history will reveal many faults and failings, even heinous sins in some cases, but they are omitted here. This is because God is true to His word...in an epistle where the declaration has been made twice over(8 v12 and 10 v17) “their sins and iniquities I will remember no more”, He marks only faith, not failure. Some are named, others not; some receive only a mention by name, others one thing only they did, others are outstanding in their faith. In every case faith is demonstrated in terms of action, rather than on profession. We can also detect a progression of thought which marks an order of things in the life of faith.
Abel Verse 4......faith demonstrated in witness “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice.....God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh”. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, the work of his own hands. Abel brought from the flock, that which came from God alone; he brought of the “firstlings of the flock”, the firstborn was always for God. The animal was slain for he brought “of the fat thereof”, thus acknowledging that to approach God he required a blood substitute and that the fat of the animal (the best) was for God. He became the first martyr and testifies today to all the world the way to approach God. He had faith in the word of God as passed down by his parents and through him God still speaks. The witness of Abel appears throughout scripture.
Enoch Verses 5-6......faith demonstrated in walk. “Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him” (Genesis 5 v24). Unlike Abel who died, Enoch was taken to heaven without dying. This sets the pattern for the faithful of all ages, some will die ,some will be translated without dying. The crucial factor in his life was that before his translation he pleased God. His walk (manner of life) was pleasing to God, and he did so by faith, by taking Him at His word. We can see from the records, the background to this life of faith which pleased God. He walked with God on Divine revelation (God revealed the end of the world at the birth of his son Methuselah); he walked with God in a world of ungodliness; he walked with God amidst fierce opposition (last two-refer Jude v15); he walked with God and brought up a family; he walked with God consistently for 300 years; he prophesied of impending judgment. The epitaph of his life was that “he pleased God”. He did all this by faith.
Noah Verse 7.......faith demonstrated in work. This was an astonishing display of faith. He and his family built a huge boat that would take over 100 years to build to save them from an overwhelming flood (no rain had yet been seen on the earth). He apparently built it many miles from any stretch of water, and he did it under reproach from the people of his day. It was in response to a Divine warning which he believed and acted upon over many years, and at great effort for himself amid mocking from his contemporaries. His reverential fear of God by faith, overcame any fear of his fellow man. By it he saved his house and condemned the world in which he lived. By it he became heir of righteousness which is the sure reward of all who believe God.
Abraham and Sarah Verses 8-19......faith demonstrated in waiting. One of the hardest things to do is to have faith in God over long years when nothing seems to be happening, and when none of the promises seem possible. This aspect of faith was demonstrated in both Abraham and Sarah. The original promise of a seed, until it’s fulfilment was 25 years. To our modern culture demanding instant results, this is an amazing demonstration of faith. The patience of both husband and wife, in the circumstances was remarkable. They were called to leave their country and their family and their household to go to a foreign place which they saw and sojourned through, but died not having possession of it. They were called to believe in a Divine miracle of birth when both, naturally, were past bearing. Abraham was called to offer up his only son, and believed that God would raise him from the dead, when no such resurrection had ever taken place. Their faith was astonishing, particularly as their knowledge of things was less than ours today. Their faith is first seen as “obedience” giving up all they had known for the call of God. Next it is described as “sojourning in the land of promise”....they never owned it, they were pilgrims just passing through. Then they understood that the inheritance could not merely be the real estate of Canaan, but something greater, and so they fixed their gaze on the city of God where they would dwell forever. Their faith looked beyond this world altogether. In a remarkable show of physical strength Sarah managed to deliver a child when her body was beyond it, and the reason was her faith in the promises of God. This one act of faith by Sarah, after many years, gave rise to countless seed as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea shore. The detail of verses 13-16, describing their faith is very comprehensive. “They died not having received...”; “...they saw them afar off..”; “they were persuaded of them..”; “they embraced them”; “they confessed that they were strangers(away from home) and pilgrims(going home). They desired a better country, and God identified with them. The culminating act of faith, expressed in obedience to God was their readiness to give up their son, their unwavering faith in the God who promised.
Isaac Verse 20.....faith expressed in words of prophetic utterance. “Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come”. Isaac’s faith was mainly passive in character, he was a withdrawn man, domineered by his wife, yet he made the proclamation of prophetic utterance in line with the will of God. Not all men are active, nevertheless retain the integrity of faith in God, and the Holy Spirit has marked it.
Jacob Verse 21......faith expressed in worship. “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff”. In Abraham we see their patience with the Lord waiting His time; in Jacob we see the patience of the Lord with one who all his life tried to control and manipulate events for his own benefit. Jacob did it his way, but all he achieved was what God had promised him anyway. All he gained by his wilfulness was trouble and frustration, but the patient Lord broke him down at Bethel, and Padanaram, and Penuel, where in his wrestling with God he was permanently disabled. In the end the Lord had his way and Jacob worshipped, trusting only in His guidance and in the palace of Egypt maintained his pilgrim character by leaning on his staff. It is good to end well no matter how long it takes.
Joseph Verse 22.....faith expressed for the welfare of God’s people “When he died made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandments concerning his bones”. What is outstanding here is the mass of material omitted from the old testament record. More than 25% of Genesis is devoted to the life of Joseph, involving the greatest rise to world power by Divine prominence of any man. He is the most perfect type of Christ in the bible, and is seen as overcoming the hatred of his brethren, the temptations of Egypt, the injustice of wrongful imprisonment. More than 100 likenesses to Christ are recorded, yet all that is mentioned is the departure of Israel to the promised land, and his desire for his bones to be taken with them. On his deathbed not the pomp and splendour of Egypt, it’s wealth, it’s power, it’s influence; his concern was for the nation to return to the land, that God’s promises would be fulfilled, and that his remains would be there, for that is where his heart was. Reference is made to the utterance of faith by Joseph in three texts of scripture....Genesis 50 vv24-25; Exodus 13 v19; Joshua 24 v32. The language of faith is very clear “God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence”. He spoke words of faith out of long experience with God.
Moses Verses 23-29 Faith exemplified in wisdom. There is no doubt that wisdom was a characteristic of Moses and his family. By Divine providence “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7 v22). The wisdom of his parents was demonstrated in raw courage, when in a time of great danger they placed the child in the ark at the mercy of God. The wisdom of Moses was seen in his choice of lifestyle.....he refused the trappings of supreme wealth and power and exchanged it for the rigours of desert life with needy and difficult people. He properly valued the worth of spiritual things over the material. He was motivated by the eternal invisible God. By faith he forsook Egypt, he obeyed God in keeping the Passover, and he led the people out. He is an example of the proverb “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. He is an example to us all.
Rahab Verses 30-31 Faith at war with a powerful enemy. This remarkable story in the book of Joshua, where the harlot Rahab became instrumental in the destruction of an “impregnable” city. This was but the start of a campaign to take over the promised land. The faith and courage in this story are a reminder we face a strong enemy if we are to “possess the land” of spiritual blessing. Mighty power won the day, many miracles were enacted and paved the way for the expulsion of many enemies from the land. All this from the faith of Rahab who went on to become “a mother in Israel”.
Verses 30 -40 The exploits of faith
This section can be further divided into three simple thoughts; verses 30/34 the successes of faith; verses 35-38 the sufferings of faith; verses 39-40 the summary of faith. This is a reminder that faith for all of us will be different, some will have success, others will be asked to suffer, some a mixture of both. In the beautiful words of the Gaither’s song.................
“In shady green pastures so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along, where the water’s cool flow, bathes the weary one’s feet, God leads His dear children along.
Some through the water, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the blood, Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, In the night season and all the day long.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along. Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night, God leads His dear children along.
Though sorrows befall us, though evils oppose, God leads His dear children along, through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes, God leads His dear children along.
Away from the mire, and away from the clay, God leads His dear children along, away up in glory, eternity’s day, God leads His dear children along”.
Verses 30-35a The successes of faith
He begins with seven outstanding examples of those who through faith won great victories. All these won against the odds because of their unwavering faith in God, not allowing their own failures and follies to hinder them.
1) Gideon.....the vision of faith With a handful of men, and great ingenuity, and trust in the providence of God, Gideon overcame a vast army of Midian who had subdued Israel for 7 years. Armed with only trumpets and empty clay jugs and lamps and small swords they subdued the combined armies of Midian and Amalek and the children of the east. The story is in Judges chapters 6-8. Personal vision became public victory.
2) Barak......the power of faith A weak man who under the inspiration of a godly woman Deborah, found strength to overcome the might of Canaan under Sisera....the story in Judges 4/5. The song of Deborah in Judges 5 says it all...”Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeopardized their lives unto death......they took no gain of money, they fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera, the river of Kishon swept them away.....” The result? “Then the land had rest 40 years!”
3) Samson....the triumph of faith Contrary to Barak, who depended on a godly woman, Samson allowed an ungodly woman to bring him down yet he was a constant trouble to the Philistines, the sworn enemy of God’s people and at the end died “bringing the house down” in a demonstration of mighty power and devotion to the Lord. He failed to control himself yet remained loyal to the end, and the Lord has marked his faith.
4) Jephthae.....the integrity of faith Unlike Samson who had a vow from birth but did not keep it, and lost his mark of separation, Jephthae made a vow and kept it even though the vow cost him dearly. Samson’s vow was imposed, Jephthae’s vow was voluntary, and the key thing is his integrity. He honoured God in the vow. We know not whether he sacrificed his only daughter or whether she remained unmarried for life. God did not impose this vow on him, and in hindsight it was rather rash. Hindsight is always a wonderful thing and we all have to pay for wrong decisions, yet in some way he honoured the vow and this is honoured by the Spirit of God. He was an outcast of his family but he rose to honour God (Judges 11). Integrity with God is very important.
5) David also......the beauty of faith This remarkable life of faith from youth to old age. Strong, confident gifted young man that he was, he overcame persecution from a jealous king for years avoiding death 24 times as his adversary pursued him. He rose to be Israel’s greatest king, suffered personal failure, and domestic rebellion, yet he never lost a battle against his enemies. At the end God summed up his life “a man after my own heart”, a man who thought and acted like God more than any before him.
6) Samuel......the perseverance of faith The prophet who “did let none of his words fall to the ground”; that is, his life matched his lips, and so he carried authority throughout the entire circuit of his ministry “from Dan to Beersheba”. He influenced the people of God over more than 100 years. The longevity of faith is in view.
7) The prophets....the courage of faith Easy to declare the truth of God in a sectarian arena where most or all receive the word but the prophets proclaimed the truth in adversarial conditions and often at great peril to themselves. Twelve prophets are in the canon of scripture but there were many more and it was only unshakeable faith in God that saw them through.
The great variety of faith in action and in victory are now itemised: “Who through faith subdued kingdoms...” This could refer to Abraham, Joshua, Gideon, Barak, David etc.; “through faith wrought righteousness...” did what was right in the eyes of the Lord....such as Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Uzziah; “Obtained promises...” like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob etc; “...stopped the mouth of lions..as Daniel; “...Quenched the violence of fire...” as in Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ,and, possibly, a reference to the Maccabean resistance in “the silent years”. “Escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of aliens.” All these were exploits of faith too numerous to unravel, but strongly presents faith as a very powerful force in real lives, in real situations.
Verses 35b-38 The sufferings of faith “Others..” is the key to this section, people too many to mention suffering for their faith in many ways; some tortured, some with cruel mockings, and scourgings (corporal punishment), bonds, imprisonment, stoned, sawn asunder (legend has it Isaiah ended this way), tempted (placed under moral temptation), slain with the sword; they wandered as homeless, destitute, afflicted, tormented, their homes were the deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. The comment of the Holy Spirit “...of whom the world was not worthy”.....these people were too good for this world, this world in rebellion against God did not deserve such individuals, but they accomplished all this with a firm eye on a better resurrection.
Verses 39-40 The summary of faith “These all having obtained a good report.....but did not receive the promise”. As stated in verse13, they all died in faith, they endured to the end, they suffered, they died, they now have eternal witness but await the promise. This is a repetition of verse 2 “...by it the elders received a good report”. They are witnessing to all who read their story, they are also waiting for they will not be perfected until the church is complete. Their faith was not in anything of this world, but on the promise of better to come, by action they took God at His word.
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