From Hebrews 11-13
Today’s passage is a wonderful description of faith, its importance and the profound effect it has had on God’s people through history. The author lists a large number of faithful people. In the end he says they form the cloud of witnesses who watch us now.
This post is part of my bible in a year series.
Passage and Comments
The author has told his audience they can are sprinkled clean because of Christs perfecting sacrifice. He warns them against deliberate sin and encourages them to persevere as they have done in the past.
In today’s passage he encourages them by giving one of the most sustained descriptions of what saving faith looks like.
11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Heb 11.1-3)
‘Faith’, ‘Assurance’, ‘Conviction’. The author describes faith in terms of hope and conviction for things not seen.
Our faith and hope are in things we have not seen yet, but trust will come to pass.
‘Commendation’. This vision and hope is the means by which God’s people of old, through all the ages have been commended by God.
‘Universe created’. The first instance of faith exercised was the LORD God’s. He spoke and believed the universe would be created through his word.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Heb 11.4-7)
‘Abel’, ‘Enoch’, ‘Noah’, ‘Righteous’. The early fathers of God’s people also had faith. In each of these cases faith is active and expressed in action and obedience.
Through their working faith, these people were commended as righteous – justified.
‘Please him’, ‘must believe’, ‘exists’, ‘rewards’. The author says it is impossible to please God without faith. He therefore excludes all unbelievers and sinners. What pleases God is when his people, those who believe he exists, seek him out for a reward. He gives rewards.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. (Heb 11.8-12)
‘Abraham obeyed’. The reference to Abraham proves beyond a doubt Abraham had saving faith, the faith we all need, from the moment he was called in Genesis 12. (This has huge implication for how we interpret Romans 4). Abraham believed God, so he left for the inheritance promised him. According to the author, Sarah his wife believed God would enable her to conceive a son. In this manner God was faithful to his promise they would have offspring a numerous as the stars.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Heb 11.13-16)
‘The things promised’. ‘seeking a homeland’. We can see in this chapter how faith, righteousness and covenant promises are linked together. While many of these people existed prior to the covenant, according to the author of Hebrews their righteousness had covenantal connotations. In this case they would inherit the promised kingdom of God. The heavenly city.
Faithful and commended as righteous, they too were beneficiaries of God’s covenant promises.
If we jump forward to the next chapter, we see the author make his point.
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12.1-2)
Words for Believers
The image of a ‘cloud of witnesses’ describes countless thousands of God’s faithful throughout the ages sitting in the heavenly realms. These are the people of faith in Chapter 11. This large group bear witness in two ways:
They witness Christians as they seek to live for Christ in the world. This serves as an incentive for how we live now. We are being watched from heaven.
They also bear witness to the God’s faithfulness and the value of faith. This is what our passage speaks of throughout.
In both these ways, the great cloud of faithful Christ-followers through history motivate us in our present struggles to remain faithful to God.
Not only do they who look at us, we should look to them—for encouragement.
Copyright © Joshua Washington and thescripturesays, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
