Hebrews 11
If anyone is reading this please stop right now and read all of Hebrews 11. It’s not that long and it is an amazing section of Scripture. Not only does it unify the believers of the Old Testament and the New Testament on the grounds of faith, it also shows us that bad things, which I will argue are the best things, are carried out by the same faith that great things are carried out with.
Hebrews 11 is called the Faith Hall of Fame, and in reading it, its easy to see why. You have read it right? If not see the first sentence. The Chapter is all about faith; this is good because faith is some what of a buzz word these days. “Have faith and everything will okay.” “God will heal you.” “God will give you a big house.” “God will give you a perfect family.” Everything will be great. “Just have faith and you can shut the mouths of lions.” And the first part of Hebrews 11 seems to support this. By faith Enoch pleased God and if we read in Genesis, he didn’t have to taste death. He walked with God then he was no more. Sarah who was up there in years and barren bore Isaac. By Faith Isaac invoked future blessings on his offspring. By faith Moses is spared and used mightily by God to lead his people out of captivity. These are awesome and good things. That God does do for those that have faith. In verse 32-35a the climax is reached. It says,
“What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were mad strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection”
These are awesome things. They are good things, but as we continue to read in Hebrews 11 we see that other individuals don’t seem to fair so well. Just look at verse 35. The first sentence of the verse reads, “Women received back their dead by resurrection.”, but the sentence directly following it, without any sort of transition says, “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.” WOW!. We go from being brought back from the dead to being tortured and killed. It goes on to say in 36-40,
Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though condemned through their faith, did not received what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Again I’m blown away. By faith all of these people suffered terrible things. It was not because they were lacking in faith, or because they were disobedient. They went through these things because it was better. In chapter 2 of Hebrews it speaks of Jesus being made perfect through suffering. And it is the same for us. It is a blessing to share in the sufferings of Christ. But in America today, suffering and death are seen as bad things, or some sort of punishment. It’s neither of those things. It is not the worst thing that could happen, it is the best thing. This world and the things of the world are passing away. No matter how good your health, you’re going to die. No matter how big your house, it’s going to burn. No matter how good your marriage, it will end. Everything apart from Christ and his Kingdom is fleeting, and will one day be gone. To live by faith is not to live a comfortable life. It’s to live a life that hopes in the things we have not yet received. So live you life by faith in a better day, the day to come when our glorious Lord returns and all things are made new.
-Mitchell
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