What God can do through people of faith!

The focus of Hebrews 11:17-31 is on the patriarchs, specifically Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph in verses 17-22. The second focus will be on Exodus to the Fall of Jericho which will include Moses, the Israelites and Rahab. This blog can’t do justice to these passages but the hopefully you will turn to the website and dig into the stories of faithful people serving our faithful God.

The issue of faith as commitment to the unseen is evident throughout chapter 11. Raymond Brown, This section resumes the exposition of faithful exploits . . . They illustrate the power of the promise and the role of faith, both in receiving God’s promises and in anticipating them. Some heroes were delivered through trials and others persevered through intense persecution. But, all kept their eyes on the promises of God.

Abraham was the only one described as being tested by God. The test was severe, possibly beyond what we would consider appropriate. William L. Lane, When Abraham obeyed God’s mandate to leave Ur, he simply gave up his past. But when he was summoned to Mount Moriah to deliver his own son to God, he was asked to surrender his future as well . . . He appears to have understood intuitively that the obedience of faith called for an allegiance to God that extended beyond even the most intimate of family ties . . . Are we prepared for such a trial? I believe we are prepared by our loving Father for whatever He has for us. But, you might think the thought of Warren Wiersbe, Why would God want Abraham to sacrifice his son when it was the Lord who gave him that son? All of a future nation’s promises were wrapped up in Isaac. The older I get, the more I accept the statement by William Barclay, If we take God at his word and stake everything on him, even when there seems to be nothing but a blank wall in front of us, the way of escape will open up.

Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are found in this section. Consider the summary by William Barclay, The point which the writer to the Hebrews wishes to make is that all three men died without having entered into the promise that God had made, the promise of the promised land and of greatness to the nation of Israel. Isaac was still a nomad, Jacob was an exile in Egypt, Joseph had attained to greatness but it was the greatness of a stranger in a strange land; and yet they never doubted that the promise would come true. They died not in despair but in hope. Their faith defeated death. Too often, we believe all of God’s promises are for today. Yet, some are for tomorrow and others are for eternity. The promises enable us to focus on the unseen but our hope is in the God who keeps His promises.

The story of Moses is one of mercy, grace, and hope. Zane Hodges, With this transition to the life of Moses, the writer began to focus on the way faith confronts opposition and hostility, a subject familiar to his readers. . . It was by faith that Moses was hidden by his parents and his life was thus preserved. . . . Delighted by the precious gift of a son which God had given them, they evidently believed God had something better for this lovely baby than death. Moses was a man of privilege who chose promises instilled in him by his parents. Thomas Constable, Moses had a true appreciation for the promises of God. This led him to choose the reward associated with Israel’s promised Messiah over the temporary material wealth he could have enjoyed had he stayed in Egypt. I was convicted as I read a quote by R. Kent Hughes, I personally believe that seeing “him who is invisible” is not extraordinary. Rather, it is ordinary, normal Christianity. Moses, as well as every other person in The Hall of Faith saw clearly by faith what makes an eternal difference.

The Israelites were examples of those who can be transformed by the example of another. There was much lack of faith in the Israelites. But, after 40 years in the wilderness there was a group who saw what Moses had seen, a God faithful in all of His promises. R. Kent Hughes, One man’s faith can be so authentic and effectual that it can elevate a whole people and secure their deliverance! I appreciate the quote by Ray Stedman, God does not send believers out into a sea of trouble to drown; his promise is to see them through to the other side.

Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute who bought into the promises of God. William L. Lane, Although a foreigner to the covenant people, she manifested a faith that was oriented toward the future and that found specific content in the acts of the God of Israel (Josh 2:11). She was prepared to assume present peril for the sake of future preservation (Joshua 2:12–16). Too often, we can mistakenly assume that we have found favor with God based on our goodness. Rahab should be a reminder that our favor has been received solely from our good God . Ray Stedman emphasizes the depth of God’s love for all those who come to him by faith as seen in Rahab, She went on to marry Salmon and became the mother of Boaz, and thus the great-grandmother of David. Faith overcame a sinful life, delivered her from a pagan religion. Also, Warren Wiersbe, Imagine a pagan harlot becoming a part of the ancestry of Jesus Christ! That is what faith can do!

A person can’t spend too much time in Hebrews 11. I hope you will take time to review the entire 40 verses under the Books of the Bible tab. There are 29 pages of quotes and comments in the outline which look to faith as the basis on which life must be lived. Consider a reason proposed by Thomas Constable, God intended this wonderful chapter to encourage us to continue to trust and obey Him in the midst of temptations to turn away from following Him faithfully.