by Ray C. Stedman
10:1 The law is only a shadow
of the good things that are coming --not the realities themselves. For this
reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year,
make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have
stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for
all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those
sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the
blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when Christ came into
the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body
you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not
pleased. 7 Then I said, `Here I am --it is written about me in the scroll-- I
have come to do your will, O God.'" 8 First he said, "Sacrifices and
offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you
pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he
said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the
first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy
through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after
day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he
offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this
priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the
right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his
footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who
are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First
he says: 16 "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time,
says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on
their minds." 17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will
remember no more." 18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no
longer any sacrifice for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence
to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way
opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a
great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us
from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another --and all the more as you see the Day
approaching. 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful
expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of
God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the
testimony of two or three witnesses. 10:29 How much more severely do you think
a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who
has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him,
and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It
is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his
people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God. 32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you
stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you
were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side
by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison
and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that
you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your
confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when
you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in
just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.
38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not
be pleased with him." 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are
destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
It would be foolish indeed to prefer reading a cookbook to eating a good
meal when one is hungry. Not that there is anything wrong with reading a
cookbook---it can be very enlightening---but it is not very nourishing! Yet
some of the original readers of Hebrews were doing something very much like
that. They preferred to content themselves with the externals of faith---such
as the law, the Aaronic priesthood and animal offerings---and to ignore the
fulfillment of these things in the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
They wanted the cookbook rather than the meal!
As we have seen, the tabernacle in the wilderness, with its regulations and
sacrifices, was an accurate and divinely drawn picture of the sacrifice of
Jesus and the new arrangement for living which would be available to believers
in Christ. But it could only describe these realities up to a point. It was
both a comparison and a contrast.
I carry a picture of my wife in my wallet and, when I am away from home, I find
it comforting to look at it. But it is quite inadequate, for it is not my wife,
only a picture of her. I can look at it, but I cannot have a conversation with
it. I cannot laugh together with it, and I cannot persuade it to cook any
meals! It is an accurate representation of the real thing, but also a far cry
from it. So the law and the tabernacle could never do for believers of any age
what the living Christ can do. This is the continuing argument of the writer in
chapter 10.
A new aspect, however, is seen in chapter 10. The sacrifice of Jesus was one
he came into the world prepared to make! It was no impulsive commitment on his
part; he made it only after he had observed human misery. In verses 1-4, the
author builds on a point he has made earlier---that the annual repetition of
sacrifices in the old order indicated their inability to actually remove sins.
Once again he uses a logical-deduction argument. Had they truly cleansed the
conscience, there would have been no need to repeat them for the offerers; they
would have seen themselves as cleansed from sin's defilement forever. But these
sacrifices could not remove sin because they were based only on the death of
animals.
The annual repetition did remind offerers that they were still very much
sinners and still very much in need of an adequate substitute if their sin was
ever to be removed. The sacrifices were but a shadow of the good things that
are coming---not the realities themselves.
A shadow indicates a reality, but has no substance in itself. I waited on a
downtown street comer one day for a friend who always wore a Western hat.
Suddenly I saw his distinctive shadow on the sidewalk and knew that he was
standing just around the comer. I could not actually see him, but I knew he was
there. So the offerings witnessed to the person of Christ and his sacrifice,
though they were not that reality themselves. They were but his shadow that
indicated he was soon to appear.
The good things that are coming
are the equivalent of make perfect
which the repeated sacrifice of the Day of Atonement could never achieve. To make
perfect a sinner before God would be to
have sin and its effects totally removed. These include not only the effects on
the spirit and soul but the body also---regeneration, full sanctification and
resurrection. Though resurrection awaits the final coming of Christ,
nevertheless, full and continuing access to God, "without the constant
necessity of removing the barrier of freshly accumulated sin" (Bruce
1964:227), was available by faith to every believer in Jesus throughout the
believer's lifetime (Romans 5:1-2).
These animal deaths were unwilling, even unconscious, sacrifices of a lower and
quite different nature and therefore inadequate substitutes for humans made in
the image of God. It is impossible, says the author, for the blood of
bulls and goats to take away sin. Isaiah
had quoted God long before saying, "I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls
and lambs and goats" (Is 1:11). Nevertheless, despite this limitation,
through the deaths of many animals, one unchanging message was being pounded
out. Every sacrifice declared it and every offering told the same story. It was
burned in blood and smoke into every listening heart. The essential point for a
God-approved dealing with sin in one's life was that a life be laid down. Every
dying animal meant a life brought to an end. Sin was serious; it forfeited
life. Unless the sin could actually be removed, the sinner must die. To save
the sinner from such a fate, an equal and willing substitute must be found.
Such a substitute the author now finds described in the words of Psalm 40.
Verses 5-7 quote Psalm 40:6-8 from the Septuagint. They describe, in words
directly ascribed to Christ, his complete willingness to sacrifice himself to
remove our sins. His was a self-giving life, not self-loving, as animal
sacrifices were. Though there are different wordings here than the Hebrew text
presents, nevertheless the central point is clear. Jesus saw himself described
in the Suffering Servant passages of the Old Testament (it is written
about me in the scroll), and willingly set himself to fulfilling that role in
his incarnation (Here I am....I have come to do your will O God). Wholehearted obedience is the quality which God
desires in sacrifices. He makes the point many times in the Old Testament,
notably, in 1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:11-14; and Amos 5:21-22. As Morris rightly
says, "God takes no delight in the routine performance of the ritual of
sacrifice" (1983:91). Undoubtedly, he feels the same way about routine
worship services today! (32)
That none of his readers should miss this important point the writer takes
pains to indicate clearly, in verses 8-10, the meaning of the quote from Psalm
40. He acknowledges that though God authorized the animal sacrifices of the
past, he did not delight in them. Then he stresses the fact that Christ
deliberately set himself to do the will of the Father, though he knew it would
lead to pain and separation. Intimations of Gethsemane are certainly present in
these words, though it was on the cross that they were fully carried out. Here
the writer also declares that the death of Jesus, by fulfilling the will of the
Father, completely replace the provision of animal deaths which had provided
some degree of forgiveness before. Finally, he announces the only possible
conclusion: it is by the fulfillment of the will of God in the once-for-all
sacrifice of Jesus Christ (note the double name, only here in Hebrews that we
(all believers) have been made holy. The Greek expression for made
holy, indicates action with a lasting
effect. We have been made holy by the death of Jesus, and we remain holy even
though we struggle with daily weakness and sin. This should be borne in mind
when we come to the statement in 12:14, "without holiness no one will see
the Lord." It is holiness obtained by faith, not by self-righteous effort,
and it is not lost by momentary failure. "There is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus!" (Romans 8:1).
One peculiarity of the tabernacle was that it contained no chairs. The
priests were not permitted to sit, but performed their ministries while
standing. Our author maintains in verses 11-12 that this symbolically shows
that their work was unfinished so their repeated sacrifices could not finally
remove sins. But when Christ had offered himself as a sacrifice for all
time, he sat down at God's right hand (1:3;
8:1; 12:2) for two excellent reasons (v. 13-14).
First, there was nothing left for him to do except to await the outworking of
the salvation he had accomplished on the cross. This would, of course, involve
his mediation of the new covenant and his intercession for believers. No
further sacrifice of any kind was required or needed. Enough had already been
done to deal with every form of sin or rebellion. He could remain figuratively
seated until his enemies had been totally rendered impotent (made his
footstool---an allusion again to Ps 110:1).
Second, his sacrifice was so efficacious that it guaranteed the fine perfection
of all those who were being made holy. This involved not only the regeneration of the spirit and the
salvation of the soul, but also, the resurrection of the body of each true
believer. The little-understood term sanctified of the KJV has been properly replaced in the NIV by
the words being made holy. It is
both an accomplished fact (10:10) and a continuing process (10:14), a
phenomenon found frequently in Scripture. We may not understand such a mystery,
but we can revel in its reality, as the writer intends us to do. All progress
in the spiritual life comes from personally apprehending a fact that is already
true. To put it simply, we must see what we already are by God's grace, in order to manifest that fact by
godly behavior.
To show that such a condition completely fulfills the promises of the new
covenant, the writer quotes again Jeremiah 31:33-34, introducing it with the
words The Holy Spirit also testifies . . . This reveals once more his conviction that the
prophets wrote by the inspiration and authority of God. Verse 16 highlights the
new understanding of morality which regeneration gives (1 John 5:20); and verse
17 reminds us again of the wonder of total forgiveness of sins. This leads to
the simple but conclusive statement of verse 18: where sins have been forgiven,
no further sacrifice would do!
The Aaronic priesthood; the tabernacle with its typology, its cleansing rituals
and animal sacrifices; and the dietary limitations of Israel---all found
completion in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus and his Melchizedek priesthood.
The new covenant is in force for all who truly believe. "The old has gone,
the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The result of the operation of the new covenant in believers' lives is a
highly visible transformation of their behavior. It flows from an inward change
of attitude which is not dependent on outward circumstances. Believers become
highly motivated to live at a new level of behavior and need only a bit of
guidance about the form that new
behavior should take. This powerful new motivation and its legitimate
expressions now concern our author.
Twice in verses 19-31 the writer uses the phrase we have. Following these, there is thrice repeated the words let
us. The we haves mark provision; let us indicates privilege.
First, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place. That "Most Holy Place" is the new life in
the Spirit which the New Covenant provides ("I live in a high and holy
place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit"---Is 57:15).
As we have seen, it is that part of our humanity (the regenerated human spirit
which puts us in touch with heaven) where God and humans meet. Through the
death of Jesus a way has been opened for us so we may function as spiritual men
and women. When Jesus' blood was shed on the cross, the veil before the Holy of
Holies was supernaturally torn from top to bottom. That indicated that the way
into the presence of God was now open to all who believe in Jesus. We can,
therefore, enter with boldness and with no uncertainty as to our acceptance,
since everything rests on the blood of Jesus. There is no doubt about our
effectiveness, since we are now, to use Paul's helpful term, "co-laborers
with God." When we work, he will work too, and when we bear witness, he
will speak through us. (33)
It would be difficult to overestimate the value of confidence in human
motivation. It is the proffered goal of any number of special courses, weekend
retreats, training classes and personal development programs today. Confidence
training is the cry of the hour. In the first century, too, men clearly
understood that a confident spirit was essential to success in any enterprise.
But as the psalmist made abundantly clear,
Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Ps 127:1)
By itself, human effort is doomed to ultimate failure. Only that jointly
shared effort, when God works through expectant humanity, can be permanently
successful. Confidence born of that conviction will always prevail.
But believers have more than a confident spirit. They are also reminded that
(2) we have a great priest over the house of God. All that the writer has said about the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus
is recalled here. Believers have not only a confident spirit, but also a
competent advocate. He is continually available, completely aware of our
present situation, and vitally involved with us in working all things together
for good. His great concern is the welfare of each member of the household of
God, and "we are his house," as the writer has told us unmistakably
in 3:6.
Encouraged by these two powerful resources, a confident spirit and a competent
advocate, believers are now exhorted to three specific activities. (1) Let
us draw near to God with a sincere heart.
This "drawing near" must be the motive for all subsequent action. It
includes more than formal prayer, since the present tense infers a continual
drawing near. As the wick of a lamp continually draws oil for the light, so let
us continually draw from God the strength and grace we need to function. This
must be done (a) sincerely,
without religious pretense; (b) believingly, in simple faith that God means what he says; (c) without
guilt, having cleansed the conscience by
reliance on the sprinkled blood of Jesus; and (d) with integrity, in line with our public profession of commitment to
Christ expressed in our baptism. This continual drawing near to God is the
great privilege of every believer in Jesus, in contrast to the remoteness of
the old covenant which excluded everyone from the holy places except the
priests. Even they could not enter except under the most stringent conditions.
This "drawing near" is that "access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand" which Paul describes in Romans 5:2.
Again the writer exhorts, (2) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we
profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Here profess is seen as
equivalent to "confess," for if we have drawn near to God, then
surely the next logical step is to share the certainty of our hope with others.
We can share our great expectation with confidence because he who
promised is faithful. If those who hear us
will act in faith as we have acted; they will experience the same blessing, for
God is no respecter of persons. He will do as much for the man or woman next
door as he has done for you; he will do as much for the janitor as he will do
for the boss, and vice versa. We need not fear that God will let us down as his
witnesses by showing favoritism to certain ones. He is faithful to keep his
promise to anyone.
Another privilege believers may exercise is summarized in verse 24, (3) Let
us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. The supportive love of Christians for one another is
a powerful factor in maintaining spiritual vigor. It needs to be awakened in
both ourselves and others. That does not envision finger-shaking and lecturing,
but encouraging words and good example.
Two suggestions are made to bring this about. First, let us not give
up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. Corporate worship is not an option for a Christian;
it is a necessity. It certainly includes regular attendance at church meetings,
but means more than that. It means a willingness to help struggling faith
whenever Christians meet. The author had already noted the bad effects of
neglecting this on the part of some (3:13). Perhaps those who were hardened
felt themselves to be sufficient in themselves, needing no one's help. One
commentator suggests that if the real reasons for such separation were
recorded, they might be easily recognizable in the modem church (Wiley
1959:342). If church services grow dull or boring they need renewal, not abandonment.
The gathering of Christians should be an uplifting and exciting occasion.
History has repeatedly shown that where this is neglected or permitted to dim,
dullness and blandness soon follow.
A second suggestion for spurring one another on is also given: Let us
encourage one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The destruction of the temple and of the city of
Jerusalem was just around the comer. The empire seethed with unrest and
premonitions of disaster. These frightening omens were not viewed as signs of
God's inability to control his world, as many interpret similar events today.
Rather, they were indications that God was working out his predicted purposes
just as Jesus, the prophets and the apostles had foretold. No one could know
the hour when "the Day" would begin, but its coming was certain and
apparently imminent to them. (34) The Lord himself had
instructed his disciples: "When these things begin to take place, stand up
and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Lk
21:28).
It is now apparent as we look back over the centuries that it has been the will
of God to have each generation feel that it is living in the very last days of
civilization. Each century has found the church fearing the cataclysms of its
own time as the last to come. Yet. inexorably, each passing century has moved
the world nearer the final end. This sense of imminence is God's device to keep
believers expectant and full of hope in the midst of the world's darkness. Evil
becomes more subtle in our own day, and the difference between truth and error
more difficult to detect. The raucous voices of the age pour forth deceitful
lies and society becomes permeated with false concepts widely viewed as truth. We
too need to gather together to encourage each other and renew our hope by
sturdy reaffirmations of the eternal truths of God's Word.
We are a privileged people; privileged to draw near to the living God;
privileged to speak out concerning our flaming hope; and privileged to stir one
another up to love and good works. Carl F. H. Henry has well said, "Many
Christians now live among neighbors who, swept by tides of immorality, fear
herpes more than they fear Hades, and some even think God is a lofty synonym for
gobbledygook" (Henry 1989:152). Every age of Christians has had to live in
such a world, and today's Christians are no exception. They must take care,
therefore, that their Christian witness is real, practically expressed and
based on a thorough knowledge of who they are in Christ. Let no one take this
lightly, for in the next section our author flashes a brilliant red light of
warning.
The writer includes himself ("we") as needing this warning also
for it encompasses those who have received a full knowledge (epignosis) of the truth. It is directed to those who deliberately
keep on sinning after they fully understand
the way of escape in Jesus. It adds seriousness to the exhortation of verse 25
not to abandon meeting together with other Christians (as the initial Greek gar, "for," indicates). This recalls John's
warning in 1 John 2:19 concerning those who "went out from us."
"Their going," he says, "showed that none of them belonged to
us." They had known the way of life, but had not chosen to avail
themselves of it, and one early sign of heart apostasy is an unwillingness to
continue association with true believers.
Yet despite the advantage of full enlightenment, if there is no change in
behavior and sin continues to dominate the life of professed believers, they
will find no other hiding place from God's wrath, for there is no other
sacrifice than Christ's which will avail for sin. Since by unchanged behavior
such individuals give evidence that Christ's sacrifice is rejected, the one way
of escape is rejected also. Only judgment and "blazing fire" after
death awaits, as one of the enemies of God (2 Thessalonians 1:7). This behavior
parallels those "having fallen away" of 6:6, where apostasy also led
to irremediable judgment.
The NIV has properly translated the opening phrase of verse 26 as, if
we deliberately keep on sinning. It is not
a sin one can stumble into suddenly. It is not the normal falterings of a
Christian still learning how to walk in the Spirit. It has been well termed
"the leukemia of noncommitment." It is choosing to live for self
behind a Christian veneer and refusing to be delivered from sin's reign by the
past sacrifice and present high priestly ministry of Jesus. It is not continual
sinning from ignorance as many church members manifest, but occurs after full
enlightenment. Such people know of the power of Christ to deliver, but have not
chosen to avail themselves of it. Their life may appear to be fairly
respectable when judged by the world's standards, but what it is like in God's
eyes is described in verses 28-30. (35)
The argument proceeds from the less to the greater, very much as the writer had
done in 2:2-3. If immediate death was the penalty for violating the law of
Moses (which was but a shadow or picture), how much more should one expect
severe judgment for continually repeating, knowingly and deliberately, the
reality which is Jesus and his sacrifice! What they have done is threefold:
1. They have trampled the Son of God underfoot! The writer chooses a title for Jesus which
emphasizes his right to be Lord over all. To trample him under foot is to spurn
his right to govern life. Lip service is paid to Christian truth but life is
lived as one pleases, even adopting the world's values and standards. As one
poet has described it:
He lived for himself, and himself
alone;
For himself, and none beside.
Just as if Jesus had never lived,
And as if he had never died!
2. They have treated as something common or trivial the blood of the
covenant which has power to make one holy. They have regarded the blood of
Jesus as having no more value than the blood of any other man, and therefore,
in practice, insisted that religious activities ought to be enough to satisfy God.
And they are saying this even though they have previously acknowledged that the
death of Christ has ruled out such means. Once they regarded themselves as holy
(sanctified) by the blood of Jesus, but now they deny this and reject the cross
as unnecessary for acceptance before God.
3. They insult the Spirit of grace. The full understanding of redemptive truth,
the awareness that the blood of Jesus can make one holy, the pleasures of
meeting together with other Christians; all have been a gracious ministry of
the Holy Spirit to the individuals considered here. Now these are being
rejected and treated with contempt. It is an egregious insult to the One who
was sent to draw men and women to salvation. It usually means to become guilty
of the sin which Jesus called "an eternal sin," unpardonable in any
age (Mk 3:29).
Verse 30 supports this view of coming judgment with two references to the Song
of Moses, found in Deuteronomy 32. The first refers to the destruction of
apostates and is quoted also by Paul in Romans 12:20 in a possibly similar
connection. The second quote, however, looks more to the severity of God on
those of his own who presumptuously play with sin even when knowing better.
Such a case is that of David in 2 Samuel 24, who is given a choice of three
painful penalties because of his sin in numbering the people of Israel against
the express prohibition of the Lord. If even a greatly beloved believer like
David could be dealt with severely by God, how much more would the apostate
feel the full extent of divine wrath!
In either case, says our author in verse 31, It is a dreadful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God. To
encounter the living God in the full majesty of his holiness is a terrifying
and awesome experience. In the first case cited, it is to experience after
death the eternal judgment of raging fire "that will consume the enemies
of God." The second case is to know in this life the heavy hand of God's
displeasure because of deliberate and sinful choices which one is reluctant to
give up. Only God can tell the difference between these two cases, for in human
eyes they may appear indistinguishable. But that is the purpose for such
warnings as we find in Hebrews As the writer has said: "See to it,
brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart" (3:12),
"Let us, therefore, be careful that none of you be found to have fallen
short" (4:1), and "Let us make every effort to enter that rest, so
that no one will fall" (4:11). God is not a power to trifle with, for he
can do what we cannot do, namely, read hearts. He can be ruthless if it is
necessary to waken those sinners to the evil results they are embracing. That
ruthlessness is a hidden blessing when the heart is unaware that it is ignoring
the death of Jesus as the only adequate sacrifice for sin. Behind his severity
is mercy toward those destroying themselves in unbelief God lovingly seeks to
waken them to what they are doing before they reach that stage of
heart-hardening which deliberately reject Christ. Beyond that point lies the
unpardonable sin.
Once again, as in chapter 6, we see the writer's confidence that most of
those he addresses are not apostate, as he describes in verses 32-34. He seeks
to recall them to the love and steadfastness they had exhibited when their
faith in Jesus was new. They had received the light as had also those now threatening apostasy, as verse
26 makes clear. But most had: (1) accepted insult and persecution to their own person, or supported others so treated;
(2) visited and sustained those put In prison for their faith; and (3) actually
felt joy over watching their property confiscated, since they took comfort in
the fact that their true treasures were in heaven, not on earth.
Such actions were the product of true faith, and he urges them to keep this
confident faith in verses 35-36, since perseverance is the proof of reality.
The persecutions and injustices they endured presented strong temptations to
give up, to accept the values of society around, and to forget what they had
learned about the realities of life, death and eternity. Many are tempted today
to throw away [their] confidence.
Confidence is what motivates appropriate action in view of the times in which
one lives.
Carl Henry captures the possibilities of the hour in which we now live:
"All the modern gods are sick and dying. The nations that long lusted
after power are now terrified by it. Sex has played itself out for many who
thought an infinity of it would be heaven on earth. The almighty dollar is
falling like a burned-out star. It is a day made-to-order for sons of the
prophets, for sons of the apostles, for Protestant Reformers, and for
evangelical giants" (Henry 1986:107).
Times of danger especially call for renewed confidence, for confidence in
Christ anchors the soul in times of pressure. To throw it away through doubt or
neglect is to miss the incredibly rich reward that is waiting just around the
comer. The coming of Christ is what God has promised (Acts 3:19-20) and for
which faith waits (1 Thessalonians 1:10). You need to persevere, says the writer. Patience is a moment-by-moment
quality, one which grows with practice. As the writer has already said, it is
"through faith and patience" that we inherit what has been promised
(6:12).
The quotation from Habakkuk 2:3-4 which appears in verses 37-38 is taken from
the Septuagint version. (36) The author has made certain
changes which adapt it to his specific purposes, without changing its basic
thrust. Habakkuk speaks of a revelation which is coming; Hebrews changes it to
a person. Since Jesus is both a person and God's last word to man (1:1), the
change is appropriate. The main thrust of the quotation is for those who are
made righteous by God. Faith will be the center around which all of life
revolves. To shrink back from that is to reveal oneself as yet unrighteous and
therefore not pleasing to God.
The writer introduces this quotation with the words For in just a
very little while. These words serve to
underscore the emphasis in Scripture on prophetic fulfillment. It has been
characteristic of days of decline in the church to lose sight of the hope of
Christ's coming. Such weakening of hope invariably gives rise to programs for
world betterment which lead Christians to forsake the biblical methods of God's
working in society and to become involved in efforts to improve the world
without the message of the cross of Christ. These causes become especially
appealing when the passage of centuries dims the hope of the Second Coming.
Scoffers arise, as Peter predicted, who would say, 'Where is this 'coming' he
promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the
beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3:3-4).
How can we align in just a very little while with 2,000 years of waiting? Peter helps, of course,
with his reminder that "with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and
a thousand years are like a day." By that reckoning it has only been two
days since Jesus left us with a promise to return. Further, as we have seen, it
is a great mistake to project the limitations of time into eternity. These are
two quite different things. Heaven, with all its implications of "absent
from the body, present with the Lord" is fully experienced at the death of
a believer, and thus the coming of the Lord is never any further away than
one's personal death. We need to bear in mind our Lord's words to the
persecuted church of Smyrna: "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and
I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).
In verse 39, the writer places himself in the picture again, but this time
identified clearly with those who believe and are saved. The two groups he addresses throughout the letter
are here placed in direct contrast. Some are "shrinking back" and are
headed for destruction. Others, the majority he feels, continue to believe and
thus experience the saving of their souls. This is exactly what Jesus had
promised to persecuted saints in Luke 21:19: "By standing firm, you will
gain life."
This reference in Habakkuk to the faith by which the righteous shall live
serves to introduce the last section of Hebrews with its brilliant focus on
this operative word of the Christian life. Faith is the way we begin the life
in Christ; faith is also the way it is maintained; and faith is what will bring
us at last in triumph through the gates of glory into the very presence of the
Lord himself Chapters 11-13 provide a fitting climax to the letter, pursuing
its themes with vivid pictures of faith in human lives.
11:1 Now faith is being sure
of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the
ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was
formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was
visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith
he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And
by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken
from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found,
because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as
one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet
seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned
the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith
Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign
country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of
the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was
past age --and Sarah herself was barren --was enabled to become a father
because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from
this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars
in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people
were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things
promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they
admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such
things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had
been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to
return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country --a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city
for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a
sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and
only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that
your offspring will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise
the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. 20
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21 By faith
Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he
leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near,
spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about
his bones. 23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was
born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of
the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known
as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the
people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He
regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures
of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left
Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is
invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so
that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the
Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho
fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the
prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who
were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell
about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who
through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was
promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and
escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who
became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back
their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be
released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers
and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were
stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went
about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38
the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and
in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith,
yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something
better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Who are the heroes and heroines of the twentieth century? Human nature
continually seeks a model to follow. Remember Elvis Presley in the pop musical
world, followed by the Beatles and so many others? In the realm of science,
there was Albert Einstein; in statesmanship, Winston Churchill; in social work,
Mother Teresa. One thoughtful contemporary, George F. Will, has chosen five men
who were models for the last millennium (since 1000 A.D.): Machiavelli, Luther,
Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. In the religious honor roll of this century,
surely the name of Billy Graham would appear, along with Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn, Martin Luther King, Jr., and of course, Mother Teresa. None of
these names was known to the first-century world, yet the names of heroes and
heroines of that time, recorded in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews are still
known around the world as models of faith and courage. We are invited now to
consider the contribution each has made to our lives today. (37)
Hebrews 11 has been called the great faith chapter. What, exactly, is faith?
If it is so important to the redemptive process, we must have a clear
understanding of its nature. That need is supplied in verses 1-2. Faith,
according to the NIV text, is always two things: (1) a sense of assurance
within us (being sure of what we hope for)
and (2) a certainty that there are realities which we cannot see with our
physical eyes (certain of what we do not see). A slightly different sense is conveyed by the KJV
text, which I prefer at this point. Paul, in Colossians 1:5, sees faith and
love as flowing out of the hope awakened by the gospel. Hope, which
"springs eternal in the human breast," comes first. Then, faith sees
freedom from sin on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, a consequent loving
relationship to God, peace with one's neighbors and joy in the midst of life
(all what we hope for). These
realities, though invisible, are personally appropriated; as a result, love for
both God and others flows from the sense of gratitude which faith has awakened.
Thus, the famous triumvirate of "faith, hope, and love" are central
to all Christian living.
This quality of faith is what the ancients were commended for. This is the theme of the rest of the chapter,
consisting of a list of those who triumphed in God's eyes because of their
faith. Verse 3 provides an example of faith's ability to see invisible
realities. No one can see the words by which God brought the universe into
being, but since that is the statement of Scripture (Genesis 1 records 9 times
"God said"), faith understands that behind everything visible is the
invisible command of God. The statement what is seen was not made out
of what was visible constitutes a
scientific truth which modern physicists recognize: behind everything visible
is invisible energy. Faith in God's revelation is a way of grasping reality,
without necessarily comprehending all the steps that may be involved.
Verses 4-38 list examples of this kind of faith in men and women of the
biblical past. The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau is famous for the
remark "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is
because he hears a different drummer." That is a good description of the
men and women listed here. They hear another drumbeat which others do not, and
this accounts for the way they often act contrary to normal expectations. The
first three examples, Abel, Enoch and Noah, show us the nature of faith. The
rest show how faith behaves in real life.
Though the writer has, throughout the epistle, held up Abraham as our model
of faith and perseverance, verses 4-7 indicate that true faith was practiced
from the very beginning, even before the Flood. As in a modem docudrama, Abel
appears first to testify to the value of faith. He and his older brother Cain
lived when the world was young. They enjoyed what we would call today "the
simple life," which clearly included a recognition of God and a need for a
personal relationship. Each brought an offering which reflected his occupation:
Cain, the farmer, brought fruits and grains; Abel, the shepherd, brought fat
from the firstborn of his flock.
It is a mistake to read into this Genesis account any hidden reasons for God's
acceptance of Abel's offering and rejected of Cain's. (38)
Various explanations have been offered, but the writer is silent about
everything except that God "spoke well" of Abel's offering because it
was "better" than Cain's. The word "better" is pleiona, which means "greater" or "more
important" as suggested by its use in Luke 12:23: "Life is more
than food, and the body more than clothes." If Abel's sacrifice was more
important than Cain's, what made it so? The reason suggested is that it came
from a heart made righteous by faith! If Abraham's faith was "credited to
him as righteousness" (Romans 4:9), so also was Abel's. Bruce comments on
this, "Sacrifice is acceptable to God not for its material content, but in
so far as it is the outward expression of a devoted and obedient heart"
(1964:283).
We are not told just how God made known to the two brothers his acceptance of
one and rejection of the other. Genesis 4:7 indicates that when Cain learned
that his offering was unacceptable, he grew angry and rebellious. This revealed
the attitude of his heart toward the sovereign choices of God. Cain's
subsequent murder of his brother showed his stubborn rejection of the
opportunity God gave him to repent and to offer again, presumably with a
contrite spirit. Cain's offering was rejected because a heart of pride and
self-sufficiency lay behind it. This explanation fits well with the context of Hebrews
where the writer repeatedly warns against possessing "an evil heart of
unbelief."
The focus in 11:4, however, is not on Cain but on Abel. By faith he
still speaks, says the author, even though
he is dead. This is a direct allusion to Genesis 4:10, "Your brother's
blood cries out to me from the ground." It must be linked also with Hebrews
12:24, where our author states that the blood of Jesus "speaks a better
word than the blood of Abel." It is often suggested that the blood of Abel
cries out for the final vindication promised to all the saints (2 Thessalonians
1:6-7), but the blood of Jesus speaks of proffered forgiveness. This seems a
likely explanation of the continuing testimony of Abel. His faith in God was
one of trust and loving acceptance of whatever God sent. He was willing to wait
for ultimate vindication of injustice and mistreatment. His faith teaches us
that we must often wait for God's redress of justice. We do so because we know
God cannot ultimately fail to act.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, appears next on the stage of testimony In verses
5-6. Two important things mark the character of Enoch's faith: (1) he pleased
God by turning away from the godlessness of the world in which he lived and (2)
he maintained a daily walk with God which grew so intimate that he was taken to
heaven without experiencing death. The Genesis account (5:21-24) indicates that
for the first 65 years of his life, Enoch did not walk with God. Presumably he
went along with the deteriorating morality of his times, which Genesis 6:5
describes as, "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had
become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
all the time." As Genesis 5:25 suggests, the event which changed Enoch's
outlook was the birth of a son, whom he named Methuselah. Some scholars derive
the meaning of Methuselah from the Hebrew root muth, which means "death," and translate the
name "His death shall bring (it)." This would imply a revelation to
Enoch of the coming judgment of the world by means of the Flood. The chronology
of Genesis 5 places the Flood as occurring the year Methuselah died. In the New
Testament, Jude 14-15 mentions such a prophecy given to Enoch, and much of the
Wisdom literature of the intertestamental period views Enoch as a farsighted
prophet. At any rate, the Genesis account states that from the birth of
Methuselah throughout the following 300 years, Enoch "walked with
God." This turn in his life was a result of faith, and since faith always
requires a word from God to rest upon, it confirms the idea that Enoch was
given a revelation of a coming judgment which changed his life. (39)
The walk with God which Enoch experienced was one of deepening intimacy. A walk
implies a journey in a certain direction and at a measured and regular pace.
Enoch's faith flourished as he walked and God bore witness to him that his
daily life was pleasing in his eyes. Enoch is an example to the readers of Hebrews
of what the writer longed to see happen to them: a steady, daily growth in
grace achieved by the inner resources which God supplies to those who take him
at his word and act in faith on what he has said. Enoch enjoyed the continuous
presence of an unseen Person, and related his life daily to that Person. The
result was a fellowship which death could not interrupt. He was translated to
glory and was "not found," implying that someone searched for him for
some time, but in vain. He and, later, Elijah are the only two individuals in
the Scriptures who never died a physical death. They serve as precursors for a
whole generation of Christians who will be so translated at the parousia of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We learn from Enoch
that faith can draw inner strength from God to such a degree that it triumphs
over the ravages of death.
Our author views Enoch's faith as so outstanding that it constitutes a general
example for all time of how to come to God and to live pleasing to him. Without
faith it is impossible to please God, he
proclaims in verse 6. This brings to mind Paul's similar assertion, "the
world through its wisdom did not know him" (1 Corinthians 1:21). It is
impossible through human reasoning or scientific searching to find God: faith
in God's self-revelation is essential! But that revelation is not confined to
Scripture; it begins with nature as Paul forcefully states in Romans 1:19-20
and the psalmist declares in Psalms 8 and 19.
Hebrews 11:6 is a helpful answer to the persistent question: "What about
the primitive peoples of the world who never hear the gospel?" This verse
says: anyone who comes to him God must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Nature presents overwhelming evidence of the existence of God. Elizabeth
Barrett Browning has put its witness well:
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush aflame with God.
But only those who see take off their shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries!
Only a deliberately resistant mind can set aside nature's testimony to the
wisdom and power of an Intelligent Being beyond us. If the witness of nature
leads an individual to an honest search for the Creator, God promises to help
and reward those who earnestly seek him.
More and more knowledge will be granted which, if followed, will lead to Jesus.
As Peter declared in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
what the writer is implying, by linking verse 6 with the life of Enoch, is that
Enoch, seeking God and believing the word he was given, found Christ by faith!
So we learn from him that faith means turning from human wisdom to God's
revelation and walking in daily obedience to it until it leads to a fellowship
which death cannot interrupt!
The spotlight of witness then shifts to Noah, who illustrates for us a still
different quality of true faith. His faith, too, saw what was invisible, namely
the coming of the Flood! (vs. 7). He "saw" it because he believed the
warning he received from God 120 years before the Flood came (Genesis 6:3, 7).
Moved by fear of that catastrophe, Noah obeyed God and built an ark of wood, by
means of which his whole family was saved. Such obedient faith, the writer
states, condemned the world, by
showing how wrong it was. This made Noah an heir of the righteousness
that comes by faith. In the phrase condemned
the world, we may rightly visualize the
mockery and jeering which Noah must have daily faced as he built a huge ship.
He was a hundred miles from the nearest ocean, with a ship many times too big
for his own needs, and when had had finished, he filled it with animals! Had he
lived in our day he would have been dubbed, "Nutty Noah"! Yet Jesus
used "the days of Noah" as representative of the condition of the
world before his own return, and indicated that his followers must be prepared
to face the same kind of scornful hostility that Noah met day after day.
Noah's faith persisted despite massive resistance, and that can only occur when
there is an inward change of spirit that is caused by the presence of God. That
is what is meant by Noah becoming heir of the righteousness that
comes by faith. His faith, like Abraham's,
was "credited to him for righteousness." He is, in fact, the first
individual to be called righteous in the Scriptures (Genesis 6:9). His sturdy,
obedient faith stands forever as an example of persistence against hostility
that marks those who are born of God and who cannot ever be lost. In these
three men, Abel, Enoch and Noah, we are shown that faith waits, faith grows in
intimacy, and faith persists. Without these qualities it is impossible to
please God.
"Faith without deeds is useless," says James (2:20). If there is
true faith, there will be consequent actions. The writer now launches on a
lengthy section in which he shows the variety of actions that can accompany
faith, depending on the circumstances which an individual faces. The one mark
that is shared by all these activities is that each is unusual---it is not the
normal reason ordinarily expressed of those who face such situations. Faith
makes some people act differently than others. They will not fit the common mold
or drift along with the multitude.
Already in Hebrews Abraham has shared with Moses a prominent part as an
example of faith in the redemptive process. Again, he appears as the
pre-eminent role model for all believers in Christ. Verses 8-19 are devoted
almost exclusively to Abraham's faith and the author's comments on it. He
singles out the highlights of Abraham's life, beginning with his call to leave
Mesopotamia and culminating with his willingness to sacrifice Isaac at God's
command. At every point, Abraham responded to a promise of God with unwavering
obedience. That is the writer's chief point. God promised Abraham a land, a
posterity, a great name and universal influence (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham
believed God and left his kinfolk his present comforts and prosperity, and, at
the age of seventy-five, set out for Canaan, a land he had never visited and
knew nothing about (v. 8). When he got there he lived as a resident alien,
residing in tents and owning nothing except the cave of Machpelah in Hebron,
where he buried his wife, Sarah. The motive for this remarkable behavior was
his anticipation that God would fulfill his promise and produce on earth, a
city with foundations whose architect and
builder is God (vv. 9-10). It is amazing how far Abraham saw by faith. He lived
two thousand years before Christ, and we live two thousand years after him. Yet
Abraham, believing that what God had said would take place, looked across forty
centuries of time and beyond to the day when God would bring to earth a city
with eternal foundations, Abraham saw what John saw in Revelation: a city
coming down from heaven onto earth (Revelation 21). (40)
That is what Abraham longed for; an earth run after God's order, where people
would dwell together in peace, harmony, blessing, beauty and liberty. Because
of that hope he was content to dwell his whole life in tents, looking for God's
fulfillment. Abraham shows us that faith seizes upon a revealed event and lives
in anticipation of it. Faith gives purpose and destination to life. The hope of
achieving a utopian city of peace and universal blessing is what we hold out
for even today; "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven."
The second highlight of Abraham's faith centered on God's promise of a
posterity (vv. 11-12). This involved Sarah as well, for though Abraham was now
a hundred years old, and Sarah ninety, God had expressly told Abraham that he
would have a son who would produce a long line of descendants. Paul, in Romans
4:19, observes without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body
was as good as dead . . . and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not
waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God."
We must not exclude Sarah from this reckoning of those who triumphed by faith,
as the NIV rendering of verse 11 does. For though she laughed incredulously
when she overheard God's promise to Abraham that she would bear a son (Genesis
18:11-12), nevertheless, God countered her incredulity with the question,
"Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Those challenging words would
surely have been the source of her meditation in the days that followed.
Genesis 21:1 states, "Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said,
and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised." God's invariable method
for fulfilling a promise is to awaken faith first in the recipient. Sarah's
growth in grace and spiritual maturity is recognized in 1 Peter 3:6, and all
this would powerfully support the design of our author by including Sarah's
name deliberately. She shared with Abraham that faith which produced descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the
seashore. (41)
It is highly unlikely, given our author's precise use of language, that these
two phrases should both describe the same descendants of Abraham, whether they
are physical or spiritual. Abraham was first promised seed "like the dust
of the earth" (Genesis 13:16). Then some thirteen years later, when God
announced the birth of Isaac within a year, Abraham was shown the stars and the
promise was given, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars---if indeed
you can count them.... So shall your offspring be" (Genesis 15:5). This
widely separated revelation suggests the phrases should be understood as a
reference to two lines of posterity: a heavenly seed (as numerous as
the stars in the sky) which would embrace
all who fit Paul's description: "If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29); and
an earthly line (as countless as the sand on the seashore), which includes all the physical descendants of the
twelve sons of Jacob. This would agree with Paul's statements in Romans
11:11-12 that despite the formation of the church (the heavenly seed), God has
not yet finished with his people Israel (the earthly seed). As the writer of Hebrews
has intimated, the time will come when God will fulfill the new covenant of
grace to "the house of Israel and the house of Jacob." The blending
of these two lines will be found in the city for which Abraham looked, on whose
gates is written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and on its
foundations the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:12-14).
The writer comments, in verses 13-16, on these Old Testament names. They all
died, he admits, without receiving the things promised, though they still
expected God to fulfill his word to them. The fact that they only saw
them and welcomed them from a distance
indicates their understanding that the promises were in the future and would
have spiritual as well as physical fulfillment. For this reason, their own
imminent deaths did not diminish their confidence that the promises would be
fulfilled. This lively faith was shown by their willingness to abide as aliens
and strangers in the land they had been promised. Toward the end of his life,
Abraham described himself as such in Genesis 23:4. Though he and his son and grandsons
could have returned to Mesopotamia had they so chosen, as Jacob did for a
while, yet their faith in the promise of their own land not only kept them in
Canaan, but also led them to understand that eventually they would live in that
city of God which would come down from heaven. Because their faith grew to
encompass eternal realities as well as earthly prospects, the writer declares
that God is not ashamed to be called their God. Once again we see the deliberate link between the
visible and the invisible. The land of Canaan was a picture of the heavenly
country which would be theirs by faith, as 4:89 asserts. Since, as we have
seen, "faith is being sure of what we hope for," this meant that they
were already enjoying, in their inner lives, the intimate blessings that the
resurrected body promised when the city of God came down from heaven
(Revelation 21:10). Such inner fulfillment is the gift of faith to those who
today are willing to look beyond death to God's day of perfect fulfillment. We
cannot demand instant answers from God for all our earthly problems, but we can
welcome them from a distance. We
must not lose faith that God will satisfy every promise.
Having expanded our understanding of the faith of the patriarchs, our author
returns to the severest test of Abraham's faith, and its most glorious triumph,
the sacrifice of Isaac (vv. 17-19). Emphasis is laid on the fact that Abraham
was asked to slay his son Isaac, even though he had received promises that
Isaac would establish the guaranteed posterity. Ishmael was also a son of
Abraham, but only Isaac was the son of promise. That is the meaning of one
and only son. Some have criticized God for
subjecting Abraham to such unbearable anguish, but it must be remembered that
Abraham's faith in the loving character of God enabled him to solve this
crisis. He reasoned that God was in full control of both death and life; he
could restore as well as take. On that basis Abraham was able to carry through
what was seen as a grisly task. Little of this is seen in the Genesis account
(22:1-10), though Abraham did assure his servants that both he and the lad
would return from the mountain. The substitution of a ram for the son was
intended to portray that later scene at Golgotha when the Son of God would
willingly lay down his life. It is, perhaps, this very scene that Paul has in
mind when he writes, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up
for us all---how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all
things?" The restoration of Isaac to his father's arms is called a parable
(Gk: parabole) of resurrection by
the writer. So Abraham's faith reached the highest pinnacle of faith: belief in
a resurrection that would fulfill all the promises of God.
The thought of a faith still trusting in the very face of death leads the
writer to focus on Abraham's descendants---Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They see
their own deaths and yet look beyond in unwavering faith (vv. 20-22). The point
about all three is that they clearly saw aspects of the future because they
exercised faith in what was invisible at the present. Isaac, though not given
to dramatic demonstrations of faith, could still foretell the subsequent
character of his twin sons' lives, Jacob and Esau, because he understood, by
faith, how each would relate to the program of God (Genesis 27:27-29, 30-40).
Jacob, in his earlier years, often found it difficult to trust God explicitly.
But with Joseph in Egypt, he too saw the true relationship of Joseph's sons
Manasseh and Ephraim in God's purposes. He dared, by faith, to transfer the
birthright from Manasseh, the firstborn, to Ephraim, the younger (Genesis 48).
He did this, worshipping all the while the God who had foreordained this in
wisdom. And Joseph, whose life was filled with dramatic examples of the power
of faith, did not let his impending death alter his certainty that God would
fulfill his promises concerning Israel. He gave instructions that when Israel
would leave Egypt (over two centuries later), they should carry his bones with
them and bury them in the land of promise. This Moses did (Ex 13:19), and
Joseph's tomb is still visible at Shechem, as Joshua 24:32 records. These men
were not dreamers or merely wishful thinkers; they "saw" invisible
realities, and adapted their own lives and that of their descendants
accordingly.
The spotlight of witness shifts again, this time to the towering figure of
Moses, who stands next only to Abraham as the quintessential believer in the
Old Testament. Verses 23-29 touch on five highlights from his life, beginning
with the faith of his parents and ending with the Israelites' passage over the
Red Sea. Two reasons are given for the faith of Moses' parents, shown in the
hiding of their infant son among the reeds of the Nile. They saw he was no
ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. The adjective asteion translated here as "no ordinary" child, is
defined by Thayer as the opposite of agroikos which means "rustic" (Kistemaker
1984:344). It implies not merely a handsome or beautiful child, but a gifted
and unusually promising one. Josephus, in his Antiquities, suggests that Moses'
parents received a revelation from God concerning their son's destiny. This
would explain why their action was by faith and strong enough that they were
unafraid of the king's cruel command to kill all male Israelite babies. Since
Jochebed, Moses' mother, was employed by Pharaoh's daughter to become Moses'
nurse and help raise him to adulthood, the writer includes Moses' parents
(Amram and Jochebed) as the molders of the faith of Moses himself.
So powerful was their influence on Moses that when he was forty years of age
(Acts 7:23), having been trained in the culture of Egypt and even regarded as
an heir to the throne itself, he renounced his earthly privileges. He went on
to identify himself with the people of Israel and resolutely refused the royal
title son of Pharaoh's daughter
(vv. 24-25). Stephen, in Acts 7:20-38, tells us that Moses "thought that
his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they
did not." This suggests that Moses had a clear understanding of his
calling from God, and his faith motivated his renunciation of Egypt. It was
costly because he gave up the treasures of Egypt to suffer disgrace
for the sake of Christ. Such disgrace (or
"reproach") carried with it the promise of infinite reward (eternal
life) which made the things he renounced appear paltry indeed. Such a
renunciation is like the choices many Christians make today who choose to be
faithful to moral principles, rather than to abandon them for the prospect of
advancement or wealth.
The third mark of Moses' faith was that he left Egypt, not fearing
the king's anger and he persevered because he saw him who is invisible (v. 27). Admittedly, he fled to save his life, but as
the writer of Hebrews points out, it was not because he feared the anger of the
king. Rather, since he fled by faith, it was because he knew God would fulfill his promise to deliver Israel.
Moses would await God's timing for that deliverance. So he persevered in Midian for forty years, with his faith
continually being renewed because he saw him who is invisible. That long, discouraging wait was possible only because
Moses saw the unseen; he reckoned upon invisible realities, and God surprised
him one day with a remarkable experience with a bush that burned but was not
consumed! (42)
Another biblical example of this kind of patient faith is David, who, knowing
he had been anointed as king of Israel, nevertheless patiently waited for God
to remove Saul from the throne. Such patience, for those who wait for
recognition today, is rewarded by him who is invisible. God times such events, lifting up one and putting
down another, according to his sovereign purposes. Peter exhorts us,
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift
you up in due time" (1 Peter 5:6).
Our author leaps over the story of Moses' return to Egypt, his confrontations
with the new Pharaoh and the shattering series of plagues which Pharaoh's
intransigence brought upon Egypt. This brings us to the final, fateful night,
when Moses and Israel kept the first Passover (v. 28). It was a crucial experience
both for Israel and the church, as both look back to it as the paradigm of
redemption. Central was the sprinkling of the blood of a lamb over the doorpost
of each Israelite household. The angel of death would not enter where he saw
the sprinkled blood. Paul refers to this incident in 1 Corinthians 6:7-8. Moses
believed implicitly that this protection would work, and so it proved. Even
Pharaoh's firstborn son lay dead the next morning with thousands of others
throughout Egypt. In Israel, not one firstborn son perished, exactly as Moses
had predicted. This act of faith broke the back of Pharaoh's resistance, and
the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave, even heaping upon them jewels and
treasures to speed the process.
But in verse 29, the writer recounts the faith Moses and Israel had to exercise
when the Egyptians changed their minds and pursued Israel with an army of
chariots and soldiers. The waters of the Sea of Reeds (Hebrew text) flowed
before Israel, and the army of Egypt was closing in behind. What could Israel
do? God said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff
and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water." By faith
Moses obeyed, and by faith the waters were driven back all night by a powerful
east wind (Ex 14). Israel's faith was shown when they passed between the walls
of water and arrived safely on the far shore. When the Egyptians tried the same
thing, Moses stretched out his staff, the waters returned, and all the Egyptian
soldiers were drowned. Faith dares to obey despite apparent obstacles and
difficulties. It pays no attention to impossibilities when God has spoken.
Faith, mighty faith, the promise
sees
And looks to God alone.
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, "It shall be done."
Many Christians today face similar circumstances where it looks as if there
is no way out. But God does not send believers out into a sea of trouble to
drown; his promise is to see them through to the other side. As 1 Corinthians
10:13 promises, "He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up
under it."
No further examples of Israel's faith are described until forty years later,
when Joshua leads them against the city of Jericho, the first major obstacle to
the conquest of the land of promise. This silence is the writer's way of
recalling what he has already mentioned in chapters 3 and 4: the unbelief which
the Israelites showed throughout their wilderness journeys. Not one Israelite
who was twenty years or older when they left Egypt would enter Canaan, except
Joshua and Caleb. But just as the faith of Moses had inspired some degree of
faith in Israel while they were in Egypt, the faith of Joshua stirred the
Israelites to act in faith before the walls of Jericho. The ancient city was
actually a large fortress, 600 meters in circumference (Kistemaker 1984:347).
It contained an armed garrison, filled with experienced warriors. These must be
defeated before the valleys of Canaan could be occupied. Following the unique
orders given him by the angelic Commander of the Army of the Lord, Joshua set
the people marching around the fortress, once a day for six days, and seven
times the seventh day. When they gave a great shout on the seventh day, the
walls "came atumblin' dawn." By an earthquake, you may ask? Yes,
perhaps so, but an earthquake that came in God's precise time and at God's
precise place. The incident highlights God's ways of deliverance as being
varied and often bizarre in the eyes of many. He is infinitely diverse in his
solutions, and we make a great mistake in trying to predict his actions.
Along with the story of Jericho's overthrow, we read the remarkable account of
Rahab the harlot (v. 31). She had heard of Israel's conquests at the Red Sea
and in the wilderness and expected them to assault Jericho many years before.
She knew that their victories came from their faith in God, and she
"received the spies with peace" (literally) when Joshua sent them to
spy out the city. Her motive was not merely to save her life and that of her
family; she was convinced, as she said, that "the LORD your God is God in
heaven above and on the earth below." That faith was honored when the
walls of the city collapsed and all within were killed except Rahab and her
family. That her faith was genuine is confirmed by Matthew when he lists her as
one of the ancestors of Jesus. 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. She was granted a place of
honor among the heroes and heroines of faith. The incident also illustrates the
fact that "in Christ there is neither male nor female." Rahab was a
woman in a man's world, but faith accepts no such distinctions.
This survey of the faith of men and women in the past could have gone on to
greater lengths, but the author feels that his epistle must not become
burdensome to read. He refers to others in more general terms, mentioning only
six more names. Their varied actions of faith are successful, whether in
triumph or in suffering (vv. 32-38). The six names span the history of Israel
from the days of the judges to the early monarchy. Included are Gideon, noted
for his victory over Midian with a reduced army of only 300 men; Barak, who was
encouraged by the prophetess Deborah and defeated the Canaanite army of Sisera;
Samson, famous as the muscleman of Israel, fatally susceptible to the charms of
young women, but nevertheless the instrument of God to deliver Israel from
Philistine oppression; Jephthah, haunted by his rash vow concerning his
daughter, but also conqueror of the Ammonites and punisher of the tribe of
Ephraim; David, Israel's greatest king and the author of many psalms, "a
man after God's own heart"; and, finally, Samuel, first of the prophets
and last of the judges, who lived by faith from his boyhood to his final days.
Others are simply listed as the prophets,
which would surely include the great names of Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and others.
The faith these men possessed led them to three kinds of action (vv. 33-34).
Faith helped some to govern---conquered kingdoms (David over the Philistines), administered
justice (Solomon---1 Kings 21:9) and gained
what was promised (Josh 21:43). Faith
helped others to triumph over fearful odds---shut the mouths of lions (Dan 6), quenched the fury of the flames (Dan 3:17), and escaped the edge of the
sword (2 Kings 6:11-18). Still others were
enabled by faith to be mighty in battle---whose weakness was turned
to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies (1 Sam 14:14). These were all actual historic
incidents, familiar to the readers of this letter from the Old Testament
accounts.
But faith was not confined to men only. Women of faith were also greatly
benefited, receiving dead loved ones back to life. Notable in the Old Testament
were the widow of Zarephath, whose son Elijah restored, even though she was not
of Israel (1 Kings 17:24); and the woman of Shunem who called Elisha to raise
her dead son because she knew him to be a man of God (2 Kings 4:8-37). The
readers of Hebrews could also think of the widow of Nain, whose son Jesus
raised, and of Lazarus whom Jesus restored to his sisters, Mary and Martha, and
perhaps also of the widows in Joppa who rejoiced when Dorcas was restored to
them by Peter. These resuscitations were not mentioned to establish a norm, but
to show what powers faith could release when God chose to act.
Nor was faith always a means to triumph and victory. Verses 35-38 record the
other side