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Exhortation: Run the race of faith with endurance (11:1-12:3)The promise of Christ's return and the realization of our hope are not readily apparent. But faith requires that we trust in the unseen. The author now takes us through the Old Testament to show us people who remained faithful even when the promise of God seemed remote or impossible. The race of faith defined (11:1)He begins by defining faith as the assurance of things hoped for. These three words, faith , assurance , and hope are closely tied together throughout the book of Hebrews. In 6:11-12, the author desires that his audience would realize the assurance of hope and that through faith they would realize the promise of their inheritance. That assurance of faith serves as the anchor for the soul, steadfast and true. In Hebrews 10:22, our assurance of faith is based on Jesus, our high priest who cleanses us from sin. Our faith is based on Jesus' priestly sacrifice and it is faith that gives us an assurance of hope to be realized in Jesus return. But Jesus return isn't right before us. Therefore our hope is in something which is unseen. Faith requires a conviction that the hope is there even when we can't see it. The race of faith demonstrated (11:2-11:38)It can be difficult to remain faithful to our confession and realize the hope when it seems remote and distant and when we face persecution. But there are many “men of old” who had this kind of faith and gained approval from God as a result (11:2). Through the rest of chapter 11, the author will recount the stories of these men of old who will serve as examples of people who held onto their confession of faith even when the promise of God was distant and remote. Creation (11:3)He begins in Genesis 1, with a recounting of creation. Creation itself was faith in the unseen, for God made the universe out of nothing—out of the unseen. God's faith in the unseen resulted in creation itself. Abel (11:4)Abel was killed by his brother for bringing an acceptable sacrifice to God. As the first martyr, he serves as an example of one who died doing what was right, and therefore never realizing the assurance of hope in his lifetime. Enoch (11:5-6)We don't know much about Enoch, except that he pleased God and was therefore taken up without seeing death. But we do know Enoch was a man of faith because it is impossible to please God without faith. Noah (11:7)Noah could not see the judgment of God coming. While God told him of the impending flood, it was centuries before this took place. Nonetheless, Noah had faith in the word of God, and in so doing became an heir of righteousness. Abraham – Part I: Leaving Home (11:8-10)God promised Abraham that he would inherit the land. But his whole life he lived as an alien in the land promised to him by God. He died never realizing this promise fulfilled. Sarah (11:11-12)God promised Sarah that she would bear Abraham's heir, and the heir to the promise. Yet the fulfillment of this promise was not visible, for Sarah was too old to have a baby. Yet she remained faithful to the promise and bore Isaac. Interlude: Faith in Promises Unrealized (11:13-16)At this point the author breaks with his walk through the Old Testament to remind us what all these “men of old” had in common. They all died without realizing the promises of God. They may have seen glimpses of the promise in temporal things, but they all saw themselves as aliens and strangers in this world. The ultimate fulfillment of their promises would be fulfilled not in this world but in a heavenly one. It is found in a city which God had prepared for them. Under Nero's persecution, many Christians would die never seeing Jesus' return. But our hope lies not in this world, but in the new world which Jesus will establish upon his return. The threat of death and persecution, then, is no reason to give up on the promises of God. Abraham – Part II: Sacrificing Isaac ( 11:17 -19)God had promised Isaac would be the child through which the promise of God would be fulfilled. So when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, it must mean that God would resurrect Isaac. Abraham had never seen anyone rise from the dead, but he was so confident in the promise of God that he believed in the unseen. Isaac ( 11:20 )Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, demonstrating that he too believed in the promise given to Abraham by God. But he also died never seeing the promise fulfilled. Jacob (11:21)Jacob also demonstrated his faith in the promise of God by blessing his sons and the sons of Joseph. But he too died never seeing the promised fulfilled. Joseph (11:22)Joseph believed in the promise of God even to the point of his death. His faith in the promise of the land was so strong he told his descendents to take his bones back with them when they returned to the Promised Land. Moses' Mom ( 11:23 )The author now moves into the book of Exodus, speaking of the faith of Moses' mom. Her faith was so strong that she was willing to defy the Pharaoh of Egypt and keep her baby boy alive. The original readers of this book would also be called on to defy their rulers and through faith keep alive those who threatened Nero. Moses – Part I: Accepting His Heritage ( 11:23 -26)Moses rejected comfort and luxury as a prince of Egypt, and instead chose to suffer along with the people of God. The Jewish Christians to which this book was written were also being asked to forsake comfort in this world and chose to suffer along with the people of God. Moses – Part II: Fleeing Egypt ( 11:27 -28)Just as the Jewish Christians had to flee Rome because of the edict of the Emperor (Acts 18:2), so Moses fled Egypt because of the edict of the Pharaoh. The Israelites – Part I: The Red Sea ( 11:29 )The Israelites trusted in God's promises by stepping out in faith into the dry sea bed as they passed through the red sea. The Israelites – Part II: Jericho ( 11:30 )The Israelites trusted in God's promises by walking around Jericho repeatedly. They couldn't see how this would cause the walls to fall, but through faith they obeyed anyway. Rahab ( 11:31 )Rahab trusted that God had promised the Israelites the land they were entering. She was willing to defy the rulers of Jericho to hide fugitives in order to realize this promise for herself. Like Moses' mom, hiding fugitives from the rulers might be something the Jewish Christians of this era might have been something they would be called to do. And the List Goes On ( 11:32 -38)The author has made walked us from the Old Testament books of Genesis through Joshua. He could continue through the Old Testament and tell of other “men of old” who exhibited this same faith: Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jepthath from the book of Judges, and David and Samuel from the book of Samuel. But at this point our author is sort of saying, “I could tell you more, but you get the idea.” By faith great things were accomplished. Kingdoms were conquered, the mouths of lions shut, foreign armies put to flight, women receiving back their dead to life (11:34-35a). But not everyone realized such great things. Not everyone received their dead back to life. Others are still awaiting a better resurrection. These were tortured, imprisoned, sawn in two, exiled, and made destitute. Did those who faced such persecution and died without seeing the promise have less faith than those who conquered kingdoms and saw people come back to life? No, instead, the author seems to assert that those who died never having their faith realized but remained faithful nonetheless might indeed be those who had greater faith. For our faith is not in the temporal, but in the eternal. Our faith is not in deliverance from persecution, but deliverance from sin. Our faith is not in material wealth, but the riches of our inheritance from Christ. We will probably never realize these fully in our lifetime. But faith is the assurance of things hoped for, not the assurance of things seen. The race of faith encouraged (11:39-12:3)The relay race of faith (11:39-12:1)We look up to these heroes who lived great lives of faith. However, even now they have not received what they had been promised. They had run the race of faith, but didn't receive the prize. Why not? The answer is in the 11:40: …because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40) The New Living Translation puts it this way: For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. (Hebrews 11:40 NLT) This cloud of witnesses isn't the crowd in the stands cheering us on. Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the rest aren't merely observers of the race. They are part of a great relay team. In a relay race the runner doesn't receive a prize when they finish their leg. Prizes are only awarded after the last member of the team crosses the finish line. The race of faith that we are running, it is not an individual event. We are running in a great relay race. We are part of the faith relay team; and we are teammates with Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the rest. This great cloud of witnesses has run the race before us, and they have passed the baton to our generation. They are not merely our fans, encouraging us to cross the finish line well. They are part of our relay team, and they are watching us run our leg of the race, knowing that they will not receive their prize unless we finish well. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NIV) All of these heroes listed in Hebrews 11 died waiting for the final promise to be fulfilled. All of the heroes are still waiting until the last generation finally crosses the finish line. But they still had faith even to the end. How is our faith? Are we willing to wait patiently to see the results of our faith? Are we willing to wait years and years? Will we still be faithful if the promise of our faith is not fulfilled, even in our lifetime? Too often, we are impatient. We are looking for God's promises to be fulfilled here and now. The promises of God may not be fulfilled in your life time. We may have to wait for generations after our death before we realize the promises of God. It may not happen until the last generation of believers crosses the finish line. We do not put our faith in God with the hopes that life will be better now. It may not be. Our life on this earth may be one of unfinished projects and unfulfilled lives. But that does not cause our faith to waiver. Think of all the martyrs of the faith. Think of those who died for their faith. Did they die and not live happy fulfilled lives because of a lack of faith? No. In fact, I would say they had more faith than all of us put together. Real faith believes in a promise that is yet fulfilled. Are we running the race so we can retire and live in comfort and luxury? Are we running the race so we can achieve glory and fame in this world? Are we running the race so we can avoid suffering and difficulty? Or are we running the race to very end, passing on the baton, knowing that when the final generation crosses that finish line, we will enter into glory, receive our inheritance as a son of daughter of God, and be resurrected into a redeemed body. Jesus is the Ultimate Example of Faith (12:2-3)Jesus is the ultimate example of faith. He is the author and perfecter of faith, and yet he too suffered. He endured the cross and shame that goes with that. But Jesus trusted in the promise of something greater, and so received it when he sat down at the right hand of the Father. Therefore, when we are tired and discouraged, Jesus serves as the final example of one who endured persecution and remained faithful to the promises of God. [Next: Exhortation: Endure the Suffering]
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