THEMES
Overarching Theme: Standing firm in the realities of a better covenant
Chapter Eleven Theme: Celebrating the faith of those who longed for the realities we have received
BACKGROUND
In the previous chapter we read the amazing account of how these early Jewish believers (the letter’s initial readers) began their Christian journey. In this well-known chapter we read of those who lived before the old covenant and during it. Their stories challenge us deeply, especially given the surprising statement in the chapter’s final verses tells us they had not received what we have received.
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Make sure you watch the video covering Hebrews 11 and have a Bible ready in front of you.
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Verses 1-16
Verse 1 gives us a definition of faith that focuses on confidence and assurance. Verse 2 then opens the way to explore this. From seeing that faith enable us to understand God’s role in creation, we move on to look at Cain and Abel, Enoch and Noah, leading up to Abraham. From Cain and Abel we learn that Abel’s offering was acceptable because it was offered in fatih. From Enoch we learn how one can please God through faithfully seeking him. From Noah we learn how faith enabled him to stand out from a corrupt world around him. The writer then gives us Abraham’s first example of faith as Abraham leaves Ur to head for a city designed and built by God, which God has shown him. Abraham’s second display of faith relates to trusting God’s promise to give him and Sarah a son in their old age. The writer then makes the point that all those mentioned so far persisted in fatih, never looking back, even though they only saw from a distance God’s ultimate promise of a heavenly country and a specially prepared city.
Question
Why do you think this future hope was so important in keeping them pressing forward in the midst of their own challenges?
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Verses 17-19
These verses cover Abraham offering Isaac and receiving him back as if from the dead. The original story is recorded in Genesis 22 where verse 5 is noteworthy.
Question
Abraham’s thinking must have been ‘if God has promised me a son, he is not going to leave me without him, even if resurrection is to be the only option.’ How good are we at holding onto God’s promises when we go through testing times?
Could the test also have come to remind Abraham that, as God emphasised Abraham’s ‘only’ mentality in Genesis 22:2, Abraham needed to be reminded that the promise he had received was not just about Isaac but about generations to come? If so, are some of the tests we experience also about helping us to see a bigger picture?
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Verses 20-31
Verses 20-22 cover the next-generation being blessed by Isaac and Jacob, and Joesph’s commitment to returning to the Promised Land after the 400-year wait which God had informed Abraham about (see Genesis 15:12-16). Verses 23-28 then take us from Moses’ birth, his commitment to his Israeli identity and the departure on Passover night, onto verses 29-31 where the writer shows the faith involved in the Red Sea crossing, the sending out of the spies, the fall of Jericho and the protection of Rahab.
Question
It is easy to see these as mere historical events but throughout we are being told there were examples of individual faith. Is it possible that individual faith still plays a part in the unfolding of major events today, and if so, how?
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Verses 32-38
These verses cover judges, prophets and kings; including, among others, Gideon, David and Samuel, listing many of the things they achieved through faith. In verse 35 we are told of women who received their dead raised to life, and of those who were tortured but refused release, trusting for a better resurrection. Verse 38 tells us the world was not worthy of them!
Question
If ‘a better resurrection’ means a more glorious entrance into heaven, how might 2 Peter 1:10-11 be relevant for them and for us?
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Verses 39-40
These verses are humbling in that they state ‘God had planned something better for us.’
Question
How should we respond appropriately to these verses in our day-to-day living?
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
This chapter has provided us with a collection of inspirational instances and attitudes that show the power of faith in terms of both ‘confidence in what we hope for’ and as the ‘assurance about what we do not see.' It tells us that we have received more than those who have gone before us but that their confidence and assurance can still speak to us.
PRAYER & REFLECTION
Look back through the chapter, thinking of both the named and the unnamed, and see if there is anyone whose faith-in-action inspires you in your current circumstances. You may then like to pray this prayer:
Almighty God
Your presence through the centuries has inspired your followers to do mighty things.
You have given us so much, but many who have gone before
have achieved more with less.
Encourage us again with an awareness of your presence,
and cause us to be bold with the confidence and assurance you stir within us.
Others have trusted you for so much in the midst of trying circumstances,
may we be those who hold firmly to you in the midst of our challenges,
knowing that our lives are in your hands.
Amen