| 1.
Righteousness According to Faith (Heb 11:1-7)
Having just referred to Habakkuk’s timeless declaration, “The just
shall live by faith” (Heb 10:38; Hab 2:3-4), the author now develops the
concept of faith by appeal to historical possessors of it. Those cited in this famous chapter would be
acknowledged as heroes by those of Hebrew ancestry. His aim is to help these
brethren see that their adherence to Christ is parallel to the faith of Noah,
Abraham, Moses, etc. Faith is able to
“see” what is invisible; it is a confidence in God that accepts and obeys His
word when one’s experience, feelings and desires are to the contrary. Thus “by faith Noah, being divinely warned
of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark …” (Heb
11:7). Without this quality of faith,
“it is impossible to please” God (11:6).
1. What witness was born to Abel by virtue of his sacrifice? 2. What was the testimony of Enoch? 3. T/F Absolute, objective proof exists
that God created the material universe.
2. Yearning for a Homeland (Heb 11:8-16) The author next pauses at Abraham, the
quintessential patriarch of faith, and examines the seeds that grew into an
ancient and storied nation. To inherit the land so beloved by Israel, Abraham
had to leave his home for an unknown destination and, once there, re-side in
tents as an outsider (Heb 11:8-9). For
a nation to arise from him, he and his wife faithfully acted in accordance
with God’s promises (11:11; Rom 4:19-21).
Thus the lives of Abraham and Sarah present an analogy of the
Christian endeavor, for we are likewise on a journey and living as
sojourners. Abraham not only had his
sights on a tract of land, “he waited for the city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God” (11: 10). Had he been otherwise minded, he
would have simply returned to Ur (11:15-16). And if these brethren turn back
from God now, they would betray the very ancestor in which they had so much
pride. 4. Of whom is God not
ashamed? What has He done for
them? 5. What did Abraham only see
afar off? 6. What encouraged Sarah to
conceive by Abraham? 3. Faith in the
Lineage of Abraham (Heb 11:17-22) The
author here connects faith to the prospect of death, for this is faith’s
ultimate challenge. Regarding God’s command to offer Isaac as a burnt
offering, Abraham obeyed “accounting that God was able to raise him up, even
from the dead” (Heb 11:19). That degree of trust is astounding, but Abraham
possessed it nonetheless. Isaac, Jacob
and Joseph possessed a similar faith that enabled them to look beyond their
own lives and confidently assert what would be in the future (11:20-22). Too, these ancestors all per-severed in
faith unto death, a fitting reminder for these weak brethren. 7. Can you explain the apparent
contradiction between Hebrews 11:13 and 11:17? 8. In what way did Abraham receive Isaac
from the dead? 4. Moses’ Choice (Heb
11:23-29) Another ancestor is cited as
parallel to the readers’ predicament. Just as they had chosen to leave
Judaism for Christ and are presently suffering for it, even so Moses chose to
“suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures
of sin” (11:25). Moses had at his
disposal all the power, prestige and privileges of royalty yet abandoned them
“esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt,
for he looked to the reward” (11:26).
Like Noah who “saw” rain, and Abraham who “saw” Ca-naan and a
resurrected son, and Joseph who “saw” the eventual exodus from Egypt, Moses
“saw” spiritual reality through his faith in God: “he endured as seeing Him
who is invisible” (11:27). God has always challenged men to “see” through the
medium of faith, to accept the reality of His existence, the resurrection,
judgment, heaven and hell and other truths lying beyond our senses. This
expectation has always remained constant regardless of the specific covenant
in force. |
