11:7 Noah demonstrated his faith when he believed that God really would destroy all the people in a flood. He built the ark and followed all God's instructions. Noah had faith at a time when everyone else did not. His faith was credited to him as righteousness.
v. 8-12 Next is father Abraham who demonstrated faith in God when he left his father's country and went to Canaan, the land the Israelites would later inherit. Abraham lived in tents even though at that time it was common for wealthy men like him to build great cities. His son Isaac and grandson Jacob (Israel) also lived in tents. Abraham was looking forward to a better city than he could build himself. He was looking forward to a heavenly city that would be built by God. Abraham and Sarah believed God when He said He would give them a son in their old age and that they would have many descendants. The readers knew that God kept His promise to Abraham because they themselves were some of Abraham's descendants.
v. 13 "All these people" refers to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob. They were living by faith when they died even though they had not yet received the full promise God made to them. But wait, if they didn't receive the promise does that mean God broke His promise to them? No, God did not break His promise. Rather, God promises such huge blessings that they cannot be received in one man's lifetime. In this case, even three generations was not enough to receive it all. It would take thousands of years for the descendants of one man (Abraham) to become as countless as the stars.
v. 14-16 Abraham and his family lived in tents as aliens and strangers (foreigners) in the land God had given them. They were looking "for a country of their own." They could have returned to the place where Abraham's father used to live in Haran. But they were "longing for a better country-- a heavenly one." That's why God is pleased to be called their God. Because they have faith in Him. And He will surely prepare a heavenly city for them.
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Let's pause and think about this message from the perspective of the original readers. They were Jews who had become Christians who were now being pressured to go back to Judaism. They could probably relate to Abraham who left his father's land and went out not knowing where he was going. Like Abraham, they could go back-- but if they do they will be forfeiting a greater inheritance. Also, like Abraham, they must live among Gentiles as strangers and aliens while they wait for God to prepare a place for them in heaven. Furthermore, like Abraham, they will probably die before God's promise to them is fulfilled.
v. 17 Abraham's faith in God was tested when God told him to offer his son Isaac. Abraham was prepared to kill his son but God stopped him. What was Abraham thinking that he was willing to do such a thing? After all, the promise of many descendants was supposed to come through Isaac. If Abraham killed Isaac before he had any children of his own then how could God's promise be fulfilled? The author tells us Abraham reasoned that God could raise Isaac from the dead. How did Abraham know this? There is no record of anyone being raised from the dead before this time. This shows us the depth of Abraham's faith that God would fulfill His promise. In class we talked about Abraham's experience with God prior to him offering up Isaac. Abraham had already been given a son in his old age, defeated the four kings, tithed to Melchizedek, and witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The incident with Isaac was not his first encounter with his incredibly powerful God. In the eyes of Abraham God could do anything. Even raise his son from the dead. The readers of this letter (then and now) need to have faith like Abraham.
v. 20-22 Isaac, son of Abraham, was a man of faith. He blessed his own sons, Jacob (Gen. 27:27-29) and Esau (Gen. 27:38-40). Jacob, grandson of Abraham, was also a man of faith. He had 12 sons and claimed the first two sons of Joseph as his own. Before he died Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:15-20). Joseph, a great-grandson of Abraham, was a man of faith. He was sold into slavery by his brothers but later rose to become second in command of Egypt. He reconciled with his brothers and later died in Egypt. Joseph believed the promise God made to Abraham so before he died he made his descendents promise to take his bones with them when they left Egypt to go to Canaan (Gen. 50:22-26). This happened later under Moses (Exodus 13:19).
v. 23-28 Moses' parents had faith in God and hid their baby so he would not be killed. The king was threatened by the sheer number of Israelites and tried to control them by killing all the male infants (Exodus 1:8-2:10). Moses also had faith. He grew up in Pharoah's household but was willing to suffer with his own people, the Hebrews. Interestingly, the author says Moses "regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ" although Moses would not have known the name of Jesus Christ. Moses was looking ahead to his reward and was willing to suffer. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. He kept the Passover and put blood on the doorposts so the firstborn of the Israelites would be saved the night the Egyptian firstborn all died (Exodus 12:1-12, 29-30).
v. 29-31 The Israelites demonstrated faith when they passed through the Red Sea. The Egyptians did not have faith and they drowned (Exodus 14:19-31). The Israelites also showed their faith when they marched around the city of Jericho seven times and then God made the walls fall down. A prostitute in Jericho (not an Israelite) named Rahab demonstrated faith in God by hiding the Israelite spies (Josh 2:1-21, 6:17, 22-25). She believed God was going to destroy the city. She and her family were saved when Jericho fell.
Israel's history was a long series of crises. They rebelled against the Lord and worshiped other gods. Then the Lord would always allow some nation to take them captive and oppress them terribly until they would finally cry out to the Lord to save them. The Lord always came through and saved them from their enemies but within a few years they would forget what He had done for them and return to idolatry.
Who was Gideon?
Judges 6:1-7:24, 8:22-35
6:1 The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern people so fiercely that they were forced to live in mountain clefts and caves. Their land was ruined by their enemies and "Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help" (v. 6). A prophet told them their idolatry is what brought them to this condition.
An angel came to Gideon calling him a "mighty warrior" while he was hiding in a winepress threshing grain so the Midianites wouldn't see him. The angel said Gideon was the one the Lord would send to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon asked for a sign. The angel burned up his offering with fire and then disappeared (sign #1). Gideon built an altar to the Lord.
The Lord told him to tear down his father's altar to Baal. Gideon took a few men and tore it down at night because he was afraid the community would kill him for tearing down the altar to their idol. His father and the other men decided that if Baal was angry with Gideon for tearing down his altar then Baal could kill Gideon himself. Of course Baal did not kill him. Gideon was then called Jerub-Baal meaning "let Baal contend."
Before going into battle against the Midianites Gideon asked the Lord for another sign. He put a fleece on the ground and asked the Lord to let the fleece be wet with dew in the morning but the ground be dry. The next morning only the fleece was wet (sign #2). Gideon was still afraid so he asked that the next morning the fleece would be dry and the ground wet with dew. This also happened (sign #3).
Gideon was planning to fight the Midianites with 32,000 men but the Lord reduced his army to only 300 men and no weapons. They only took trumpets and jars that had torches in them. These 300 men surrounded the enemy's camp at night and woke them with trumpets, shouts, and the torch light. The Midionites killed each other in their panic and confusion. Israel was saved.
Unfortunately, Gideon accepted golden earrings from the people and made them into an ephod that the people bowed down to and worshiped. They soon forgot that it was the Lord who saved them. Gideon is listed in Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter) because he had faith in the Lord at a time when most of the people around him were serving other gods. He was not a perfect man but he trusted in God.
Next time we'll continue with more examples of imperfect men and women of faith.
