#hebrews 11

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

-Hebrews 11:1

The Faith of Many

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about 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 brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel 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 is in keeping with 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 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she 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, admitting that they were foreigners 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 embraced 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 even raise the dead, and so in a manner of 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 worshipped 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 concerning the burial of 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 ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 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 application 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 army had marched round 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 and Jephthah, about David and 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. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawn in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ill-treated – 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. — Hebrews 11 | New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 4:4; Genesis 5:21; Genesis 6:9; Genesis 12:1; Genesis 12:8; Genesis 17:9; Genesis 23:4; Genesis 24:6; Genesis 27:4; Genesis 39:20; Genesis 47:31; Exodus 2:10-11; Exodus 2:13-14 and 15; Exodus 2:22; Exodus 3:15; Exodus 14:22; Exodus 18:4; Joshua 2:1; Joshua 6:15; Judges 4:1; judges 6:2; Judges 14:6; 2 Samuel 12:31; 1 Kings 17:22-23; Job 36:21; Isaiah 14:32; Matthew 12:36; Luke 9:31; Luke 14:33; Acts 7:20; Romans 8:24; Romans 9:7; Hebrews 1:1; Hebrews 7:19; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 12:23; James 2:21-22; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 20:8

Hebrews 11.32-40 By faith…these folks did some incredible things. Faith that gave them the ability to act in confidence, trusting God, “seeing” beyond their circumstances, and so do and accomplish what might otherwise seem unexplainable and even impossible. Important to note…it was God who acted. These folks just trusted that God would do what He said He would do. I think sometimes we confuse…

During this time of year, we need to feel the tension between what is and what is yet to come.

What else can I say? There isn’t enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Their faith helped them conquer kingdoms, and because they did right, God made promises to them. They closed the jaws of lions and put out raging fires and escaped from the swords of their enemies. Although they were weak, they were given the strength and power to chase…

My family defies the word finity. I have brothers and sisters from all ages and many places and though I have not seen their faces, the memories I’ve traced on pages of history seem to whisper— Remember our Father. You too were born for eternity.

The Bible is full of heroes whose examples we can follow. However, they were not perfect.  Many of these heroes were flawed.  They had spiritual setbacks, made mistakes, and committed sins.  These heroes were fallible human beings, just like you and me.  We will study the failures of some of these individuals in this Bible series.

Let’s read together Judges 13:1-25 and Numbers 6:1-21.

We shall examine the life of Samson.  The Bible states he was raised as a Nazirite from birth.  Samson was not to drink wine, go near a dead body, or have a razor put to his head.  Interestingly, Samson’s mother essentially took the Nazirite vow before he was born.

Note Judges 13:5 states Samson “will begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” who were oppressing the Israelites at the time.  God designated Samson to be a deliverer of his brethren. Sadly, Samson never truly lived up to his full potential.

Let’s read together Judges chapters 14 and 15.

Samson likely was raised by his parents with the knowledge he was chosen by God to overthrow the yoke of the Philistines.  However, Samson did not want to destroy the Philistines.  He wanted to become one of them!  Samson desired to marry a Philistine woman despite knowing God’s warning against intermarriage with pagans (Deuteronomy 7:3-4).

Let’s read together Judges 14:5-10.

Samson actually broke two conditions of the Nazirite vow in this passage. Samson reaches into the carcass of the lion to get honey for himself.  We can infer Samson drank wine since he came to the vineyards of Timnah and have a feast for the young Philistine men.

However, God mercifully did not abandon Samson.  The Holy Spirit still came upon Samson as he defeated the Philistines in several confrontations.

Let’s read together Judges chapter 16.

Samson was playing with sin for so long, he took God’s protection for granted.  When he broke the third condition of the Nazirite vow, he didn’t realize the Holy Spirit had left him until it was too late.  Samson lost his great strength, his eyes, and his pride.  

This could have been the end of Samson’s story, but let’s read together Judges 16:22.

“However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.”  This may be one of the most hope-filled verses in the entire Bible.  Considering Samson had forsaken God’s commandments and his duty, God could have left Samson to reap the consequences of his sins, to die a prisoner of the Philistines.

However, God did not give up on Samson.  When Samson repented of his sins and turned his heart back towards God, he was granted great strength one final time.  Samson killed more Philistines in death than in his entire life.

Let’s read together Hebrews 11:32-43.

Samson’s story is one of failure.  While Samson performed great feats in his life, how much more could he have accomplished if he had wholly followed God?  

However, Samson’s story is also a story of hope.  It is a story of God’s love and forbearance.  Samson’s story reminds us God loves us, even if we have drifted far away from Him.  If we repent of our sins and come back to God, He will not turn away from us.