Lessons From Hebrews 11

Feature 2 – March 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Lessons From Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” ( NKJV ). This first verse of this amazing chapter describes two important features of faith. It does not give a definition of what faith is, as some claim, but rather summarizes what faith does and how it operates.

Faith is like a telescope that brings close to us things that are actually far away, as are the “things hoped for” (v.1). On the other hand, we may compare faith to an x-ray machine or other modern gadgets that reveal amazing complexities of things we cannot see with the naked eye. Seeing things through faith convinces and convicts us about matters that are far away, as for example, the world to come. It also gives the inner conviction of things that cannot yet be seen, as Abram had. Faith made him ready to depart from Ur of the Chaldees – the most advanced culture of his day – leaving its idols behind (Josh. 24:2-3). Abraham became the father of the believers (Rom. 4:16) because in him God developed principles for all believers, even those who had lived before him (Heb. 11:2).

The following few verses outline what we may call “Four Faith Fundamentals,” which we understand through faith: 

• Hebrews 11:3 – The Creation of the universe (Gen. 1–2), as confirmed in many Scriptures.
• Hebrews 11:4 – The need of a Sacrifice because of Adam and Eve’s fall (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12). 
• Hebrews 11:5 – Enoch’s rapture from a world of iniquity where he lived pleasing God (Gen. 6:5; 1 Th. 4:13-18).
• Hebrews 11:7 – Noah’s condemning of the world which God was going to judge through the flood, as he prepared himself and his family for a new world where God would place them. Right after that judgment, Noah’s sacrifice (Gen. 8:20-22) laid the moral foundation needed for God to bless the new world and the whole human race (9:1). 

Faith In God
At times people have great faith in themselves, but Hebrews 11 speaks about faith in God. Such faith connects with:

• The true God.
• Another Man instead of self.
• Another world – God’s world.

Verse 6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” It is a parenthetical statement about walking by faith while pleasing God, who rewarded Enoch by taking him out of the world He was about to judge and bringing him to Himself without having to die. Verse 7 describes Noah’s faith and actions throughout the 120 years that he was preparing the ark for himself and his family, despite opposition and ridicule. Ten generations later (see Gen. 11), Abraham left the area where he was living because through faith he obeyed God when He told him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” (12:1). Some 400 years later, also through faith and following God’s directions, Moses brought Israel out of Egypt, leading them toward the Promised Land. Faith helps us see matters as God sees them – from His perspective – and it strengthens us to act accordingly. Only through faith can we please God.

Faith Counts On God
The writer of Hebrews reviewed “Four Faith Fundamentals” based on his statement about what faith does. Faith counts on God, who makes real the things that seem impossible – “things hoped for” (Heb. 11:1).

In Romans 4:17-21 the apostle Paul summarized the kind of faith Abraham had in view of the things that are impossible from a human perspective:

1. Abraham put his trust in the true God, in the One who quickens the dead – “gives life to the dead” – and calls things that are not, as though they are (v.17).
2. The patriarch hoped against hope to become the father of many nations, as God had told him in Genesis 15 (please read that chapter), even though this seemed impossible for several reasons.
3. Despite the apparent impossibility of God’s promise, Abraham was not weak in faith, but continued to believe what God had said, that he and Sarah would have a son who would become the heir and the progenitor, or forefather, of many generations, leading all the way to the Messiah (see Mt. 1).

Sarah had been sterile throughout her married life. Although God confirmed His earlier given promise, she had passed the age when she would normally be able to conceive. Beside these issues, her husband had become too old to father a son. His sons in Genesis 25:1-4 were from another marriage, not from Sarah or Hagar. Facing conditions which made it impossible from a human perspective for them to have any children, Abraham and Sarah continued to have relations because of faith in God’s promise. At His time God worked a great miracle. It caused people to laugh when Isaac – a name meaning “laughter” – was born, and the miracle brought glory to God.

1. Abraham’s faith was sustained by God, so that he hesitated not in unbelief, and had no doubt (Rom. 4:20). These are important issues for every believer to consider and put into practice.
2. Romans 4:20 also states that he was “strong in faith” (KJV). It implies God strengthened Abraham’s faith and shows God’s work coincided with Abraham’s response in faith. In this context, it is interesting to read in Hebrews 11: “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised” (v.11 ESV). The conclusion is important: “Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore” (v.12). Such are the amazing results for God’s glory, despite many obvious impossibilities!
3. Abraham was not only strong in faith, he also “gave glory to God” (Rom. 4:20). This is an important matter. We may realize that only God can give help or bring a solution in certain situations, but then we forget to thank Him or give Him glory after He answers our requests. Abraham, the father of the believers, did not forget to give glory or thanks to God.
4. The apostle concluded that Abraham was fully persuaded that what God had promised He “was also able to do” (v.21). Sometimes even with the best intentions, we may not be able to do what we promised. Not so with God! He not only is faithful and willing but also able to perform. That is why faith counts on God.

Reviewing what we have had thus far, after the “Four Faith Fundamentals” in Hebrews 11:3-7, we focused on Abraham’s faith, which made things “hoped for” a reality. We saw that Sarah became of one mind with Abraham and how God worked an incredible miracle. Hebrews 11:8-22 describes more details about Abraham’s faith and its impact on Sarah and their descendents, particularly Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. These verses provide important lessons for us today. In this connection, I would like to give you some homework, namely to study in Genesis about Abraham’s four altars, Isaac’s four wells, Jacob’s four pillars, and Joseph’s four garments. Your efforts will be rewarded in God’s grace.

The Conviction Of Things Not Seen
The initial statement of Hebrews 11:1 speaks of “things hoped for,” which we considered somewhat. The second part of that verse refers to “things not seen,” whether the “conviction of things not seen” (jnd) or “the evidence of things not seen” (KJV). We may distinguish between what is known in two ways:

1. An objective way – what God presented to Abraham, and to which he responded in faith.
2. The subjective impact that certain matters have, as illustrated in Moses.

Of course we should not separate the subjective aspect from the objective, for both belong together and should be kept together. The distinction I suggest is that with Moses the emphasis is on the inward conviction worked by faith, whereas with the patriarchs the hope of faith is emphasized. Abraham and his descendants were looking forward to the future fulfillment of God’s promises, whereas Moses was looking upward to the One at work to fulfill His promises to him and his people. 

Moses’ faith, at least to a certain extent, resulted from the faith his parents had (v.23). When he reached a certain age, Moses was able to act in obedience because of his own faith (vv.24-26). It is lovely to see how his parents’ faith had a definite impact on him, after they realized that God had a plan for their boy. Obviously, God has a plan for every child that is born.

Seeing things from God’s perspective, they saw their baby as “beautiful in God’s sight” (Acts 7:20 esv). Indeed, God was at work in them and in Moses, as well as in their two older children. This is a great encouragement for young parents to put their trust in the Lord, in view of having children, teaching and encouraging them despite all the pressures and negative influences that surround them. May the Lord help us – children, young people, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, fellow-Christians – for we all may have a share in these things!

The conviction of faith in Moses’ parents, perhaps his mother in particular, caused them to understand that God had a plan for their son (vv.20-21; Heb. 11:23). It is worth repeating these things, which had such an impact on Moses that his faith was preserved when his training was taken over by Pharaoh’s daughter. She had adopted him as her own son and wanted to have him for herself (Acts 7:21). In all probability, her plan was for Moses to become the next pharaoh, in competition with her younger brother. As we know from history, this brother hated her with a passion. Scripture is silent about these things, but the expression “as her own son” seems to confirm this point.

God’s Training And Human Actions
We cannot emphasize enough that Moses’ parents must have been teaching him from an early age, before his education was taken over by Pharaoh’s daughter. The training by his parents started before Moses was born and continued during the three months after his mother gave birth to him.

At that moment the princess adopted the baby Moses. She took him out of the basket in the Nile River, where she found him while she was bathing. His sister Miriam had been watching and suggested to the princess that she could find a nurse for her. With the permission of the princess, Miriam called her mother. The princess even paid for Moses’ care while he was again with his parents. Moses’ father and mother used this time to train him further in God’s ways, before he would be educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and ultimately become “mighty in words and deeds” (v.22 NKJV).

When he turned 40 years old it came into his heart to visit his own people (v.23). Seeing their oppression, Moses killed an Egyptian officer who had mistreated one of the Israelites (v.24). Moses, brought up as an Egyptian prince, hoped that his people – the people of Israel – would recognize him as being on their side as their deliverer, but they did not. After this disappointment Moses fled for his life (vv.23-29).

God then used 40 years of training in His school in the wilderness to teach Moses (v.30; Ex. 2–3). Yes, God can use a university, but He also uses a wilderness or similar situations to train His people. The Sinai desert became part of God’s university, where He prepared Moses for his future tasks as Israel’s deliverer and leader (Ex. 4–6).

After those 40 years God sent him and his brother Aaron to Pharaoh to tell that ruler to release Israel from their bondage. This message was accompanied by several remarkable signs, but Pharaoh refused and provoked God. Because of his refusal, God sent several plagues (Ex. 7–10). Following the ninth plague, God instructed Moses to announce one more: the death of all firstborns among humans and cattle (Ex. 11).

Israel’s deliverance from Egypt would come only after the Passover lamb was sacrificed in each family. This sacrifice was the firstborn’s substitute, and the whole family would be safe behind the blood spilled and applied on the doorposts and lintel when the Destroyer would pass through the land (Ex. 12). Each family was instructed to have a meal together at that memorable occasion, eating the Passover lamb that had been roasted on the fire. The people were to be ready to go when God would give the sign to depart. Under Moses’ leadership, the people followed all the instructions and other preparations for their exodus from Egypt (Ex. 13–15).

These chapters in Exodus include many spiritual lessons and guidelines for today’s believers, with the understanding that today we are not under the Mosaic law but under the law of Christ. The apostle Paul explained this, as in Galatians 5–6 for instance, with the support of the other New Testament writers.

God’s Instructions About Celebrating The Passover
Before leaving Egypt, Israel carried out God’s instructions with respect to the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb is mentioned 77 times in Scripture. This sacrifice provided the foundation for their coming deliverance and is important for many reasons. It needed to be celebrated every year for God’s honor so coming generations would be instructed in His thoughts (please read Exodus 12:1-25).

We then read the conclusion: “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say to you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is a sacrifice of passover to Jehovah, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses. And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. And the children of Israel went away, and did as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron; so did they” (vv.26-28 JND). These verses show that God cared about the next and future generations, that they would become exercised about leaving Egypt and all that it represents, and be identified with Him – the true God, the Yahweh of the Passover. The apostle Paul drew important conclusions from these verses, for the believers of the church age, about the necessity of redemption from this world system and how God’s basic principles are to be worked out in all local churches, or assemblies.*

Hebrews 11 describes how Moses chose to identify with his people even though they were living in poverty and under severe oppression. When he turned 40, Moses renounced the great privileges he enjoyed as linked to Pharaoh’s family, choosing to identify with his own people even though they were living as slaves. “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (vv.24-26 NKJV). 

Moses’ faith impacted his whole generation at the time, but the Lord has used his example – and still uses it – to help believers make the right choices and have the right priorities. “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned” (vv.27-29). This is an impressive summary of what God produced in and by Moses through his faith.

He had learned from his parents to respect the authorities God had placed over them. At times they were not able to obey the human authority because of a conflict with God’s higher authority. More than that, through faith, they saw the Invisible One, the true God, and this caused them not to be afraid of the king’s edict. This is not a call for civil disobedience, on the contrary! Instead, it is a call to obey the authorities under which we are placed, with the only exception being when they demand something in direct opposition to God’s command.

Conclusion
Hebrews 11 has much more to say, but we limit this overview to these two heroes of the faith: Abraham and Moses. Abraham’s faith sustained him to go out of Mesopotamia, as he was looking forward to things that were future, and still are even now. Moses’ faith helped him to look up to Him who is invisible. Indeed, his faith impacted his whole generation as “he forsook Egypt” and “by faith he kept the Passover” (vv.27-28).

May we, today, follow both examples for God’s glory and for our own benefit.

ENDNOTE
* In the Greek New Testament the word “church” is related to the word kurios, meaning “lord” in English. Whereas the word “assembly” (ecclesia) is derived from the root of the verb “to call out.” It refers to a company of those who have been called out.

By Alfred Bouter

Philippians 3:7-10,14 NKJV What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.