Hebrews Chapter 11.

Hebrews Chapter 11.

           

The Theme and Aim:    The theme and aim of the chapter is suggested by the words of 10:38-39.   The chapter is intended as an Exhortation to stand firm in faith.  The readers were in danger of drawing back and of withdrawing instead of progressing in faith.  They were in danger of letting go of faith as their life-principle.  Their assurance and conviction concerning spiritual realities were becoming stale, weary, lacking in zest.

The faith of Christ - the Christian faith - was the true Biblical faith, faith in God and His Word.  In this the Hebrew Christians were assured. 

           

The True Activity of Faith:   Faith is - the word `is' is emphatic, not as being strictly a definition of faith, but insisting upon reality and its characteristic activity.  The emphasis is on what faith does, rather than a definition of what it is essentially.  It describes its effects rather than its essence.

           

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  Faith is a personal relation to God that is marked or characterised by certainty.  This certainty is to be distinguished from mere dogmatism on matters of opinion about distinctions of doctrine.  Its exercise and activity concerns the reality of the Christian Salvation and Hope. This certainty is not derived from our outward observation - the use of the natural senses - except as the means of communicating the Word of God to us. 

           

Faith depends on Divine Revelation - it is rather our response - our Reflex to God's Word.  Revelation has always demanded faith as our response - our acceptance of the Divine Revelation.  It provokes and calls forth faith.

Notes on the Greek:
    

11:1  `Upostasis'.  Bauer defines this word:-

         

1.  Substantial nature, essence, actual being, reality (often in contrast to what merely seems to be).

2.  Confidence, conviction, assurance, steadfastness.

In 11:1 with objective genitive, "faith is confident assurance of the things we hope for."  Abbott-  Smith defines - (from `uphistemi' "to set under, stand under, support).:-

1.  A support, base, foundation (in various senses);

2.  Substance (opposite to `phantasia, emphasis');

3.  Steadfastness, firmness,(hence) assurance confidence.

           

Abbott-Smith thinks `title deeds' may be the meaning of the word.

           

11:1.  This was suggested by M-M.  But Moffatt says that this might suggest the metaphor, the metaphor means `confident assurance'.  The R.S.V has "assurance."  The N.E.B. has "give substance, assurance."  Barclay has "faith means that we are certain of the things we hope for."  Moffatt's Note seems opposite to the meaning of the N.E.B.  It cannot be too emphatically pointed out that the writer did not mean that faith gave substance or reality to unseen hopes, though this is the interpretation of the Greek Fathers.

           

`Elegchos', Bauer defines as, Proof, proving (hence perhaps), inner conviction. `Pragmaton elegchos ou blepomenon', "a proving of (or conviction about) unseen things, conviction (of a sinner), reproof, correction, censure."   In the R.S.V. - `conviction'.  N.E.B. "makes us certain of realities we do not see."

           

`Pragmaton', Genative Plural of `pragma', "that which has been done, a deed, act."  Secondly, "that which is being done, (hence) a thing, matter, affair, a lawsuit." 

           

Hering has "realities."  

     

The Elders.  11:2.  The good testimony that has been Divinely given to the Elders is due to their faith.  The chapter is a demonstration of this fact.  It was an important Apologetic to the Jewish mind to be instructed in the Continuity of faith.  The Christian Religion was no novelty, but rather the Consummation of the faith of believing men of all ages. Far from faith being a novelty in Religion, it has always been fundamental to it and the great characteristic of the people of God at all times.  The spiritual history of men has been the history of the achievements and victories of faith.

           

God has borne witness - a favourable witness - to the elders because of their faith.  The Roll-call of the people of God is the Roll-call of Faith.

           

A Fundamental Presupposition of Religion.   Even the elementary and universal tenets of religion is a matter of faith, such as our belief in God as the Creator of all.

           

1:3. `Nooumen'  `Noeo' (from nous) "to perceive," (with the mind), "understand." 

            `

Katertisthai', Infinitive.  `Phainomenon' (compare `phenomenon).

           

11:4.  Abel.   "It was faith that enabled Abel to offer a more excellent sacrifice than Cain."  In what way did he offer a more excellent sacrifice?  The meaning is, probably, that faith gave Abel greater spiritual insight as to the kind of sacrifice that would please God.  There must have been some Revelation of truth that Abel's faith responded to and accepted. 

           

This Epistle says much about blood.    Its significance and importance - that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.  Did Abel possess the insight of faith to bring a blood offering?   God bore witness to the excellence of his sacrifice - and though dead he still speaks a message to us, through the sacrifice he offered.

           

11:5.  Enoch.  The writer to the Hebrews is following the Septuagint when he says that Enoch pleased God.  The Hebrew tells us that he walked with God, but the two ideas are closely associated.  The man who walks with God pleases Him.  The two statements help us to understand the fullness of his fellowship with God.  Enoch was transferred from this world to God.  `Metatithemi'.  God took him for God desired a closer fellowship with Him.  Fellowship with God is realised in its fullness beyond this world.  Enoch exemplifies that man's true destiny is fellowship with God.  Enoch's transportation to fuller fellowship in heaven was a testimony to his having pleased God.  Faith being the principle of his life - the strength of his walk - the secret of his pleasing God.

           

Faith is Indispensable. 11:6.  If pleasing God is the aim of every religious exercise, such as worship, prayer, then faith is the one thing we cannot do without.  It is on the principle of faith that we please God.  It is central to all our yearnings Godward.  This faith necessarily involves two vital things:-

           

1.  Believe that God is - not only that He exists, but that He is the living God, great in power, holiness, love and truth.

           

2.  Believe in His intervention of human affairs.  He is sovereign and cannot be turned aside by men.  Unless we believe God cares, we must have little incentive to come to Him.

           

11:7.  Noah. 

a.  He believed God's word.  He did not disregard the warning.    

b.  He did something about it.  He prepared an ark for the salvation of his house.

c.  Through faith (the faith - that faith which did something), he condemned the world.  It may mean, that his faith, or active faith, was a testimony to the world of judgment to come.

d.  He became an heir of righteousness through faith.

           

11:8-17.  Abraham.   Abraham is distinguished as the man of faith:

           

The Obedience of faith.  Obedience was another great feature of Abraham, Faith always involves obedience.  Faith was the strength of his obedience when he heard the call of God.

           

The Venture of faith.   Faith is a venture - but it is a venture for and with God.  The path of faith is not one in which every step is clear from the beginning.  If that were so, it would no longer be faith but sight.  Abraham went forth not knowing whither he went.  He knew not what trials, what disappointments and dangers were in the way.  It was an adventure, full of risk and from the standpoint of reason the prospects were not good.

           

The Endurance of faith.   They became strangers, aliens and pilgrims in a strange land.  In ancient times life was always difficult in a foreign land.  The sojourn in a foreign land was a long one - continuing even in his grandson and death.  It was not that there was no opportunity to go back.  They could have done so, but never had any urge to return, for they were sure they were in the purpose of God.  They were sustained by a growing sense of the purpose of God, for His promise and purpose were not bounded by the land of Canaan.  God's promise had a larger meaning, its true significance would be realised beyond death.

           

Abraham, the dweller in tents, looked for a City - not an earthly one, but a City whose builder and maker is God.  A City worthy of Himself and could not be overthrown by men.  A City speaks of a settled state, and suggests strength, security, order, fellowship, wealth and culture.

           

He sojourned in the land that had been promised to him, but as a stranger there and not a possessor.  Clearly, he was never to become a possessor and would die an alien in the land of promise, but he never lost faith, for the promise of God had come to have a wider scope and deeper significance to him.  He looked for a City, he continued to manifest faith in God - his very willingness to remain a stranger, not returning to the land from whence he came, manifested his faith in the promise of God.  Thus his was a faith that anticipated the Christian interpretation of the promise, the promise that finds its fulfilment in Christ, our Great High Priest in heaven.  It was not to be expected that the full realisation of the promises would be on earth, but beyond death. How the principle is clearly illustrated that the fulfilment of God's purposes was beyond death and in spite of death.

           

The Crisis of faith.   This was the greatest test to his faith:-

a.  To sacrifice Isaac was to part with all that his faith had waited for.

b.  It was to obey God although the command was quite incomprehensible.

c.  In faith Abraham arose to some great fulfilment of the promise in resurrection.

           

The Chief Features of Faith are clear:-

1.  Looks beyond Death.  Faith believes God shall fulfil His promise in spite of death.  This is illustrated:-

a.  Abraham was as good as dead when Isaac was born.

b.  He reckoned on God who was able to raise Isaac up from the dead.

c.  Isaac blessed Esau and Jacob in things concerning the future.

d.  Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of  Joseph.

e.  Joseph gave instructions to the children of Israel, what they should do with his bones when they left Egypt.

f.  The parents of Moses were determined to rear their child in spite of the king's edict.

           

2.  Worship is an expression of the confidence of faith.  Jacob dying, with little physical strength left, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, worshipped leaning on the head of his staff.

           

3.  Faith promotes the blessing of others:-

a.  It concerns itself with the blessing of others.

b.  It rises in power to bless others.

           

4.  Faith is a testing.   God honours faith and puts it to the test.  The testing of faith demands obedience and sacrifice.

           

11:23.   Moses.  No other man was so highly esteemed in Jewish opinion as was Moses.  The writer to the Hebrews beheld in Moses an illustrious instance of faith:

           

1.  The faith of Moses' parents.  They were but common people and ranked as slaves in Egypt, but the Divine Record makes them notable because of their faith.  Not lineage, worldly possessions, but their faith brought them a good report - a Divine attestation.  Their faith was distinguished for two things:-

           

a.  Conviction inspired by the child's  beautiful appearance.  The beauty of the child was a Divine Revelation to them, that God had a destiny for the babe.  Stephen describes the Child as `a star to God'.  Compare the Iliad and the words - "Hector's beloved, resembling a lovely star."  The faith of Moses' parents discerns the Divine purpose.

           

b.  Courage  to defy the king's edict that the children be slain.  Their convictions gave them courage and inspired them to do all they could to preserve the child, not only because of their love to the Child, but because they would preserve him for God.  They hid the child in an ark in the river - that might seem a dangerous place - they must have had a lot of faith in God.  Parents need much faith and must pray a great deal.  We have a stewardship to bring up our children for God.

           

2.  The Faith of Moses.  All the important decisions of his life were inspired by faith:-

           

a.  His refusal of a remarkable relationship.  He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  Natural affection may have suggested he owed much to her - he owed all to her.  Natural reason may have suggested that it was a relationship holding great opportunities.  It made him a great man in a great nation.  All the best Egypt had might become his.  Not only so, did it not appear providential that he should have been brought into such a relationship.  If he had a sentiment, an affection for his race, could he not help them best by remaining in the relationship that he had been providentially brought into?  Was it faith to go against Providence?

           

b.  His choice involved hardship and suffering.   It was a strange choice to make.  There must have been some insight, some impelling conviction that brought him to such a choice.  It was an impelling conviction - deeper than patriotism - stronger than sentiment - that they were God's people.  Natural appearances did not suggest this - rather, they appeared a down trodden race of slaves - it looked most unlikely that they should have any future.  But Moses had no doubt that they were God's People, and that for the people of God there must be a future - a great future.  He was certain that it is only the People of God who had a future.

           

c.  The ground of His choice.  He considered - esteemed - preferred the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.  The word reproach contains the idea of disgrace, reviling, abuse.  He preferred to suffer such reviling - live a life of such things - to enjoying the treasures of Egypt.

           

Why is it distinctly called the reproach of Christ?  Is it, because he was caught up in God's great soteriological purpose, or because such sufferings prefigured those of Christ.  Both these things are true, but almost certainly the writer of Hebrews thinks of the pre-existent Christ working out - all along - His great saving purpose.

           

The readers are exhorted to bear the reproach of Christ (13:10-14) - the reproach of Christ who suffered outside the City walls.  There the perfect sacrifice was offered, by which we are sanctified.  To go forth unto Him is to recognize that not inside but outside is where God's people are found.  The people of God as those who are associated with the crucified outside the walls of Judaism.    

           

d.  His final renunciation of Egypt.  This act of complete renunciation was an act of faith, not of fear.  His flight to Midian indicated his complete renunciation - his final rejection - of Egypt.  He made this flight of renunciation even though it incurred the king's wrath.

           

The book of Exodus indicates that he fled through fear arising the discovery of his slaying the Egyptian.  But this Epistle perceives another side - that his flight was more than fleeing from punishment.  The killing of the Egyptian was the occasion of his departure, but there was a deeper motive in the heart of Moses.  He had come to a moment in his life - a moment when he reached the crisis of his abandonment of Egypt.  This was an act of faith not of fear.  He was not afraid of incurring the king's anger in leaving Egypt. 

           

The writer refers to Moses' lack of fear of the anger of Pharaoh on his discovery of Moses' flight.  One has well expressed this paradoxical occasion in the words, "he feared and therefore fled"; "he feared not and therefore fled."

           

e.  The Endurance of faith.  The verb in the aorist pin-points his long years of Endurance in Midian.  `Kartereo', "to be steadfast, patient."  He continued on, when there was no visible means of support, and no visible incentive, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

           

Moses had many lessons to learn and chiefly that he could do nothing in his own strength.  In the long years in Midian, he learned his own limitations, but he also learned more of

the Unseen Source of power, and that he must await God's time.

           

f.  The success of faith.  He celebrated the Passover.  The tense suggests its celebration was continuous.  It was an occasion of victory - the culmination of the years of waiting.

           

"By faith they crossed the Red Sea."  Moses is now the leader of a company.

           

The inferential particle with which this chapter opens is emphatic.  `Toilaroun'.  It emphatically brings home to us the lesson of chapter 11, that we press on and not let go our goal.  None have been so favoured as we are, with so great a cloud of witnesses, testifying to the worth of faith.  In chapter 11, we have traced faith's noble line, its glorious achievements and what it cost to bring faith down to us.

           

The likening of the life of faith to the runners in a stadium suggests the imagery of the amphitheatre with its many tiers of seats filled with spectators looking down at the runners.  The seats are filled by the champions of days gone by, keenly watching the contest.  It is not that the Old Testament heroes of faith are spectators now looking down on us, but they are likened to spectators in the amphitheatre, but it is not what they see in us, but what we see in them that the writer has in mind.  They are witnesses - actively witnessing - encouraging us to the true worth of the goal and witnessing to the power of faith, charging us not at any cost to become slothful.  In the presence of such a grand company of witnesses, can we do anything else but run well?  Let us prove that we too belong to faith's noble lineage.

           

This great cloud of witnesses "lies around us," `perikeimenon'.  It is a cloud that surrounds us.  Does not the cloud remind us of the presence and glory of God?  Does it not remind us of the Shekinah cloud that guided Israel?  There is light and refreshing strength in the witness of this cloud - great cloud - of faith's heroes.

           

We lay aside or put aside every handicap.  `Apothemenoi' is Aorist Participle Middle.  The figure is drawn from athletes stripping for the race.  They know too well that every encumbrance, every hindrance, must go.  The word `ogkos', "bulk, mass," was used by Greek medical writers for surplus weight.  It may therefore include the idea of training.  Runners must be fit to run.  They must train and gain fitness.  When an athlete prepares for the race, the rule that guides him as to what he must lay aside, is this thing a help or a handicap in the race?  The weight or handicap may be pride, fear, the spirit of slothfulness, hesitation to do what we know to be right, everything that separates us from God.

           

The "readily besetting," (eupistaton), sin is not the individual's peculiar vice, though most are troubled with some weakness that continually besets them, but the "close-clinging" sin is sin of every kind, and if there is any particular sin that is meant, it must surely refer to the slothfulness of faith that is the aim of the Epistle to correct.  This sin that handicaps so easily, not only hinders the Christian, but causes him to stumble.

           

"Let us run."  All the life of a Christian is likened to a race, a contest.  Running demands special effort and purpose.  To run successively we must have a goal.  There is a goal in the life of a Christian.  A life without a goal has no meaning, it is drab, lacking in interest, but the man with a goal is never bored.  But it is also important that the goal be worthwhile.  The Christian is striving for the goal that will not disappoint.   The means by which we run is clearly affirmed, it is through endurance.  When our footsteps begin to flag, we need endurance to continue. 

           

Endurance means that we do not relax our efforts, but run steadfastly with unflinching purpose.    Endurance suggests to us suffering.  Christ endured the Cross, that is, He suffered the agonies of the Cross and never lost sight of His goal.  The contest (agon) in which we run is before (proskeimenos) us.  Let us not think of the Christian life as an Escape with all our troubles behind us - they are before us.  God has set the combat before us, and, calls us to gain fresh victories.

           

The `race' A.V. is `contest' or `combat'.  The Greek word is related to our word `agony'.  The athlete, in order to gain his goal, submits himself to an agonizing effort.