COMMENDED FOR THEIR FAITH
Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, please use Scripture to build my faith today. Give me a greater understanding of God’s love for me and of his power at work in and through me.
Read HEBREWS 11:1–7
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Faith in Action
11 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.
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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.”[a] 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.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:5 Gen. 5:24
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’1
Think Further
For the rest of this week we are reading Hebrews 11, that inspiring list of faithful people from the past who were selected by the writer to encourage his people. Today’s reading begins with a description of faith and then lists the faithful exploits of Abel, Enoch, and Noah.
The opening description refers to things hoped for and things unseen. What we hope for is clearly in the future but, as we read the chapter, we will notice that often the unseen things are also in the future. This is clear with Noah, who was warned about the coming flood, and we will also find more unseen things that people acted on over the next few days. Be on the lookout for them. However, what comes out most clearly in these opening verses is the word ‘commended.’ You will have read it three times as you read the verses for today (vv. 2, 4, 5) and the Greek word for ‘commended’ also underlies the words ‘spoke well of’ in verse 4. The ancients were commended for their faith, Abel was commended as righteous when God commended his offerings, and Enoch was commended as one who pleased God.
These verses also contain some ‘we’ statements. It is faith that enables us to be confident about what we hope for and assured about what we do not see. It is faith that enables us to believe that God commanded the universe into existence. By earnestly seeking God, we can also have ourselves included in the ‘anyone’ statement of verse 6. It is faith that enables us to believe that God exists, and it is faith that enables us earnestly to seek him, knowing that when we seek him in this way he will reward us.
Apply
‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find.’2 As we consider Hebrews 11, be prepared to seek God earnestly and so receive God’s commendation.
Closing prayer
Lord God, you are altogether trustworthy in all things. Thank you that you welcome and honor my expressions and actions of faith, no matter how weak or small. As you work in and through me, I look to you to strengthen and build my confidence in you.
1 Mark 9:24 2 Matt 7:7
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