HEROES OF FAITH
Opening Prayer
God of history, thank you for giving me a part in your story of redemption. Help me to share that story with those around me.
Read HEBREWS 11:32–40
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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;[a] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 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.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;
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
May God strengthen our faith, enabling us to persevere like those we read about today, so that we, too, can be commended for it.
Think Further
The question at the start of verse 32 and its erply indicate that the writer reached the climax of his list with Rahab: ‘And what moer shall I say? I do not have time to tell … .’ He names six individuals plus ‘the prophets,’followed by nine examples of the great deeds they accomplished though faith. After this, the tone changes. While some women received back their dead who were raised to life, there were others who endured various kinds of torture and sometimes martyrdom, suffering extreme cruelty from their persecutors. Those who lived were mistreated horribly and excluded from society, being forced to wander in deserts and mountains and to live in caves and holes in the ground.
The whole catalog of heroes of faith and their deeds shows how God’s faithful people, that great ‘cloud of witnesses,’1 have endured by keeping their eyes on the goal while suffering persecution. The implication is that the first readers of Hebrews, who had suffered persecution in the past and were likely to face further persecution in the future, would be encouraged in their faith and motivated to persevere, even if it cost them their lives.2
The chapter closes as it began, with the reminder that all these ‘ancients’ were commended for their faith (see v. 2). Nevertheless, none of them received what was promised. For that, they had to wait (v. 40). Those of us who follow Christ now and the faithful ones who preceded him are together made perfect through the self-offering of Christ. We, with them, will make up that great company of ‘the righteous made perfect.’3 Together, we will surround the throne in the world to come, where Jesus is now exalted – so long as we endure.
Apply
Many believers today are suffering for the name of Jesus. Ask God to strengthen their faith, to hear their cries, and to grant them boldness and wisdom in their witness.
Closing prayer
Mighty God, thank you for those who persevere in the hard places of the world for your glory. Give them courage and the assurance that you are with them and are pleased with the faith by which they live.
1 Heb 12:1 2 See Heb 10:32–36; 12:1–4 3 Heb 12:23
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