Chapter 11
The Importance of Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
What is faith? We see here it is things that we hope for that we cannot see. We can’t see Jesus, God, or heaven but by the gift of faith we believe in them. From the very beginning our ancestors who believed received a good report from God. We too will receive a good report from the Almighty by our faith in Him.
It is by faith that we believe the universe was created by God through His spoken Word. Everything we see was created by God. This is the first key step in becoming a child of God. The atheist or agnostic will be condemned by God at the judgment for their lack of faith. How can one see the beauty of our world and how all things in nature work together like clockwork to not believe in our divine Creator? The evidence is right before our very eyes. We will have no excuse on judgment day for rejecting the belief in our great God.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
Adam and Eve, our first parents, had two sons Cain and Abel. They were taught how to give the proper sacrifice to the Lord for their sins. Cain decided to make an offering from the produce of the land as he was a farmer. Abel, a shepherd, obeyed God and gave a blood sacrifice from one of his lambs without blemish. This was pleasing to God because Abel was obedient and his sacrifice pointed to the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission or removal of sins (Heb. 9:22).
Do you have faith in Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, who shed His blood on the cross to pay for the sins of all those who believe in Him?
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God
In the Scriptures there are only two persons who did not die but were taken up to heaven by God. Those two persons were Enoch and Elijah. Although much is said in the Scriptures about Elijah we only have three verses that give us information about Enoch (Gen. 5:21-24). When he was 65 he had a son named Methuselah. After the birth of his son the Bible says that Enoch walked with God for 300 years. Before the great flood in Noah’s day people lived much longer than they do today. Methuselah died when he was 969 years old (Gen. 5:27).
What did it mean that Enoch walked with God? Although that might not seem that significant, it really was. To say that he walked with God was a great spiritual honor. Very few persons in the Bible were described as walking with God. Noah also walked with God. Walking with God meant that Enoch loved God so much that he put God first in his life. It also meant that he obeyed God faithfully. God blessed Enoch because of his love and devotion to God by taking him personally to heaven to be with the Lord forever.
Are you walking with God? Are you living your life to please God like Enoch did? Is Jesus Christ first in your life?
6 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.
Is faith in God important? Absolutely, because without faith in Him we can never please or be accepted by God. Enoch had that faith. It is essential that we believe in God and understand that He will reward us one day for seeking after Him.
The Bible mentions several crowns that believers in Jesus will receive one day. There is a crown of righteousness given to those who look forward to the coming day of Jesus’ return. (2 Tim. 4:8) Their eager anticipation of His return makes them try their best to live righteous lives. There is a crown of life given to those who love the Lord. (James 1:12) Those who have suffered persecution for their devotion to Christ will receive this crown as it shows how much they love Him. There is a crown of glory given to faithful ministers of the gospel. (1 Peter 5:1-4) As Christians we should all run the race of life for the Lord and strive to win crowns for serving Him faithfully.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. (1 Cor. 9:24)
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
The world in Noah’s day was exceedingly wicked and sinful. Only Noah, who walked with God, and his family received grace in the eyes of the Lord for their faithfulness. God decided to destroy the rest of mankind and start over with Noah’s family. Noah was a preacher of righteousness and warned the people of their sins and the coming flood. However, they mocked and scorned him as he and his family built a huge ark to protect Noah’s family and selected animals to repopulate the earth. God gave Noah specific instructions on how to build this large, floating vessel. He built it by his faith in the Lord. It probably took him close to 100 years to build the ark but he never wavered in his faithful obedience to God. When the rains and waters covered the earth, only Noah, his family, and the animals with them survived.
The Faith of Abraham
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation. He was born in a land full of paganism. God called him to leave that land and go to a place that He would give him as an inheritance. His faith was so great in the Lord that he left his homeland not knowing where he would ultimately end up. The Lord directed his steps and Abraham came to the land promised him. He and his descendants were willing to live like nomads in tents as they waited on the promises of God. Abraham knew that one day he would live in a heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, made by God Himself. (Rev. 21:2)
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Although Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had some lapses in her faith the Lord blessed her with her son Isaac when she was about 90 years old. Overall she was faithful to the Lord and to her husband. She believed that God could accomplish whatever He promised He would do. The miracle working power of God took an old man who was about 100 years old and his barren wife of 90 and blessed them with their first born child. The descendants of this union would be too many to even number like the sand on the seashore. God would keep His promises to Abraham and the Jewish people.
A Prepared City
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
The Old Testament believers in God died trusting that one day they would inhabit that heavenly country, that city of God. The Lord gave His people a dwelling place on earth but they looked forward to a better place which will be the New Jerusalem. That is the city where all believers in Christ will reside in eternity. God is not ashamed to be called our God for He has prepared a city for us to live with Christ forever.
The Faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
God tested Abraham when He told him to sacrifice his only child Isaac to the Lord. What a very difficult test for Abraham. This would mean killing his son after having to wait many years before the Lord blessed him and Sarah with a child. At their age they would not be able to have any children together through normal means. Think how difficult this would have been for Sarah after having to wait a lifetime for their child being born by the miracle of God. Think how difficult it would have been for Abraham to have tied his son up to be sacrificed and how Isaac must have felt when his father was doing that to him. God stopped Abraham at the last minute as he was getting ready to stab his son to death. God then provided a substitute sacrifice by giving a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead of Isaac.
We see in this story the great faith of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. Abraham had so much faith in the Lord that he believed God could raise up his only begotten son Isaac from the dead for God had promised that Isaac would be the father of innumerable people. God knew beforehand that Abraham would be faithful to His command to offer up Isaac. However, the test was to show Abraham of his own faithfulness and love of the Lord, putting God first in his life. This was a picture of God giving up His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed for all those who would believe on Him. (John 3:16)
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
Isaac had faith in the promises of God for his two sons Jacob and Esau. Jacob in turn also had faith in the promises God made to him and his sons. He blessed the two sons of Joseph and worshiped God in his old age.
Joseph was a man of great faith who had many adversities in life and temptation to be immoral yet remained faithful to God in all ways. He ultimately became the prime minister of Egypt yet he still instructed the children of Israel to bury him in the land of promise God gave His chosen people.
Moses Was Faithful
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.
First we see the faith of the parents of Moses. The Hebrews were growing in number so fast that they presented a risk to the Egyptians. Pharaoh of Egypt commanded that all Hebrew baby boys be killed at birth by throwing them in the Nile River. Moses’ parents were not afraid of the king’s command but defied it at great personal risk and kept their baby safe. They built a small ark for the child and let it float down toward the king’s palace where the daughter of Pharaoh discovered it and adopted the child.
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
When Moses became a man he saw how badly the Egyptians were treating his Hebrew brethren. On one occasion he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and Moses slew the Egyptian. He left Egypt and its sinful pleasures and was used by God to deliver His people out of bondage. He felt serving Jesus Christ, the “I AM”, a far greater treasure than anything Egypt offered.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
God sent Moses back to Egypt to appear before Pharaoh and demand that God’s people be released from their slavery. By faith Moses believed God when the Lord said He would send a destroyer to kill the firstborn of each household who had not applied the blood of a lamb on their door posts and lintel. God’s people were spared because of their faith and action in applying the blood so the destroyer would pass over their homes while the Egyptians suffered the loss of their firstborn because they had not applied the blood of the lamb. This was the first Passover that would be celebrated annually by the Jewish people.
29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
When Moses led God’s people, the Israelites, out of Egypt they came to the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his armies came after them to kill the Israelites. God miraculously created a huge pillar of cloud and fire keeping the Egyptians from passing through to the Israelites. Then God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could pass through to the other side on dry land. When they finished passing through God removed the pillar and the Egyptians followed after them with their chariots on the dry land. When all the Egyptian army was on the dry land in the Red Sea God caused the sea to go back in place and drowned the entire army. God’s mighty display of power destroyed Egypt and saved the Hebrew nation.
The Faith of Other Old Testament Saints
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
The Israelites, obeying God and led by Joshua, circled the walls of Jericho for seven days and then the walls fell down by the power of God to give them the victory. The prostitute Rahab of Jericho believed in the God of Israel and hid the Jewish spies and helped them escape. She was rewarded as Israel did not destroy her and her family in her home. Both King David and Jesus Christ were descended from Rahab which shows that God has mercy on all types of sinners when they repent and believe.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35Women received their dead raised to life again.
Here we see men of the Old Testament who accomplished great deeds by the power of God. Some were also flawed in other ways. They were human just like we are. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That is why we need a savior. We have that savior in Jesus Christ if we believe and trust in Him.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
This shows us how persecuted and tortured these people were who stood for God and His righteousness. They suffered unimaginable pain and death. Christians in the United States cannot relate to the great persecution these Old Testament saints suffered on behalf of their Lord. However, Christians in other parts of the world today are also suffering greatly for their allegiance to Christ.
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
All these people who suffered these terrible punishments by evil men obtained a good report from God because of their faithfulness in the face of such trials. These Old Testament saints went through all this persecution but did not receive the promise. That promise was of the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas the Old Testament believers looked forward to His coming in the future, Christians of the New Testament look back upon Jesus through the scriptures. Jesus is better than the symbols that pointed to Him. We are able to serve and know Him personally.