Thursday, November 13

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Ezekiel 27:12–28:26

Hebrews 11:17–31

Psalm 111:1–10

Proverbs 27:15,16

 

 

“Now faith in confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for….  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.” (Hebrews 11:1,2,6)

 

 

Many commentators have termed Hebrews 11 as the Bible’s “Hall of Faith,” for it tells of many Old Testament figures’ commitment to following God.  Throughout the chapter, we might provide a template, such as:  “By faith, (name) (action verb, past tense) in spite of… ”  That is, these characters all dedicated themselves to action, even in the midst of opposition and temptation to the contrary.  Even without having the testimony of the living and risen Lord Jesus Christ, these pillars of faith carried on: 

 

“All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

 

 

As an analogy, it appears that these pre-Christ believers were engaged in a marathon of walking by faith, looking ahead to an uncertain finish line but confident in God’s goodness and provision.  On their own, their strength (life) would run out before finding realization of the promises.  For many runners, contemplating the joy of finishing or of being reunited with family provides a key “push” in the final miles of a long race.  The “runners” in Hebrews 11 contemplated those finish-line rewards but did not experience them in this earthly life.  Their example of faithfulness and endurance should encourage us, who have the privilege of knowing the reality of the Resurrection and, in part, the promise of heaven as described in the Scriptures.

 

In addition, these heroes of the faith took actions that demanded their submission.  Abraham sacrificed his homeland to follow God’s directions and later raised the knife to slay his promised son.  Hebrews 11:19 provides a helpful insight into Abraham’s likely thinking on this matter:  “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”

 

Then, the author concentrates on Moses, who had, by virtue of his adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter, come to live in privilege in the king’s palace.  Yet, God called him forth from this privileged upbringing to lead his people – the people of God – out from Egypt and to their Promised Land.  Moses would only view the Promised Land from a distance, however. 

 

Moses endured mistreatment and suffering “rather than… the fleeting pleasures of sin.”  What caused Moses to stay the course?  We read that “he was looking ahead to his reward” and that “he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”  He had focused on “his reward” and “him who is invisible.”  Yet, he could not see either of these focal points with his human eyes!  He had developed eyes of faith, trusting, as Paul writes about Abraham in Romans 4:17, “the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”

 

How may grow in our faith and endurance?  How do we gain spiritual eyes and a trusting heart?  These transformations appear to come from becoming familiar with God’s promises, seeking God with all our hearts, and waiting on His faithfulness and deliverance.  For this reason, Bible reading and prayer time plays a crucial role in our becoming aware of His promises (as with Moses’s “reward”) and our seeing “him who is invisible.”  Like the “faith runners” in Hebrews, we will not experience the fullness of these rewards until we come into the Lord’s presence, but, based on God’s character, the “finish line” will be “immeasurably more than all we ask of imagine… ” (Ephesians 3:20)

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for these examples of faith.  We would like to become deeply acquainted with Your promises and the fullness of God.  We would like to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  We would like to run confidently after you, trusting in Your provision and goodness.  Give us new eyes so that we may persevere by faith.  Strengthen us to live out Your purposes today and during the rest of our time on earth.  We love You.  In Your Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS