Heb 11:8-22 | KingComments | STEP | . In the example of Abel you have seen that the death of an innocent substitute was the means that God accepted you. With Enoch you see a next step. He who is declared righteous, walks in faith. The name Enoch means ‘taught’. He who is taught in the value of the offering, learns how to walk by faith and is taken up by that same faith. As a principle you are freed from the power of death through the offering of the Lord Jesus. Everything that belongs to the old man, is taken away by that offering ( ). The devil, who had the power of death, is rendered powerless ( ). The victory over death is that perfect that if it pleases God you can go to heaven without passing through death. That happened to Enoch and that’s what will happen to the church at the rapture ( ). Elijah also went to heaven without dying ( ). Enoch and Elijah both lived in a time of great wickedness. Like Elijah Enoch was a prophet of judgment ( ). In the first place this judgment came by the flood. But its prophecy extends to the end of time, the return of Christ. A person who lives with God, obtains understanding of the future where Christ is the Center. Now it is said of Enoch here “that he was pleasing God”. When you read in Genesis 5 what is said about Enoch, you read that He walked with God ( ). As the writer does more often in this letter he quotes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. In the Septuagint ‘walking with God’ is translated into ‘pleasing God’. The writer takes that over here under the guidance of God’s Spirit. That implies that ‘walking with God’ is identical to ‘pleasing God’. If you think of walking you should think of the whole way of living. Enoch involved God in all aspects of his life. God was the object of his walk. It also has been presented in such a way that Enoch in his walk with God had come that close to heaven that God said: ‘Come in.’ I believe that we should also be like that as members of the church. The rapture of the church should not surprise or overwhelm us, but should be in continuation of a walk with God. A walk with God can only bring you closer to heaven. Enoch obtained the witness of God that he was pleasing to Him “before his being taken up”. His faith was revealed during his life that preceded his being taken up. . Without faith a walk like that of Enoch is impossible. A person who does not believe is absolutely incapable of walking in a way that God looks at with joy. The walk of Enoch pleased God because that walk reminded Him of the walk of the Lord Jesus when He was on earth. To God the future is present. He looked ahead to the walk of the Lord Jesus. Therefore He reports it. This is how it ought to be with every believer ( ). You can only walk with God if you believe “that He is”. That is something different and goes much further than believing that He is there. Demons also believe that God is there, that He exists ( ), but that doesn’t affect their evil resistance against God at all. To believe ‘that God is’, means that you really experience His presence in your life and that His presence is the main thing in your life. It means that you believe that He is interested in your walk and knows about your walk. You draw near to Him and you seek Him because you trust Him and know that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Seeking fellowship with the Lord is abundantly rewarded. . The characteristic of the faith of Enoch is that he had a hidden relationship with God. With Noah you see how his faith made him a public witness of God toward the world. God gave Noah an indication about things he couldn’t yet observe with his natural eyes. God told him about the flood He had to bring on the world because of the incorrigible and evil conduct of man. When Noah heard that, he became a preacher of righteousness ( ; ). At the same time he continued to listen to God. The result of that was that he not only preached, but he indeed took action. His testimony existed of a deed of obedience. On God’s command he built an ark. That was a remarkable testimony that he didn’t expect anything from this world anymore, for it was going to perish by the waters of judgment. By building the ark he also showed that he fixed his hope on a new world. He could see both the judgment and the new world only by faith. That made him “an heir of the righteousness” that is characteristic for a world that is purified from evil through the judgment of God. He was going to inherit the world as a truly righteous man ( ). This example serves to encourage the Hebrew believer ( ) and us. The Hebrews were possibly asking themselves why they were a minority if they were right. The example of Noah was meant to encourage them. Only eight people were saved ( ), while the rest of the world perished. Noah and his family are therefore a picture of the Jewish remnant. They represent the remnant of Israel that will go through the great tribulation (presented in the flood) and with the coming of the Lord Jesus will enter the millennial kingdom of peace. These events will follow in the history of salvation after the rapture of the church that is presented in Enoch. It was not fear and anguish that led Noah to build the ark, but his respect for God’s Word. In the same way your walk in faith should also be the result of the respect that you have for what God has said. From your walk it will be apparent how you respond to what God says to you in His Word. Another remarkable thing is that Noah does not only prepare an ark for himself, but for his household. This implies that God wants to save a person and his household. That is an extra responsibility for the head of the family. This particular verse about Noah delivers a number of aspects of faith that are worthy of being mentioned: 1. First there is the ground of his faith: he is warned by God. 2. Then you read about the territory on which his faith is focused: things that were not yet seen. 3. Then you notice the practice of his faith: he was moved with reverence for God. 4. Then you see the work of his faith: he prepared an ark for himself and his household. 5. Then the result of his faith follows: he saved his household. 6. His whole conduct was a witness of faith: he was judging the world. 6. Finally he received a reward of faith: he became an heir of righteousness. You could say that in in the several events and people the general principles of faith are presented. In the section that now follows, , the main point is the perseverance of faith. The examples show believers who walk as pilgrims in the power of faith that God will fulfill His promises, even though that fulfillment still seems to be so far away. You read in this section seven times the expression “by faith”. The examples that the writer brings forward are the patriarchs who were so familiar to the Hebrews. Concerning Abraham you read four times about faith. That was 1. with his call and obedience ( ), 2. in connection with his sojourning ( ), 3. when it comes to life from death ( ) and – after a parenthesis in – 4. when he is tested ( ). The other three times are 1. about the faith of Isaac who by faith proves his knowledge of God’s ways ( ), 2. about the faith of Jacob at the end of his path of faith, which was full of experiences ( ) and 3. about the faith of Joseph who looks forward to the redemption of God’s people ( ). The application to the Hebrews and also to you, is clear. Each man or woman of faith of the past illustrates certain aspects of faith that should also characterize the Hebrews. It altogether refers to the future age and particularly to the heavenly side of it. . The previous men of faith were not called to abandon anything, but Abraham has to do that. When God calls him, he goes, even though he doesn’t know where he will end up. The faith of Abraham shows a full trust in God. He had nothing to focus on, he knew nothing nor a name of anything or any particularities of the land he was guided to. God was sufficient for him. He did not ask: ‘Where do I go?’ His faith was not mixed with his own calculations. He trusted in the word of the God Who cannot deceive. The life of Abraham is the great example of the New Testament believer ( ) who is also called ( ; ; ). The crucial point of the calling is the promise. To obtain the promise you have to give up everything. You only do that if you trust that He Who calls you, is everything and that He has a better world for you: a world filled with His glory in Christ. The obedience of Abraham was immediate. It was not motivated by the attractiveness of what was presented to him, but by the glory of Him Who spoke ( ). Now read Hebrews 11:5-8 again. Reflection: Which aspects of faith do you encounter in this section and which of them are of importance to you?

‏ Hebrews 11:8-22

Living by Faith (II)

Heb 11:5. In the example of Abel you have seen that the death of an innocent substitute was the means that God accepted you. With Enoch you see a next step. He who is declared righteous, walks in faith. The name Enoch means ‘taught’. He who is taught in the value of the offering, learns how to walk by faith and is taken up by that same faith. As a principle you are freed from the power of death through the offering of the Lord Jesus. Everything that belongs to the old man, is taken away by that offering (Rom 6:6). The devil, who had the power of death, is rendered powerless (Heb 2:14). The victory over death is that perfect that if it pleases God you can go to heaven without passing through death.

That happened to Enoch and that’s what will happen to the church at the rapture (1Thes 4:15-17). Elijah also went to heaven without dying (2Kgs 2:1 ; 11). Enoch and Elijah both lived in a time of great wickedness. Like Elijah Enoch was a prophet of judgment (Jude 1:14-15). In the first place this judgment came by the flood. But its prophecy extends to the end of time, the return of Christ. A person who lives with God, obtains understanding of the future where Christ is the Center.

Now it is said of Enoch here “that he was pleasing God”. When you read in Genesis 5 what is said about Enoch, you read that He walked with God (Gen 5:24). As the writer does more often in this letter he quotes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. In the Septuagint ‘walking with God’ is translated into ‘pleasing God’. The writer takes that over here under the guidance of God’s Spirit. That implies that ‘walking with God’ is identical to ‘pleasing God’.

If you think of walking you should think of the whole way of living. Enoch involved God in all aspects of his life. God was the object of his walk. It also has been presented in such a way that Enoch in his walk with God had come that close to heaven that God said: ‘Come in.’ I believe that we should also be like that as members of the church. The rapture of the church should not surprise or overwhelm us, but should be in continuation of a walk with God. A walk with God can only bring you closer to heaven.

Enoch obtained the witness of God that he was pleasing to Him “before his being taken up”. His faith was revealed during his life that preceded his being taken up.

Heb 11:6. Without faith a walk like that of Enoch is impossible. A person who does not believe is absolutely incapable of walking in a way that God looks at with joy. The walk of Enoch pleased God because that walk reminded Him of the walk of the Lord Jesus when He was on earth. To God the future is present. He looked ahead to the walk of the Lord Jesus. Therefore He reports it. This is how it ought to be with every believer (1Thes 4:1).

You can only walk with God if you believe “that He is”. That is something different and goes much further than believing that He is there. Demons also believe that God is there, that He exists (Jam 2:19), but that doesn’t affect their evil resistance against God at all. To believe ‘that God is’, means that you really experience His presence in your life and that His presence is the main thing in your life. It means that you believe that He is interested in your walk and knows about your walk. You draw near to Him and you seek Him because you trust Him and know that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Seeking fellowship with the Lord is abundantly rewarded.

Heb 11:7. The characteristic of the faith of Enoch is that he had a hidden relationship with God. With Noah you see how his faith made him a public witness of God toward the world. God gave Noah an indication about things he couldn’t yet observe with his natural eyes. God told him about the flood He had to bring on the world because of the incorrigible and evil conduct of man. When Noah heard that, he became a preacher of righteousness (2Pet 2:5; 1Pet 3:19). At the same time he continued to listen to God.

The result of that was that he not only preached, but he indeed took action. His testimony existed of a deed of obedience. On God’s command he built an ark. That was a remarkable testimony that he didn’t expect anything from this world anymore, for it was going to perish by the waters of judgment. By building the ark he also showed that he fixed his hope on a new world. He could see both the judgment and the new world only by faith. That made him “an heir of the righteousness” that is characteristic for a world that is purified from evil through the judgment of God. He was going to inherit the world as a truly righteous man (Psa 37:29).

This example serves to encourage the Hebrew believer (Heb 2:5) and us. The Hebrews were possibly asking themselves why they were a minority if they were right. The example of Noah was meant to encourage them. Only eight people were saved (1Pet 3:20), while the rest of the world perished. Noah and his family are therefore a picture of the Jewish remnant. They represent the remnant of Israel that will go through the great tribulation (presented in the flood) and with the coming of the Lord Jesus will enter the millennial kingdom of peace. These events will follow in the history of salvation after the rapture of the church that is presented in Enoch.

It was not fear and anguish that led Noah to build the ark, but his respect for God’s Word. In the same way your walk in faith should also be the result of the respect that you have for what God has said. From your walk it will be apparent how you respond to what God says to you in His Word.

Another remarkable thing is that Noah does not only prepare an ark for himself, but for his household. This implies that God wants to save a person and his household. That is an extra responsibility for the head of the family.

This particular verse about Noah delivers a number of aspects of faith that are worthy of being mentioned:

1. First there is the ground of his faith: he is warned by God.

2. Then you read about the territory on which his faith is focused: things that were not yet seen.

3. Then you notice the practice of his faith: he was moved with reverence for God.

4. Then you see the work of his faith: he prepared an ark for himself and his household.

5. Then the result of his faith follows: he saved his household.

6. His whole conduct was a witness of faith: he was judging the world.

6. Finally he received a reward of faith: he became an heir of righteousness.

You could say that in Heb 11:1-7 in the several events and people the general principles of faith are presented. In the section that now follows, Heb 11:8-22, the main point is the perseverance of faith. The examples show believers who walk as pilgrims in the power of faith that God will fulfill His promises, even though that fulfillment still seems to be so far away.

You read in this section seven times the expression “by faith”. The examples that the writer brings forward are the patriarchs who were so familiar to the Hebrews. Concerning Abraham you read four times about faith. That was

1. with his call and obedience (Heb 11:8),

2. in connection with his sojourning (Heb 11:9-10),

3. when it comes to life from death (Heb 11:11-12) and – after a parenthesis in Heb 11:13-16 –

4. when he is tested (Heb 11:17-19).

The other three times are

1. about the faith of Isaac who by faith proves his knowledge of God’s ways (Heb 11:20),

2. about the faith of Jacob at the end of his path of faith, which was full of experiences (Heb 11:21) and

3. about the faith of Joseph who looks forward to the redemption of God’s people (Heb 11:22).

The application to the Hebrews and also to you, is clear. Each man or woman of faith of the past illustrates certain aspects of faith that should also characterize the Hebrews. It altogether refers to the future age and particularly to the heavenly side of it.

Heb 11:8. The previous men of faith were not called to abandon anything, but Abraham has to do that. When God calls him, he goes, even though he doesn’t know where he will end up. The faith of Abraham shows a full trust in God. He had nothing to focus on, he knew nothing nor a name of anything or any particularities of the land he was guided to. God was sufficient for him. He did not ask: ‘Where do I go?’ His faith was not mixed with his own calculations. He trusted in the word of the God Who cannot deceive.

The life of Abraham is the great example of the New Testament believer (Rom 4:11) who is also called (Rom 8:30; 1Cor 1:2; 1Pet 2:9). The crucial point of the calling is the promise. To obtain the promise you have to give up everything. You only do that if you trust that He Who calls you, is everything and that He has a better world for you: a world filled with His glory in Christ.

The obedience of Abraham was immediate. It was not motivated by the attractiveness of what was presented to him, but by the glory of Him Who spoke (Acts 7:2).

Now read Hebrews 11:5-8 again.

Reflection: Which aspects of faith do you encounter in this section and which of them are of importance to you?

Living by Faith (III)

Heb 11:9. When Abraham comes to the place where God has led him, he doesn’t receive anything (Acts 7:5). That is a new exercise of faith. That same exercise you have too. You have been converted and know that it implies that you belong to the Lord Jesus Who has all power in heaven and on earth. But what do you see of that at this moment? At this moment you are a stranger on earth without civil rights. This is not your home. An English song we often have sung with young people says it well: ‘This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.’ However, you may look forward to soon, when the Lord Jesus will take possession of the world. Then you will possess the world together with Him.

Until that time the promise of that possession gives you the strength to live here as a stranger. The sojourning of Abraham is underlined by the fact that he dwelt in tents. A house is the symbol of a permanent residence, while a tent indicates the temporary character of a dwelling place. Also his son Isaac and his grandchild Jacob were living like that. They also, as fellow heirs of the same promise, have not received what was promised. In case Abraham expected that they would then at least receive the fulfillment, it would then be a new exercise of faith.

Heb 11:10. Abraham is not discouraged by that. He remains focused on what the Lord has promised. Although he has nothing, his affections have a firm character. He longs for a better land and clings directly and completely to God. If you trust in God and give up everything for His sake you will always gain more and you will learn more from the ways of His might. Abraham has learnt by faith to look for something beyond a fulfillment in his days that is better than a possession on earth. Hadn’t he seen the God of glory (Acts 7:2)? That caused an unprecedented, and in the Old Testament not revealed, extent to his faith. That’s what you see here. Abraham looked higher than an earthly people and an earthly land. He saw a heavenly city, that is the heavenly center of the future age, the millennial kingdom of peace.

It is a “city which has foundations”. This stands opposite to dwelling in tents on earth. Of that city God is both the “architect” – or technician, artist, designer, someone who designs building plans – and the “builder”. Then it must be a perfect city. This cannot be other than that every grandiosity of nowadays cities, designed by imperfect people, pales in comparison and loses any appeal. It must be a joy too to live in God’s city. Every citizen will feel at home there. All things of and in that city bears the character of its Architect and Builder.

Heb 11:11. Here the question is whether it is about the faith of Abraham or about that of Sarah. For a long time there has been the thought that it is about Sarah, though it seems not impossible that it is about Abraham. Because I find it difficult to make a well-founded choice, I would like to say something of both.

When Sarah heard the message that she was going to give birth to a child, she did not immediately prove to have faith in the promise (Gen 18:12). After all, she was ninety years old (Gen 17:17) and therefore too old to even be able to become pregnant. But in the description of the birth of Isaac you read that is was Yahweh Who took care of Sarah and He did for her as He had promised (Gen 21:1-2). It therefore also looks like Sarah after all indeed had faith in the promise of God. In his first letter Peter supports that thought by presenting her as a woman who trusted in God (1Pet 3:5-6). Her faith drew its strength from the faithfulness of God to His promise. Therefore she gained ability to become pregnant.

But from this occasion also the faith of Abraham becomes apparent. Of him you don’t read that he had any doubt about God’s promise. In fact you read that he did not doubt the promise of God (Rom 4:19-21). He himself was well aware that conceiving a child was impossible. After all, he was a hundred years old (Gen 17:17 ; Gen 21:5). However, for his faith it was not a hindrance at all to trust God that He was able to provide him with descendants. No, on the contrary, because the fulfillment of the promise of descendants was physically impossible, he focused himself on God alone. Abraham considered God faithful and able, for He had promised it.

Heb 11:12. Therefore this one man received innumerable descendants. Of this one man it is also underlined that he was “as good as dead”. That emphasizes that God gives life from death. The son of Abraham, the son of the promise, comes, as it were, from the death and by that therefore also all his descendants.

This points forward to what God has done with the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is the beginning of an entirely new situation, the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promises altogether that will find their accomplishment in the millennial kingdom of peace. Then the descendants that are in the heavens, “the stars”, and on earth, “the sand”, will enjoy God’s blessings in full measure.

Heb 11:13. As it is said, the writer interrupts his argument in Heb 11:13 to continue that in Heb 11:17. In this interruption he makes some remarks about the faith of life of the patriarchs. They not only lived in faith, they died in faith too. During their life they did not receive what was promised to them. Nevertheless they did not lose what was promised when they died. They took that along with them into their graves. “Having seen them … from a distance.” Their faith saw forward and they embraced in faith what they saw in faith. They also witnessed to that. They “confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth”, which means that they openly testified to this faith; they did not keep it for themselves (Gen 23:4; Psa 119:19).

In their way of life you see that they had no home on earth, but that they were strangers and exiles on it. They did not demand their rights, for they didn’t have any and they neither pretend to have any. This is different with many Christians.

Heb 11:14. The confession of those who died in faith was not a lip confession which was contradicted by their practice. In their practice you saw what they confessed with their mouth. They clearly showed what they were looking for, which means that they were longing for, a country of their own. You only do that if you’re sure that you haven’t come there yet.

Heb 11:15. Their pursuit did not make them think of returning to the country they had left. The lusts of the flesh, the attractions of the world, the obligations of family relationships, the daily business worries of life, could have altogether been in different ways and on different times enough reason for them to return, but they did not.

The difference between Lot and Abraham is a good example of this. Lot went on the journey with Abraham to the land that was promised by God. But he had no desire for it. Once he has come there and then sees another beautiful area, he chooses that one (Gen 13:10-11). Abraham could have returned, for he was not thrown off his country. He freely departed from there. Nevertheless, Abraham remains longing for the city of God.

Heb 11:16. The patriarchs did not desire to go back to their old country, but they were looking forward to a heavenly country, that is a better country. By longing for that, they honored God. He offered them a better prospect and they believed what He said. Their faith was that great that they became aware that His promises meant more than the literal description indicated. Behind the description of the wonderful promises they saw Him Who will fulfill them and Who is at the same time the center of it.

Many things in Christendom are ‘better’ than in Judaism, to which now also ‘a better country’ is added. This country is not heaven. It is about the resurrection. It is the place where the risen and glorified saints will live forever and ever. Within the framework of this letter this heavenly country is the ‘future world’, or ‘the future age’, and then the heavenly side of it. This is the millennial kingdom of peace, the day of the Lord Jesus, to which the patriarchs have been looking forward (Jn 8:56). The faith of the patriarchs saw the reality, not just something vague.

God is not ashamed of such believers. He joyfully bears their name as ‘family name’, so to speak. It is after all true when you read that He is the ‘God of Abraham’. Do you think that He would joyfully bear your name as ‘family name’ also? He surely would if you also see the reality of that heavenly country and heavenly city and if you live up to that. His city is ready to welcome you. God took care of that. It is the inheritance that is prepared in the heavens and that is well reserved for you there (1Pet 1:4).

Now read Hebrews 11:9-16 again.

Reflection: Which characteristics of faith are reflected in Abraham’s life and what can you learn from that?

Living by Faith (IV)

Heb 11:17. After the parenthesis of Heb 11:13-16 the writer is now going to say something about the individual patriarchs and how they believed God. The first is again Abraham. You have already paid attention to several proofs of his faith. Those are impressive proofs. But now the writer quotes an example of his faith that is unprecedented. This proof of his faith is again connected to the son he and Sarah received.

When he and Sarah were too old to beget children he persisted in believing that God was still able to give him a son. God after all promised that, didn’t He? And because God is faithful to what He promises, it is a matter of waiting for His time to give what He has promised. For Abraham, it is truly true that what is impossible with men is possible with God (Mk 10:27). But now God is asking him to offer up his son. That is a test of unprecedented gravity.

The first time he was promised a son, which he received by faith. Now God is asking him to offer up this son, though this son was the heir through whom God was going to realize His promises. This couldn’t be true, could it?! This test of his faith was much heavier than the previous one. Still Abraham offered up his son as a burnt offering when God asked him to (Gen 22:1-10). With this offering up Abraham put all promises he had accepted on the altar. He was promised to have descendants and also a land, but he gave this all back to God in Isaac when He asked for it. He offered up “his only begotten son” (Gen 22:2).

Heb 11:18. He did not do that impulsively. He pondered on the question God asked him. He must have struggled with the question how God could ask him that. It did not match with the former commitments, did it? God was going to realize His promises through Isaac and not through another son, for example Ishmael, right? No, God explicitly mentioned the name of Isaac when He said: “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”

Heb 11:19. Therefore he had considered, that is: he had formed a conviction by consideration and calculation. Then there could only be one answer and that is that God would raise Isaac from the dead. Therefore he says in Genesis 22: “And I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you” (Gen 22:5). That means that he believed in the power of God, a power that great by which He can “even” raise dead people.

Abraham’s faith is therefore that great because it is not likely that Abraham had an example of someone being raised from death. Through his consideration of what God had said about His might to carry out His word he came to this conclusion. true faith is not ‘wishful thinking’ or a visualizing things through which you ‘claim’ what you want, as long as your imagination is strong and persistent enough. True faith always clings to some statement of God in His Word. God is honored by such a faith.

When Abraham tied up his son Isaac on the wood and took the knife to slay his son he did not know that God was going to say him that he did not need to offer up Isaac (Gen 22:11-12). To God the proof was delivered of the faith of Abraham in Him as the God of the resurrection. In a certain way Abraham received Isaac back from death. It is true that God spared Abraham a pain that He did not spare Himself. God gave His Son in death.

To the Hebrews this example of Abraham’s faith is of great encouragement. After all they also lived that long in faith that their wonderful national inheritance was a gift from God. Now they are to abandon that. They moved away out of it, but what they had abandoned was still alluring them. To really separate from it and to abandon it, it is necessary to believe in a God Who had better promises for them than everything they had abandoned.

Heb 11:20. Also Isaac has done things that were only possible through faith. He has blessed his sons concerning future matters. From the blessings with which he blessed each of his sons, his faith in God’s promises becomes apparent. It appears from the blessing with which he blessed Jacob that Jacob is in the line of the promises. He transfers the blessing of Abraham to Jacob: the promise to posterity and to the land.

He also blesses Esau, but with another blessing. From the blessing for Esau it appears that Isaac kept him out of the line of the promise consciously. That too testified to his faith. Although in his weakness he preferred Esau to Jacob, regarding the blessing he associated to God’s thoughts. It is important not to be guided by human weakness in your judgment on God’s promises, but by God’s thoughts. Then you will always end up well.

Heb 11:21. With Jacob his faith also appears from the blessing he blesses with. Jacob too blesses two sons. They were not his own sons, but they were two of his grandchildren, the sons of Joseph. And like Isaac he blesses the younger with a greater blessing than the elder. Those are the sons of Joseph, the one distinguished among his brothers (Gen 49:26; Deu 33:16) and who was given the birthright (1Chr 5:1-2). In the blessing of both his sons Jacob gave Joseph the double blessing of the firstborn (Deu 33:17). Joseph is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus, the Firstborn Whom God will bring into the world soon (Heb 1:6).

In connection with Joseph Jacob becomes a worshiper. In faith he sees how the counsel of God and His ways lead to the fulfillment of His counsel coincide in the true Joseph. It is God’s purpose that the Hebrews and we honor and worship Him for the fulfillment of His counsel and the ways He goes for that. The staff of Jacob is the symbol of his long history. He leant on it as a pilgrim and as a cripple. At the end of his life he still leans on it, not to walk anymore though, but to worship. Our life path ends with the Lord. Then we shall worship Him for all the grace with which He surrounded us to bring us into the land He promised us.

Heb 11:22. Jacob’s faith was connected to the person of the true Joseph, Joseph’s faith was connected to God’s people and God’s land. In faith he saw the redemption of the people from Egypt and the entrance into the land of Canaan. All the glory he had in Egypt became nothing compared to the coming glory of Israel under the government of the Messiah Whom he saw forward in faith. He wanted to be there and with that in view he commanded that his bones were to be taken from Egypt to the promised land. What a proof of his faith in the resurrection!

The Hebrews also had to learn to forsake the world (of which Egypt is a picture) and to look forward to everything they gained through their connection with the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And that applies to you too. His death is your death and His resurrection is your resurrection. In His resurrection all will be made alive who are connected to Him to share in His kingdom (1Cor 15:20-28).

Heb 11:23. The section we have had, has shown faith in action with the view to the future, which means faith as the “assurance of [things] hoped for” (Heb 11:1a). In the next section in Heb 11:23-38, the writer presents a number of examples of faith that clarify how faith operates as “conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1b). In other words: after faith that looks forward, we now have faith that looks upward.

Faith that looks upward trusts that God is present in hardships and that He gives strength to endure. Here you see the energy of faith that rests in God in the midst of circumstances. This faith overcomes the power of the devil and the attractions and difficulties of the world.

The first example is Moses. A comparison between the faith of Moses and that of Abraham makes the difference between ‘forward faith’ and ‘upward faith’ wonderfully clear. You may say that the faith of Abraham was connected to the future world and that of Moses to the present world. The faith of Abraham looked forward to the future world and the faith of Moses overcame the present world. The similarity is that neither has experienced the fulfillment of God’s promises in his life.

Before he goes into details regarding the faith of Moses, the writer refers to the faith of Moses’ parents. By their faith they defied the command of the mighty Pharaoh. Ordinarily people are to obey legal law, but this is a situation that God is to be obeyed rather than men (Acts 4:19 ; Acts 5:29). The faith of the parents discovered in this child something exceptional to God. “They saw he was a beautiful child”, not beautiful just like that, but beautiful in the sight of God (Acts 7:20). Therefore they did not deliver him into the hands of murderers, but they hid him at home.

That was not an easy thing to do, especially because their home was, as it seems, close to the palace of the king. Nevertheless, they counted on it that God was going to take care of him.

This is a beautiful example for all young parents who are aware of the bloodthirstiness of the world in which they live and in which their children also have to learn to find their way. Faith counts on God for protection and makes effort to protect and guide the child on its life path.

Now read Hebrews 11:17-23 again.

Reflection: Which aspects of faith confidence in God, regarding the future, are presented here? What do you learn from that for the practice of your faith life?