Hebrews Chapter 11:1-19
I have always viewed this chapter as one long commentary on 10:36-39. Here is the “faith” that the righteous have always lived by and has resulted in the saving of the soul. This chapter offers additional encouragement, by reviewing the triumphs of faith in the lives of Hebrew heroes and supremely by pointing to the example of Jesus (12:1-2). Before he summons this great “cloud of witnesses” the writer gives a brief introduction, stating the nature of faith, its power in human lives, and its solution of the problem of the world's origin (11:1-3). Right off the bat the writer informs us that “faith” is not wishful thinking, conjecture, speculation, or a crossing of the fingers, “I hope there is a God”. Faith is being convicted about what is unseen and yet future. The inference is that something has convicted us of these unseen realities, i.e. God's revelation to mankind (Romans 10:17) and the evidence in the world around us (Romans 1:20). I like what one writer said, as we look at the examples given, faith is “taking God at His word”; faith is accepting as true what God has revealed. 1 In addition, faith is not sentiment or mere speculation; it is always expressed in life (11:2). It is an active conviction that moves and molds human conduct and any “faith” that fails in this respect, also fails to find favor with God. “Having just discussed the importance of maintaining faith and not turning back, the author proceeds to a demonstration that it was this principle of faith even in Old Testament times in which God was most interested. Steadfast endurance in the face of obstacles is the evidence of true faith, and it was this very feature that the Old Testament heroes here mentioned exemplified in their lives. For the readers to give up their present faith in order to escape censure or suffering would be contrary to the stalwart examples of these Old Testament greats whose memories were justly honored” (Kent pp. 215-216). 1
The Epistle to the Hebrews. Charles R. Erdman p. 113 1
11:1 “Now faith is”: This is not only a definition of faith but also what faith does. “Faith is whole-souled trust in God’s Word as true because of the sufficiency of the evidence” (Reese p. 193). “The assurance of things hoped for”: The term “assurance” means “that which stands under”. This infers that faith is based on solid evidence, for something must move a person to this point of assurance of things that they do not see as yet. Thus faith is created by the overwhelming nature of the evidence in God’s revelation in nature (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1-2), and His revelation in the Scriptures (Romans 10:17). Faith is the firm grasp of unseen facts. “Literally foundation, that which stands under; hence, the ground on which one builds a hope, naturally gliding into the meaning ‘assurance’, or ‘confidence’. The words mean that faith gives to things future, which as yet are only hoped for, all the reality of actual present existence; and irresistibly convinces us of the reality of things unseen must become certainties to the mind if a balanced life is to be lived” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 352). That is, if we are going to live the Christian life then we must presently live in the full conviction that everything we do matters, that God will bring us into judgment for all that we do—do not do, say and do not say, and that how we treat people and what we believe and teach will determine our eternal destiny (2 Corinthians 5:10). We must live with the present conviction that Jesus is the only way to the Father and that only those who obey Him will be saved (Hebrews 5:9). In light of the above statement, do we have faith? 11:1 “The conviction of things not seen”: Here those who believe in Calvinism seek to argue that faith is the “proof” that one is saved, seeing that they believe that faith is something that God miraculously gives to the elect. This would be a perversion of this passage and others. Faith comes by hearing yet faith is not a guarantee of salvation, seeing that people who once believed can cease believing (Hebrews 6:4-6; 3:12; 10:32-39). Faith is not, “a rash, feebly-grounded hypothesis, a dream of hope, the child of a wish” (Vincent p. 510). Faith is being absolutely convicted of things one cannot see, which means that there must be plenty of evidence to generate such a conviction (1 Peter 3:15; Romans 1:20; John 20:30-31). Lexicons stress the basic idea as being a proof or means of proof with a view to convincing or refuting. “Faith” is not opposed to reality or the facts. There are many facts that are unseen but people continue to believe in them. There are all the facts of past history that must be accepted by “faith”, seeing that we are not alive to behold them ourselves. There is faith in mathematics that two numbers if multiplied or divided will yield a 2
certain result—even though one may have never dealt with such large numbers in your daily life. There are certain equations that we may never have a chance to test in life that simply must be accepted by faith. There are places on this earth that we may never get to see that we accept by faith. Let us not be intimidated by the world when the world tries to argue that the Christian deals in faith while the world deals in facts. The world is filled with people who insist that they only deal in facts and what they can see, yet who “believe” in Evolution—something that no one has ever seen. Atheists claim to deal only in facts, yet they absolutely claim there is no God, something that they could never prove. 11:1 “Things hoped for….things not seen”: Faith is operative for future matters and also for things not visible to the physical eye even though they presently exist. 11:2 “For by it”: By such faith. “The men of old gained approval”: Many of these men of old will be mentioned in this chapter 11:4ff. From Genesis to Revelation we learn that God has always conditioned His favor upon trusting Him and His word. God has never accepted people apart from an obedient trust in Him (Matthew 7:2123; Hebrews 10:38; Romans 1:16-17). 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared”: Faith involves taking God at His word even when we read the very first chapters of Genesis. Yes, faith means believing that God did create the entire universe in six days—do you have faith? “Before beginning his impressive roll call of the faithful, the author reminds his readers that faith is absolutely necessary if we are to understand even the first page of Scripture. No man was present at the creation. Mankind is confronted with a universe already existing. The book of Genesis provides the explanation of how it came about” (Kent p. 217). Faith enables us to “understand” truths that cannot be discovered by human wisdom. No amount of human wisdom can “understand” or “discover” how the universe first came into being. Notice the word “understand”. Faith does not produce ignorance, rather faith only leads to greater understanding. “Faith” does not stand in the way of true learning or true knowledge. “That the worlds”: The term “worlds” here can either mean the worlds, planets, or galaxies that compose this universe or the “ages” that have happened on this earth, that is Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian. God is responsible not only for the physical universe, but also for its progression of ages. 3
“The expression ‘what is seen ‘tends to cause us to think that the ‘created world’ is in the writer’s mind” (Reese p. 194). 11:3 “Prepared by the word of God”: Other passages confirm that God simply spoke this universe into existence (Psalm 33:6-9; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Genesis 1:1ff “God said”). We need to be impressed that genuine faith will accept the explanation given in the Scriptures for the origin of the universe or any other topic. “So that”: “As a result of God’s speaking, the visible world came into being” (Reese p. 194). “What is seen was not made out of things which are visible”: God created the universe without using any pre-existing materials. “Men may speculate about origins, but no one has firsthand knowledge. If man is ever to know what really happened, he is utterly dependent upon God to reveal it. Then when God does reveal it (and this is precisely what He did in Genesis), man’s response must be one of faith if he is to understand. To reject God’s revelation leaves him without any certain knowledge of earth or human origins” (Kent p. 218). This verse also denies the eternal nature of matter and places God before the visible universe. Milligan notes that many of the heathen philosophers in the ancient world taught the eternity of matter. In addition, it is clear from this verse that the universe did not just happen and neither did it evolve. Faithfulness in the time period before the Flood 11:4 “By faith Abel”: For Abel’s history see Genesis 4:1-15. Note that the writer does not start with Adam or Eve. “Offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain”: What made the sacrifice “better” was that it was offered “by faith”, that is Abel actually offered what God had commanded to be offered (Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”). By implication, the problem with Cain’s offering is that he was not being faithful to what God had taught. This is one reason why God noted that he could correct the situation (Genesis 4:7), for he already knew what God expected of him. See also 1 John 3:12 where such an obedient response to God’s will is viewed as being “righteous” and disobedience is labeled as “evil”. Denominational commentators are puzzled as to why Abel’s offering was “better”. They speculate about whether Abel offered more, if it was a blood offering verses a grain offering, or if it was something in the heart of Abel. The truth of the matter is that the person who loves God will always obey Him (John 14:15), and that God has 4
never wanted “more” sacrifice, rather God has simply always wanted obedience to the commands He has already given (1 Samuel 15:22-23). Let us remember that the only thing that pleases God is faithful obedience to His will. There is not a “second best” in this area. Note also that the Holy Spirit views Abel and Cain as being real historical persons and the early chapters in Genesis as being historically true and accurate. 11:4 “Through which”: That is, through his sacrifice faithful obedience was expressed to the will of God. “He obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts”: This testimony came from God (Genesis 4:4). Faithfulness is the condition upon which God pronounces a man righteous (Romans 1:17). Righteous men will demonstrate their faith by their actions. We will be judged in similar fashion (Matthew 25:31-46; James 1:22-25; 2:14ff), that is, if we demonstrated our faith. “And through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks”: This was suggested in Genesis 4:10, where God said that Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. At that time his blood cried out for vengeance and in this passage Abel’s example still speaks to us today. This means that God still feels that Abel’s example of faithfulness is valid and one that we should seek to imitate (Romans 15:4). As parents we should remember that even after we are gone, our lives will still speak to our children and grandchildren, but will that message be one of faithfulness or compromise? 11:5 “By faith Enoch”: What the Old Testament says about Enoch is historically accurate, he did walk with God (Genesis 5:22). The reason that Enoch was taken in such a manner was because of his faithfulness. “Was taken up so that he should not see death”: Enoch, like Elijah after him (2 Kings 2:11), did not experience death for God took him directly to the heavenly realm. Such a translation into the next realm without death proves that if man had never sinned God had a different way to move the faithful into the next world without the necessity of death. It was not necessary for man to die first before he went to the heavenly realm. “And he was not found because God took him”: “This expression indicates that although a search was made for him by his friends, they could not find him. Compare 2 Kings 2:17 in the case of Elijah” (Reese p. 196). “For he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God”: The “witness” that Enoch obtained is recorded in Genesis 5:24. The phrase “pleasing to God” is the Septuagint rendering of Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God”. “The Greek translators merely interpreted the anthropomorphic Hebrew idiom into a more readily understood 5
Greek expression. ‘Walking with God’ means pleasing God. This Enoch did in the years prior to his miraculous removal” (Kent p. 220). Once again, another miraculous event in the Old Testament is confirmed and endorsed by the New Testament. Could someone describe your life as “walking with God”? 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him”: This is a rule to which there are no exceptions. “He does not simply say that without faith it is difficult to please God; he says that without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Reese p. 196). Are these Hebrew Christians who are flirting with unfaithfulness listening? While our culture may think that unfaithfulness is cute or trendy, God says that it is deadly. Yet how many people continue to think that they can end up saved without faith? God is not going to overlook a lack of faith on the part of anyone. 11:6 “For he who comes to God”: This means anyone who comes to God; and coming to God would include such things as prayer and worship. “Must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him”: “No meaningful ‘coming to God’ is possible without first believing that He exists” (Reese p. 196). In addition, faith must also include the conviction that God will keep all His promises and threats, that is, that God will actually do exactly what the Bible says. “Faith” does not accept the premise that God will just save everyone in the end, rather, faith understands that God only rewards those who seek Him (Romans 2:6-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). The word “seek” is a present participle, indicating continuous and repeated action. The term literally means, “unto them that seek Him out”. One is reminded of Jesus’ lessons about the necessity of diligently seeking God (Luke 11:5-10; 18:1-8; 13:24. Yet how many people, even sometimes members of the church, “believe” that God will reward those who are not seeking Him? Do we really believe? 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God”: Yes, Noah really did exist. Noah was warned by divine revelation from God (Genesis 6:13ff). “About things not yet seen”: When Noah was warned the flood was still future. In addition, Noah had never seen anything like a worldwide judgment, a universal flood, or the size of the vessel that he was commanded to build (Genesis 7:11-12). Some also speculate that Noah had never seen anything like “rain”, rather that the earth was still watered by a mist every day (Genesis 2:5). In like manner, God has warned us about all sorts of things we have never seen: Hell, Judgment Day, the Second Coming, and so on.
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11:7 “In reverence”: He moved with godly fear. “The true idea is pious care, a reverent circumspection with regard to things enjoined by God” (Vincent p. 516). Noah was told that God was going to destroy all life on the planet except those in the ark, and I am impressed that Noah did not proceed to argue with God or to claim that such would not happen because God was too merciful to do such. Noah believed what God said, took God at His word, and promptly proceeded to build and equip the ark. Are we living like Noah? Are we trying to tone down what the Bible teaches? Or, are we living like Jesus is coming and only those who obey Him will be saved? What many people are missing today is a reverent regard for God and His Word. Faith never ridicules or questions the validity of God’s revelation. “For the salvation of his household”: It is so easy to forget that our faith, or lack of it, does affect our loved ones. If Noah had not believed and set the example his entire family may have perished in the flood. Noah believed, and feared, and obeyed, and was saved. 11:7 “By which he condemned the world”: Noah certainly condemned the world (society opposed to God at that time) in his preaching ( 2 Peter 2:5), in which he must have denounced the wickedness of his contemporaries. In addition, Noah’s faith and example also condemned the world. “The very fact that Noah believed God made the guilt of his contemporaries all the more inexcusable” (Kent p. 222). How many people today are so afraid of making any kind of negative judgment? The faithful Christian understands that “faith” will just naturally condemn unbelief. The example of the faithful will make the unfaithful uncomfortable. The words and teaching of the faithful will just naturally expose the sins of unbelievers (Ephesians 5:11). May I also add that one will either “condemn” the unfaithful or the faithful. If one tries to please the world, one will end up being critical of faithful Christians. 11:7 “And became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith”: “Thus the kind of faith which had prompted Noah to obey God’s word, and it is this sort of faith which brings one the righteousness of God. Any other kind of faith is nothing more than intellectual assent, and even demons have this much (James 2:19)” (Kent p. 222). The idea here appears to be that by his faithfulness Noah gained favor with God and thus became an heir of an inheritance in heaven. The promise of salvation and eternal life has always been conditioned upon such faith (Romans 1:17). 11:8 “By faith Abraham”: “The account of the faithful life of Abraham is found in Genesis 11:17 to 25:11. Abraham was not sinlessly perfect, but he was a man 7
whose life was characterized by a determination to be faithful” (Reese p. 198). The Jews took great pride in their descent from Abraham. In this chapter, the Holy Spirit gives more space to Abraham than any other person. The faith of Abraham was putting these Christians to shame, for Abraham obeyed when God wanted him to make a change, while these Christians were wanting to return to Judaism. “When he was called”: Abraham’s call while he lived in Ur is recorded in Nehemiah 9:7ff; Acts 7:2-3. His later call to leave Haran is recorded in Genesis 12. “When he was called” translates a present participle that indicates a very prompt obedience. “He obeyed the call while (so to say) it was still sounding in his ears” (B.F. Westcott, The Epistle of the Hebrews, p. 358). 11:8 “Obeyed”: Faith and obedience go hand in hand (Romans 1:5). “By going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance”: “It was only after Abraham left Ur and Haran and arrived in Canaan, a trip of over 1500 miles, that Abraham was told the land would belong to his descendants” (Genesis 12:6-7)” (Reese p. 198). 11:8 “Not knowing where he was going”: At the beginning Abraham was ignorant of the exact country to which God was leading him. In like manner, God has promised the Christian things that he or she has not seen as yet (11:1). “If Abraham had continued in Mesopotamia, or stopped short of Canaan, it would have been proof that he did not believe the divine testimony; and whatever men profess, if they continue to love the world, and become ‘weary in well-doing’, it is clear evidence that they have not believed the Gospel” (Wilson p. 143). 11:9 “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land”: Even after Abraham reached the Promised Land there was no quick fulfillment of God’s promise. Abraham never did have a permanent residence in Canaan; he was always a stranger in that land. Abraham sojourned 100 years in Canaan, all the while being an example of faithfulness. “A hundred years! Hear that my Hebrew readers!” (Reese p. 198). “Dwelling in tents”: While the entire land had been promised to him and his descendants, but at the end of his life the only piece of ground he owned was a field he purchased as Sarah’s burial place (Genesis 23). God gave him no inheritance, not even a foot of ground (Acts 7:2,5). “For all practical purposes it was a foreign land to him. He never became a citizen. He never built a house in Canaan. He lived a life of a nomad, moving his tent from place to place” (Kent p. 223). 8
11:9 “With Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise”: In the land of promise Abraham lived at Shechem (Genesis 12:6), Bethel (Genesis 12:8), Hebron (Genesis 13:18), and Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). Abraham’s son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob, who were coheirs of the same promise that Abraham had received (Genesis 26:2; 28:12), and had to exercise the same faith as Abraham. They too lived in tents, awaiting the fulfillment of the promise that did not come in their lifetimes either. “Their willingness to continue trusting God’s word without witnessing more than token fulfillment in their own times speaks clearly of the genuineness of their faith, and offers a challenge to every reader, whether of the first century or the twentieth, to emulate the kind of steadfastness which God had so signally approved” (Kent p. 224). 11:10 “For he was looking for a city which has foundations”: Abraham was willing to dwell his entire life in tents for he kept looking for the city that God had promised him, that is, the same city for which Christians look, heaven (Revelation 21:9ff). Compare with Hebrews 11:16; 12:22; 13:14; Galatians 4:26. “Inasmuch as God is the architect and builder of this city, it is clear that the earthly Jerusalem is not meant” (Kent p. 224). This means that Abraham’s faith was rooted in a heavenly goal and reward. “Whose architect and builder is God”: “The expression is intended to stress the excellent and abiding quality of the heavenly city” (Reese p. 199). “He whose heart is fixed upon things above holds but loosely to the things of earth (Colossians 3:1-2). A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion” (Wilson p. 144). 11:11 “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life”: “It is by no means inappropriate to mention Sarah at this point, for she too had a vital stake in the promise to Abraham and in the first step of its fulfillment” (Kent p. 224). At the outset, Sarah demonstrated no faith at all. She actually laughed in unbelief when the announcement was first made (Genesis 18:10-15), but later at the birth of Isaac her laughter was from joy and wonderment (Genesis 21:6,7). “It should not be forgotten also that Isaac was not the product of a virgin birth. Therefore, Sarah’s cooperation was required, and this necessitated considerable faith for a woman of ninety years” (Kent p. 225). “Even beyond the proper time of life”: Remember, Sarah was 90 and Abraham 99 when God stepped in and the promised heir was conceived (Genesis 17:17l 9
18:11). Compare with Genesis 11:30; Romans 4:19; Galatians 4:27. “Since she considered Him faithful who had promised”: She was convinced that God keeps His promises. “God had promised a son. A son they would have” (Reese p. 200). 11:12 “Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that”: The “one man” in this verse is Abraham, who was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Abraham was “as good as dead” as far as to his powers of natural procreation. “Abraham had about as much probability of fathering a son as a dead man would have” (Reese p. 200). Compare this section with Romans 4:19. Some have argued. “How can the writer claim that Abraham’s body was as good as dead in respect to procreation when years later he had offspring by Keturah, after Sarah as dead?” (Genesis 25). While some argue that Keturah was Abraham’s concubine while Sarah was alive (something that does not fit the facts of Genesis 12-23), I would argue that the rejuvenation in Abraham’s ability to procreate was not just limited for a day but continued years after, and Genesis 25 would be the proof. 11:12 “As many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore” This “dead man” became the progenitor of a vast multitude of descendants. The language here is drawn from Genesis 22:17 and reinforced by Genesis 15:4-5. “Both stars and grains of sand were proverbial for multitude, so the general meaning is that Abraham’s descendants would be too many to count. The New Testament helps us see that not just physical descendants are involved, but spiritual as well (Galatians 3:29)” (Reese p. 200). 11:13 “All these died in faith”: That is, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob all died still trusting in God. Note the preposition “in”; they did not die “by faith” but rather in a manner consistent with someone who is faithful. In other words they were faithful unto death. “They remained true to God all their lives! Hebrew readers, are you listening?” (Reese p. 200).“Without receiving the promises”: While they had received verbal promises from God, they had not received the actual thing promised when they died, namely the land and the coming Messiah. Abraham and Sarah did obtain Isaac who was the fulfillment of a promise to them (Hebrews 6:15). 10
11:13 “But having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance”: They understood that what God had promised would not be fulfilled within their lifetimes. Yet their lives were characterized by a continued trust that God would keep His promises. “If they lived and died triumphantly on bare promises, how can those who have seen their fulfillment falter in their allegiance to Christ?” (Wilson p. 146). “And having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth”: See Genesis 23:4. “At no time did Abraham (or Isaac and Jacob) put down such roots as to cause them to feel that they really belonged to any certain spot on earth” (Kent p. 228). 11:14 “For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own” “In confessing themselves to be pilgrims on earth they declared that their true homeland was in heaven” (Wilson p. 146). These individuals admitted that on earth they had not found a dwelling place that could provide permanent satisfaction. It is clear that even the Promised Land that had been promised by God was not viewed by Abraham as the ultimate goal of God’s promises. “County of their own”: That is, a “fatherland”, a true homeland, from which one springs, and where one really belongs. 11:15 “And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return” If Abraham or the others had wanted to return to Ur or Haran, there was nothing preventing them. Jacob spent 20 years in Mesopotamia, but this was not his homeland. “Does someone suppose that Abraham did not settle permanently in Canaan because he still regarded himself as from Mesopotamia, and nurtured an inner longing to return? Not so, says the author” (Kent p. 228). When God called Abraham out of Ur and Haran, Abraham left without ever looking back and without ever desiring to return. Are the Hebrew Christians listening? For they are looking back to Judaism, from where God had called them through the gospel. How about us? Are we looking back? (Romans 6:21; 1 Peter 4:1-5). 11:16 “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one”: That is, an even better country than the land of Canaan. The faith of the patriarchs was 11
rooted in heaven, not in some sort of earthly hope. “This was the true reason why they showed no remorse at Abraham’s leaving Mesopotamia. The eternal values involved in the promises of God made them willing to regard their earthly experience as a pilgrimage, and kept them from despair even when it was evident that death would overtake them before fulfillment came” (Kent p. 229). “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them”: God frequently designated Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “Since their life as pilgrims was an open declaration of their heavenly aspirations God is not ashamed to call Himself their God” (Wilson p. 147). This is the same city mentioned in 11:10, 12:22; 13:14; and Revelation 21:10-27. “Although the city-dweller Abraham left the highly civilized Ur for a wandering life in Canaan, and showed no inclination to return, the reason was that his sights were set on that heavenly abode of God’s people which He Himself has prepared” (Kent p. 229). In like manner, Christians are to have the same pilgrim attitude (1 Peter 2:11; Philippians 3:20). Now what is the mind-set of the Hebrew Christians? Their minds are not set on the heavenly Jerusalem; rather their minds are preoccupied with the literal Jerusalem and Judaism. Where is our mind set? (Matthew 6:1921). 11:17 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested”: God does not tempt a person to sin (James 1:13), but God does allow the faithful to be tested (1 Peter 1:6-7). “As there could be no fulfillment of the divine promise without Isaac, the command to sacrifice his own son was the supreme test of Abraham’s faith in God” (Wilson p. 148). “The faith of the patriarchs was no mere creedal tenet, divorced from practical application in life” (Kent p. 229). 11:17 “And he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son”: Even though Abraham had another son, Ishmael, Isaac was the only one of his kind, that is the unique child of promise born of Abraham and Sarah. Thus the term “only begotten” does not mean “only child” but rather the only one of his kind or class, one who is totally unique. In like manner, Jesus is the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; 9:38). 11:18 “It was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called’”
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Isaac was the unique heir to whom the promises applied and through whom the promises would be finally fulfilled. “Thus we can see Abraham’s struggle to keep his faith firm, for the command of God to sacrifice Isaac seemed contradictory to the previous promise God had made” (Kent pp. 230-231). “We are apt to see this as a conflict between Abraham’s love for his son and his duty to God. But for the Hebrew writer, the problem was Abraham’s difficulty in reconciling the different revelations made to him. God had promised him a numerous posterity through Isaac; yet now God was calling on him to kill Isaac as a sacrifice. How then could the promise be fulfilled?” (Reese p. 202). 11:19 “He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead”: Note that Abraham knew that all things were possible with God, even a resurrection. Abraham also knew that God could clear up any thing that seemed like a contradiction to him and that it was not Abraham’s job to fix what looked like a contradiction but to obey. Thus Abraham was able to tell his servants, “We will go yonder and worship and we will return to you” (Genesis 22:5). “Abraham’s anticipated solution to the problem is all the more remarkable when it is remembered that he had no precedent to appeal to. As far as the record is concerned, there had never been any such thing as a resurrection of the dead” (Reese p. 203). There is a great lesson here for us. Faith does not give up when it encounters a difficult theological problem, but rather faith will work through such a problem and have absolute confidence in God’s ability to do all things. Do we become discouraged too easily? God is not being cruel by testing Abraham; rather God will intercede with mercy and spare Isaac. In addition, while God spared Isaac, God did not spare His own Son, so that we (including Abraham and Isaac) could be saved. 11:19 “From which he also received him back as a type”: Even though God did not allow Abraham to literally sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was fully prepared to do this. “He had given his son unreservedly to God, and got him back again. It as not a literal resurrection but a type of one” (Kent p. 232). This could also be a “type” of the death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Faith does not argue with God. Faith does not stumble over what might seem to be a moral dilemma; rather faith finds an answer that leaves the integrity of God and His Word in tact (Romans 3:4 “let God be found true, though every man be 13
found a liar�). Abraham’s attitude was that since God had given Isaac to him, had hinged all the promises for the future on Isaac living (Hebrews 11:18), God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. We need to have the same attitude. We know that God will take care of us (Matthew 6:25-34). We should therefore refrain from fretting when economic hard times hit or when the car breaks down, medical expenses increase or expensive home repairs loom in the future. God can still take care of us!
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