A GOOD TESTIMONY. Hebrews 11:2 In the first three verses of chapter 11, we are given three fundamentals of our faith. Its basic nature is being sure of what we hope for [v.1]. Its honor is that it is certain. A good report [v.2] is that which can be counted on. The manner of faith is how we view the universe and our role in it [v.3]. From verse four through verse sixteen, we are assured of God's acceptance of faith. We are living by faith even as we are dying. We know the promises of God are realities, and we renounce any opportunity to return to the types and shadows. God will not be ashamed to associate with those people of faith who demonstrate the reality of their trust in Him.
Some Old Testament saints lived by faith and were obedient to God, enduring suffering. They were faithful and loyal to God, and despite their failures, they remained so. There is no mention of them receiving a “good report” in this world or from their fellow believers. They had an inner witness of personal faith that God knew, and that was all that mattered. They had God’s approval. They lived in the consciousness of God working in and through them, giving them the faith to deal with the key issues in their lives.
The world’s attitude toward these saints was the opposite of approval. They were tortured, mocked, scourged, imprisoned, stoned, tempted, and killed by the sword. Wearing sheepskins and goatskins, some were destitute, afflicted, and ill-treated, forced to live in very difficult circumstances. Their “good report” was in heaven, not in the wicked world. The “elders” of past ages had “witness borne to them” by God.
A lesson for us is, “What kind of witness can God give about me?” In this present age of grace, God bore witness to Stephen by standing up when he died a martyr’s death. Our Great High Priest in heaven knows what is happening to all His faithful saints today who are enduring trials and suffering. He gives grace to His people when it is needed and faith to respond to the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit can “fill” us to do what God wants, no matter the situation we are in. The life we now live in the flesh, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Those who lived before the flood [4-7] are called the antediluvian faithful. Each person did something others did not. Abel worshipped God as God intended, offering the appropriate sacrifice. Our worship justifies our faith and makes clear to God that we know and believe in Him. Enoch "walked with God" after his son was born, and God took him without death. A Christian who "walks in the light as He is in the light" has fellowship with God and fellow believers. Our walk sanctifies our faith. Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" in an increasingly ungodly world where iniquity was abounding. He worked for 120 years to build an ark to save his household. Our work testifies to our faith, "for where sin abounded, grace does much more abound."
After the flood [8-23], each person was seeking something the rest of the world wasn't. Abraham "went out" from Ur of the Chaldees, seeking a city whose Builder and Maker is God. When we move out from the world's system of ungodly living, we are set apart to God, not merely separated from the world. Sarah "received strength" for childbirth by faith, even though she was past the age of childbearing, because she was promised a son. We "can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Abraham "was tried" in his confidence in God's promise.
We may find ourselves in times of testing, assured that God is in control of everything that is happening. Isaac "blessed" the next generations in his old age because he could see beyond what was merely visible. Jacob "worshipped" while leaning on his staff when he realized God was keeping his promises all along, even though he was grieving. To worship in times of grief is beyond the norm. Even though four hundred years would pass before God's promise to bring Israel back to the land promised to Abraham was fulfilled, Joseph gave a commandment to his people to take his bones with them when they went and buried them in the place of his fathers. They all had confidence in God's promise regarding the future of God's people.
There is a group of people of faith described here, and each chose what the others did not. Moses' parents, Amram and Jochabed, "hid" their son Moses when they "saw" he was a "proper child" and they "were not afraid." They saw the value of a child [24-31]. Moses "refused" what others would want. Pleasure and ease, fame and riches are still the things people seem to want most. He "chose" to suffer affliction with God's people, his own people. He "forsook" Egypt because he looked beyond the present circumstances by faith. He was not turned aside by fear.
He was separated from the world. He persisted in proper worship. The basis of his choice was his maturity of faith. The timing of his choice was a midlife crisis. The content of his choice was the people of God, the Person of Christ, not the power of the king. Rahab chose to "receive the spies with peace." She identified with Israel's victories over its enemies, even though Israel was still a moving tribe. What she heard, "We have heard..." - about the Red Sea, Sihon and Og - she believed and chose what the other people in Jericho did not.
The other people of faith listed in this hall of faith [32-38] were active when the rest were inactive. By its very nature, faith is active. Not even death can defeat faith. Those who died in faith still put their confidence in God. What seemed like defeats to the natural eye were actually triumphs of faith.
This chapter describes the character of people of faith without mentioning their failures, even though they were people like us, with shortcomings and failures. This is a reminder that the lives of God's people will be reviewed at the Judgment Seat of Christ. These illustrations of faithful men and women teach us how to live by faith. Each one has a unique area of testimony given by the Spirit of God for our instruction and encouragement.
The first three give us an overview of our history. Abel's sacrifice reminds us of Calvary and the day of our salvation. Enoch presents lessons on the rapture and the coming of Christ, which he preached to the people of his day. Noah, living in the dark days of increasing ungodliness, reminds us of the coming Tribulation. In verse seven, it is preceded by the day of reward in verse six, when our lives on earth as believers will be reviewed before the Lord. Interestingly, grace and warnings go together in these accounts. Preparing and preaching also go together.