11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,
so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
we understand- GK=noeo, perceive with the mind. That is:
The revelation of God, His testimony to us, is the basis of our understanding.
The elders (eg. Moses) originally received & recorded that testimony.
the worlds were framed- lit., the ages were set in order (see note at 1:2).
The thought here extends beyond the physical act of creation which was just one aspect of His plan for the ages.
things seen...
The principle of faith is established on the first page of scripture (Gen 1:1).
The Creator is ever present and acts according to His purposes, whether human eyes comprehend Him or not. [CJEllicott] Deu 29:29; Rom 1:19-21; 1Pet 1:10-12
11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:
and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Abel... Cain- What set these brothers apart from one another?
It could not have been their ancestry or environment.
It was their response to God's revealed Word. Abel acted in obedience "by faith". Gen 4:1-5
a more excellent sacrifice- Why was Cain's offering not acceptable to God?
Abel's bloody sacrifice looked forward to the coming Savior -
11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death;
and was not found, because God had translated him:
for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
death- Genesis 5 reverberates with the phrase "...and he died."
Because of sin, death is the sad story of mankind. Enoch was an exception.
Enoch "walked with God"- His life was governed not by rules & regulations,
but by a desire to know & to please God.
A little girl related Enoch's story like this [adapted from JVMcGee]:
... Every day, God would come by and say, 'Enoch, would you like to take a walk with me?' Enoch always went because he wanted to know God better... One day, after they had walked together for an unusually long time, Enoch said, 'Oh, look how late it's getting. I'd better start on back.' But God said, 'We're closer to my house than to yours. Why don't you just come home with me?!'
11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
he that comes- GK=proserchomai, to draw near (cp. 7:25; 10:1,22)
There is only one way of access to God: through the Way He has provided (v.4).
must believe -- that He is.
-- that He is a rewarder (ie., recompenser, one who pays wages, cp. 2:2; 10:35)...
This verse is not teaching that salvation can be earned as a reward.
We have already seen that salvation is a free gift, based on Christ's work alone.
But for we who claim to believe, Do we take God seriously?
Am I concerned about His assessment of me? Do I want to hear: "Well done..."? (Mat 25:21)
If so, wouldn't my walk be characterized by seeking Him diligently?
11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house;
by the which he condemned the world,
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
warned of God- Noah received God's Word.
He believed that the things He spoke of were reality, and would surely come.
moved with fear- ie., the fear of God.
He knew that God meant business, and acted accordingly.
prepared an ark- He applied himself, sparing no cost or effort.
condemned the world-
Noah's faith, expressed in word (2Pet 2:5) and deed (ie., building the ark), exposed the unbelief of the world.
The lives of godless men are in stark contrast to a man who walks with God. Gen 6:5,8,9
became heir of the righteousness which is by faith- cp. Heb 10:38; 11:4
Noah's righteousness was not inherently his own. It was inherited from Another. (cp. 9:15)
God imputed it to him, by grace through faith. (This has always been God's method of salvation. cp. Rom 4:13-24)
Some have doubted the effectiveness of Noah's witness.
He preached righteousness for 120 years. Yet, apparently no one repented. JVMcGee points out that he won his family for the Lord. Given the godlessness of their day, his sons would have been hopelessly lost, if they had not been faced with the reality of the witness which their father received from God, and of the testimony which he spoke & lived for God.
D. Abraham shows us: The Worship of Faith - (v.8-)
11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out
into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham...
- obeyed- As we have seen elsewhere in Hebrews:
True worship/service involves obedience/surrender to God's Will--
-- Not grudging obedience, but that which flows from a heart captured by His Person.
-- Not natural order, but steps ordered by the Lord, often contrary to natural thinking.
- was called- his obedience was in response to God's Word.
- went out...not knowing- his walk was not by sight. (cp. 11:1,3)
In fact, when Abraham was first called, he did not know that the land would be his inheritance. After he had obeyed and had arrived in the land, he received the promise. But he did not receive the inheritance in his lifetime. cp: Gen 12:1-7; Acts 7:5
11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
- sojourned- ie., He lived alongside others who had prior claim to the land.
-- as in a strange country- strange=foreign. He was a foreigner.
-- in tabernacles (tents)- He lived in temporary, movable housing. Gen 13:3,18
Isaac & Jacob likewise lived as transient strangers.
in the land of promise- Canaan would one day become Israel.
But these men, who held the title deed (in the form of God's promise), never took possession in their lifetimes.
According to what the eye could see, they were 'not possessing'.
11:10 For he looked for a {the} city
which hath {the} foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
Abraham... looked- for something beyond the earthly land of promise.
His inheritance was not limited by what he could see physically (cp 11:1,3).
He understood in some way that God's promises "would not cease with this transient life...earthly blessing was but the earnest of some greater gift yet future." [CJEllicott] cp. vs.14-16; 12:22; 13:14; Rev 21:14
11:11 Through {by} faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed,
and was delivered of a child when she was past age,
because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Sarah- according to "things seen" was 'not producing'.
She seemed to have no part in the promise, or even to be a hindrance to its fulfillment. To that end, she and Abraham devised their own means, which was not of God. Gen 16:1,2
Yet, the final testimony of God concerning her is:
she judged Him faithful who had promised- (cp. 10:23)
God provided the strength to conceive & bear the promised child, when it was beyond human possibility.
11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, {Rom 4:18-21}
[so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude,
and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. {Gen 15:5; 22:17}
Abraham is not only the father of the nation of Israel,
but also of "all who believe...that righteousness might be imputed to them". (Rom 4:11)
11:13 These all died in faith,
not having received the promises, {cp. v.39} but having seen them afar off, {cp. v.1,3} and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them],
embraced- GK=aspazomai, lit., to draw to oneself, to greet, to salute, to welcome. Gen 49:18
The promises were real & precious to them. But they looked to Christ for completion.
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
strangers- GK=xenos, foreigners
pilgrims- GK=parepidemos, sojourners in a strange land away from one's own people [WEVine]
on the earth- not merely strangers in Canaan (v.9)
11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
country- GK=patris, fatherland, native country. Our citizenship is in heaven: Php 3:20
11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out,
they might {ie., would} have had opportunity to have returned. {cp. 10:38,39}
11:16 But now {ie., as the case stands} they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:
for he hath prepared for them a city.