Wait! There's More!
Notes
Transcript
Welcome/Prayer
Open to Hebrews 11.32-40...
Today we finish out chapter 11...
In this final section the author gives us a generic grouping of examples to wrap up the point he has been trying to make since v. 1-2...
We’ll look at these examples, not in too much detail, at least not like we have with the previous examples...
The previous examples involved more intention behind each one— the examples before us today are meant to act as a group, rather than individual accounts each pointing to different aspects of faith...
After looking at the examples, we will consider the outcome of their faith and our role in that outcome.... along with considering how then should we live today?
We’ll begin with the examples listed in v. 32-38, so let us read now Hebrews 11:32-38
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
“What more shall I say?” — In other words, what else is there to say? What else do you want to hear? Do you actually need more?
The list goes on and on… it’s like a never-ending infomercial… but it is of course, much more than an infomercial...
By this point in the chapter the examples given ought to be enough, for by going on the points already made will only be repeated… and there’s only so much papyrus to write on and as the author states here, there’s not enough time to go on...
However, the author does sum up the rest of the examples that he could go on with...
He begins very specifically by naming Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel...
The first four we read about in the book of Judges, and the last two in Samuel and Kings...
Four of them were judges, two were not...
And this list is not in chronological order… up to this point they have been…
Why they are listed this way, who knows… it might simply be the order of which they came to the author’s mind quickly as he sought to sum up the rest of the examples…
Chronologically, Barak, who actually isn’t a judge, comes before Gideon in Judges 4-5, around 1209 BC...
Gideon comes in at Judges 6 around 1162 BC
Jepthah is in Judges 11-12 around 1078 BC
Samson is right after Jepthah in Judges 13-16 and living during the same time as Jepthah, destroying the Philistine temple in 1055 BC
Samuel, of course precedes David, and he was the last judge of Israel before the kingship of Saul.
Samuel was born in 1105 BC, so Judges and 1 Samuel overlap in history...
David then comes on the scene in 1 Samuel 16 around 1035-30 BC and is anointed king in 1025 BC.
Now, the author’s audience know who these men are… as they knew the details behind the other examples… being good Jews...
But today, though the church is just about fully literate, some of these names and the stories behind them might be unknown…
So, let’s briefly review...
Gideon, aka Jerubbaal, is written about in Judges 6… he’s a very timid man that God calls to lead his people against the Midianites, by which Gideon does so with a mere 300 men
Barak is associated with the judge Deborah in Judges 4-5
For it was Deborah who sought him out to lead the people of Israel into battle against Jabin, the king of Canaan… specifically against his general Sisera
But Barak wouldn’t do it unless Deborah went with him, and she does… but because she does so the credit of killing Sisera goes to Jael, the woman in the tent who slays Sisera by hammering a tent peg into the ground by going through his skull...
Samson, is certainly a better known judge than the others...
He’s the one with the hair… and strong unlike any other…
Yet he struggled with lust and his lust for Delilah would be his downfall… it leads to him being betrayed and losing his strength when his hair is cut… his eyes are then put out and he becomes a slave of the Philistines…
Then one day the Philistines were having a feast in honor of their god Dagon in celebration of Samson’s capture…
It is on that day, Judges 16, at the temple, that Samson sacrifices himself by calling upon Yahweh once again for strength to kill the Philistines in that place...
Jepthah, in Judges 11, was a judge, who lead the the people to victory over the Ammonites… yet in doing so he made a very foolish vow that led to him offering his daughter as a sacrifice to Yahweh...
Then we have Samuel and David…
Samuel was the son of the great Hannah… raised in the house of Yahweh under the priest Eli…
Samuel was God’s voice and judge to Israel when Israel transitioned from the period of judges to the period of kings…
By Samuel, Saul was anointed, and rejected...
By Samuel, David was anointed...
David is the shepherd boy who slew Goliath with a stone...
And reigned over Israel for 40 years....
After mentioning these six by name… the author mentions the prophets...
And there were many… simply think of the books we have… the Major and Minor prophets… and then all the prophets who don’t have books named after them, like Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, and others…
All of them are included in this mention at the end of v. 32
Then in verses 33-38 the author speaks of what they all did… in a general sense...
In v. 33 - they conquered kingdoms...
Think of Gideon, Barak, and Jepthah… even Samuel and David… one could argue that Samson through his many victories against the Philistines did as well...
They enforced justice...
This was the role of the judges and kings of Israel, but especially of the kings… think of Solomon’s request before Yahweh in 1 Kings 3.9
9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
They obtained, they received promises… these promises are not the promise of v. 39, but the ones made to them as it related to their individual callings… specifically the victories granted to them over their enemies in battle...
And of course, for David we have numerous promises given to him by Yahweh that he received in his lifetime...
They stopped the mouths of lions...
This obviously refers to Daniel in the lions’ den of Daniel 6
But it can also include when Samson tore a lion in pieces as recorded in Judges 14
Going on to v. 34 - They quenched the power of fire...
This refers to Daniel’s three friends.. in Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego… who were sent to the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down in worship to a golden statue of Nebuchadnezzer...
And yet, by faith they survived un-scorched...
Others escaped the edge of the sword and were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, and put armies to flight
Here we can think of the numerous military exploits found in the book of Judges, or Samuel and Kings…
We can also think of Elijah escaping the wrath of Jezebel and being strengthen by God or any of the prophets who happened to escape threats of life...
In v. 35, the author expands his list by mentioning women who received their dead back by resurrection
Think of the women who were dear to Elijah and Elisha, both receiving their dead sons back… Elijah’s account is found 1 Kings 17 and Elisha’s in 2 Kings 4
The author then makes a turn in his list… so far what he has mentioned has ultimately been positive outcomes… conquests, victories, deliverances.... blessings...
But now, he goes the other way… he shows the other side of the reality of life for one who is faithful… the side that many in the church ignore or sometimes outright deny...
He speaks of some who were tortured to death…
Refusing to accept release by denying their faith or compromising their faith
The author here is probably drawing from 2 Maccabees 6 and 7 which would have been familiar to the audience and near to them in time…
The author is perhaps also thinking generically of all the faithful who suffered torturous deaths for the sake of their faith
He goes in v. 36 speaking of those who suffered mocking, flogging, and imprisonment
We can think of the numerous prophets God sent to the kings of Israel calling them to repentance and warning them of God’s wrath, and how the kings treated them...
Specifically, we can think of Jeremiah being beaten and put in stocks in Jer 20:2 and 37:15..
Or Hanani being imprisoned by King Asa in 2 Chr 16 or Micaiah by King Ahab in 1 Kings 22
In v. 37, the outcomes of the faithful continue on..
Some were stoned… such as Zechariah in 2 Chr 24 because he rebuked the people of God
Jewish tradition believes Jeremiah was eventually stoned to death in Egypt
Some were stoned… others sawn in two...
The author quite possibly might be thinking of Isaiah, as there is a Jewish tradition found in the 1st century book Ascension of Isaiah that records that King Manasseh the son of King Hezekiah, had Isaiah tied in a sack, placed within a hollow tree trunk was sawn in two..
The Talmud records Isaiah as hiding in a cedar tree, and then being sawed in half by King Manasseh’s orders...
And yet the author goes on… some were stoned, some sawed in two… and others simply killed with the sword
Think of the prophets of Yahweh that Jezebel had killed in 1 Kings 18… or the prophet Uriah in Jeremiah 26
The author wraps up his list by moving from outcomes of the faithful to how the faithful lived...
They didn’t wear comfortable or exquisite clothing but animal skins (Elijah 2 Kings 1:8) … they were poor, afflicted, and mistreated...
Many of them were essentially homeless wandering about among the deserts and mountains...
And why? Why did these people of the faith endure such pains? Such sacrifices?
Why were they willing to wander this earth like vagabonds and to live impoverished lives?
Two reasons for all of this...
First, v. 35 - they were looking towards a better life… a better life that comes after death through the resurrection at the end of days...
They saw that compromising here and now was in no way, worth risking what lies ahead...
Hence why in v. 38 (second reason), the author states, “of whom the world was not worthy” that is.. there was and is nothing to be found in this world that was worth giving up their service, giving up their faithfulness to God…
It is better to be destitute, poor, and mistreated in this life while being faithful, than not being faithful and enjoying the pleasures of this life and the luxuries of this world...
The author then closes by telling us what these faithful lives, with their various outcomes in life, what they ultimately resulted in.. let’s read v. 39-40 Heb 11.39-40
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
The author brings us back to the beginning of this chapter, back to v. 1-2… where he wrote Heb 11.1-2
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.
So, the word commended acts as an inclusio… a bookend so to speak signifying these 40 verses to be viewed as a whole unit…
After giving us these many many examples of faithful living and what it looks like to live by faith as he defined faith by in v. 1…
The author closes by saying… these faithful people… who have gone before us… though they were commended by their faith, and though they suffered such great pains… and some were blessed immensely… they did not receive what was promised…
The faith of all those prior to Christ shared the same ultimate outcome as it relates to the promise of God that the author speaks about...
Now, quickly, what is this promise? Ultimate salvation, final salvation, the promised rest of Hebrews 4, the eternal inheritance of Hebrews 9...
But why is that… why did they not receive it? Did they not live faithfully enough?
No, it has nothing to do with “them”… it is solely based on the will of God
Look at v. 40… “since God”… God had plans in place… plans that provided something better for us...
A something for us, that apart from us the people of old, that is all of those who lived and died prior to the New Covenant… they should not be made perfect apart from those of the New Covenant...
And what exactly did God provide us?
Perfection (through the new covenant)
See, all of these faithful saints… despite their faith… despite their motivations… did not and could not achieve perfection… they did not receive the promised eternal rest, for they could not, not being perfected...
And they did not receive it for God had ordained from before time, that His Son, namely Jesus, would be the one to bring about the promise to His people…
But He would do so only when the time was right to usher in the New Covenant… and only when the Old Covenant had run its course…
And it is by Jesus the saints of old are perfected… it is by Christ that the saints of old receive the promise… it is by Christ, that we, and all of God’s people are perfected...
This should cause you to ask the question… what does it mean to be perfected?
Does it mean I sin no more?
Does it mean that I no longer experience pain, suffering, never make mistakes?
No… simply go back one chapter… Heb 10:14
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
That is… by the blood of Christ… we have been cleansed, we have been forgiven, we have had our consciences perfected (sanctified)…
And this perfection is what grants us unlimited and unrestrained access to the Father, that the Old Covenant could never, and never did provide.... only by the blood of Christ is this access granted… only by the blood of Christ is one made perfect… for only by the blood of Christ does one receive the promise.
So, what’s the point of all of this?
The author has already gone to great lengths through the letter to tell us how the New Covenant, and the priesthood of Christ is superior and better than the Old.. why does he spend a chapter to tell us about these examples and then end it by telling us they could not receive the promise without us…
Consider the context of chapter 11
Chapter 10 - Don’t throw away your confidence… your trust in the blood of Christ… don’t shrink back, don’t neglect the gathering… don’t live disobediently… remain faithful despite the sufferings you may incur...
For God takes pleasure in those who are faithful and persevere…
And then the author tells us what faith is in verse 1 of 11, then in verse 2, that it was by this kind of faith that the saints of old were commended...
The focus of chapter 11 - isn’t the flaws of these faithful examples… by the way you can tell a lot about a church and its theology on how it preaches Hebrews 11 - the purpose of these examples are not to comfort us in our shortcomings… as if we ought to preach about and focus on the flaws of these faithful examples...
The purpose is to encourage us, in part through conviction, to maintain the course, or for some to be better… as we persevere in holiness… hence all that the author says in chapter 12… (Do not grow weary, consider the Kingdom we have been given)
If they (the saints of old, this great cloud of witnesses) endured such things, and lived such lives… and yet did not receive the promise in their lifetimes, and we have received the promise in our lifetimes… if they endured… why can’t we?
If they persevered? Why can’t we?
What is causing us to turn tail?
For the author’s audience, what is causing them to trust in the Old Covenant again?
What kind of persecution should they not be able to withstand?
What is causing you, today, from living holy lives?
What is causing you to turn from righteousness?
What is causing you to be so quick at quitting?
Do you think you can enter the promised rest by living lives of disobedience?
And if you say, you are part of the New Covenant… that is you claim to be born again, saved by the blood of Christ...
Then why can’t you live faithfully as the saints of old?
Are we not greater than they? As Jesus says in Mt 11.11
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
We have access to the Father… that they did not…
Thus we are able to draw near and to remain near as needed… Heb 4:16
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
And again Heb 10:19-22
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
We Have been cleansed… we have been forgiven… atoned for… We have been sanctified… we have access and power unlike any other..
Beyond these truths… we have the revelation of Christ… we have the New Testament
We have an empty tomb
We have the sign of Jonah that death has been defeated...
And because of all of this… we have God Himself dwelling within us… John 16:7
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
What sin can ensnare you against your will?
What harm can this world create upon you to cause you to forsake your Savior?
What pain is too much for the glory that awaits you in eternity?
What is death but a threshold to eternal blessedness?
What pearl in this world has so captivated your gaze to draw your eyes from the the infinite majesty of God?
Has evil so clouded your vision you can no longer see the Son of God bleeding on the cross for you?
Wipe your eyes, repent of your sin, stand upon the love of God that was poured out for you on Calvary… look to Christ!
Submit to Christ!
Trust in Christ!
Persevere in Christ!
Yield not to the devil nor to your flesh… Don’t grow weary in the midst of the fight...
By faith endure.... by faith live… by faith die…
This is the way… and it has been marked by the Word of God and the many many faithful saints who have gone before us...