Hebrews 11:8-22: The Faith of the Patriarchs
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Introduction
Introduction
Scripture
Scripture
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
Outline
Outline
Hebrews 1-2 - Jesus is Greater Than the Angels
Hebrews 1-2 - Jesus is Greater Than the Angels
Hebrews 1:1-4 - God has Spoken
Hebrews 1:5-14 - The Son is Superior to the Angels
Hebrews 2:1-4 - A Warning
Hebrews 2:5-9 - Lowliness to Crowning Glory
Hebrews 2:10-18 - Jesus has Delivered His Brothers
Hebrews 3:1-4:13 - Jesus is a Greater Rest
Hebrews 3:1-4:13 - Jesus is a Greater Rest
Hebrews 3:1-6 - Jesus is Worthy of More Glory Than Moses
Hebrews 3:7-19 - Disobedience After the Exodus
Hebrews 4:1-13 - A Sabbath Rest for God’s People
Hebrews 4:14-7:26 - Jesus is Greater than Melchizedek
Hebrews 4:14-7:26 - Jesus is Greater than Melchizedek
Hebrews 4:14-16 - Jesus is the Great High Priest
Hebrews 5:1-10 - Jesus is the High Priest After the Order of Melchizedek
Hebrews 5:11-6:20 - Warning and Exhortation
Hebrews 5:11-14 - Failure to Mature
Hebrews 6:1-8 - Pursue Maturity
Hebrews 6:9-12 - Loving Motivation
Hebrews 6:13-20 - The Promise of God’s Word and God’s Oath
Hebrews 7:1-10 - The Greatness of Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:11-19 - Jesus’ Priesthood is Needed
Hebrews 7:20-28 - Jesus Guarantees a Better Covenant
Hebrews 8:1-10:18 - Jesus is the Greater Covenant
Hebrews 8:1-10:18 - Jesus is the Greater Covenant
Hebrews 8:1-6 - Jesus Mediates a Better Covenant
Hebrews 8:7-13 - The Promise of the New Covenant
Hebrews 9:1-10 - The Earthly Tabernacle Points to What Would Come
Hebrews 9:11-14 - Christ is The Mercy Seat
Hebrews 9:15-22 - Blood is Necessary for Forgiveness
Hebrews 9:23-28 - Christ’s Sacrifice Permanently Removes Sin
Hebrews 10:1-10 - Christ’s Sacrifice Replaces the Law
Hebrews 10:11-18 - Christ's Sacrifice Fully Forgives Sin
Hebrews 10:19-12:29 - Assurance of Faith
Hebrews 10:19-12:29 - Assurance of Faith
Hebrews 10:19-25 - Because of Christ's Sacrifice Let us...
Hebrews 10:26-31 - A Warning Against Apostasy
Hebrews 10:32-39 - A Warm Encouragement
Hebrews 11:1-11:40 - Faith
Hebrews 11:1-7 - Faith Before the Patriarchs
Hebrews 11:8-22 - The Faith of the Patriarchs
Hebrews 11:8-12 - Abraham’s Faith
Hebrews 11:13-16 - Hope of a Heavenly Country
Hebrews 11:17-22 - Patriarchal Faith
Purpose of Book
Purpose of Book
Christ, who has accomplished salvation through His atoning sacrifice, is greater than all things; therefore, persevere in true faith and encourage others to do likewise
Christ, who has accomplished salvation through His atoning sacrifice, is greater than all things; therefore, persevere in true faith and encourage others to do likewise
Main Point
Main Point
The faith of the patriarchs give us an example to follow as we live as exiles on earth. They looked beyond their earthly world to their true home - the eternal, heavenly city of God
The faith of the patriarchs give us an example to follow as we live as exiles on earth. They looked beyond their earthly world to their true home - the eternal, heavenly city of God
Hebrews 11:8-12 - Abraham’s Faith
Hebrews 11:8-12 - Abraham’s Faith
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.
And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
Faith requires/demands obedience
He was to receive as an inheritance
Abraham’s true inheritance was not simply Canaan it is the heavenly city
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
Live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land
Abraham lived in Canaan, but he lived as a stranger/foreigner
Living in tents with Isaac and Jacob
They all lived as nomads in Canaan
Heirs with him of the same promise
Though heirs they did not see the realization of the promise and clung to it in faith
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 11
11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, he received the ability to procreate, because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.
Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
Good as dead
Isaac’s life itself foreshadows the resurrection of the dead
Hebrews 11:13-16 - Hope of a Heavenly Country
Hebrews 11:13-16 - Hope of a Heavenly Country
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
These all died in faith
Abraham
Sarah
Isaac
Jacob
Not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar
15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
When Isaac was born and when Abraham lived in the Promised Land the promise was fulfilled
However, the author makes it clear that the promise is fulfilled eschatologically - the city God is preparing for them
Having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth
1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
Strangers and exiles on the earth
As followers of God, we are exiles on EARTH
This is why the author can provide hope for the congregation - their home is not earth
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
Seeking a homeland
Land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return
Abraham’s family NEVER returned to Haran permanently
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Desire a better country
A heavenly one
Abraham’s hope was not just in an earthly land, but one that is otherworldly
The heirs of Abraham also share a heavenly calling and city
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
God is not ashamed to be called their God
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Prepared for them a city
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:17-22 - Patriarchal Faith
Hebrews 11:17-22 - Patriarchal Faith
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
Isaac’s offering serves as a typology of Jesus’ sacrifice
Isaac’s resurrection also serves as a typology of the general resurrection of the saints
By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
***Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - events recorded on their deathbed as they prophesied the future***
***Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - events recorded on their deathbed as they prophesied the future***
Jacob
27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said,
“See, the smell of my son
is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
28 May God give you of the dew of heaven
and of the fatness of the earth
and plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”
Esau
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:
“Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,
and away from the dew of heaven on high.
40 By your sword you shall live,
and you shall serve your brother;
but when you grow restless
you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
Isaac believed that both would become a reality in the future
By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
Blessed each of the sons of Joseph
Genesis 48 records the account
Bowing in worship over the head of his staff
31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Made mention of the exodus
Joseph understood the promise of the exodus even though it was nowhere in sight
He remembered the promise of God - Egypt was not his home, Canaan was
Application
Application
Faith always results in obedience - failure to obey is a sign of no faith
Faith always results in obedience - failure to obey is a sign of no faith
Look to the future homeland in faith - earth is not our home!
Look to the future homeland in faith - earth is not our home!
Main Point
Main Point
The faith of the patriarchs give us an example to follow as we live as exiles on earth. They looked beyond their earthly world to their true home - the eternal, heavenly city of God
The faith of the patriarchs give us an example to follow as we live as exiles on earth. They looked beyond their earthly world to their true home - the eternal, heavenly city of God