Heroes of the Faith in Perspective – Hebrews 11

Today I have the opportunity to share the following message with a church in Pakistan.

Hebrews 11:1-3 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. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Often when we look back at events in the past, we remember them as better than they were. I would like to share with you from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. Those whom this passage of scripture holds up as being great heroes of the faith.

Sometimes, they did not behave in a way that we would expect from people of faith.

In Gen 12:1-9 God calls Abram to a new land, and he listens, trusts God and obeys. But in Gen 12:10-20 we are told that the man of faith has left the promised land, and gone down to Egypt to escape hardship. He is willing to allow his wife to be dishonoured in order to save his own life. This is the man that God has called, and whom He has said he will bless. Did Abram forget the promises?

In Gen 15 we see that the Lord promises a child to Abram through whom he will make a great nation. But after 1- years of roaming the promised land, and Sarah still barren, they take matters into their own hands. Sarah gives Abram her servant for a wife, and she bears him a son.

In Gen 18, Sarah, the woman of faith, laughs at God’s promise of a child, and when she is caught, she even denies it.

In Gen 22 we see a crowning moment of faith from Abraham, as he is prepared to sacrifice his only son at the command of the Lord. However later on, after the death of Sarah, Abraham takes another wife and has more sons. Why does he do this after God has already fulfilled his promise? Did he need a backup for Isaac?

When we do not obey God, but instead try to do things in our own way, then we create hardship and difficulties.

In Gen 26, Isaac copies his father’s mistake, right after God spoke to him and promised to be with him, he lets his wife be taken into the house of the king as another man’s wife.

Jacob’s story is one of constant deception and cheating, trying to take a hold of the blessing of God by his own hand.

Joseph receives the gift of dreams and interpretation, but gets into trouble by telling his family that he will rule over them.

In Exodus 2 we see that Moses is miraculously delivered from death as a baby. Even though he grows up as a prince of Egypt, God places in him a heart for his people. Moses sees an injustice, and takes it upon himself to fix it. But he did it in the wrong way, by committing a murder. God would later bring him back to deliver the people, but only after another 40 years of wandering in the desert.

Thanks to His Grace, God uses every situation and mistake to teach us, and to grow us into more maturity.

So, lets take a quick revision of the lives of the heroes of the faith:

• Abraham – After God’s command and promises, fears for his life and lets his wife be taken into the house of another man. Later, God promises him a child, but after 10 years he takes that child through another woman. Further, after Sarah’s death, the one through whose children God promised that he would make him a great nation, takes another wife and has more sons.
• Isaac – God promises him protection, he lies about his wife being his, as he fears for his life.
• Jacob – Cheats and tricks his way into trying to access the promises of God.
• Joseph – God gives him a dream about the future, so he goes and boasts about it to all – “I’m going to rule over you all.”
• Moses – Wants to help his people, so he murders someone then runs and hides.

These people were not perfect, they did not always follow God’s way perfectly. Sometimes, their faith was weak, and sometimes, they did fantastic things. We can look at their actions and think that sometimes they did not believe God at all.

Overall, we can see that when we disobey God, and try to do things in our own way, and in our own strength, then we fail, then we cause problems that will continue for generations. When we obey God in faith, he works all situations out and delivers us.

 The faith for which these Bible heroes are honoured, is not that they did mighty deeds or some great miracles. God brought them to the point where their faith was “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

All these people, in the end, believed that what God had promised to them would come to pass, whether or not they would see it with their own eyes, and in their own lifetime.

You know, I think that in a country like Pakistan, living as a Christian, it would be easy to ask, “God, are you going to do what you have promised?” to doubt whether he will be true to his word, and to try and work things out in our own strength. To look at the situations around us and ask “God, where are you?”. God is working in and through you in every tough situation. Trust on his word and promises that he will bless you and deliver you.

Let us pray that God gives us such a faith to endure our whole lives and faithfully believe what he has promised to us.