Hebrews 11:39-40 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
The way God works in the world is sometimes at odds with how we think. Especially in our day and age, we expect instant results. A click of the mouse and the package is on its way. Before we even have the opportunity to pause and question whether we need the item or not, it is already in the truck headed for our house.
We have become a “me” centered culture. The “we” has been almost entirely dropped from our vocabulary. This is of course not true if the powers that rule can use the “us” to demand what they want. So the “us” in that instance is really a “you,” since they don’t live by the standard that they are trying to impose on us. (Think walking maskless in a mandatory mask environment.)
Our text is a summary of the whole chapter, a chapter that has given us many examples of those who exercised Biblical faith. The conclusion is that those who have faith don’t receive the outcome of God’s promise. They had faith, they trusted God, but their trust did not bring immediate fruit in their lives.
It is only when their faith is brought to fruition with our faith, that their faith is perfected. They had hope for the future, a future in which Jesus lived, died, and rose again. And now that these have happened, the current generations of believers have brought to completion the faith of those who had faith before these things happened. They looked forward, we look back.
We are fruit of their faith. The righteous remnant held out hope for the coming Messiah. They continued to believe even in the face of intense opposition and even death. And it is this kind of faith that the original readers of this letter were experiencing.
These who were commended for their faith became examples for the current crop of believers to follow. They became an inspiration to those who were only just beginning to experience persecution. Their faithfulness through their trials brought hope that anchored the souls of those in the current generation needed.
The stories of these previous believers became part of the fabric of the stories of this current generation. Their stories emboldened the current believers to live all out for Christ. And they can embolden us as well.
I am emboldened when I read current accounts of believers around the world who are facing persecution today. The Voice of the Martyrs organization bridges the gap between the disparate Christians around the world who right now are facing death for standing tall in Jesus’ name. I read their accounts and it prepares my soul for the day when they knock on my door.
We might not be healed of that illness. We might not escape the persecution. We might undergo horrific torture for our unyielding faith in Jesus. When we do, we are joining in the long line of those who kept the faith down through history. We join these who form this chapter in Hebrews. We keep the faith.
The Arnold Journey 