Faith in the Faithfulness of God

Though it may seem odd, the author’s point that God is invisible is very important. Recall the first verse of this chapter: “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (emphasis added). Not only is this truth—God is invisible—the essence of theism (we do not look to an idol), it is also connected to the trust displayed by those mentioned in this chapter. Their trust in promises was intimately connected to their trust in God. As they trusted in the unseen God, so they trusted in the unseen fulfillment of his promises. This is the very essence of faith.

Verse 28 identifies Moses’s faith in keeping the Passover. The substitution pictured in the Passover foreshadowed the final perfect Lamb who would be slain for the forgiveness of those who put his blood on the doorpost of their hearts by faith (Isa 53:7; Matt 27:14; Acts 8:26-40). Led by Moses, the Israelites kept the Passover, not doubting that God would keep his promise to them. The death of the firstborn son would have ended the covenant promise to Abraham. But Israel’s firstborn were protected. Why? Because Moses did not waver in availing himself of the substitutionary sacrifice God provided. He trusted God to be faithful.

Hebrews 11:29-31

Verse 29 mentions one of God’s most extraordinary and miraculous displays of his lordship: the parting of the Red Sea. It was a foretaste of the redemption that would come when Jesus liberated sinners. The author of Hebrews, an inspired interpreter of the Old Testament, makes explicit what is implicit in Exodus: it took faith in the trustworthiness of God to walk across the seafloor as one would on dry land. What held the water back? God, in his providence, keeping his covenant promise to Israel. This is why, when the Egyptian army tried to cross, the water was released and they were drowned.

Verse 30 moves us from the exodus to the battle of Jericho (Josh 6). It is rather curious that the author would draw our attention to faith demonstrated by Israel at Jericho. After all, Joshua does not record anything about the people’s faith. Nevertheless, the writer says that they obeyed the Lord’s battle plan in faith.

In verse 31 the author takes us from Jericho to the story of Rahab, which at first seems like a dramatic shift in content. Until this point, the author has identified people we naturally assume would be set forth as examples of faith. Rahab, however, is not a name we expect to find on this illustrious list. A prostitute is not one typically described as faithful to God. Still, he puts Rahab forward as an example to emulate. How did she trust God and why is her faith commendable, despite her occupation? Rahab hid Israel’s spies and informed them how they could escape (Josh 2). As a result, Rahab and all her household were spared (Josh 6:22-25). She was not motivated by courage, self-protection, or some political calculation. She was motivated by faith. Rahab trusted in the God of Israel not only to fulfill his promise to his people but also to protect her from the destruction of Jericho. In a time of danger, she identified herself with the people of Yahweh and believed his promises, even though she was not an Israelite. Hers is truly a faith worth emulating.

Hebrews 11:32-40

As we come to the chapter’s end, it is as if we have experienced a great symphony. There has been expansive movement across many portions of the Old Testament. And now the list of characters culminates in a crescendo of final examples. Even though we may be less familiar with them, the central message intended is the same: the individuals were marked by an astonishing faith in God. The same should mark us.

The lives of those mentioned in this passage serve as examples for us. Were they perfect examples? No. Luther’s dying words, which underscore our need, apply to them: “We are beggars. This is true.” Gideon demanded signs from God and led Israel to sin when he made an ephod (Judg 6:36-40; 8:24-27); Samson was sexually promiscuous and broke his covenant with God (Judg 13–16); Jephthah vowed to sacrifice his own daughter (Judg 11:30-31,34-40); David committed adultery with a woman and tried to cover it up by arranging the death of her husband (2 Sam 11). Even so, the author does not remember them for their flaws. He commends them for their faith. Though they sinned, their lives were ultimately marked by their faith in God, which the author highlights in verses 33 and 34. They failed yet accomplished each of these feats by faith, so they serve as examples of remarkable trust in God.

Verses 35-38 shift our attention to those who suffered for the sake of Christ by faith. The women receiving back their dead is probably a reference to the work of Elijah in 1 Kings 17:17-23 and the work of Elisha in 2 Kings 4:18-36. These women trusted God and so received back their dead. Those who experienced the terrible suffering the author details did not fail in their faith, even in the midst of their persecution. They believed God would not fail to give them the promised land and trusted he would raise them to life on the last day. Though they were counted righteous by their faith, they were despised by the world for their devotion to God, so “the world was not worthy of them.”

The author is not calling us to die like they did, but he is calling us to trust in the covenant Lord like they did—even if that means suffering a death like theirs. Justin Martyr, an early church father, echoed this same kind of faith. When beholding the very place where he and his congregation would be martyred, Justin said, “Remember brothers and sisters, they can kill us, but they can’t hurt us.” This is the kind of devotion that marked these Old Testament saints, and it’s the kind of devotion we should display in our own lives.

The author ends the symphony of chapter 11 by taking his readers back to its beginning, namely the theme of 11:2. These saints only had preliminary glimpses of God’s wondrous fulfillment of his promises. They did not live to see the coronation of King Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Still, they are commended for their extraordinary faith in God’s promise. They did not receive the ultimate fulfillment of that promise, but they recognized that they would experience it eschatologically. Their faith, like that of those the author discussed earlier, was a future-looking faith.

This again highlights the supreme significance of the new covenant. It was only in the establishment of the new covenant by the blood of Jesus that the old covenant promises could be fulfilled. This is what the author means in verse 40. Apart from the new covenant, there is no hope of perfect, unmitigated fellowship with God on the last day.