An ancient road worn into a wide plain by countless feet, running from sandal prints in the dust to a far horizon glowing with dawn.

The Book of

Hebrews 11

Abel to Abraham, Moses to Rahab and many more: men and women who trusted God for what they could not yet see.

40 verses≈ 7 min13 peopleBSB

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In this chapter

Where we are

1–2The SonGod's final word, above the angels
3–4:13Enter His restGreater than Moses; today, hear Him
4:14–7Our high priestTempted like us, a priest forever
8–10:18A new covenantOne sacrifice, once for all
10:19–13Run by faithHold on; fix your eyes on JesusChapter 11

Faith and Assurance

Hebrews 11:1

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This is why the ancients were commended.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

In this chapter

The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

The Faith of Abraham and Sarah

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8

By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

Abraham’s journey

God called Abraham while he still lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, far down the Euphrates. He set out, stayed for a time in Haran, and then went on into Canaan, the land God would show him. Even there he owned no home: he lived “in tents” all his life.

By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

A black goat-hair tent alone on a high plateau at dusk, an old man seen from behind at its door looking toward a far horizon glowing with last light.

All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

0:31

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Reflect

Strangers and exiles

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in tents in the land God promised them, and they died “without having received the things they were promised.” Yet they were “longing for a better country, a heavenly one.” What are you holding on to in this life as if it were home? And what has God promised you that you have not seen yet? Write down one promise you are waiting for, and why you can trust Him for it.

God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them

Hebrews 11:16

An old man and a boy, seen from behind, climbing a bare mountain path at dawn, the boy carrying a bundle of wood.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.

The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.

The Faith of Moses

The writer of Hebrews

he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible

Hebrews 11:27

Question

Quick question

Moses grew up as a prince of Egypt, with all its wealth within reach.

Why does the writer say Moses turned his back on the treasures of Egypt?

The Faith of Many

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.

And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.

More than time allows

Whiteboard

The writer runs out of time, so he runs through names: judges, a king, a prophet and “the prophets” after them. Some saw great victories by faith; others, by the same faith, were mocked, chained, stoned and driven into the wilderness. Both are faith. And of those who suffered, God says: “The world was not worthy of them.”

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.

Pray

Faith for what I cannot see

Thank God for the men and women of this chapter, ordinary and flawed, who trusted Him and were “commended for their faith.” Then ask Him for faith of your own: to believe “that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him,” to obey when you don’t know where the road goes, and to hold on in hard days, because He has “planned something better for us.”

You’ve experienced

Hebrews 11

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A verse to carry with you

Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

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