Hebrews 11:35-40 Faith is setting our eyes towards the glorious things in heaven
Hebrews 11:35-40
Background
The most distinctive and evidential aspect of faith is made apparent in the face of suffering and martyrdom. The men of faith endured hardship and made sacrifices that revealed the authenticity of their faith. God places us in dire circumstances so that the authenticity of our faith is revealed through the choices we make. Today’s passage teaches us to set our eyes towards the glorious things in heaven so that we may obtain the promise of the new covenant.
Observation
35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Faith is revealed in a person’s relationship with the unseen world, his capacity to endure suffering and death in exchange for eternal inheritance. Without mentioning names, these men of faith were martyred because they were looking for a better resurrection. Better resurrection refers to the resurrection that approaches the glory of the risen Christ. Such believers are rewarded with a glorious body in accordance to their faith. They refused the opportunity to gain their freedom at the cost of renouncing their allegiance to the truth and to Jesus Christ. They could have avoided torture and death had they agreed to comply, but they resolutely refused to do so. The prophet Jeremiah was tortured and imprisoned for refusing to recant God’s prophetic words. Isaiah was sawn in two at the hands of Manasseh when he prophesied destruction of the temple. For those who did not die a violent death, they lived a life of severe hardship wandering about in coarse clothing. Sheepskins and goatskins were often associated with Elijah and Elisha and were considered to be the standard uniform of the prophets. Their rude appearances were the consequence of mistreatment under a rebellious nation. They were constantly on the run and did not have a permanent home, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Although, these men by their suffering and death acted decisively and unmistakably in faith, their reward (what was promised) had to wait until Christ’s sacrificial work was accomplished. The promise of reward in the new covenant is much better than that of the old covenant. They had to wait because God had provided something better for us, referring to the promise of perfection for the saints of the new covenant. The promise of the old covenant related to Israel as a prosperous nation. But the new covenant promises eternal glory and perfection of the risen Christ in the heavenly kingdom.
Therefore, God deferred the bestowal of the final reward to men of the old covenant because something much better would ensue in the new covenant. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the old covenant community will partake of the resurrection of Christ together with the new covenant community. When the final act of perfecting comes, both old and new covenant believers will be gathered together and exalted to the likeness of the risen Christ, with each individual taking on Christ’s honor and glory according to his faith.
Truth
Faith is demonstrated by the choices and the sacrifices we make on earth. Many churchgoers have a wrong understanding of faith. Faith is not just agreeing with the gospel, it is more than that: It is being convicted by the gospel and living according to the truths of the gospel. This misunderstanding has produced many “cultural Christians” who do Christian things but without transformation of the heart. They continue to put themselves and their comfort as the priority while achieving the “minimum requirement” to get themselves saved. The gospel requires a total transformation of the heart to love God and to love others. To love God means to deny our personal agenda by committing one’s life to the purposes of God. To love God means to make sacrifices by involving our family in helping the poor and to be a blessing to the world. The men in this digest expressed the reality of their faith through the choices they made. They gave up what was rightfully theirs; they sacrificed their earthly comfort and dreams for a much grander dream of a new heaven and new earth. They demonstrated faith by making a clear decision without seeing and holding the reward in their hands. Love and truth were what motivated men and women of faith to make these choices in the face of suffering and death.
The reward of the new covenant is obtained by setting our minds on the things above. The reward of the new covenant is heavenly glory and the perfection of the risen Christ. However, many churchgoers having been told of the new covenant blessing continued to pursue the old covenant promises. The old covenant promised earthly prosperity and blessings as given in Deuteronomy 28, “the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” (v 1). They were taught about forgiveness through Christ as well as the new covenant promise of perfection. But their eyes and appetite remain earthly and sensual. God has promised something better in the new covenant, which are spiritual blessings as proclaimed by Paul, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” (Ephesians 1:3). Jesus said to to the rich man, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21). The new covenant attitude involves fixing our eyes on the things in heaven where Christ is. Paul taught,
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2
The reward of the new covenant is much better than that of the old covenant. That is one reason why the old testament saints had to wait for the new covenant to receive a better reward which is perfection of Christ. However, this requires believers to set their minds on the heavenly things and make earthly sacrifices to do His will.
Application
- Do you seek security for yourself and to achieve personal significance in this life as much as you possibly can? Or will you spend your life to create as much impact as possible to create a better world.
- How do you intend to retire? Would you live simply so that you could devote your resources to becoming a blessing to those who have little to live by?
Dear Lord, I thank you for the lives of men and women who gave of themselves to create a better future. Imprint in me a heart of Christ, full of passion to bring the blessing of new covenant into the world. Reveal to me the things of heaven so that I can visualize in greater clarity the glorious things kept in store for your people. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.