Hebrews 11:23-40
In verses 33 through 38 our author leaves nameless those many Israelites who gained victories (10 notations), trusting in the power of God and the faith of the leaders whom they served. He also lists trials that they endured (8 notations) and adds two verses (vv. 37b-38) of people who chose to isolate themselves from society – some fleeing for their lives and others choosing an hermitic lifestyle as their means of being obedient to the Lord. He is covering some 1500 years of Jewish history as he recalls what they endured from the various nations who conquered them. All of these notations – the victories, the persecutions, the isolations – are the result of faith on the part of these Israelites.
I mention below that the author probably knew of similar victories and persecutions in the early Christian church, but did not bother to mention those. And today we also serve in faith a God who is active in the world. We watch and pray for (and occasionally participate in) the growth of the Church. We also pray regularly for the “persecuted Church”, largely in lesser developed countries of the world, but we also see attacks on the Church and its institutions in our advanced societies. We see the same faith-based realities in those 1,500 years before Jesus, in the first couple of centuries after His death and resurrection, and in our world some 2,000 years later. But we all know how it will ultimately end – with Jesus powerful over all! Come, Lord Jesus!!
See also: December 7 / Hebrews 11:23-29; December 8 / Hebrews 11:30-40
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
The last line of this reading is very interesting. It seems to be making a distinction between faith in the Father (Yahweh) prior to Jesus, and faith in the Messiah (Christ) after the coming of Jesus. To me, it seems to be saying that the faith in the Father given in the old testament examples was commendable, but did not directly result in the promise embodied in faith in the Messiah (i.e., salvation through forgiveness of sin). That promise would be fulfilled for those with faith in Christ after the resurrection, and the old testament believers would somehow also join in at that time (“that apart from us they should not be made perfect”). Interesting.