Hebrews 11

We have reached chapter 11 in our Hebrews study. You can read the chapter in your own Bible, or click here. If you have been skipping reading the chapters during this study, I highly recommend reading chapter 11. It is one of the most powerful and inspiring chapters in the Bible.

Hebrews 11 is a well-known chapter in the Bible, often referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame.” In chapter 10, the author warned the readers against turning away from Jesus and encouraged them to stand firm in their faith. The chapter ended with the author’s confidence that they would persevere rather than shrink back. Now, in chapter 11, the author highlights many faithful people from the Old Testament who trusted God and lived by faith. They believed God’s promises, even if those promises weren’t fulfilled yet. And although Jesus, the promised Messiah, had not yet come, they looked forward in faith to what God had promised.

Verse 1 might be a familiar verse – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Our faith requires that we trust God, His Word and His promises. We trust that He really is on our side and He really is always there for us. We have to believe these truths deep down. The enemy will plant doubts in our minds, the world will try to lead us astray, and our circumstances will make us wonder where God is. We cannot see God with our eyes, yet when we walk with Him we will feel His presence. Our God is faithful and trustworthy. And we will know that to be true, more and more, with each passing day in our relationship with Him.

Verse 3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

God created the entire universe out of nothing by His powerful Word. We weren’t there to witness it. Yet by faith, we believe and understand that He spoke it into existence.

Verse 4 is where we begin to see many familiar names. The author mentions numerous people from the Old Testament, highlighting their faith and obedience.

• By faith, Abel brought an offering that pleased God. (v4)
• By faith, Enoch walked with God so closely that God took him away and he didn’t experience death. (v5)

Verse 6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

The Amplified Bible says, “But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.”

We believe in God by faith. We draw near to Him, diligently seek Him, and please Him through our faith. And He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Sometimes, as Christians, we wish we had more faith. But remember, you do have faith! Your faith leads you to believe in God and turn to Him in prayer. And as you continue walking with Him, He is growing your faith every day.

• By faith, Noah spent over 100 years building an ark before any sign of a flood. (v7)
• By faith, Abraham left his home without knowing where he was going. By faith, he believed God’s promise that he would become a great nation, even as he lived as a foreigner in Canaan, the land God promised to his descendants hundreds of years later. (v8-10)
• By faith, Sarah had a son at an old age. (v11)

Verse 12 says that from this one man, Abraham, who was “as good as dead” came “descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” Abraham’s faith helped Israel to become a nation.

Verses 13-16 tell us that these people mentioned didn’t see all of God’s promises come true before they died. But their belief never wavered. And these people were eager for a better home – their heavenly home.

“The people of God don’t look backward. They look forward because they are absolutely convinced God’s promises are true.” [1]

• By faith, Abraham offered his promised son as a sacrifice when God tested him. (v17-18)

“In a sense, Isaac did die. This is what the second half of Hebrews 11:19 points out. He didn’t die physically, but he did die in a figurative sense. He was taken right up to the point of death and then brought back to life. So in a sense we can say that Isaac died and was resurrected. In this way, this story and Isaac’s role in particular anticipate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our great high priest.” [2]

• By faith, Isaac passed on to his sons the promises and blessings of Abraham. (v20)
• By faith, Jacob passed down the covenant promise to his descendants, even at the point of death. (v21)
• By faith, Joseph believed the Israelites would one day leave Egypt and even gave instructions on burying his bones. (v22)

From generation to generation these men kept their focus on God’s promises.

• By faith, Moses’ parents kept him hidden as a baby so he wouldn’t be killed with the other Hebrew boys. (v23)
• By faith, Moses chose faithfulness to God and identification with His people over the privileges and pleasures of Egypt. (v24-26)
• By faith, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. By faith, he instructed the Israelites on the first Passover to put blood on the doorposts, saving their firstborn sons. (v27-28)
• By faith, the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry ground. (v29)
• By faith, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, not through conventional military warfare, but through the Israelites’ obedience to God’s instructions. (v30)
• By faith, Rahab, the prostitute, was spared because she believed in the one true God and trusted in what He had done for the Israelites. (v31)

Verses 32-38 say:

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

In verses 32-38 the author goes on to mention several other faithful heroes. Some of them are named and some of them are not. But they all were imperfect people who walked by faith. This brings us a lot of comfort, because we, too, are imperfect people.

Yet we can still walk by faith. We walk by faith by trusting God. We make decisions based on that trust and His promises. We don’t let the situations in front of us distract us from keeping our eyes on God.

“The examples of faith we have seen in this passage in Hebrews show us intentional faith—faith that God is there and is active in our lives. This is a faith that doesn’t know the immediate outcome but trusts God anyway, that suffers because it knows there’s more at stake than the immediate situation, and that doesn’t really expect everything to work out on this side of eternity. This is the faith that pleases God.” [3]

The chapter ends by reminding us that these saints of faith did not live to see the fulfillment of God’s promises through Jesus. But God had something better planned: through Jesus and the New Covenant, His promises would be fulfilled.

Hebrews 11 is a powerful chapter in the Bible. The author highlights many Old Testament names we know and shows us how these individuals walked by faith. This chapter gives our faith a boost and encourages us to walk by faith, too. We are not perfect, but our faith in God is our greatest asset. No matter what life throws at us, I pray we will keep our focus on God. He is trustworthy and faithful. He cares for us, and He is always there for us.

Thank you for reading. We have two more chapters to go. See you next week!

[1] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[2] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[3] Lucado, Max. Life Lessons from Hebrews. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2018.

Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.