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By Faith – The Great Cloud of Witnesses
Hebrews 11 concludes with a remarkable list of heroic figures whose stories are well worth telling, but we have the same issue the writer of Hebrews did, “I do not have time…” to tell each of their stories. Still, it would be a wonderful study to find whatever you can about them and learn from their lives and from their faith:
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:32-40)
The Rhetorical Purpose of Hebrews 11's Example List
Back in the first article of this series we told you about the purpose for lists such as the one we find in Hebrews 11. According to the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament,
“The author sets before the reader a panoramic view of Old Testament history, highlighting significant events of that history involving faith. Much more than simply reminding his readers of interesting stories, he has a specific aim in the way he packages these narratives. For Hebrews 11 has the form of an ancient ‘example list,’ a rhetorical and preaching tool used to exhort listeners to take a specific course of action…. The aim is to give example after example of people who have taken the desired course of behavior, impressing the hearers with the positive outcome of their actions. Specifically in Hebrews 11, by providing those addressed with copious examples, the author challenges them to grasp that God’s people must live by faith, and having grasped that truth, to live a life of persevering faith.”[1]
Run the Race: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of Faith
But, lest the reader fail to grasp the point of this list, the point of seeing the faith of imperfect people play itself out to great victories, or even to courage in death, the writer clearly spells out his point in the first verses of chapter 12. Here is the point of every story he has told in the preceding chapter:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Reader, whatever excuse you have used in the past to avoid living with your eyes fixed on Jesus, lay it aside. Take the examples you have been given, and realize that your own weakness, your own less-than-stellar life, your own abilities or lack thereof, or even your own lack of faith are not valid excuses.
Jesus is the source of our faith, and Jesus is the perfecter of our faith (verse 2). While we would not recommend The Message for Bible study purposes, perhaps you can benefit from how Eugene Peterson translates these verses:
“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”
The God in Whom Our Faith Rests: The Unchanging Faithfulness of the Lord
And we must end this series with this description from Psalm 89 of God in whom our faith rests:
“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, “I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.”’
“The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” (Psalm 89:1-8)
Endnotes
- Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament, © 2002, accessed at biblegateway.com, emphasis mine.↑
Go Deeper
R.L. Wilson
R.L. Wilson has been on staff at the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute since 1982. Wilson’s articles draw from the perspective of someone who grew up in a multicultural environment, and who has been a follower of Christ for many decades.
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