The Hall of Faith | Faith Greeting From Afar – Hebrews 11:13-16
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
At this time, the author of Hebrews diverts a bit to discuss those who have come before to talk about the impetus of faith. The people mentioned here died walking in faith as they journeyed closer to the promises that God had set apart for them. Each person, while they received a taste of the promise to come, stood in faith that more would come later. As they walked in faith, they stood in the tension of this day desiring the attention and life of the individual and the clarion call of God who rules above all and whose promises are still to come but secure nonetheless. The flesh of mankind seeks instant gratification but the Spirit of God stands as a steadfast foundation that whatever God promises will assuredly come to pass and far surpasses whatever material possession or pleasure the world may offer. For those holding fast to faith, we are confronted with the question of where we want our eternal home to be. We can live a life of sinful rebellion and fleshly pleasure or seek the future home that God has set apart for us.
Faith In An Unknown Journey
The story of Abraham and Sarah brings a mixture of hope and anticipation. For the first half, God speaks to them, moves in them, and promises an abundance of things that wil come to pass by God’s providential reign. Then, over the course of the final years of Abraham and Sarah’s life, those promises see fulfillment to some degree. Yet, even as Abraham and Sarah grow old, you almost get the sense that, while they did receive the promises of God, there still remains this feeling of an incomplete story. While they did receive the immediate promised land from God, the promises of God would go well beyond the immediate context. God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah would be that they would be the parents of many nations yet at the end of their life had few children. They received the land, but just a portion. Every aspect of the promise gave a foreshadowing of a greater future that the people would grow into the promise, all according to God’s will. For the people in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, they demonstrated their faith through their patient waiting by greeting the promises of God from afar. This did not diminish from the fact that the promises of God came as a true reality, but merely gave the people something to look towards and trust God in faith as they continued to pursue Him.
Our modern day culture seeks instant gratification. We want to drive the fastest cars, have the fastest internet, and instantly have whatever we need at our fingertips. Then, when we do not get immediately what we want, we argue and moan about not having received the best service. We have moved from going out and renting videos to immediate streaming services. Overall, our expectation is that whatever we want we should have immediate access to. Yet, so much of faith involves waiting and trusting for the future glory. Instant gratification may feel good in the short term it will ruin a person in the long run and acts off of a complete lack of faith in the life of the believer. Even for following Christ, we may expect instant spiritual maturity when we come to Jesus Christ, walking in faith takes time and discipline founded on the promises of God. We greet the promises of God from afar understanding that in Christ, the promises of God are secure. In faith, we trust in the future that God promises based on His sovereign rule.
Which Land Will You Choose
At the core of faith comes the decision of where we desire to call home. For the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews, and specifically for Abraham and Sarah, they had been called out from their homeland to go to somewhere greater. For all their faith, though, Hebrews makes it clear that they could have returned at any point. The decision to return to what they knew and their previous homeland always stood just at their finger tips. The aspect of faith comes in to play with the pursuit of the heavenly home. For all their insecurity, their doubt, and their unknowns, the people of faith stood on the character of God to sustain His promises and provide an eternal home for His chosen people. Yet, even though their old life was familiar, they understood that the people they left did not reflect a devotion to God but the chaos of fleshly pursuit. Very likely, they could have returned to their previous land and life while navigating the challenges of society and culture. Yet to do so would have abandoned the promises of God.
The pursuit of God in faith turns our back on the life we once knew to step into the life that God has prepared for us. Many aspects of our previous life may try and lure us back into the way we once lived, but we must not slide back to the person we once where. We have the choice of which land we desire to call home. While the life in the flesh is marked by temporary pleasure and familiarity, it will ultimately leave us empty and devoid of life. However, a life that stands in faith in the Spirit, while it may look towards a future to come, there is an eternal promise that comes with that pursuit. God calls us out of a life of to bring us to be in His presence forever by setting up a place for us. Faith stands on the character of God to provide for His promises. On this side of eternity, we will not fully receive the promises of God, but must continue to stand in faith that one day, we will be with God, forever. Faith trusts that God will provide and reigns sovereignly over all creation.
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
