HEBREWS 11:20

Giving us examples of those who lived by faith, the Bible says in Hebrews 11:20-23, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” One thing that is similar with the faith of all of the individuals mentioned in this passage is that their faith was centered on things that would happen in the future. It had to do with parents, sometimes even on their death-bed, looking forward to the future and what God would do in the future for their children and their children’s children. Of course, all of this was associated with the great promise that God had made to Abraham. These individuals inherited the promise, and they believed the same promise that Abraham believed.

God’s promises primarily have to do with the future. Today we might be having trials and tribulations and difficulties and sorrows, but God has promised a bright future for those who trust Christ. Believe the promises and look to the future. That is what all of these people did who lived by faith. One of the good things about this kind of life of faith is that you can live it even when you are at an advanced old age. Jacob, “when he was a dying,” had this kind of faith. And Joseph “when he died” had this kind of faith. The parents of Moses had this kind of faith even though they lived at a time when their child could have been put to death.

Eventually the faith of the parents of Moses became a part of Moses’ own life. The next several verses tell us some things about Moses’ life of faith. It says in Hebrews 11:24-25, “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” One of the things that we learn from Moses is that when you live by faith it will affect the choices that you make. Most people when faced with the choice of pleasure or affliction will choose pleasure. But Moses chose affliction because he lived by faith. Every human being in every generation is faced with the same kinds of choices. Having faith in the promises of God makes the difference, because when someone has faith: the emphasis is on the future. The pleasures of the present are not as tempting, when one focuses on the promises of God concerning the future. With faith one becomes more concerned with what God says instead of what the world says.

Hebrews 11:26 says about Moses, “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.” An important thing to notice about this verse is that it says that Moses was “esteeming the reproach of Christ.” How could Moses have known about Christ? Moses lived at least 1400 years before Jesus Christ came to the earth as a man. But of course Christ was alive during the time of the Old Testament. Christ created the world. Christ has always been the manifestation of God. In the New Testament Jesus was the manifestation of God in the flesh. In the Old Testament Christ was the manifestation of God in whatever form that Jehovah chose to reveal Himself. Jesus is Jehovah. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Master. When you see the words, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD, or God in the Old Testament; never forget that in most cases it is talking about Jesus. Of course, the name “Jesus” was not revealed until the angel spoke to Mary. But those who worshipped God in the Old Testament were worshipping Jesus. They just did not know that His name was Jesus.

Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” It is called “the reproach of Christ” because of the reproach and disdain that most of the world has for Christ. If you align yourself with Christ, then the reproaches of Christ will fall on you. People know that this reproach to Christ exists in this world, and people know that they must make a choice just like Moses made a choice. Do you appreciate Jesus Christ enough so that you are willing to share His reproach, or are you afraid of the reproach and unwilling to bear it? In the parable of the sower Jesus said concerning those who do not bear fruit, “Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”

Hebrews 11:27 says of Moses, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Moses knew whom to fear. If you are living by faith, you will fear God and not man. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul an body in hell.” In Luke 12:5 Jesus said, “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear; Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

The Bible says about Moses in Hebrews 11:28, “Through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” The Passover is one of the great Biblical symbols of the death of Christ and the salvation of those who have the blood applied to their benefit. But that benefit came through faith both for the Passover and for the sacrifice of Christ. God will avenge sin in His time, but He has provided just one salvation from the Destroyer: Christ. Have faith in Christ and your sins will be covered by the blood.

One important thing is said about Joshua and his faith and about the faith of those who were with him. It says in Hebrews 11:29, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.” The greatest obstacles of life can be removed by faith. God can do anything, so when we rely upon Him, we also can do anything. Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Jesus also said in Mark 9:23, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Of course, for the walls of Jericho to come down, in addition to believing, the children of Israel had to march around the walls according to the instructions given by God. If you truly believe, you will demonstrate your belief by doing things God’s way. If you truly believe, then you will seek to know God’s will for Christians as His will is recorded in the New Testament.

When you have faith in God’s Word, you enter into His mercy. The next verse shows how great His mercy can be. It says in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” Rahab was a harlot, but she was saved by believing. The same mercy has always been available from the great and merciful God. Believe in Christ and all of your sins will be forgiven, no matter how great your sins may have been.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:32-33, “And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae: of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” Verse thirty-two lists some of the people from the Old Testament who lived by faith. They lived by faith: so can we. Verse thirty-two also reminds us of how to interpret the Old Testament: bring the Old Testament events and people into the New Testament and look for the connections between the old and the new. Some people make the mistake of looking into the Old Testament and practically forgetting that the New Testament was written. One of the great purposes of the Old Testament in our day and age is to teach us how to live for Christ. For Christians, the emphasis should always be on Christ. It is essential that when you read, study, and teach from the Old Testament that you find Christ there.

In the Old Testament individuals through faith “subdued kingdoms.” That means that a Christian living in this day can do the same thing. Do not ever think that you are just one person and can never see any changes for good take place. Do not ever think that you are just one small person with no power against the powers that be. This Bible verse says that with your faith in the Lord you can see kingdoms subdued. That’s a lot of power and a very great effect to come from one Christian trusting in the Lord.

It is interesting that Hebrews 11:33 says that through faith believers “wrought righteousness.” This phrase means that they did righteous deeds and performed righteous acts. It also implies that one cannot do righteous deeds without faith. There are a number of reasons that this is true. One reason is because of the principle given in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him.” Also, in John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” We have no strength of ourselves. We have no ability to do the right thing of ourselves. We must abide in Christ, and we abide in Christ through faith: trusting in Him moment by moment. When we have faith in Him in this way, He guides our footsteps into the path of righteousness, and He gives us the strength to do the right thing. When you do the right thing, it is by the grace of God. When you do the right thing, it is because you exercised faith in Christ.

Through faith the believers “obtained promises.” There are many great and precious promises that God has made. But when we hear a promise, we must believe it in order to enter into its benefits. Jesus said, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That is a promise. A lost soul becomes saved by Christ when that soul believes in Jesus. Those who do not believe are not saved.

Those who believed “stopped the mouths of lions.” Of course, we know that this is talking about Daniel. God can protect us even in the most dangerous situation and the most impossible situation. To have faith means to trust and to rely upon. When we rely upon the Lord, He can provide a way when there is no way. He can provide a solution when all seems lost.

Another list of things that have been accomplished by people through their faith in God is given in Hebrews 11:34. It says, “Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” This is a violent world that we live in with many mortal dangers. There are dangers from the animal world, such as “lions,” and poisonous snakes, and insects. There are dangers from the natural world, such as “fire,” and flood, and earthquake. There are dangers from violent human beings, such as from murderers and thieves and rapists and child molesters. God protects believers from all of these things when it is His will to do so. It is nice to know that as we go through this world we are protected while we trust in Him.

Of course, we are only protected when it is His will. There will still be times when it is His will for us to suffer. Hopefully we will be wise enough and strong enough to trust Him even when we suffer. Hebrews 11:35 shows both things. It says, “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.” The worse things that can happen from a physical standpoint is to be put to death. God can keep us from death through His power, or He can even raise from the dead someone who has died. But other people who had the same amount of faith “were tortured” and were not given “deliverance.” Both situations God uses for His glory. It will all be understood at the judgment. Make sure that you live by faith in Christ so that whatever happens to you is God’s will.

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