​Hebrews 13:20-25 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.13.20-Heb.13.25
Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings
22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you.

We've made it to the end of the book of Hebrews.  We both of these passages were so short that I decided to put them together as today's text.  Like many epistles this one ends with a benediction (a word of blessing) and some final greetings.

The author makes sure once again to bring us back to Jesus.  His Resurrection, His leading of all the people of the New Covenant (both the completed Jews and converted Gentiles who make up the True Israel), and the peach that He has brought and bought by His blood through the New Covenant.  He has also given us the Holy Spirit to equip us for every good work and to complete the process of sanctification in us, even though we are already positionally made perfect in the sight of God since God sees Jesus when He looks on us.  For this reason among any others, Jesus is the Name above ever name and He deserves all glory and honor and praise both now and forevermore.

It is here in the final greetings that we might get some indication of who the author may be.  We see Timothy mentioned here, and we know that Timothy helped Paul, though it is possible that the author is not Paul, but someone else on Paul's team, or someone   We also know that Paul had gone to Rome so it would make sense that Paul would send greetings form those in Italy.  There's no absolute certainty that Paul is the author here, but it does make sense, and you'll see some similarities as we move through other books He wrote (especially Romans) in that he makes any arguments from the Law and from lesser to greater in those epistles, but that he speaks differently to the Gentiles without the Law.

Ultimately, God the Holy Spirit is the author of all Scripture, so we can leave it at that for now and say that if God wanted us to know the name of the man that penned these words, He would have told us.  However, the message here is only about one Man, the God-Man Jesus and how He is more excellent than any angel, high priest, king, sacrifice, or even the temple itself, and that the way that God provided through Him is the only way to God.  This is a message for everyone...to the Jew first, but also to the Gentile.  So, let us read the book of Hebrews with an appreciation that God revealed Himself as much as He did in the Old Testament while we praise Him for making what was dim clearly visible as He gave us His one and only Son, Jesus to teach us the way, make the way, and lead us in the way we should go.

​Hebrews 13:1-19 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.13.1-Heb.13.19
Sacrifices Pleasing to God
13:1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

We back in the book of Hebrews today as we begin to wrap things up.  Like many epistles, the end of the letter is quite a mishmash of final thoughts that may not easily fit together into one coherent them.  I'll try to address them one idea at a time.

The first part of today's passage are admonishments to keep doing good and refrain from doing what is evil and wicked.  Things we are supposed to do---Love one another, show hospitality to strangers, take care of those who are imprisoned (especially those Christian brothers imprisoned for their faith), take care of those who have been mistreated (probably those who have been beaten and scourged for not renouncing their faith), and hold marriage in high esteem.  Here begins the transition to things we are not to do as in holding marriage in high esteem leads directly into the beginning of things that we should not do.

As for the evil and wicked things we are to avoid, they are fornication, adultery of any kind of sexual immorality that would violate the sanctity of the marriage bed, ​the love of money (greed) and a lack of contentment with what God has given you (covetousness)--failure to be content is a lack of faith in God as our provider and a lack of faith that He wants good things for His children.  That doesn't mean that He wants all of us to live the lives of the rich and famous, because even His own Son experienced homelessness, hunger, thirst, and excruciating pain and suffering while on this earth.  Do we really expect to be treated better than Jesus was?

Next is a reminder that we are to follow the under-shepherds that Jesus has put over us--those who are here to faithful teach the Word of God to His people.  We are to look at them and their lives as an example to follow.  A word of warning follows that not everyone who clothes themselves in pastoral garments or calls themselves a teacher of the Word is a good example to follow.  Remember that Jesus warned us to watch out for for both wolves in sheep's clothing (enemies inside the congregation) and for false shepherds and false prophets that only have their own self-interest in mind and will not take care of the flock of God.  Therefore we are to avoid "new" and "strange" teachings that are not in alignment with the Word of God and we should not follow after such teachers.  God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness in His Word and we need not turn to any other source (other than the Holy Spirit).

The next section refers back to something from the Old Testament and makes a comparison to how Jesus is better (remember this is our theme of the entire book, so it makes sense the author returns to this theme as he's wrapping up).  In the old sacrificial system, the sin or guilt was laid on the animal sacrifice and this made that sacrifice unfit for consumption.  The carcasses had to be taken outside the city and burned because they represented the guilt and sin of the people that needed to be cast out from among the people.  Everyone and everything that was unclean was cast out of the city.  But Jesus died outside of the city and was hung on a "tree" which was a symbol of someone cursed under the Law so that all men that would abandon the city of this world system and join Him in His suffering would also join Him in the eternal, everlasting, abundant life that He has to offer.  Compare what we were just told about the sacrifices to what Jesus said about how we must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood (and before you ask, no, I don't completely understand this passage other than in the context provided here in Hebrews):

John 6:47-59 (ESV)
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

After this many of Jesus' disciples left Him and turned away because this was a "hard teaching" and He asked those closes to Him if they would also turn away from Him.  The best that I can say is that we must continue to come back to the body and blood of Christ as spiritual food (not physical food) on a daily basis as we would eat to survive physically so these are the "staples" of our faith, because without the body and blood of Christ, there is no forgiveness, no remission of sin, and no way to the Father and we are all most miserable for believing otherwise (see I Corinthians 15)

The author to the Hebrews then returns once again to submitting to the authority of the leaders and elders that have spiritual authority over you--since it's been said twice in his final thoughts, I assume this was a major issue in the church(es) he was writing to.  This time though he focuses in on how the leaders will have to give an account to Christ for how they lead His Church.  They already know they are held to a higher standard by Christ, so we as the congregation don't need to continue to make their lives miserable in the process.  Let us be compassionate to them and thankful for their service and always lift them up in prayer (which is the last part of this passage).  We're not really sure who the author is or in what way he wishes to be "restored," but my best guess is that like so many other church leaders, he was probably either exiled or imprisoned for His faith.  Some of us may currently live in areas that are hostile to the gospel or are becoming hostile to the gospel.  Others may believe they lie in peace and tranquility.  Either way, pray for your brothers and sisters and pastors who are in a different situation than you.  Pray for those that are facing persecution that they will be given strength to stand up and shine brightly as persecution shows those watching those who have genuine faith that they are willing to suffer and die for their faith that is real.  For those that don't currently experience that, pray that they would not be so comfortable that they would compromise and become friendly with the world and its system.  Also pray that God would still make it clear who are the sheep and who are the goats (the true believers and the fakers) in His congregation and that we would continue to be faithful even if we do not face the persecution that so often drives us closer to Him and to each other. 

Hebrews 12:18-29 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.12.18-Heb.12.29
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

We return again to the idea of holiness and how God is other and separate from us and we may not approach Him in any way that we want to, and simply approaching the mountain if you were not called to come up and meet with Him when He gave the first covenant was enough for a death sentence.  You may hear that mountain referred to other places in the New Testament simply as "Sinai," "Mount Sinai," "Mount Horeb" or occasionally like here "the mountain of God."  This is the same mountain where God revealed Himself to Moses with His covenant name, YHWH, meaning, "I AM."

As is the usual style of the author to the Hebrews, Mt. Sinai is contrasted with a "better" mountain--Mount Zion which is not only the location of Jerusalem in the present day, but Zion has been the prophetic term for the eternal kingdom of God and can be applied to the New Jerusalem that we see in Revelation 21 and 22.  God has brought us to this "better mountain" where we can live among God, the angels of God, and the redeemed, purified and sanctified people of God.  This is made possible only by Jesus our Great High Priest who mediates a New Covenant through His own blood.  If the ground called out to God when the innocent blood of Abel was shed by his brother Cain, how much so has the whole earth groaned and cried out when the innocent blood of the Son of God was spilled by all those that were lost?  What kind of punishment awaits them?  Cain was cast out from the presence of all the other human inhabitants of earth, but those who rebel against God and His plan will be cast outside of the holy city and will experience nothing but eternal punishment, agony, and torture to pay for their sins against and infinite God.

There is coming a day when all that has been made by Christ will be destroyed as all of creation has been corrupted by sin.  We read about this earlier in the epistles of Peter when Peter warns that a day is coming when the elements themselves will melt and dissolve and Jesus will come to judge the fallen angels and those who who have aligned themselves with that kingdom--the kingdom of darkness--by rejecting God and saying they would make their own way and be their own god.  We must accept the invitation of our Lord and Savior to be made new creations and to become citizens of a new, eternal kingdom with a King that will reign from His eternal throne in the New Jerusalem forever and ever.  And He will be our God and we will be His people, and His kingdom and His people will not be shaken in the coming judgement.  Our response to this should be to live our lives in such a way where we are living sacrifices constantly offering worship and expressing our reverence and awe for the eternal King of Heaven.   Let us conduct ourselves as citizens of the kingdom that we belong to.

​Hebrews 12:3-17 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.12.3-Heb.12.17
Do Not Grow Weary
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
    nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Jesus did the hard work so that we could rest in His finished work and not grow weary trying to fight the battles that He's already won and declared victory in for Him and for us.  That is the message of the first part of this passage.  Also, be sure that the Father regards you as His sons (and daughters) and only wants good things for His children, however, those He loves, he also reproves and corrects (disciplines) so as to make us even more like Him and like His Son.  We see this in the parable of the Vine that Jesus is the Vine, the Father is the Vinedresser and we are the branches and God the Father prunes all the branches that are fruitful so they may bear more and better fruit, and He cuts off all the dead branches and burns them up so that they may not spread the disease to the healthy branches.  The process of pruning and discipline is not always pleasant, but it is part of God's love for us, and we need to trust Him and know He wants the best for us--just like we do with our earthly fathers, only we can be even more sure of the goodness and intentions of our heavenly Father.

What happens when children are left undisciplined?  They usually become spoiled brats, and it is the parents who are at fault because they have not taken the duty and responsibility of raising a child seriously, and the the child may rightly ask one day, "Are you really my parents, because you don't treat me like you're my parents?" and the child may feel and appear to be illegitimate (not belonging to the adults raising him or her).

We are therefore to conduct ourselves in a way that is consistent with what we believe.  We do not need to walk around like we are under a heavy burden and under the heavy hand of an oppressive God.  We are to go to Him for healing and trust in His correction and that He knows what He's doing when He cuts things out of our lives--even things that appear to be bearing fruit, because He knows which things are the things we need in our lives and which things are distractions that need to be cut out.  Therefore, no one should walk around angry and bitter at life or at God who is a child of the King.  This kind of an attitude is a cancer in our own lives and in the body of Christ and something that will make others who are unsaved not want to trust in God and not come into a saving relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  We are ambassadors of this king and kingdom, and how we act reflects greatly on how people view the king, the kingdom, and the kingdom citizens.  These people like Esau don't appreciate the value of what they have been given by God and are willing to "sell" it all for the things of this world like Esau sold his birthright for something as worthless as a bowl of stew.  Those who are apostates and turn away from the gift of God may find like Esau that they cannot get it back once they have thrown it away.  This is why the New Testament is full of warnings about not listening to false prophets and being aware of the apostate, especially during the end times.  People who are hurt and broken often turn to these false teachers for comfort because they are willing to tell the people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.  Do not be like those who just want their ears to be tickled.  That is not what God is out for...He's out to make a covenant people and make all things new as He brings everything into subjection under the authority of Christ.  The only question is if we will do so willingly and be a part of His kingdom, or if we will instead be a part of the rebellion that stands in opposition to the King and the kingdom and will be defeated and forced to bend the knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lord on judgement day.

​Hebrews 12:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.12.1-Heb.12.2
Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Remember that when a passage starts with "Therefore" is is always pointing back to the previous passage or passages (sometimes the whole book to that point) to make some kind of conclusion based on the facts that have been laid out.  Whenever you see it in the Bible make sure you know what the "therefore" is there for (know the context of the passage, because it is building on a foundation, and you can get the interpretation completely wrong if you don't understand the context and foundation).

In this case, we have just finished talking about the Hall of Faith and all of the Old Testament and we assume some New Testament saints who lived by faith, but dies without seeing the object of their faith come to pass.  Specifically they believed in the coming Christ and the coming kingdom, but they saw neither in their lives.  However, they have received eternal life and are in heaven right now as witnesses to those things which have occurred and are watching us and seeing how we as those who have been given this new and better covenant that they longed for fare.

Because of this we should remember their example that has been set for us and we should be disciplined like an Olympic runner who throws off every unnecessary weight and encumbrance and run the race that has been chosen for us.  It is like all of heaven is in the grandstands watching the race that we are running to see if we too will be faithful to the end.

What is it that allowed them to stay faithful to the end and what can we learn from them to help us be faithful to the end?  They fixed their "eyes" on the Lord, Jesus Christ.  While they didn't know His identity at the time, they were absolutely certain that His coming was as sure or more sure than anything around them that could distract them....not wealth, or pride, or power, or the pleasures of this world.  Jesus Himself is the prize and the goal and for those who are faithful to the end by the faith that He gives us through the Spirit (for without Him, we can do nothing) will be greeted by Him as He welcomes us to the place He has prepared for us by saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." as He invites us in the eternal rest that we read about in chapters 3 and 4.

As we started off this blog series in the New Testament, Jesus is the author of the New Covenant, but He also is the one to execute it, bring it to completion, and execute judgment over it.  Therefore we need nothing else other than Him.  He has the words of life and we need not turn to anyone or anything else.

Hebrews 11:32-40 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.11.32-Heb.11.40
By Faith
11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 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.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 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. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
13 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. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 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.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
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.
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

In the last two blogs we've made our way from Genesis through Joshua, and we're now ready to look at the period starting with the judges, the kings, and the prophets (covered in the books of Judges through Malachi in the Old Testament).  Four judges are mentioned by name here--Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Japhthah.  If you don't know these stories already, I'd encourage you to go read them as they are testimony to how God uses ordinary, sometimes very flawed and sometimes unwilling people to accomplish His purposes in sometimes ordinary and sometimes extraordinary ways, but God is always in control, even when the people don't see Him at work.  As the author says, there is not time to recount the entirety of how God worked in and through people of faith in the entire Old Testament, and some of the heroes and heroines of this Hall of Faith never are given names.  We can guess a few of them by the descriptions, like "stopped the mouths of lions" is probably talking about the prophet Daniel, and "Women received back their dead by resurrection" is probably talking about the widow and her son in I Kings 17 (neither were Israelites and yet they still made it into the list), but we have no idea about many of the people mentioned, and that's okay, because this list was never about them being exalted as heroes of the faith and getting glory for themselves.  This list is about how God has worked throughout history to make it His story and how He alone has been faithful through all generation and He alone is worthy of all glory, honor and praise.  He is the one that provided these men and women with the gift of faith and He is the one who delivered them...some by death, and some through death, but all of them will be a part of the "great cloud of witnesses" that will be mentioned in the beginning of chapter 12.

They did not get to see the fullness of God's New Covenant and the establishment of the Church, and the coming of the Messiah, and the better sacrifice that Christ made once for all people of all time, but we have experienced it (or at least know that it has happened in history).  We have a different perspective than all of them and what they believed would happen we are certain that is has happened.  In this way their faith has been made whole (what they believed about God fulfilling His promises has come to pass) during our time.  However, there are still some promises that God has yet to fulfill and we can be even more certain that He is able to keep these promises to us because He has been faithful to keep His promises to all of these previous generations from the beginning of time.  No matter who we are or what we've done, God can transform us and make us instruments to be used as part of His plan for His purposes.  All we need to do like these men and women is be ready, willing and able to be used by God when He asks.  In this way Isaiah 6:8 can be a verse for us to live by, "8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”"

​  Hebrews 11 English Standard Version (ESV)
Listen:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Heb.11
By Faith
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11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 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.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 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. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

13 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. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 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.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.​
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
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.
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Last time we followed the Hall of Faith from creation through Joseph which makes up the entire book of Genesis (the book of Beginnings).  We will now pick back up after Joseph's death when a new Pharaoh came about that did not know Joseph or fear his God (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).  The Israelites were put into slavery for about 400 years and God heard their cries and prayers, but waited this long to bring about deliverance to protect His people from the wickedness of the Canaanites and to wait until such a time as His people would be able to execute His righteous judgement on those that lived in the Promised Land and take it back (yet they had no idea at first that this was what was going on...they just wanted to get out of slavery and out of Egypt).  We'll pick up here in verse 23.

The Pharaoh not only feared the number and strength of the Israelites and put them into slavery to control them, but he feared that they may raise up an army capable of defeating him and his empire, so he ordered that the midwives who assisted the mothers with delivering their babies kill any male babies as soon as they were born.  The Hebrew midwives feared God more than the king and did not obey the command.  This angered Pharaoh and he ordered all of his people to cast all the Hebrew male babies into the Nile.  One of the male children born at this time was born into the tribe of Levi and would be named Moses.  In order to protect Moses from the king's edict, his mother placed him in a basket sealed with pitch (by the way, this is how we later knew there had to be oil and other petroleum products in the Middle East) and left him in the river with his sister watching over him.  He floated all the way to the palace where he was taken out of the water by Pharaoh's own daughter and was raised as a prince.  Even in this, God blessed Moses' mother by lettering her be hired by the princess to take care of the child until he could be weened.

One day Moses saw one of the Hebrew slaves being mistreated by one of the taskmasters.  Knowing these were his people he rose up in indignation and killed the taskmaster.  He thought this had been done in secret, but the Hebrews heard of it, and eventually word got back to the palace and Moses fled for his life and gave up his royalty to become a shepherd in Median for 40 years (the same amount of time that he had lives as a prince in Egypt).  He then met God while out in the wilderness and God told Moses his covenant name and that He had not forgotten about His covenant people and that He had chosen Moses to deliver His message to Pharaoh--"Let My people go."  Moses was still afraid though and asked that God send someone else so God said He would let Moses' brother, Aaron, the future high priest, join Moses and God gave special power to both Moses and Aaron to be able to bring about the plagues that God used to execute His judgement on Egypt.  The final plague which is mentioned here is known as the Passover and is the foreshadow of the salvation that we all have.  An innocent lamb must be killed and every household that believed in the salvation that was going to be provided should mark their doors with the blood of the lamb and stay inside their house fully dressed with their sandals on and their walking stick in hand ready to leave in a moment and they should eat the roasted lamb standing up.  The angel of death would come that night and would pass over (hence the name Passover) the houses marked by the blood, but all the houses not marked by the blood would have the firstborn son die--not just humans, but animals as well.  This was the final straw that led Pharaoh to let the people of God go, but he soon regretted his decision and began to chase after them.

On their way out of Egypt, God had led the people to the Red Sea and they were encamped in such a way were the sea had cut them off from any chance of escape from the approaching armies.  The people cried out that God had just led them out of Egypt to kill them, but Moses prayed and God told him to stretch out his staff over the Red Sea and all the people (millions of them by our best estimates) crossed on dry land.  After all the people had crossed over, God made the sea crash back in on top of the Egyptian army and kill Pharaoh and all of his army in a reversal where in one day all the empire fell all without the men of Israel needing to do anything other than trust in God for their deliverance--and our salvation is no different.

The people wandered in the wilderness (like Moses) for 40 years and God used this time to prepare a new generation that was ready to enter and retake the Promised Land.  Only two people from the original generation had believed the promises of God and been faithful to him--Joshua and Caleb.  Joshua was the new leader in the place of Moses and Caleb was given strength to drive out the giants that inhabited the land, even in his old age.  One of the battles of the conquest that so many remember is that of Jericho.  The people of Jericho had heard about what God had done in Egypt and how all the nations that had opposed Israel had been defeated, but they remained rebellious against God and His people.  God's plan to take the stronghold?  March around the city one time for six days in a row without anyone making a sound and on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, but this time instead of going back to camp, have the priests blow their ram's horns and have all the people shout a shout of victory and the LORD made the walls of the city fall down and crushed the people inside (with the exception of Rahab who had helped the spies and believed God--she would actually be on of the ancestors of Jesus).

This covers the period of the Exile in Egypt, the Exodus and the Conquest of Canaan.  We'll pick back up in the next blog with the period of the judges and the kings and will progress quickly through the periods of the nation in exile once again and the prophets that God sent to the people during this time to speak judgement on His people who broke His covenant and the nations around them who oppressed them and to speak of the hope of the coming of a Messiah that would restore everything and everyone.  The faith of the apostles and martyrs of the early church will also be mentioned (though none by name)  While these deeds may seem epic and fanciful and bigger than life, I assure you that these were ordinary men that came in contact with an extraordinary God that radically transformed them and their reality as they were just living their lives until He showed up and chose them to be instruments in His service.  While recognition is not supposed to be part of our calculation, would your story read anything like this if someone were write a biography of your life?  Would it be obvious to even the casual observer that God was at work in and through you to bring about extraordinary means through an ordinary person?  Will you by faith let God be in control and see what He will do in and through you?  Will you be an example for others to look at and say, "I know God is real because I see Him at work in their life."?  Will you be counted among the faithful?