Remembering the heroes of faith
1 ① Faith is the assurance of what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see. 2Because of their faith our ancestors were approved.
3By faith we understand that the stages of creation were disposed by God’s word, and what is visible came from what cannot be seen.
4Because of Abel’s faith his offering was more acceptable than that of his brother Cain, which meant he was upright, and God himself approved his offering. Because of this faith he cried to God, as said in Scripture, even after he died.
5By faith Enoch was taken to heaven, instead of experiencing death: he could not be found because God had taken him.In fact, it is said that before being taken up he had pleased God. 6Yet without faith it is impossible to please him: no one draws near to God without first believing that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him earnestly.
7By faith Noah was instructed of events which could not yet be seen and, heeding what he heard, he built a boat in which to save his family. The faith of Noah condemned the world and he reached holiness born of faith.
8It was by faith that Abraham, called by God, set out for a country that would be given to him as an inheritance; for he parted without knowing where he was going. 9By faith he lived as a stranger in that promised land. There he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, beneficiaries of the same promise. 10Indeed, he looked forward to that city of solid foundation of which God is the architect and builder.
11By faith Sarah herself received power to become a mother, in spite of her advanced age; since she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful. 12Therefore, from an almost impotent man were born descendants as numerous as the stars of heavens, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore.
13Death found all these people strong in their faith. They had not received what was promised, but they had looked ahead and had rejoiced in it from afar, saying that they were foreigners and travelers on earth. 14Those who speak in this way prove that they are looking for their own country. 15For if they had longed for the land they had left, it would have been easy for them to return, 16but no, they aspired to a better city, that is, a supernatural one; so God, who prepared the city for them is not ashamed of being called their God.
17By faith Abraham went to offer Isaac when God tested him. And so he who had received the promise of God offered his only son 18although God had told him:Isaac’s descendants will bear your name. 19Abraham reasoned that God is capable even of raising the dead, and he received back his son, which has a figurative meaning.
20By faith also Isaac blessed the future of Jacob and Esau. 21By faith Jacob, before he died, blessed both children of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. 22By faith Joseph, when about to die, warned the children of Israel of their exodus and gave orders about his remains.
23By faith the parents of the newly born Moses hid him for three months, for they saw the baby was very beautiful and they did not fear the order of Pharaoh. 24By faith Moses, already an adult, refused to be called son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He preferred to share ill treatment with the people of God, rather than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. 26He considered the humiliation of Christ a greater riches than the wealth of Egypt, and he looked ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger, and he persevered as someone who could see the Invisible.
28By faith Moses had the Pass over celebrated, sprinkling the doors with blood so that the Destroyer would not kill their firstborn sons. 29By faith they crossed the Red Sea, as if on dry land, while the Egyptians who tried to cross it were swallowed by the waters and drowned.
30By faith the walls of Jericho crumbled and fell, after Israel had marched round them for seven days; 31by faith, also, the prostitute Rahab escaped death which befell the unbelievers for having welcomed the spies.
32Do I need to say more? There is not enough time to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, as well as Samuel and the prophets. 33Through faith they fought and conquered nations, established justice, saw the fulfillment of God’s promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched raging fire, escaped the sword, were healed of their sicknesses; they were weak people who were given strength to be brave in battle and repulse foreign invaders.
35Some women recovered their dead by resurrection but there were others – persecuted and tortured believers – who, for the sake of a better resurrection, refused to do what would have saved them. 36Others suffered chains and prison. 37They were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword. They fled from place to place with no other clothing than the skins of sheep and goats, lacking everything, afflicted, ill-treated. 38These people of whom the world was not worthy had to wander through wastelands and mountains, and take refuge in the dens of the land.
39However, although all of them were praised because of their faith, they did not enjoy the promise 40because God had us in mind and saw beyond. And he did not want them to reach perfection except with us.
- Heb 11,1 Doubts overcome those who isolate themselves. Why do we not look at those who have gone before us, not just one or the other but the mass of witnesses: all cannot be illusory. Faith is the way of holding onto what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see. The examples chosen show that faith cannot remain within us as an intimate conviction. What matters is to act according to faith and make decisions inspired by faith. That is why this chapter offers so many biblical examples of men and women who risked everything for faith. We cannot understand the obedience of Abraham unless he had trust in God against all hope. The same when Moses gave up a promising future for the impossible task of leading his people: his faith made him act in the present as if he saw what was invisible (v. 27). It is not so simple to say what a believer believes, what she hopes for and what she does not want: the given examples show many different attitudes. Enoch searched for God, Noah prepared for the future of the world on the eve of a catastrophe, some lived on earth without looking for a fixed abode, others gave their lives in defense of an earthly homeland. All were certain that God wanted to do something with them: their life would be fruitful in one way or another. The contrast in verse 35 is to be noted: some through faith obtained from God the resurrection of a dead child (1 K 17:23) but the faith of others led them to choose torture and death, expecting from God a resurrection in the future. This selection of heroes of faith gives a place of honor to leaders and valiant people who have wished to free and serve their people. In so doing they were perhaps unconsciously seeking their real homeland. How many people today, unbelievers perhaps, shunned by the churches, are in fact on the road to the city of God when they sacrifice themselves in preparing for the future of the world! They are the Hebrews of the modern world and God is not ashamed of being called their God (v. 16). These heroes of the faith died without having seen what God promised; it would seem that many have failed but their successors will discover that it is they who have made authentic history. The author addresses the Christians saying: We are people of faith and we shall save our soul, which means: we shall fulfill all that is in us, and await what God has reserved for us in eternity.
