What I Noticed Today (Hebrews 11-13)
Hebrews 11-13 is the third and final major section of the letter to the Hebrews. The focus of this section is on the superiority of a response to God by faith.
Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11 exhorts believers to live by faith and provides examples of men and women from the Old Testament who lived by faith.
In verses 1-3, the author describes faith as the reality of what is hoped for and the proof of what is not seen. The Hebrew’s ancestors won God’s approval through faith. By faith, we understand God created the universe by His command, so what we see is made from things that are not visible.
In verses 4-12 by faith:
- Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.
- Enoch was taken away, so he did not face death.
- Noah responded to God by building the ark. By faith, he condemned the world.
- Abraham was prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. By faith, he stayed as a foreigner in a foreign land.
- Sarah bore children even though she was past the childbearing age.
In verses 13-16, they all died in faith without receiving the promise, but they saw promise in the future. They refused to return to where they had come from (their old religion). They desired the heavenly place. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
In verses 17-40:
- By faith, Abraham was tested. He was prepared to offer up his son Isaac who was promised to build many nations believing that God could raise him from the dead.
- By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.
- By faith, Jacob blessed each of the sons of Joseph.
- By faith, Jacob mentioned the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions regarding his body.
- By faith, Moses’ parents hid him for three months unafraid of the king.
- By faith, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, preferring to be known as a Hebrew.
- By faith, Moses left Egypt, not afraid of the king’s anger.
- By faith, Moses instituted the Passover.
- By faith, Moses led the people across the Red Sea.
- By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down.
- By faith, Rahab hid the spies in peace.
- By faith, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fires, escaped the sword, regained strength, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
- By faith, women received their dead, raised to life (a reference to Elijah restoring the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24).
- By faith, some men were tortured and refused to be released.
- By faith, others endured mocking, scourging, and imprisonment.
- By faith, they were stoned, sawn in two, and died by the sword.
- By faith, they wandered in sheepskins, goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.
- By faith, they wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these were approved in their faith, even though they did not receive what was promised since God was providing something better for us (the Messiah and the perfecting of our faith).
Hebrews 12
In Hebrews 12, the author changes from teaching to exhorting the Hebrews to endure and be disciplined in their faith:
In verses 1-2, therefore (because of the list of faithful men and women from the past), let us lay aside the weights and sin that ensnares us and run with endurance (perseverance) the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher (perfecter) of our faith, who endured the cross on our behalf, and sits at the right hand of God.
In verses 3-13, the author exhorts the Hebrews to endure suffering and consider it as discipline from a father.
- Jesus endured hostility from sinners so you will not grow weary and lose heart.
- In your struggle against sin, you have not yet shed your blood.
- Do not forget that the Lord disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12).
- When you endure suffering as discipline, God is treating you like a son. For what father does not discipline his children?
- But if you are without discipline, then you are illegitimate (without a father).
- Since we submitted to our natural father’s discipline, should we submit to God’s discipline even more? God disciplines us for our benefit so we can share His holiness (leading to eternal life).
- No discipline is enjoyable at the time, but it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have received it.
- Therefore, strengthen yourself and make straight your paths.
Warning 5. Against Rejecting God’s Grace (12:14-29)
In verses 14-17, the author exhorts the Hebrews to:
- Pursue peace with everyone and holiness. Without it, no one will see the Lord.
- Do not fall short of the grace of God and see that no root of bitterness springs up, defiling many (Deuteronomy 29:18).
- Do not be like Esau, who sold his birthright for a meal.
In verses 18-29, the author issues his final warning:
- Using an image of the Law being delivered on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:9-23), the author describes the fear and trembling of the people who received the Law.
- But, you have not received this Law. Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God (heavenly Jerusalem), to where the angels gather.
- You have come to the city of firstborn, to where God who is the judge of all, to where the righteous people’s spirits are perfected, to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant whose shed blood is an atonement for our sin.
- Make sure you do not reject the One who speaks. The people who refused the Old Covenant did not escape, and those who reject the New Covenant will certainly not escape judgment.
- God will once more shake the earth with His voice but also the heavens (Haggai 2:6) in which the created things will be destroyed (a reference to the remaking of heaven and earth after Christ’s millennial reign).
- Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us hold onto God’s grace so we can serve God with reverence and awe.
Hebrews 13
Hebrews 13 includes the author’s final exhortations to the Hebrews, and his benediction and farewell.
In verses 1-6, the author begins with six exhortations regarding personal moral direction:
- Let brotherly love continue.
- Do not neglect to show hospitality.
- Remember the prisoners as though you were in prison suffering with them.
- Respect your marriage and keep it pure.
- Be free from the love of money (greed).
- Be satisfied with what you have (Psalm 118:6).
In verses 7-19, the author provides seven ways in which the Hebrews should revere their church leaders:
- Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you and imitate their faith.
- Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Judge every teaching according to His truth.
- Realize that you may not be accepted by the world because the world despises Christ.
- Regardless, continually offer up your own praise, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.
- Do not neglect to do what is good and to share.
- Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls.
- Pray for their leaders to have a clear conscience in everything they do.
In verses 20-25, the author offers a benediction and farewell to the Hebrews. He asks for the God of peace, who resurrected the Lord Jesus the great shepherd with the blood of the everlasting covenant to equip you with all that is good to do His will, through Jesus Christ. To Him belongs the glory.
The author exhorts them to receive the message in this brief letter.
Some additional thoughts for consideration:
- The “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11 gives us affirmation that we must live by faith. These men and women who never received the promise lived their lives in faith, looking forward to the promise. We have the promise in the New Covenant.
- There is never a time when we should consider dropping out of the race God has put before us. We must find the courage to persevere through any trials or persecution that comes before us.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
