He considered that God was able even to raise [Isaac] from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Hebrews 11:19
I continue my study of Hebrews, and today my focus is Hebrews 11:11-19, and and I am assisted in my understanding by the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Series for Hebrews. The commentary outlines three divisions for this text:
I. The Faith of Sarah in Childbearing (11:11-12): Here, the text shares how God has providence over all life, including childbearing. It shares: "First, there are no accidental births. Every human being is made in the image of God and comes to life because God says, “Let there be life.” Second, there are no naturalistic births. Scripture speaks of God opening the womb. God is ultimately sovereign, even over the conception of children." Referencing Genesis 21, where it is written in v1-2 that the "Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him," the commentary states "in his sovereignty, God chose a ninety-year-old woman in order to make a point about his power to fulfill his promises."
II. The Faith of Those Who Died in Faith (11:13-16): Here the text describes how those in Hebrews 11 - the "hall of faith" - only saw a foretaste of God's promises but still believed in the ultimate fulfillment of these promises. It references both 1 Peter 1:1, 2:11 and Philippians 3:20 where both Peter and Paul write about a longing for believers true home in heaven.
III. The Faith of Abraham in Child Sacrificing (11:17-19): Here, the commentary discusses Hebrews reference to Genesis 22 and how it describes Abraham's response to God's command to sacrifice Issac as "most important and also one of the most infamous passages in all of Scripture." It describes Abraham's obedience as he "believed God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if he was sacrificed." It does further in describing this passage by sharing that "Issac didn’t die physically, but he did die in a figurative sense. He was taken right up to the point of death and then brought back to life. So in a sense we can say that Isaac died and was resurrected. In this way, this story and Isaac’s role in particular anticipate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our great high priest. Abraham passed God’s test because he was committed to God’s promises. He showed faith in God through his willingness to obey God’s command and sacrifice his son. He trusted God to deliver Isaac, and he may have even perceived that doing so would be the greatest display of God’s glory. That’s the story of the gospel. God has determined to save sinners and has done so in a way that brings him the greatest glory possible. This explains why God, who loves his Son to an even greater degree than Abraham loved Isaac, sent his Son to die for us."
Believers should our current life and what God has done as a foretaste of the promises we have yet to see. While we have yet to see what God has in store for us, we have faith.
Comment and discuss this post.
My Prayer: Lord You are good and You have given me and all believers a foretaste of what we are ultimately promised in heaven - thank You Jesus for the faith that we have and I pray that my faith will continue - regardless of the circumstances. Help me see the faith of those described in Hebrews as an encouragement and model for my own faith and trust in You that You are faithful. I am not deserving of how You encourage and bless. My sin is great and it continues. Please forgive me and help me turn from my sin towards You and overcome such sin. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
