Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 11: 39-12: 2, NRSV.
Merciful Father, we are very thankful for Your goodness toward us. We thank You for the lessons that we have learned sitting at Your feet. Please come close and teach us Your will and Your way. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we will look at the rest of our Scripture: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The conclusion of this text seems to be saying: “In view of the testimony left by those faithful ones who have gone before us, surely, the least we can do is to leave off everything that would make it difficult for us to stay in the race, and keep pressing forward; never losing sight of Him who taught us to have faith, and who will bring our faith to maturity, who, when He saw by faith, the fruit of His sacrifice, was filled with joy, and willingly bore the shame of the crucifixion, and now, having finished the race, is sitting in the place of honor – on the right hand of the Father.”
The apostle, seeking to reassure the Jewish Christians, that their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, was well founded, and at the same time, show them that it is by faith that every promise of God is to be received, he pointed them to the fact that, it was by faith in the promises of God, that their forefathers had overcome, and successfully run the race of eternal life. He emphasized the fact that they had all died believing, as they journeyed to the heavenly promise land. This is quite interesting, and I believe, of major importance, since many of the Jews who left Egypt died, and never made it to the earthly promised land; precisely, because of a lack of faith!
Another major point of interest that I came upon, was the fact that Jesus begins and ends the process of faith! You could argue,”But many of these forefathers lived before the coming of the Messiah!” To which I would respond: True! But remember Jesus’ words to the Jews of His day, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8: 58). Remember that, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1: 20). Remember also, that it was, by faith, that “He [saw] the labor of His soul, and [was] satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53: 11). He started the process of faith, in His own life, and by His own example. By faith, we can trust Him to finish it!
Finally, He never asks us to do anything that He Himself is not prepared to do. We will continue with this thought tomorrow.