Hebrews 11

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1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.

34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

R. Skobac opens the discussion on Chapter 11 with a discussion on “real” experiential knowledge vs. faith. For example, we can look at our hand and see that it is real but we cannot look at the objects of our faith a “see” that they are real in the same way. The proof for faith is indirect.

What then is the difference between knowledge and faith, or belief? Belief can become so strong that it approaches knowledge. For example, am I the first-born son of my mother? There are extremely strong reasons to believe this – the reasons being so strong, that we can essentially say that we “know” that it is true; and in this way a belief can become knowledge.

• Deu 4:39
  • “You shall know (knowledge) this day, and take to your heart that Hashem, he is the god, in heaven above and on the earth below, and there is no other.”

Maimonides also speaks about the obligation to “know” there is a God. Is this only because we have such strong reasons to believe that those reasons approach knowledge, or do we have actually first hand clear personal crystal clear appreciation of reality that lets us say yes, we know that God is real?

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; there is no evidence (this is what faith is)

• Proverbs 14:15
  • The Naieve person believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps.

Once you operate (entirely) in the realm of faith, you can come to accept almost anything. (So it is important to have some basis for your faith).

When it comes to belief in the tnk, we find for example Exodus 19:9 (I shall come to you…in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and also, that they may believe forever.) I.E. the establishment of Moses as a prophet is not based upon blind faith, i.e. “God spoke to me, take it or leave it, if you have faith,” God is saying that the people will have very very profound reason to believe in you, Moses, as a prophet, because God said 'I am going to come down and speak so that everyone may hear when I speak to you, and then they will come to believe in you forever.“ So, belief is based upon reason – and here, the reason is extremely strong, you can almost say that since they actually heard God speaking to Moses, it approaches the level of knowledge.

• Deu 4:35
  • To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, he is God.
    • (meaning that you saw with your own eyes)

This is referring to a knowledge of God because God demonstrated that he was real.

• Deu 4:9-10
  • God tell us that it is critical that that we never forget these demonstrations with which God used to clarify the reality in the spiritual realm.
  • “Only beware for yourself, and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things which your eyes have beheld and you remove them from your heart all the days of your life. And make them known to your children and your children's children the day you stood before Hashem your God at Horeb.”

Throughout the Torah, God is continuously demonstrating his existance and nature to Israel (ex. the 10 plagues, the parting of the red sea, hearing him speak at Sinai, 40 years in the desert with manna every day, clouds and pillars of fire, unbelievable miracles) and God constantly tells the people don't forget these experiences (i.e. not illusions, dreams, visions or hallucinations). And, don't just remember it, but teach it to your children and your children's children (i.e. for all generations).

An important theme in the Torah: You were shown by God, so you should know.

This verse seems to be at odds with the idea that the Torah teaches us God demonstrated himself to Israel and created a withess nation. it also seems to be at odds with the Christian belief that the resurrection of Jesus was a witnessed event. What then is Paul trying to convey?

It seems strange that Paul would point out that Abel was righteous because “the Christian bible repeatedly tells us that no one can be righteous”. Ex. “No man can be righteous except God alone…” or Paul in romans, “all are under sin (jew and greek)” Also, the text in Genesis emphasises that Abel was righteous because of his works (he offered an acceptable sacrifice) – it does not mention anyuthing about his faith, or what was “in his heart”.

Theme of torah: Having it in your heart is not enough, but you must express it. The commandments are supposed to be expressions of our faith in God.

Enoch was removed from this world because of his faith.

The torah does not tell us that he was “removed from this world” because of his faith.

(why then, what does the torah mention?)

“Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his family.” The gospels have an understanding of the word “salvation” ex. Mat 1:21 Jesus was named after “salvation” because “he will save his people from their sins”. I.E. in the sense of him being rescued from his sins this does not apply to noah.

In the tnk the first time the word appears is in exodus 2:17 which speaks about Moses coming to save the daughters of Jethro from the marauders. So in this sense it does not mean anything about sin but that he rescued them from danger; and in this sense Noah's family was given “salvation” from the flood – but the point of how he got into that position was that he was already righteous, which is why he was chosen.

• Exo 14
  • When God rescued the Jews from … “the lord saved…”

• Exo 15:2
  • The lord is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation

These passages indicate the meaning of salvation here is salvation from a danger or calamity and not from sin.

So it may appear that Paul's use of “salvation” here may be

• Deu 22:27 – the woman who is alone in the field with no one to 'save' her – it does not mean there is no one there to rescue her from her sins, it means there is no one to save her from her attacker.

• Judges – raising up saviours – it says, to save israel from the hands of their enemies – ex. the midianites, the philistines, the hands of their oppressors.

In verse 9 we are told Abraham lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob. There is no reference to this in the Torah. We do know rthat Abraham lived with Isaac because he was his son, but there is no idication of Jacob.

The previous verses do not speak of their faith in the existance of God, or a belief in God. it speaks of a faith in God's promises.

Ex. Gen 15 Abraham believed in the Lord and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. This does not mean that Abraham believed in God – he of course believed in God, he had been talking to him for the last five chapters. It means that Abraham trusted in the promises of the almighty. And when Abraham had this trust in the covenant God gave him, God considered that trust in his covenant as righteousness. So, as we see emunah or trust, is not blind. Here Paul gives us the impression that trust is blind – the “hope for things that are unseen” – hope, or faith with no basis in reality. And yet, we see from the Hebrew bible that trust and faith is based upon rational, contextual reasoning.

• Exo. 14 the splitting of the red sea
  • 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
  • 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed* in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (GNT, NLT use 'faith')

They saw; they experienced; and as a result they had faith.

The idea that any of these people died in faith without receiving the promises – Noah, Abraham and Sarah, is not true. He spoke about Noah's faith that there would be a flood, and Sarah's faith that they would have a child – Noah saw the flood and Sarah conceived, so they did not die without seeing the promises.

Isaac was not Abraham's only begotten son. In Gen 16:17 Ishmael is actually Abraham's first-born son. Did Paul know this? In Gal 4:22, it mentions Ishmael as Abraham's son. So how did the writer of Hebrews write that Isaac was Abraham's only begotten son?

Jacob blessing his sons (while) leaning on his walking stick. The hebrew word mateh for walking stick, or staff, is mentioned. This is incorrect– in the torah, in Genesis 47:31, it doesn't say he leaned upon his walking stick, it says he leaned upon the head of his bed. Now, the word for bed is similar – mitah – is very similar, but the vowels are different. This is apparently a dispute between the author of Hebrews and the author of Genesis (the Masoretic text dates to ~900AD) but there is proof he is incorrect– Was Jacob leaning on his staff or his bed? In Gen 48:2 Joseph comes into the room and he took his two sons manasseh and ephraim with him, and in verse 2 Jacob is told “behold, your son Joseph has come to you, so Israel exerted himself and sat up on the bed”. So the context here is Jacob on his bed, not standing on a walking stick.

Paul says here Moses refuses to be called the son of the Pharaoh's daughter. This is not found in the Torah. In fact it is Pharah's daughter who names him Moshe. (Exodus 2:10) and Moses never renounced this name. (In fact the pharaoh Achmoshe means 'brother of Moses').

So why does it say here he refuses to be called the Pharaoh's daughter? We are left without an explanation.

RS ends his commentary here and states this chapter, and it's general tone, runs against the tone or the grain of the tnk. The faith of the torah is based upon experience and knowledge, him demonstrating he is real. We don't need blind faith, we don't need wishful thinking, we don't need to hope in things there is no evidence for. This is why Maimonides say we have to know there is qa God – knowledge based upon experience. It's not that we have to simply have this hope that God is real.

As it says in Proverbs, faith is dangerous because once we believe in things without reason, we can come to believe in anything.

As we see in the modern world people come to a variety of fanciful beliefs. So this chapter seems to run contrary to run counter to the thrust and message of the torah.