Daily Writing

Saturday, 9 March 2019

Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. Hebrews 11:12

The word, “Therefore,” is based upon what has been said since verse 8, and which spoke of both Abraham and Sarah. However, this now goes beyond only Abraham and Sarah, though it is still fulfilled in Abraham and Sarah together as well (see Deuteronomy 1:10, for example). The author says, based on those previous thoughts, that “from one man,” meaning Abraham, something rather amazing would come about. This begins to be seen in, “and him as good as dead.”

The words here speak of what is probably based on his relationship with Sarah, not on his inability to sire children. This is certain because when Sarah gave Abraham her maidservant Hagar, she bore with no problem. This is more certain because, after Sarah’s death, Abraham bore other children through another wife, Keturah, as well as concubines (see Genesis 25:1-4). However, before these things came to pass, it looked as if there was only a dead end to any descendants for him from Sarah. Despite this, and through Sarah (as well as those others), there “were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude.”

The Greek word is “heaven,” and it fits better here. The stars in the sky at any given time aren’t a jillionth of those in heaven. In fact, one might not see any stars in the sky depending on conditions. However, heaven is filled with them, regardless of the condition of those visible in the sky. This is what the offspring of Abraham are equated to. And then again, another superlative is used in the words, “innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”

In the original promise of a son to be born to Abraham, a part of this same thought was conveyed –

“Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” Genesis 15:5

After Abraham was tested with sacrificing Isaac, that was expanded upon, and it is what is being referred to now by the author of Hebrews where both of the terms were used in Genesis 22 –

“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— ¹⁷ blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.” Genesis 22:16, 17

Understanding these promises, it is certain that there is both a literal and a spiritual fulfillment of them. The literal fulfillment is that Abraham’s descendants of the flesh fill the world. This includes those of Sarah, her maidservant, and his later wife and concubines. But the promise also extends spiritually to those who are of the faith. This is made explicit by Paul in Galatians 3 –

“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7

And again –

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29

In both a literal sense and in a spiritual sense, the promise to Abraham, because of his faith in the word of the Lord, was exactingly fulfilled.

Life application: Though literally fulfilled in physical descendants, the promise made to Abraham is also fulfilled in a spiritual sense in those who are of faith in the word of the Lord. This is not only in faithful Jews looking forward to the Messiah, but also in all – Jew and Gentile alike – who look back on the work of the Messiah. When you read about this great promise to Abraham, understand that you are included in the innumerable host of God’s children, all because of your faith in the Messiah, our Lord Jesus.

What a gift! We are children of God and sons of Abraham by faith in Jesus! What more could we ask for when we realize the magnitude of this concept. All our sins are forgiven and eternal life has been bestowed upon us by grace through faith. Glory to God for His immeasurable gift of love! Amen.

Friday, 8 March 2019

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11

There is an emphasis in the Greek which highlights the introduction of Sarah. This wording is probably intended to highlight the fact that she was, at first, unbelieving of the promise of a son. The structure in Greek, “By faith Sarah herself also,” reveals this emphasis. The account is recorded in Genesis 18 –

And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. ¹² Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
¹³ And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
¹⁵ But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” Genesis 18:10-15

Sarah lacked faith at first, but “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed.” Though at first she was incredulous that such a thing could take place, that was eventually replaced with a strong confidence that what was stated would, in fact, come about. This demonstrates that faith itself is something that, at times, needs to be cultivated. In Sarah’s case, and after being built up in her faith, “she bore a child when she was past the age.”

She went from a state of laughing that such a thing could never happen to acceptance that it was sure to come about. Indeed, despite her age, she realized that nothing is too hard for the Lord. However, it took the account from Genesis (above) to elicit that out of her. Once this came about, “she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

Sarah went from thinking from the perspective of the world around her, where certain things happened, and other things didn’t happen, to a perspective that the Lord was capable of causing the otherwise impossible to occur. Further, not only can He cause such things to come about, but He was faithful to follow through when He spoke out His word concerning the matter. This is the same sentiment that is seen in the previous chapter –

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Life application: The Lord has made certain promises that are recorded in His word. As incredulous as they may seem, they have been uttered, and they reflect the very nature of who He is. Thus, they will come about as He has spoken. However, care must be taken to interpret what the word says. The Lord does not promise health, wealth, prosperity, or long life. At times, these things are spoken of as generally coming about when one follows the Lord and His precepts, but they are not promises. Rather, they are general guidelines. And so we must know the word and understand it in its proper context. In this, we will not be led down a false path of believing that God will keep us from trials and afflictions. Quite the opposite is often true. Be sound in your doctrine, and be sure of the promises which are unconditional. All others need to be taken as grace added to the grace you have already been bestowed.

Lord, You alone have done everything necessary to provide us with righteousness – a righteousness not our own, and not of works, but of faith in You and Your promises. Help us never to forget or misuse this most important precept! And then, give us continued faith to trust that what You have done is also sufficient to carry us through to our completion. Amen.

Thursday, 7 March 2019

…for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10

There are two articles in the Greek which are rather important in understanding the intent of the words of this verse. The KJV completely botches the translation by ignoring both of them, thus rendering the verse impotent. The NKJV includes one, but not the other. The words read, “the city which has the foundations.” With that understood, we can properly appreciate the words of the author.

Building upon the previous verse, he notes that Abraham “dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country.” He goes on to say that in that land, he dwelt in tents. The reason for this is that “he waited.” If Abraham thought of an earthly possession, he would have claimed land, built a home, and started to build his empire. But God promised that his descendants afterward would possess the land, meaning he would not. Thus, he waited. In his waiting, “he waited for the city which has foundations.”

It was understood that dwelling in tents meant that his lodging was temporary. With the pulling up of the pegs, the tent would collapse. With a strong enough wind, the tent would blow away. There was never a sense of permanence in his tent-dwelling lifestyle. The earth itself was the only foundation. But the earth is in a fallen state. It brings forth life which then eventually dies and returns to the dust.

However, there is the city which has the foundations. It is a city of life everlasting. It is what Abraham looked forward to, and it is referred to by Paul in Ephesians 2 –

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

Here Paul speaks of a holy temple, but Revelation clarifies the picture –

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Revelation 21:14

When it says in Ephesians 2 that the household of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, it signifies their proclamation of Christ is the foundational message. It is He who is the chief Cornerstone. In the New Jerusalem, the names of the apostles are on the twelve foundations, signifying the work of the apostles in carrying out the foundational message of Christ. In other words, the city with the foundations is speaking of nothing less than the message of Messiah, and the reality of Messiah as the focal point of our relationship with God. It was He who was promised to come and restore all things, and Abraham looked forward to that, not to an earthly inheritance.

His understanding of this was limited to the simple promise of God to Adam, as had been passed down throughout the generations, but it was a promise that was sure to come. It is this city, built upon the message of Messiah, “whose builder and maker is God.”

Babel was a city built by men, and by human effort. The purpose of it was the uniting of the people and to reach heaven. As it says, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens” (Genesis 11:4). However, the Lord spurned this, dispersed the people, and rejected it as a means of restoration with Him.

In the very next chapter of the Bible, it tells of the call of Abraham and the continued work of God in building an everlasting city which would be united in purpose, in speech, and in devotion to God, all because of the work of God in Christ. This is “the city with the foundations.” It is set in contrast to anything available in tents, demonstrating Abraham’s anticipation of future glory in Messiah.

Life application: Many years later after Abraham’s call, while speaking to Pharaoh in Egypt, his grandson Jacob used the terminology of someone looking beyond the life he was living –

“The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” Genesis 47:9

A pilgrim is a person on a journey to a holy place. Jacob, like Isaac and Abraham before him, knew that this life was temporary and troubled, but these men looked forward to that city whose “builder and maker is God.” This is a really good lesson for each of us to consider. How deeply have we set our roots in this life instead of looking at it as a stepping stone for the next? Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t get sidetracked by what is only temporary and fleeting.

Lord God, You are preparing a true home for Your people, an eternal home which is the city with the foundations. It is our great hope since the time of our first father, Adam. Help us to not get so caught up in the things of this world that we forget the promise and lose sight of the goal. Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, and to live in anticipation of the time when we are forever returned to the splendor of Your presence. Amen.

Wednesday, 6 March 2019

By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; Hebrews 11:9

As noted in the previous verse, Abraham was called out of his home to a place which was unknown to him, and by faith he went. It wasn’t until after his arrival that he was informed that the land would be given as an inheritance. But it was not to him directly that it would be given. Rather it was to his descendants after him. As for him, he was given “no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on” (Acts 7:5). This is the state of things at the time which is now described by the author. He says, “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise.”

It is exactly this sequence of events which brings in the meaning of “the land of promise.” The Greek actually reads, “a land of the promise.” It is the promise which is focused on. Whatever land was of the promise is the land which the Lord would ensure was Abraham’s inheritance. Once he had arrived in Canaan, having passed through Shechem and as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh, the inheritance was then promised –

“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’” Genesis 12:7

This is “the promise,” and it is in the promise that the land is specified. However, the last thing recorded before that promise was made were the words, “And the Canaanites were then in the land” (Genesis 12:6). Understanding this, the land was already possessed by a people group. Despite this, Abraham was told that his descendants would possess it. Thus, the words, “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise,” show that Abraham believed what he was told and lived in faith of the fulfillment of that prophetic word. The land would be his (meaning his posterity) despite it already being claimed by others. Rather than disbelieve, he remained there “as in a foreign country.”

These words describe the words, “by faith.” Everyone who is alive has to dwell somewhere. It doesn’t take faith to keep on living. However, it takes faith to remain in a land which has been given to you, but which you do not possess, waiting for the fulfillment of the promise. During his time in Canaan, he lived without citizenship or the rights of that citizenship. Instead, he was simply a foreigner in a land which he had been promised. Therefore, Abraham was faithful to live out his life “dwelling in tents.”

As the land was not his at this time, but only by promise, he couldn’t go in and start cultivating fields, building houses, opening schools, putting up speed signs (no donkey’s over 10mph!), collecting taxes, and doing all the things that the possessor of the land would do. Rather, he had to watch the land of his inheritance benefit those who would someday be dispossessed by his descendants. All the while, he lived in tents, moved from time to time, and simply passed through time without possessing his promised possession. And this was true with his immediate family after him, both “Isaac and Jacob.”

During Abraham’s life, he waited on a son to inherit the land. By the time he was rather old, no son had come, and yet he still lived by faith. At one point, he noted to the Lord that his only inheritor was a slave, born in his house. But the Lord promised otherwise; he would have an heir from his own body. When that was slow in coming, his wife Sarah gave him her maidservant to bear a son. From her came Ishmael. But the Lord again said that he would not be the son of promise. Rather, it would be from Sarah. Eventually, Isaac was born, and from Isaac came Jacob. They were “the heirs with him of the same promise.” The Lord determined, Abraham (and subsequently Isaac and Jacob) believed, and they lived by faith in the word of the Lord.

Life application: The accounts of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob span chapters 11-49 of Genesis. Each was filled with faults and troubles. The struggles they had with their wives, children, and health are no different than ours today. Favoritism when dealing with others, deceit in relationships, and stubbornness to yield to the better path seemed to plague them. Abraham gave in to bad advice which resulted in the birth of Ishmael – something which later caused him enormous heartache. Isaac had to send his son Jacob away before his other son Esau killed him.

Jacob didn’t restrain his children and ended up dealing with murder, incest, and immense heartache. It is easy to look at our lives today and think about how dysfunctional they are, but comparing them to these patriarchs shows that our situations are pretty normal after all. We may think our health problems aren’t deserved or are greater than they should be, but the Bible records these men suffered from the same conditions.

Today, however, we have medical facilities we can go to. And if we are laid up at home, we have TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators full of yummy food, etc. These people “lived in tents,” they had no access to the local grocery store, and they had to suffer their pains without painkillers or air-conditioned environments. When you think on the difficulties your children are giving you, remember that these men went through the same or worse.

When you think you’ve mismanaged your family relationships, don’t forget that they messed up just as badly. And as you suffer through illness or disease, no matter how bad it is, these people suffered with the same – but in much harsher conditions. In the end, though, they are remembered for one thing above all else – they lived by faith. When your time is up, God will reward you based on your faith as well. Instead of looking at the trials, pains, and troubles as insurmountable, look at them as gifts which challenge your faith. You will be rewarded as you keep your eyes on, and faith in, Jesus.

Jesus, You know the pains of our hearts, bodies, and souls; pains which never seem to end. You know our weaknesses in facing them and how hard it is to endure each day. Be with us, strengthen us, and give us the faith to endure through each difficult moment. And may You alone be glorified as we prevail by Your might. Amen.

Tuesday, 5 March 2019

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8

The author next turns to Abraham. He is noted in twenty-seven books of the Bible, and is often used as an example of great faith. Even the Lord Jesus spoke of him on several occasions. He has already been mentioned eight times in Hebrews, mostly in Chapter 7, but it is obvious that he is a pivotal figure in the scene of redemptive history.

Paul uses him in critical sections of his writings to explain profound theological matters, particularly because he predates the law of Moses, and thus sets an example which demonstrates that righteousness, by default, comes apart from deeds of the law. Even James, who is cited by countless scholars as supporting justification through works, actually speaks of Abraham in a unique way which – it is true – involves works, but the works are based on something entirely different than what those scholars conclude. That will be noted in the coming verses of Hebrews as well.

So far, three men prior to Abraham have been noted for their faith, Abel, Enoch, and Noah. Abraham has an interesting parallel to each of the three. Abel “offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,” whereas Abraham offered the most excellent sacrifice possible in his son Isaac (coming in verse 11:11). Enoch walked with God; Abraham walked where God directed him to walk. Noah “became the heir of righteousness” through faith, whereas Abraham became the model of righteousness by faith.

In his beginning thoughts, he says again, “By faith.” The author is ensuring that the pattern which is found pleasing to God continues on unabated. And so, “By faith Abraham obeyed.” In a manner similar to Noah, there is an obedience to the directive which has been given. Noah was told to do something incredible, and he did it. Abraham is told to do something which would lead to a life of pilgrimage, and yet he did it. He “obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.”

As a technical note, Vincent’s Word Studies shows that the thought of going out is to be construed with “obeyed.” A present participle is used which “indicates Abraham’s immediate obedience to the call: while he was yet being called.” Thus it should be translated as “when he was called obeyed to go out.” He was called, and he did not hesitate to respond as called.

The calling is recorded in Genesis 12:1. It needs to be understood that the promise of inheritance is not found there though. The translation makes it sound like the inheritance was promised at the call. But the inheritance is not noted until afterwards. Further, it is not an immediate inheritance, but one which follows in his seed –

Genesis 12:1-3 is the call to leave his country and go.
Genesis 12:4-6 is the departure and travel through the land.
Genesis 12:7 is the promise of the inheritance to his descendants.

Acts 7:5 calls attention to this order and the fact that Abraham did not personally receive the inheritance, but that it would only come upon his descendants.

With this understanding, the author continues with, “And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Abraham wasn’t an explorer looking for adventure. Rather, he was a man with a home and family who was called to pick up and leave his land and go somewhere he had never been, and without having any specifics at all as to why until after he got there. And yet, by faith, he did as instructed.

Life application: Abraham demonstrated faith, and God was pleased with that. We too are pleasing to God when we demonstrate faith in Him. The first act of faith that we can accomplish which will please God is to believe the gospel message of Jesus Christ. After that, we can continue to please God by accepting His word as authoritative in our lives. Along with that comes faith that His word is, in fact, the authoritative word of God. Accounts such as creation, the flood, and the tower of Babel (among countless others) are written as simple statements of fact. Do we accept them in that manner? Or do we look at them as allegorical representations of other things? The answer we make really matters concerning our faith in what we consider to be the word of God. We are saved by faith in Christ, but we will be judged based upon our lives in Christ, particularly in relation to how we understand, accept, and apply God’s words in our lives. If you struggle with parts of the Bible, talk to God about it and ask Him to reveal to you what you are struggling with. That alone is an act of faith.

Thank You Lord God for the lesson of faith we find in the person of Abraham. Though we don’t always know the path that lies ahead of us, we have been assured in Your word that You are with us and will guide us all our days. Grant us faith like Abraham – to step out and follow where You direct. To Your glory, and to a walk which is pleasing to You, we pray. Amen.