Hebrews 11:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

NIV: By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

NASB: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days.

CSB: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days.

NLT: It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

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

NKJV: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.

In this part of the book of Hebrews, the writer is explaining how trusting faith in God was demonstrated in the Old Testament. Abraham (Hebrews 11:17–19) and Moses (Hebrews 11:24–28) were held up as particular examples of this kind of faith in action. These men showed that they were willing to rely on God, based on prior knowledge of Him, and to obey even when they could not see every detail of the future. Moses not only rejected a lavish Egyptian lifestyle in order to be with his persecuted people (Exodus 2:1–15), he also defied Pharaoh in order to lead Israel out of slavery (Exodus 5:1).

This passage also echoed a point made earlier, which is that this kind of trusting, godly faith is required in order to please God. Israel crossed the Red Sea, in faith, and was saved. The Egyptian army attempted to cross the Red Sea behind them, but not in faith, and were annihilated (Hebrews 11:29). Rote obedience—cooperation without trust—does not demonstrate legitimate faith. This same incident also speaks to the victory available when we obey God as a result of our trust.

The moment mentioned here is another example of victory, enabled entirely by trusting faith. Jericho was surrounded by impenetrable walls when God commanded Israel to take the city. To do this, God gave what would have seemed like an absurd command: to spend seven days walking in circles around the city (Joshua 6:1–5). And yet, because Israel obeyed, they obtained victory when those walls collapsed and allowed the Hebrews to invade (Joshua 6:20–21).

Hebrews 11:17–31 makes a subtle shift from the prior verses. Earlier, the writer had given examples of faithful obedience leading to God's blessings. Those cases were mostly general, where a willingness to trust God was weighed against an uncertain future. In this passage, however, we are shown men and women who chose to trust God despite immediate, personal hardships. This, as well, is a crucial aspect of faith, which the writer has already defined as a confident trust in God.

True, godly faith is defined as trust, relying on God when looking to the future, and obeying even when we don't fully understand all details. The great figures of the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, all lived according to this type of faith. Ultimately, that means trusting God's intent to make good on His promises from an eternal perspective. The model of faith presented by those people, in light of the struggles they faced, ought to inspire Christians towards a more confident, purposeful faith.

Up to this point, the book of Hebrews has given extensive evidence proving that Jesus Christ, and the new covenant He brought about, is God's ultimate plan for mankind's salvation. Chapter 10 provided an additional warning about the danger of falling away from this truth. Chapter 11 begins by clarifying the meaning of the word ''faith,'' primarily by listing examples of Old Testament figures who exemplify it. The ultimate application of this knowledge should be a motivation to ''hold fast'' to the gospel, despite hardships. That encouragement is a major theme of chapter 12.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.