Hebrews 11:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

NIV: These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,

NASB: And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

CSB: All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised,

NLT: All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.

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

NKJV: And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,

Verses 39 and 40 provide a stunning climax to the writer's overall point, a conclusion made complete over the first two verses of the next chapter. Early chapters of this letter explained in great detail why we ought to have the greatest possible confidence in the new covenant, through Jesus Christ. Given that confidence, we should look back on the example of those in the Old Testament who exhibited faith. This "faith"—godly faith—is defined as trust. It means relying on God, despite doubts and fears, because of what He has already done (Hebrews 11:1–3). Heroes of the faith succeeded specifically because they had that kind of trust in God (Hebrews 11:32), and their feats were legendary (Hebrews 11:33–35). At the same time, these faithful ones often suffered persecution and hardship for their faith (Hebrews 11:35–38), but they remained faithful.

These hardships are listed both to encourage Christians to "hold fast" during persecution (Hebrews 3:6; 10:23), as well as to keep their own sufferings in perspective.

Earlier in this chapter, the writer pointed out that those who exhibit truly godly faith are looking to the future—the ultimate future. The hope of a believer in God is ultimately in His promise to "work together for good" all things (Romans 8:28) from an eternal perspective (Hebrews 11:10–16). For this reason, it's not uncommon to see that some of these Old Testament heroes died without seeing an earthly fulfillment of God's promises (Hebrews 11:13).

And yet, even now, these faithful ones have not yet obtained the ultimate reward, which is to see God's final victory over sin and death (Hebrews 11:10). The reason for this delay is given in the next verse. The humbling, awesome truth is that God has granted us, those who are alive and hearing the gospel today, an even clearer presentation of the truth, so that we'll be able to believe and join in that ultimate reward.

Hebrews 11:32—12:2 is one of Scripture's most stirring and inspirational passages. The theme of earlier verses was Old Testament heroes who exemplified faith, defined as a forward-looking trust in God. The emphasis of these examples moved from general faith, to faith in the face of hard choices, to faith resulting in victory. Here, the writer includes all of these, in a rapid-fire list of people who demonstrated the power of true, godly faith. As a letter delivered to persecuted Jewish Christians, these examples are meant to be encouraging and inspiring, as well as convicting. God waited to deliver the ultimate fulfillment of His promises so that we—those who are alive now—would have an opportunity to be saved. Given that privilege, Christians ought to strive to endure, and to hold fast, living out that same godly faith.

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.