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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Hebrews 11:8 - 11:12
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Heb_11:8-12
8By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Heb_11:8 "Abraham. . .obeyed" In some ways these cameos are idealized representations of these men's lives. The OT is unique in ancient literature in that it records both the positive and negative about its characters. Abraham was a strange mixture of fear and faith
1. Fear
a. God said leave your family; he took his father and Lot
b. God promised a child; he tried to produce a child through Sarah's servant and later tried to give Sarah away to both an Egyptian and a Philistine king in order to save his own life
2. Faith
a. He did leave Ur
b. He did believe God would give him descendants
c. He was willing to offer Isaac (cf. Genesis 22)
God is not looking for "super-saints," but for flawed humans who will respond to Him in repentance and faith and live for Him regardless of the circumstances.
Heb_11:9 "he lived as an alien in the land of promise" This is the term "sojourned," which means he did not have rights as a citizen (cf. Heb_11:13).
Heb_11:10 "he was looking" This is an imperfect middle (deponent) indicative. He kept looking!
▣ "the city" This is a common biblical metaphor (cf. Heb_11:16; Heb_12:22; Heb_13:14; Joh_14:2; Gal_4:26; Rev_3:12; Rev_21:2), which refers to the place of God's dwelling with humans again, as in Eden.
Abraham lived his life by faith looking not at current reality, but promised reality. Faith says "this world is not my home"; faith says "God's promises are sure"; faith says "reality is not what I see, but what God says"!
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Heb_11:11 "Sarah" Some ancient Greek manuscripts (P46, D) add "barren." It is significant that none of the patriarch's wives (except Leah) could conceive without the help of God. Also, none of the first born children were the heirs of promise. God acted to show that He was in charge!
Sarah, like Abraham, was a mixture of fear and faith. She gave Abraham her servant; she also laughed at God's promise (cf. Gen_18:12).
Heb_11:12 "as the stars of heaven in number and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore" This was part of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. Gen_15:5; Gen_22:17; Gen_32:12). Remember all of their wives (except Leah) were barren.
▣ "she considered Him faithful who had promised" She acted based on God's promise, not current reality. This phrase is similar to Heb_10:23 (cf. Heb_6:17-18). The readers are also to act in this way.