Saturday 29 January 2011
- Bible Book:
- Hebrews
"All of those died with having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth." (v. 13)
Background
It can be argued that today's passage is probably the mostrenowned in the entire letter to the Hebrews. It is a rousing piecethat lists famous Bible characters whose faith inspired them tocarry out heroic acts. It is traditional to link this portion ofScripture to faith: all things are possible with it, and nothingcan be achieved without it. However, this passage is also very muchan account of the importance of personal sacrifice, and how this islinked to faith.
These verses speak of individuals who gave up almost everything onaccount of their faith, to follow a Godly promise that did not beardividends during their lifetime. In Abraham's situation, heabandoned what many would consider to be a very comfortablelifestyle for a nomadic, demanding one. He died without seeing whatGod had promised him. His son and grandson also shared hisexperience, and the writer illustrates that great acts of faithoften involve great feats of self-sacrifice and self-denial.
Today's passage also suggests that following God is never astraightforward spiritual journey. Akin to Abraham's physicaljourney, the ultimate destination may be known, but the routeprobably remains imprecise. Equally, the journey may be long andarduous, and can take us to places not of our wishing. Sometimes,like Sarah, Abraham's wife, it finally ends with us receiving ourdesired wishes (verse 11). On other occasions, God chooses torespond in ways that appear unclear.
However what does remain clear throughout this passage of Scriptureis that God was always with these brave men and women as theytravelled along life's journey. What made them special was thatthey were obedient - they chose to answer God's initial call; theywere faithful - they did not give up when the going got tough; andthey were altruistic - they knew that someone else would benefitfrom their Godly efforts.
To Ponder
How can we learn from the saints who arementioned in today's reading?
What are the arguments for and against 'instant'and 'deferred' gratification from a spiritual perspective?