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13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. ~ Hebrews 11:13-16
We return to our study of Hebrews 11 wherein we discover the nature and utter necessity of faith in the God of the Bible. At the beginning of this chapter the writer of Hebrews gave a twofold definition of faith: "the confidence in what we hope for" and "the assurance in what we do not see." Hebrews 11 is filled with examples of Godly men and women who "lived by faith" and here in today's text the writer of Hebrews takes us on a slight detour highlighting those who "died in faith."
In v.13 of today's passage we read, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth."
When Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died, they were still believing in the God of the Bible and in the promise He had given to them. The Covenant promise that Abraham would be the Father of a multitude was never realized by him while he lived on this earth. This did not detour Abraham, he continued by walk in the confidence that God existed and was a rewarder of those who seek Him. As we are in this sinful world, the patriarchs were foreigners and strangers because they were defined by God's culture, as communicated in His Word. His culture is and will always be contrary to the cultures of this world because His culture is the truth.
The Apostle Peter reminds us that he and the other disciples did not follow cleverly devised myths but they were eyewitnesses of the majesty of the Lord Jesus. And, the Apostle John reminds us that he and the other disciples followed the Lord Jesus because He manifested eternal life before them. Through these and others God has given us His Word through which we are reminded that we are foreigners and strangers in this world. His word gives the absolutely correct definition to all things and His word can and must be trusted.
Biblical faith reminds us of a greater future hope that often we see from a distance. It is this faith in the God of the Bible that reminds us that nothing in this world will satisfy us and we must be careful to avoid the lie that it will. When we begin to believe the lie that this world can satisfy us, we are positioned to have our hearts captured by the enemy of our souls. Living as foreigners and strangers in this world frees us to enjoy the father heart of God and His culture instead of being enslaved by chasing the empty promises of this world. It is quite helpful to remember that this world is under the control of Satan himself, and he is not out to lead us to wholesomeness.
In v.14 of today's passage we read, "People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own."
The patriarchs and all who choose to live by faith in the God of the Bible are tendered to be foreigners and strangers in this world which is being run by the evil one. Through the way the patriarchs lived their lives, they made it clear that they belonged to another place in a different dimension. This is the story of all who have believed on the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Our longing for God's country began the day we trusted Christ as our Savior, and it has grown with intensity as we have come to know our Savior's heart for us. Faith in the God of the Bible is patient to endure the lack of fulfillment in this life because it has its focus on the promise that lies ahead.
Hebrews 11:14 ends with the word "own" which literally means "fatherland." Once our hearts were captured by our Father in heaven, we have never looked back. God reveals Himself in the Bible as a gentle, forgiving Father, intimately involved with each and every detail of our lives. It is not only a beautiful picture, but a true one. However, every person seems to have a different idea of what our Father in heaven is like, because they unconsciously tend to attach the feelings and impressions that they have of their own earthly father to their concept of their Heavenly Father. Each person's own experience with human authority is usually transferred over to how they relate to God. Good experiences bring us closer to knowing and understanding God, just as bad experiences create distorted pictures of our Father's love for us.
There is one attribute of our Heavenly Father that not even the best parent can hope to imitate, that is His ability to be with us all the time. As parents, we cannot give constant attention 24 hours a day. We are finite beings who can only focus on one thing at a time. Not only is our Father with us all the time, but He gives us His whole attention. Our Heavenly Father is constantly thinking an uninterrupted stream of loving thoughts toward us as though nobody else in the world exists.
In v.15 of today's passage we read, "If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return."
So bright was the promise of God, so trustworthy was His Word that the patriarchs anchored their endurance and their perseverance in the future and this gave them a positive faith to endure anything. This was all made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ who left the perfect fatherland in heaven, and willingly became a foreigner and a stranger while on this earth, so that our hearts could be captured by the father heart of God. In fact, the Lord Jesus took upon Himself the punishment of God for our sin. As a result, the Lord Jesus has given us His perfection that we do not have to face God as our judge anymore. When the Lord Jesus began His ministry He began to speak to weary foreigners and strangers, like you and me with the language of forgiveness and acceptance. It was He who presented to us the father heart of God.
In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."
The longing of the believer for an eternity with God invites the favor of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 2:11 we read, "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters." In order for God to not be ashamed to be called the believer's God, the Lord Jesus had to go to the cross to destroy the work of the devil. And, for all who choose to believe in the Lord Jesus and invite Him into their lives to be their Savior, He is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.
