from Israel My Glory, Vol. 52, No. 3
Why Do We Need Heroes? Part 2
by Elwood McQuaid
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders received witness.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of
God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear."
(Heb. 11:1–3)
Living on Faith’s Higher Ground
Over the years I have talked with many who seem to have difficulty with the introductory verses of Hebrews 11. Indeed, many times, I fear, our explanations of the passage are much more confusing than clarifying. I wonder, however, if this is not another instance of our making the issue much more complicated than God intended it to be. We all realize, of course, that whenever one is called upon to translate abstract propositions into concrete terms, the potential for problems exists. But let’s look at the text without prematurely complicating what is being said.
Standing on the Promises
The saints of the Old Testament era relied on promises of what God would do through the Messiah in the dim, distant future. By New Testament standards, they had very little light. But their faith in that light was unshakable, and their lives were ordered daily by what had been promised. The King was coming. He would one day occupy a throne. What God had promised to the heirs of Abraham would be theirs to possess. The will had been written and sealed; the heirs would inherit the promises.
Acting on the Promises
Faith, then, is living with total confidence that the promises will be performed. Such assurance translates into substance—a substance that gives shape and form to every moment of every passing day. I mentioned a written will. It is a viable comparison. When an heir is named in a will and there is an assurance that, while not knowing all of the specifics, considerable assets will one day be possessed, a person’s life becomes ordered in some measure by that confidence.
The object, then, of God’s giving us the host of Old Testament examples found in Hebrews 11 is to illustrate how the solid saints of old fleshed out their faith—how reality, shape, shade, and, yes, substance were the stuff of their everyday lives. Their faith was not wishful thinking, not leap in the dark uncertainty. No, their true faith was absolute certainty.
A few weeks ago, Maxine and I were driving to Virginia to spend a few days. As we often do, we passed the time listening to audio tapes. Among our favorites is one given to me by a friend who for years was the pianist for the Jordanaires quartet. We like that particular tape so much because the selections are almost all spirituals. Listening to the intensity of the words about heaven and the joys awaiting us beyond this vale “of trials and tribulations” brought the assurance that the singers of those words were exulting in the substance of their experience with God. It was a reach out and touch it kind of expression. Heaven is there; it is real; we’re almost home; the “great gettin’ up mornin’” is coming soon. So go on for God because we hear that the “chariot is comin’.”
These faith is substance expressions are no less the stuff of reality than was the expression of a feeble, saintly woman I visited the night before she slipped away into eternity. As I prepared to leave her hospital room, after we had prayed together, she lifted a hand, cast a bright smile, and said, “Good night, pastor. I’ll see you in the morning.” We both knew that she wasn’t talking about breakfast at General Hospital. She was speaking confidently about the morning to come when we will sit down together at the table of the Lord. My friend was simply stepping through a door from one room to another. God was about to turn on the light and let her see what her faith had possessed.
Resting in the Faith
Hebrews 11:13 says, “These [Old Testament saints] all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
This is really the essence of it all. Those spiritual forebears of ours were privileged to see beyond. Although far off, they were persuaded, and it was enough. Anything they were forced to bear, they could face in the absolute assurance that they were only temporary residents here. They sought another country. In this we too can find rest and perfect peace.
So, whatever confronts you as a believer today, read about the lives of those who have gone before, and learn the marvelous lessons each one has for you. With them, you can see beyond the horizon.
Elwood McQuaid served as the executive director of The Friends of
Israel for 12 years. He currently serves as executive editor of Israel
My Glory magazine, which has a circulation of 200,000 with subscribers
in 151 countries. He also hosts Friends of Israel's daily and weekly
radio programs, "This Week with Friends of Israel," and "Eye on the
Middle East," which air on more than 700 outlets in the United States.
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