Hebrews 11:8-12 - by James Newton

Hebrews 11:8-12

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Verse 11 has always struck me as troublesome. If you know the story, Abraham and Sarah do not come across as very faithful. In Genesis 15, God promises Abram that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. And it says Abram believed God. Then in Genesis 16, we read that Sarai thought God had kept her from having children and so she tells Abram to sleep with her servant and build a family through her. Abram agreed and, let’s say nature took its course. Soon we realise that this was not God’s plan. Then God corrects Abraham in Chapter 17 and makes another covenant of circumcision. Abraham questions God but then goes ahead and does what God asked.

So, how can Abraham and Sarah be credited as faithful by the writer of Hebrews when they had clearly taken matters into their own hands and made a complete mess of it?

I don’t know! But what stood out to me when reading Hebrews 11 again is that I don’t think that’s the point. I think the point is that you and I frequently take matters into our own hands and frequently make a complete mess of it.

But God is bigger than our mistakes. The net result is that Abraham was faithful to God’s covenant. The consequences of Abraham’s mistake were still there and very problematic. But God, in an incredible act of grace and long-suffering, corrected Abraham on just where this promised son was supposed to come from and stuck to His end of the promise. In response, Abraham obeyed.

In an incredible act of grace and long-suffering, God sent His son, Jesus. Every time we mess up, Jesus is still holding up His end of the promise. Through Him, faithfulness is credited to us as well.

Amen!