Hebrews 11:13-16 - Suffering and Death

Hebrews 11:13-16
¹³ All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. ¹⁵ And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.


Message: Suffering and Death

Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution.The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.

What the Lord is Saying: Suffering and death, it seems, remains a mystery in my life. Sickness, suffering and death continually assault people at different stages of life. The reality is the odds are the same for everyone: 1 out of 1 person will die.  As followers of Jesus, it is told to us that we will have eternal life (I John 5:11-12). Even Jesus died at an early age in an unfair manner (though he rose again). Jesus, however, conquered death. He rose again. We will rise, but non on this earth.

Something I've been realizing more and more is that sicknesses in the present are evidence of the fallenness of creation. I am not simply to think that my illness is the result of my sin, but rather it is the result of humanities sin. To me, that is one key principle. The other major thing I've learned over the years is we are not to come to God with the "why me" or "why them" question, but instead we come to God requesting healing and for prayer. What is most important is the condition of my soul when I die. But, I think it is hard because us American are so focused on comfort and safety and ease the sickness and suffering assault this and therefore there seems to be a tendency in thinking that it is always unjustified. My conclusion is "don't go there."

Instead, my focus in life is more on the condition of my soul when I die and encouraging people to think about this in general. For Jesus, what he mentioned was the key to this can be found in being born again in this life. This is the way we see the kingdom of God (John 3) or the kingdom of heaven. There is peace then in this life, no matter what may occur. This I believe is our focus.

This is the key of these verses in Hebrews. To begin with, I look first at the preceding verses in chapter 11 of Hebrews as their is a common idea expressed and this is "by faith." By Faith is the common theme thus far in this chapter and while that phrase isn't used, I think i need to remember it in as I read these verses. The people that were mentioned in the preceding verses were Old Testament saints, like Abraham and Sarah.

To me, what is spoken here in verse 13 is these people, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah -- they all lived there lives by faith. Faith was their calling card. They had the promise of the Messiah and removing the sin of the world, but they had not yet see it. God requested they believe in Him. This is the key of the entire Bible: Believe; having faith. Our faith in God supersedes everything else, so I can navigate life because of this faith. I can have peace about anything and everything because of this faith. In verse 14 is the what those by faith are seeking: a country of their own. This is a country that is beyond the constraints of this present life. Again, we have faith in this life and the life to come. And then in verse 15 and 16 it is mentioned that these people were not caught up in living simply in this present life, but they were more focused on the future and the heavenly home in which God has set up for them. If I know that I will live for eternity with God in heaven, then it should make living on earth easier. Yes, suffering will continue to occur, but I can walk through those times because I know God cares for me and I know he cares for me because he has provided what I need to spend eternity with him in heaven: thus I can have faith in this life because my eternal home is set in stone.  

Promise: Continue to hold onto the promises of God and continue to take my needs to him, trusting that He is walking with us always.

Prayer: Thank you God for providing salvation to me and that my future is in your hands. Help me to live each day by faith. Yes, there are trying times, uncomfortable ones, and times that lack security for through it all I can trust You because you are a God that can be trusted because the future, my future home is in place and is waiting for me.