Obtaining a Good Report through Faith Hebrews 11:39

The Hebrew writer proclaimed that “the world was not worthy” of the people of “faith” he mentioned to his readers. In chapter eleven and verse thirty-nine of Hebrews the writer shares how people “obtained a good report through faith” where we read:

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

The verse begins, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith,...”. The writer began with the words, “And these all” which means “and each, every, any, the whole and everyone of the people to whom the writer referred” “having obtained a good report” which is all one Greek word “martyreō” means “to be a witness, affirm that one has seen, heard or experienced something or knows it because it is taught by divine revelation or inspiration” “through faith” or “by the conviction of the truth of anything and belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ which springs from trust in the same”. Each of the people to whom the author of Hebrews referred were witnesses and affirmed what they experienced “by faith”.

The verse goes on to say, “...received not the promise:”. The writer continued with the word, “received” or “obtained or recovered” “not the promise” which means “not the announcement of good and blessing”. Though these people were “promised” the great blessing of the final completion of salvation from God, they did not “receive” it during the time they lived.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we see how all these people of “faith” did not “receive” the “completion of salvation” which was “promised” by God. This did not occur until Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of man. Jesus made the way for this “promise” to be fulfilled, and when He rose from the dead, Jesus gave access to eternal salvation for all who will believe. The people to whom the writer referred all died “in faith” that God would provide “eternal life” for them, yet they did not know how this would be. We know that Jesus Christ provided the answer to their question, and He is indeed “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and thus, may all who read these words understand and believe.

Next time the writer shares how “God having provided some better thing for us”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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