People
of “faith”,
referred to by the writer of Hebrews, “were stoned, sawn
asunder, tempted and slain with the sword”.
They also “wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute, afflicted and tormented”.
In chapter eleven and verse thirty-eight of Hebrews, the
writer shares how “the
world was not worthy” of these
people of “faith”
where we read:
(Of whom
the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts,
and in
mountains, and in
dens and caves of the earth.
The
verse begins, “(Of whom the world was not worthy:) ”.
The writer began with the words,
“Of whom” which
refers to “the people of faith referred to by the author” “the
world” or “the circle of the
earth and it's inhabitants and human family” “was not
worthy” which means “was not
befitting, congruous or corresponding toward”. The Hebrew writer
declared that “all the people” in the world were not “merited”
to have such believers.
The
verse goes on to say, “they wandered
in deserts, and in
mountains, and in
dens and caves of the earth.”. The
writer continued with the words, “they
wandered” or
“these people of faith roamed about” “in
deserts”
which refers to “in uninhabited regions and wastelands”,“and
in mountains” or
“and in high hills”, “and in
dens”
which means “in caverns which were hiding places or resorts” “and
caves” or
“fissures in the earth as well as rocks, mountains and holes” “of
the earth”
which refers to “of the arable land, country, territory or region”.
In addition to all the other struggles faced by these people of
“faith”,
these people “roamed about in deserts, mountains, dens and caves”
which were on the earth.
When
we meditate upon these words in Hebrews, we see great commendation
met with great adversity. Though these people of “faith”
were superior to the “world's worth” according to the writer of
Hebrews, it did not exempt them from living as vagabond and aimless
settlers on the earth. Having a relationship with God through His Son
Jesus Christ does not exempt us from difficulties and trouble, and
our hope after we have a relationship with Him is that He will be
with us and guide us in every one. The world certainly was “not
worthy” of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, and yet, He gave Himself
as a sacrifice for its sins. Let us realize the value and worth of
those who “believe”, and should they face great difficulties,
they shall be in the company of the greatest people who ever lived.
Next
time the writer shares how all these people ”having
obtained a good report through faith,
received
not the promise”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment