Equipping University

As the author of Hebrews moves on in chapter eleven by giving examples of faithful men and women in the history of the Israelites, he comes to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To be sure, these men exhibited remarkable faith - particularly Abraham - without the benefit of ever seeing the promises of God fulfilled in their lives. In the middle of the passage we will study in this chapter, the author writes, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised." Some might say that it is easy to live by faith when God always answers your prayers. On the other hand, there is no doubt that to live a life of consistent faith is even more difficult when that life is lived with no answers to prayer or eventual possession of things promised. The author of Hebrews writes to his readers to reinforce within them the biblical perspective needed to survive as a believer in a world that hates God and his followers (see 1 John 3:13 - "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you"). The men