Hebrews    Chp.  11    Vs. 1-7

Joyce Webb 2018

Chapter 11

Vs. 1-7

Vs. 1

Faith is the confidence (feeling sure) that what we hope for

is going to happen. It is proof, evidence, of things that we do not yet see.

Vs. 2 It is by faith that our “fathers” long ago we able to please God and be accepted by God.

Vs. 3 It is by faith that we understand and believe that the world and universe were made, created by the word of God.

God spoke the word and they came into being.

The things that we see did not come from anything that can be seen.

(In other words, the earth and universe came out of “nothing” except that God spoke the word.)

(Modern scientists have their ideas and teachings about how the earth evolved (grew) from some small thing. They never explain how that small thing got there in the first place.)

The Bible says there was nothing. Then God spoke words. And the world and the universe came to be.

Vs. 4 By faith Abel (Adam’s son) made an offering unto the Lord. It was a better offering than his brother, Cain, offered.

God accepted Abel’s offering, but God did not accept Cain’s offering. This shows that Abel was right, and righteous.

Even though Abel has long been dead his offering and God’s acceptance of it is a testimony to the rightness of Abel.

Through the years, Bible teachers have talked much about Abel and Cain’s offerings. They have talked about why one was accepted and why the other was not.

Abel was a keeper of sheep or goats. He killed a sheep and made an offering to God. The Bible talks about the “fat of the animal” being offered. This means the animal was killed.

Leviticus 3: 9-10, 16 Chp. 4:19-20, 25, 26 These verses talk about burning the fat of an animal in a sacrifice offering.

Cain liked to grow vegetables and such in the ground. He brought an offering of his vegetables. His offering was not accepted.

After Cain offered his offering, God made Cain understand that his offering was not accepted. Cain became angry.

God spoke to him. God said, Why are you angry? If you had done the right thing, I would have accepted it. It seems that Cain then had a chance to do the right thing. He did not. He just stayed angry.

God warned him about his anger saying that he needed to be careful about that anger because “sin is at the door”—meaning that his anger would led to doing sin.

Cain ignored God’s warning. Cain did not go and offering a “right” offering. His anger continued until his killed his brother.

Some Bible teachers say that the reason Cain’s offering was not accepted was because he did not offer it in faith and he had a bad attitude.

In my opinion, it was more than not just giving his offering without faith.

The Bible especially talks about Abel’s offering have the fat of the animal.

That seems to be an important thing.

Vegetables are not going to be a right offering.

In the garden, after Adam and Eve ate of the tree—-disobeyed, sinned—–God made clothing of animal skins to cover their bodies.

Animals died. Their blood was given to cover the sin and nakedness of Adam and Eve.

God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they disobeyed, sinned.

That dying of their bodies began. They would grow “old”.

Spiritually, their spirits would die forever because of their sin.

God promised that someday in the future, he would use the “seed” of the woman, to make a man’s body for God’s Son to live in, and he would die for man in man’s place so man would not have to die for his sin.

That would not happen for a long time, so for now, animals would die in place of man for their sins.

At that time, in the Garden God had animals die and he used their skins to cover Adam and Eve’s sin and nakedness.

That was a “picture” of what was to come. God would require them to kill and lamb and offer it in place of their own death for sin.

Many years later, Jesus would die in their place for their sin.

Hebrews 9:22 “without the shedding (blood flowing) there is no remission (removing) of sin”

Matthew 26:28 Jesus said, this is my blood for the remission of sins.

I think that God told Adam and Eve and Abel and Cain what was required in an offering.

Abel listened and did what God asked. Cain did what he wanted and then was angry when God did not accept it.

The Bible does not explain clearly why Cain’s offering was not accepted—-so people have different thoughts about the reason.

Vs. 5 By faith Enoch walked with God and one day God took him up into heaven.

Enoch did not die, he just went up into heaven.

Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God.

Vs. 6 Without faith it is not possible to please God.

The person who comes to God must believe that God is. And he must believe that God rewards or gives answers to those who “diligently” (with much desire, determined) seek God.

Vs 7 By faith, Noah was warned by God about something that had not yet been seen (rain). In Genesis 2: 6 it tells us that the earth was watered by a “mist” or “dew” that came up out of the ground.

Since it had never “rained”, the people had a hard time believing that water would come down out of the clouds and so much of it that it would cover the ground, and trees.

All the years that Noah was building the ark-boat he warned the people of what was coming. They did not believe him.

Noah was “moved with fear” and he prepared by building the ark.

This saved his family. His preached to the people. He warned them about their sin.

Noah became known for being “righteous” and “right in the eyes of the Lord”.

This all happened because of his faith.