(13)All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. (14)People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. (15)If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. (16)Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
This passage comes from the so-named “Hall of Fame of Faith.” The passage before this talks about the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it is followed by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. Hence the name “Hall of Fame.” Any story presently used in Sunday school (and some that aren’t) is referenced in this passage. Every single explanation the author of Hebrews uses begins with the phrase “by faith.” And at the end of the chapter, he says that the people mentioned didn’t receive what was promised because God had provided something better.
Did the people mentioned stay true to God the entire time? Not everyone. But the focus of their life, their faith, was centered around their relationship with God. They kept their eyes on what is unseen, not what is seen.
This particular section really speaks about the heart of every single person mentioned. Abel was focused on God when he presented his offering from his flock. Enoch walked with God, which is a huge complement in the Jewish culture, and God actually took him to heaven directly. Noah didn’t know what sort of a world he was going to find after the flood, or even what would happen during it. But he kept his faith in God and his eyes on God’s kingdom. Abraham simply left where he had lived for a land that God promised Him.
They all knew that they were made for God and His kingdom and searched for it with all they had. Do we? I, unfortunately, forget this all the time. Despite all the messages, songs, and blunt reminders, I still forget that I’m not meant to live for this world, but for God and His kingdom. This encouragement goes out to everyone: living for God’s kingdom is the only way to truly find a home, and when home is found in God’s kingdom, life means so much more!
Here are a few songs about this. Feel free to pick your genre.
