Is faith a way of getting what we want from God? Study Hebrews 11 with context, apologetic analysis, and cross-references.
Dr. Lucas D. Shallua Commentary · HEBREWS 11 — BY FAITH: THE WITNESSES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
No. The chapter shows faith as trust in God's promises and in His character, even when He does not give what one asks. Some of the heroes received amazing deliverances, and others died in suffering, and all were commended. Faith submits to God's will and holds to His promises. It is not a tool for manipulating God.
No. The chapter includes those who were healed and delivered and those who were tortured and killed, and it says that the world was not worthy of the latter. The New Testament teaches that God heals and answers prayer, and believers are encouraged to pray in faith for healing and other needs, but it does not teach that faith always results in physical health or wealth. Faith trusts God in all outcomes.
The list includes people like Jacob, who deceived his father, and Samson and Jephthah, who made serious errors, and David, who committed adultery and murder. They are included because their faith, though imperfect, was genuine and ultimately fixed on God. The list gives hope to those who struggle with failure: God commends faith, not perfection.
It refers to the disgrace and suffering that Moses accepted by identifying with God's people, which was in essence the same kind of reproach that the Messiah would later bear. The statement may also mean that Moses had a real, if partial, understanding of the Messiah. It shows that faith in the Old Testament was oriented toward Christ, and that all God's people are united in the same hope.
It refers to the fulfillment of God's promises in Christ, the new covenant, and the full inheritance that believers enjoy. The Old Testament saints had faith in what was promised, and we have the privilege of living in the time of fulfillment. It does not mean that they are second-class, since they will share with us in the final perfection. They are waiting with us for the consummation of all things.
Hebrews 11 is the most famous chapter on faith in the Bible and is sometimes called the "hall of faith." It follows directly from 10:38–39, where the author quoted Habakkuk's statement that the righteous will live by faith and expressed confidence that his readers were not among those who shrink back. Now he illustrates what faith looks like by pointing to the great figures of the Old Testament. The chapter is not an abstract definition but a series of stories, each showing faith in action. The structure is a movement through the history of Israel: the primeval history (verses 4–7), the patriarchs (verses 8–22), Moses and the exodus (verses 23–29), the conquest and the period of the judges and kings (verses 30–32), and the prophets and martyrs (verses 33–38). The repeated phrase "by faith" gives the chapter its rhythm. The purpose is to encourage the readers, who were tempted to give up, by showing that those who have gone before them lived and died trusting God, often without seeing the fulfillment of what He had promised, and that their faith was vindicated. It is also a chapter that makes clear that faith is not a means of getting what one wants but a trust in God's promises that persists through suffering and loss, a point that stands against any teaching that treats faith as a guarantee of health and wealth.
The chapter gives a survey of Old Testament history, and the events it mentions are supported by a growing body of historical and archaeological evidence. The patriarchal narratives fit the cultural setting of the early second millennium BC, as shown by customs described in texts from Mari, Nuzi, and elsewhere, which include practices relating to inheritance, adoption, and the use of a concubine to provide an heir, such as in the case of Sarah and Hagar. The presence of Semitic slaves and workers in Egypt is attested by papyri and by the brickmaking scene in the tomb of Rekhmire. The account of Jericho has been the subject of intense debate, with different archaeologists proposing different dates for the destruction of the city, and some scholars maintaining that the evidence fits the biblical account. The author does not argue from archaeology but from the faithfulness of God. The reference to martyrs who refused release so that they might attain a better resurrection also has a historical background in the Maccabean period, when Jewish believers were tortured by Antiochus IV for refusing to abandon the law, and the book of 2 Maccabees describes the confidence of the martyrs in resurrection. This shows that the hope of resurrection was well established in Judaism before Christ, and that it sustained those who faced death. A broader apologetic point is the shape of the list: it consists of people from different periods, backgrounds, and characters, who share a common trust in the God who speaks and promises. This coherence, running through the entire Old Testament, is part of the evidence for the unity of Scripture, and for its focus on the God who keeps His word.
This study preserves the hard questions, explanations, context, apologetic note, and references from Dr. Shallua's Commentary.