HEBREWS

Who wrote it? Most people vote for Paul. Some vote for Apollos, and others cast their ballot for Barnabas. At various times I have argued for Priscilla or Zenas the Lawyer just to add a little spice to the dialogue.

The book itself is a soaring adventure into the "heavenlies" authored by someone who was soaked in Jewish scripture and culture. The writers comparison of "the Christ of God" as better than everything and anyone is a majestic tour de force. But, on the other hand, Chapter 11 is also a pain in the neck. It is often called the "faith" chapter. It has been dissected, bisected, analyzed, torn apart, put back together, exposited, twisted, used and abused. It starts with a statement about what faith "is," then tells us we must have faith in order to please God.

The chapter describes men and women of faith who believed and trusted God for things in their lives, even when they had no earthly expectation or hope of receiving anything from God, e.g., Sarah having a son. It is a list of biblical Who's Who: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, and so on. It is a nice chapter to read - uplifting, challenging, on the moral high ground - kind of like I Corinthians 13. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you are done, that is until I get to verse 37.

In this age of fuzzy feelings, people of faith getting "stoned, sawn asunder, tempted and tested, slain with swords, wandering in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented, living in caves, wandering in deserts and mountains" just leaves me a little discomforted. These people all "obtained a good report through faith," but never quite received the promise.

But, I don't like all of that stuff - it hurts! And besides, I am supposed to "prosper as my soul prospers," and have an "abundant life." Well, it doesn't sound like people getting sawn asunder or living in caves are prospering or living abundantly to me.

So, what is going on here anyway?

Paul certainly was no stranger to tough times. He was scourged on five different occasions with 39 stripes; he was beaten with rods three separate times; he was stoned and left for dead; he was shipwrecked three times; and he floated in the sea once for 24 hours. In his travels he was constantly in peril; he was often hungry, tired, cold, without proper clothing - and on top of all that, he had to worry about the care of the churches (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). He closed his list of problems with the interesting statement, "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities."

But, I thought that Christians were supposed to have it easier than that. What about all of the books on prosperity, and the T.V. programs talking about material possessions being a part of the Christian "faith" walk. Well, let's first decide that between radio, television, books, popular preachers, and the Bible we should base our "faith walk" on the Bible. And, let's remember that the same God who delivered Peter from jail through a miracle also allowed John the Baptist and James to die in prison.

It is God's world, and He makes the rules. A primary principle of Hebrews 11 seems to be that people of faith had better be focusing more on the "life to come" than on accumulating a comfortable lifestyle here and now. The comfortable life may come your way in the providence of God, but don't sell your spiritual life for what amounts to no more than Esau's pottage.

It is eternal life we are living, not the lifestyles of the rich and famous. So, we have the age old tension of Christians who "are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good" on the one hand, and Christians who get so caught up in pursuing material possessions that they are spiritually bankrupt on the other. And we want a spiritual algebraic formula, preferably with a chapter and verse attached, that without too much fuss or muss will guide us step by step along our "faith walk."

But, the Walk of Faith is not so easy because the God you serve cannot be manipulated like a puppet on a string. You see, he is the potter, and we are the clay, sometimes we get it reversed don't we? So, how can I solve this age old problem of Job, i.e., "good people who lose everything, enduring great sorrow and pain, yet are told that serving God with a "correct" faith walk will produce blessing and prosperity in their life.

Now, the Bible is big enough to give you all of the answers that you will need to solve this problem, but you need to read the whole book. And, don't get caught taking isolated verses out of context like a morning vitamin pill (don't let anyone do it for you either). Job said, "though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." and, after his body would be destroyed in death - "yet in my flesh shall I see God." In other words, Job's faith in God was not determined by his lifestyle; indeed, his faith in God survived his lifestyle.

Tough times come to all of us sooner or later. There will be issues of sickness, death, divorce, financial devastation or personal attacks that invade every family and that have to be dealt with spiritually. Some people lose their mooring and drift from spiritual things; others turn to God and plant their spiritual anchor more firmly.

The answer to the dilemma is found in the Gospel of John, chapters 13 through 17. But, you will have to spend some serious personal time in those passages. It is there that Jesus leaves us with a personal message that will carry each of us through eternity. I recommend that you go to those chapters and digest these words of Jesus.