ITS MOVING DAY AGAIN Hebrews 11__1-16
BY CHARLES SCOTT
Church of the Good Shepherd
Indianapolis
Hebrews 11:1-3, (4-7), 8-16
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
ITS MOVING DAY AGAIN! Hebrews 11:1-3, (4-7), 8-16
“ABRAHAM! Wake up Abraham!”
Rubbing sleep from his eyes Abraham said, “Huh? What? Who is it?”
“This is your old friend, God, Abraham. Get up, I have some real estate that I want you to see.”
“O.K.”
Uh, God, where is this real estate? Where is the land? Just where are we going? I want to use my new geo-satellite tracking system in my Cadillac Camel to know where I am going. It is stil dark out, I want to see the way.”
God said, “You don’t need all of that, I’ll show you the way, Abraham. I’m going with you.”
O.K. . . . . “God?”
“Yes, Abraham?".
"How will I know when I’m there, where you want me to be?”
“You will know it when you see it Abrahm. I will tell you when you are there. NOW GO!”
“Yes, Sir.!”
Abraham started shaking Sarah who was still sleeping.
“Get up Sarah! Quickly now. The Lord told me to go.”
“Where are we going now?”
“I don’t know he just told me to go. Call the servants and pack the Camel, you know how the Lord is, this may take a while.”
“But Abraham, we can’t just leave. . . .”
“Sarah, remember what happened to God’s other friends, Adam and Eve when they didn’t obey and started trusting that Old Snake. Now just pack, we’re going!”
It may well be that the Abraham stories as related in Genesis are colored by the Exodus event. The retelling of the creation and the events in the lives of Israel/Judah’s ancestors were set down in the Book of Moses, hundreds, even thousands of years after the original events.
God spoke to Moses in much the same way he spoke to Abraham. While still in Egypt, God said Go, I will show you the way to the new land.
Even at night, I will provide you a light and I’m going with you. You will escape your captors, I will lead you, protect you and give you the land.
There are Exodus-like stories in the life of Abraham and other of the patriarchs as well. as in the life of some of the prophets.
Matthew, who was a Jew, steeped in the stories and traditions of the Hebrew people cannot tell the Gospel story (Matthew 2:15) of Jesus birth and childhood without commenting in the words of his people “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
And what did that Son have to say?
He tells us to give no thought for tomorrow – don’t be anxious about it. God will provide as you journey through life. He does not condemn wealth or the wealthy. Rather, he says we shouldn’t be too attached to the things around us, they will grow old and change. We are not to trust in these ephemeral things that give us the appearance of being real. Rather, we are to trust the Father.
The Hebrew text says that the ancient Hebrew fathers confessed – gave witness to God who was leading them.
Jesus said the same to us, that we are to be a light in a dark place. Our lives are to be an example, a light others can follow in our pilgrimage our procession to God.
You are the light of the world. Jesus said, “A city set on a hill cannot be hid.”
God says to you, “Go. . . .walk in the Light of the Lord. . . .Be light.”
LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN \
(MAT 5:16).
