Hebrews 11, or the “Hall of Faith” as it has been called, really is the “who’s who” of Old Testament names. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David, to name a few, are all commended as being heroes of the faith.
But upon further examination, some of these individuals were not always heroic. They didn’t always exhibit the most exemplary character.
Noah ended up passed out drunk and naked. Jacob was a notorious deceiver. Moses killed a man and then tried to bury the evidence. Rahab was a prostitute. Samson was a mess on a variety of levels. David committed adultery with another man’s wife and then arranged to have said man killed. We could go on, but you get the point. Safe to say most of these folks wouldn’t be hired to work at any church I’ve been a part of.
How, then, are characters like these considered commendable here in Hebrews 11?
The short answer is that they’re commended not because of who they are or even what they themselves have done, but because of their faith in the One who was working all things according to his eternal purposes.
Their stories are complex and grimy. Maybe yours is too. But the good news of the gospel is that we aren’t commended or saved on the basis of our own clean records–rather, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8).
VC Devotionals 