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not worthy of them

Hebrews 11:36-40 (JDV)

Hebrews 11:36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as chains and imprisonment.
Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.
Hebrews 11:38 The universe was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
Hebrews 11:39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised,
Hebrews 11:40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

not worthy of them

Our Lord promises a special blessing for those who choose to trust him even if they don’t see miracles and have lots of victory stories. Those are the kind of people the author of Hebrews lists in today’s text.

These people are heroes of faith even though the world did not notice (38-39). Their names are not written in this text, in fact, many of them don’t even show up in the historical records. The author of Hebrews merely calls them “other people”, “others” and “they.” God knows their names. They were “approved through their faith” (38). We are going to meet these special people at the marriage feast of the Lamb. They will have a special place in that celebration. For many of them, it will be their first celebration ever.

Let us not think that these people were second-class citizens in Christ’s coming kingdom. No, God approved them through their faith. They saw the invisible God like Moses did. The fact that they were never rescued from the avenging angel by blood on their doorposts does not make them losers. The fact that they never passed through the parted waters did not make them losers. They were winners who ran the race well. They just have not yet crossed the finish line.