And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. (Hebrews 11:39-40)

The Nature Of Hope

Faith is not a guarantee that life will be rewarded in the here and now. The Hebrew writer outlines the lives of many of the champions of faith and leaves unnamed a host of saints who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, escaped persecution, and lived lives of hardship and peril. Like Moses, the faithful of God were not looking for a reward in the material world but the reward that comes from the eternal blessings of glory. Even though the faithful had received a good testimony through faith, they did not receive the promise in this life. Life for these dear saints looked forward to something after death.

It is hard to imagine living each day knowing the reality of a promise you live for will probably not be achieved. There is a deep desire to embrace a promise and to enjoy that promise. The reward of living a Christian life is found in the promises made through the grace of God. It is natural to look for those promises to be enjoyed in this life. For some, the only joy they will find is when death separates them from the physical world. Life is hard, filled with persecution and trials. The Hebrew writer talks of those who were tortured and faced trials of mocking and scourging, chains, and imprisonment. God’s people were stoned, sawn in two, tempted to give up, slaughtered, and made to wander the earth as vagabonds. This is not the kind of life one would picture for the child of God. The world is not worthy of people like this.

The picture of the Christian life is filled with joy and happiness. There is truth to this picture, as all of God’s people have reason to live in delight and contentment. But the reality is that for many of God’s people, the nature of their hope comes in what happens after death, not before. God never promised that all good things would come now. Even though Christians can live a joyful life with a good testimony, they may not receive the joy of the promises of God now. What the Hebrew writer wanted his readers to understand is that God’s promises are realized in what He has prepared for them.

Hope is not what is seen but the devotion of the promises yet seen. Every child of God who has faith as the centerpiece of their life knows the promises of eternal life far outweigh the reception of promises in this life. Noah looked beyond the ark in hope. Abraham believed in promises that would not be fully realized for future generations. Moses lived in a world of power, prestige, wealth, and fame, yet he turned his back on all of it to live for the promises of God. He led the Israelites for forty years and did not get to step foot in the promised land. His faith was in the promises of God not yet seen. Our faith must embrace the promises of God, whether they are realized now or in the life to come. Whatever promises are received in this life cannot be compared to what is coming. God has promised many things, and the greatest is eternal life.