...imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

“Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins... And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' And he says in another place, 'You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.'” (Hebrews 5:1,4-6)

Over and over, Hebrews speaks about faith. The writer of Hebrews notes that Jesus demonstrated this faith, referring to Isaiah 8:17, “I will put my trust in him.” (Hebrews 2:13)

The response to faith is faithfulness. Jesus became our merciful and faithful high priest (Hebrews 2:17). Hebrews 3:2 says, “He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house.”

And we are to share in this faith / confidence in God. Hebrews 3:6 says, “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and hope in which we glory.”

Standing in faith is not something that is passive, but active. It is not ignoring the truth, but seeing the possibilities through God.

Hebrews 6:12 says, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

Faith is taking hold of those possibilities that are unseen as if they are seen and moving towards them in faithfulness (obedience to God).

Hebrews 11:1 says, “No faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

Faith requires us to look to God, know and trust Him, believe what He says to us and take action on His words. If we go as far as looking to Him to hear what He says but then fail to take any action on it (like Abraham's father who failed to move towards the Promised Land but became comfortable where he was at in UR), we fail to have faith.

Hebrews 10:38 says, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

Or, we fail to have faith if we see the promises and then turn back  (like Lot's wife) rather than follow God. Hebrews 10:39 goes on to say, “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”

Faith is active, engaging, takes energy and looks to God who is the author and finisher of our faith.  We are to receive the promises of God by faith and when we do, we can find a place of rest rather than of striving and working hard to make something happen.  

Coming back to my initial Scripture verse in Hebrews, it is speaking of receiving what God has for them by faith when called and not taking the honor on in presumption for oneself. Hebrews 5:4 says, “And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

There is a place of rest when one believes the promises of God and receives them by faith. Hebrews 4:1, 3 says, “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that non of you be found to have fallen short of it... Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God as said...”

Like Abraham and the many others that are in the 'hall of faith”, they may have seen the promises from afar and not even entered into them, but there was a place of rest for them in the journey of obedience in following God. It was not about getting the promises fulfilled but about walking in faith with God towards what He had for them.

Hebrews 11:13 says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”

They did not settle for what was in front of them that they saw, but they longed for God.  This led them out of their comfort zones to follow God wherever He would take them. They were longing for their heavenly home.

Hebrews 11:15 says, “If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country -a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

While the opposite of faith in action is inaction, unbelief and shrinking back, the opposite of receiving God's promises by faith, is striving to obtain something rather than entering the place of rest. When we are striving to obtain something rather than receiving it by faith, our eyes are on the something we want to obtain rather than on God.

Sometimes this can be presumption about what God has for us. We can see something that looks good to us and we think that it will fill us so we move towards it.  We think to ourselves, “God wants to give me the desires of my heart so I am acting in faith to obtain it.”

It may be something God does not have for us all together. Or it can be something that God desires for us but wants us to enter in by faith and rest rather than striving.  In this case, we need to die to our desire for it to somehow fill us. 

An example of this would be Moses who killed the Egyptian. He had a desire to lead the Hebrews and defend them but he acted out of presumption and striving to take it by violence. He needed to die to this before he could receive what God really had for him.

An more current day example of this would be Mandela. He fought to get what he thought was right for the black people in Africa. However, it was not until he went to prison and died to his ways of thinking he would make it come about that he could actually receive and step towards what God had for him. It was in a place of rest that he received the fulfillment rather than striving towards it.

We strive rather than trust because we are in want to be filled (in lack). An example of this is Saul in 1 Samuel 13:1-14. We all know the story of how he felt compelled to offer the burnt offering because he saw his troops were leaving.

Saul was not receiving his kingship by trust and looking to God, but rather striving to earn it and deserve it for himself.   Saul had a big success in rescuing the city of Jabesh and people were following him now. He was confirmed and established as king. He now wanted to establish himself as a powerful leader. Saul and Jonathan had attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, picking a fight with them. He now wanted to take his success in the name of God and show how great he was. When all his troops began to flee, he became desperate and made the priests offering to the Lord.

Deuteronomy 17:19-20 commands of the king, “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left; in order that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”

Saul had become proud in his title and authority.  He was striving to obtain his significance from the kingship rather than following after God. Even when Samuel rebuked him for this, he did not turn his heart towards God. Rather, he continued to put his effort into striving to keep his kingship for himself.  It was an idol he was holding to.   The result was a disaster for everyone and eventually led to both Saul's and Jonathan's death.

When we strive to do or obtain what He would have us to enter into and receive, we get tired and burnt out quickly.   God's invitation  to us is to turn to Him and we will find rest for our souls. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.…"

Lord, I can see sometimes that I am not in a place of rest but striving to get things done. This is because my eyes are not on the eternal kingdom but on the one around me. And sometimes I try to get my life from this kingdom around me as I live it out. Forgive me. Help us to be more like Abraham, who continually kept his eyes and heart on the eternal kingdom. And like Jesus, who humbled Himself and endured hardship in obedience for the promises to come.