The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is commonly known as the faith hall of fame. The writer of this dynamic book lists dozens of people and events that qualify for induction into this select group.
The Biblical faith hall of fame begins with God creating the world. It mentions the first Biblical martyr, a person who didn’t die, the great flood, the father of faith, the exodus, the implosion of the walls of Jericho, a lion’s den, the fiery furnace, and more brutal martyrs. The faith hall of fame is superior to Cooperstown, Canton, Toronto, Cleveland, and Springfield.
Getting into the faith hall of fame is more difficult than any sports, music, or entertainment walk of fame. These people sacrificed everything. Their lives were not their own.
If you could use an introduction on faith click here.
God
God spoke the universe into existence. We understand that reality through faith. Of course, we use logic, reasoning, and many other mental faculties but an element of faith is required.
Faith is a gift from God. He has given each of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). We’re being untruthful when we state that we don’t have faith.
Our faith can be increased and God has empowered us to increase it.
Faith Hall of Fame — Abel
No good deed goes unpunished, or so it’s been said, and especially for Abel.
Cain and Abel brought offerings to God. The firstborn, Cain, brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. Abel a shepherd brought the firstborn of his flock.
God respected Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Cain was so angry that he murdered his brother.
We’re not told much about why God respected one and not the other. The writer of Hebrews states that Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain and did so by faith.
God does not accept every offering.
Enoch
Enoch was the first official missing person in the history of the world. He totally cheated death and simply disappeared after walking with God.
Enoch walked with God for 300 hundred years! One day they were walking together and God simply allowed Enoch to circumvent death.
Hebrews 5:24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Noah
Who built the ark? Noah! Noah! Brother Noah built the ark.
Noah had crazy faith. He lived in a desert. Was told by God to build a boat because it was going to rain. There were no ark-building kits at the Home Depot. This was a true DIY project.
How long to build it? I don’t know. The folks at the Ark Encounter have made a guess.
Noah saw the invisible and did the impossible.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
Abraham
Father Abraham is mentioned many times in Hebrews 11. I will focus on one of them: Offering Isaac.
Abraham believed in the resurrection of the dead. When he was tested to offer his own son as a sacrifice he didn’t flinch. There was no hesitation or vacillation. He instantly obeyed God.
Hebrews 11:19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Joseph
Someone should really make a movie or play about the life of Joseph!
God gave him a glimpse into his future and it was glorious. It was so awesome he had to share it with his brothers. They weren’t impressed.
The majority of the brothers wanted to kill him. Instead, he was tossed in a pit and sold into slavery. He quickly advanced in rank with Potiphar.
Potiphar’s wife had the hots for Joseph and accused him of attempted rape. He was tossed into prison for some more seasoning.
Psalm 105:18-19 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
Painful? Yes!
Joseph certainly struggled while in slavery and in prison. That, however, was his school of hard knocks.
Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
Moses
This guy gets all of the attention! Charlton Heston played him in The Ten Commandments and Val Kilmer (I’ll be your Huckleberry) voiced him in The Prince of Egypt!
Well, he did accomplish some pretty cool stuff such as the exodus, the Passover, the ten commandments, and more.
Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
The Walls of Jericho
Imagine you’re a guard on the wall of a city. You look out and see a massive group of people walking in circles around your wall.
Perhaps it went something like this:
Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.
Gideon
Gideon was dealt a bad hand. He was the smallest in his family. His family was the weakest of his tribe (Manasseh) and he was basically the runt of the family.
Yet God specifically chose him for an impossible assignment.
Gideon had a large army to fight against the Midianites. God said that it was too large and the men were sorted. He ultimately fought the battle with 300 men and prevailed.
Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon…
Samson
Samson is an enigma, wrapped in a paradox, and tied with a riddle.
He was given superhuman strength. We’re talking Thor or the Incredible Hulk-type power. He killed 1,000 men with a donkey’s jawbone!
Yet, he was incapable of using this git of strength correctly.
Spoiler Alert: Samson was taken prisoner and blinded. The Philistines turned him into a circus performer for their amusement.
He asked God for one more burst of strength during one of his performances. There were 3,000 people in attendance for this freakshow. He pressed between the pillars that upheld the venue and the building collapsed killing all in attendance.
Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson
David
David, like Moses, get’s a ton of press outside faith-based circles. Sporting events with a major upset are said to be “David defeats Goliath” events.
David did much more than defeat Goliath. That particular encounter was at the beginning of his life and before he was king.
He was a warrior king.
David has his fair share of missteps as well. God publicly judged David in many instances. His sins are part of the Holy Writ exposed to us all.
God also stated that David was a man after His own heart.
Acts 13:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
Daniel
Daniel’s life was amazing. He’s known in the faith hall of fame for surviving a night in a lion’s den. Death by a lion was apparently a death penalty method in times of antiquity.
Daniel made it an entire night without incident.
Hebrews 11:33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…
Still Others
Not every one of these situations has a happy ending. I know that many in the word of faith camp would have you believe otherwise.
I’ve sadly heard of a person dying of cancer getting blamed for not having enough faith. Prosperity and poverty aren’t a result of faith or no faith. These ideas are not only dangerous but also unbiblical.
Hebrews 11:36-39 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise..