Living For The Moment Vs. Living For Eternity (In Search Of Truth, Hebrews 11:34-35)

(Hebrews 11:34-35, ESV) quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

After the author's list of those who displayed great faith in the Old Testament is another list of things that happened as a result of that faith. Through faith, believers in Yahweh have seen and done incredible things throughout history, and we're continuing to look at some of those things in these two verses.

The believers that "quenched the power of fire" probably refers specifically to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to worship the golden statue that the king had built. The king sentenced them to death by burning furnace for their disobedience. But Yahweh kept the fire from harming them even as they stood in the middle of a furnace so hot that it killed some of the soldiers preparing these three men for their execution. (Daniel 3:14-30)

An interesting note about the faith of these men. They were not absolutely sure that God would save them.

"...he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods..."(Daniel 3:17b-18a, ESV)

They expressed confidence that God would save them, yet left room for the possibility that he wouldn't. And even in the face of that possibility, they were content to die.

The reference to believers who "escaped the edge of the sword" may refer to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-3), or David (1 Samuel 19-31), who were both on the run from corrupt rulers who wanted to kill them. Their enemies had superior resources, but Yahweh preserved and protected them from death.

Believers who were "made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight" could include a broad number of examples. Since the earliest days of humanity until today, God has demonstrated a pattern of taking those who are weak (physically, morally, socially, etc.) and empowering them to do unbelievable things for God and his people. Those God chooses to do his work and win his battles are often unlikely candidates, but it's because of this that God's power and love are made even more obvious.

The women who "received back their dead by resurrection" may refer to the woman Elijah stayed with, whose son died of illness and was brought back to life. (1 Kings 17:17-24) It might also refer to the Shunammite woman who lost her son to sudden illness and saw him brought back to life through Elisha's prayer and faith in Yahweh. (2 Kings 4:17-37)

Those who "were tortured, refusing to accept release," may or may not refer to believers whose stories are told in the Old Testament. As was noted earlier in this study, the list of names here serves as a placeholder for all believers who exercised significant faith before the book of Hebrews was written.

What's noteworthy is the reason these believers accepted torture rather than release from it. "so that they might rise again to a better life."

A more literal translation than "rise again to a better life" would be "obtain a better rising/resurrection". We've established several times already that God's gift of eternal life is not dependent on our good behavior or self-sacrifice. This verse seems to refer to the future rewards that accrue for believers in proportion to their obedience during this life.(1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

Many of us will probably live our entire lives without facing torture because of our belief in Jesus. So this example of faith is all the more powerful and relevant as we decide what we are willing to endure for Christ in our mundane, day to day lives.


SO WHAT'S IN THIS FOR GEEKS?

The common thread in these examples of faith is believers facing death or the threat of death. Death is in some ways a very big deal. Psalm 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints."

God knows the fear that is naturally attached to death (Hebrews 2:14-15). He knows the heavy loss experienced with death (John 11:32-35). But he also wants us to be free of our fears of death (Hebrews 2:14-15) and begin living right now for the life that comes after this one.

As Geeks, that eternal perspective is really hard to keep in mind. So much of being a geek is about enjoying things in the here and now. And with so many naturalistic philosophical influences in our fiction we are continually bombarded with the subtle message that "this life is the main event and all that really matters". Even as we tell ourselves and each other that materialism is wrong, we are constantly hungry for new things that will entertain us, and we want them right now.

Faith recognizes that this life is not where we will find ultimate and lasting fulfillment. Faith sees this truth clearly enough to give up on pursuit of self-gratification in favor of serving God and the people around us.

We may never be faced with threat of death or torture, but we're daily faced with the prospect of dying to ourselves in imitation of Christ. The reward we gain for choosing entertainment as our source of fulfillment lasts until the novelty wears off and we have to look for the next cool thing. The reward we gain for choosing death to self each day lasts forever. (Matthew 6:19-20)

If this is the reality, then we ought to ask ourselves, "Why am I not walking further out on the skinny branches with Jesus today? What am I affirming belief in with my words but not truly buying into to the point that it actually changes how I approach life? What habit with scripture and other believers could I try out, start up or re-start that will help solidify those truths in my mind and my heart?"