Hebrews 11:10a
"For he…" Abraham - because of that Abrahamic Covenant. That the Abrahamic Covenant in a nutshell, was that out of Abraham would come a nation of people. Not necessarily of the Hebrews only but rather a new creation of spiritually alive or awakened people wholly of God's position. For those who by way of choice remain on the milk of the word ie..our first estate in redemption. And one day God would move them into a strip of land that He had promised and deeded to Abraham. Then someday in the future, of course never setting dates, that someday in the future He would provide their government in the Person (Christ as) their King.
So all of the Old Testament then, from Genesis chapter 12 on up until the New Testament opens up in the book of Acts around the 8th chapter, is looking forward to that coming promised King. As I mentioned, they became a nation of people when they were in Egypt in slavery. And maybe we should go look at the verse. Come all the way back to Genesis chapter 46, and let’s start with verse 1. And of course, we’re up to the time of Jacob, and his son Joseph is already in Egypt, and Pharaoh has made him second to him over the land and agriculture.
Genesis 46:1-3a
"And Israel (the man Jacob) took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, (which is down in the Negev or South of Jerusalem) and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I." And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt;…" Now you remember where God told Isaac what? Don’t go to Egypt. Sojourn in the land of promise and I will bless you. So it was a forbidden territory to go down into Egypt. But now you see, God in His Sovereignty, He can do this, He changed the course of events. Which He never does unless there's a divine purpose and reason for it. This is as it should be for God can and often does change things because He is God and does what He does because He IS who He IS. Now He tells Jacob:
Genesis 46:3b
"…fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there (down in Egypt) make of thee a great nation:"
See how plain this is. Now they were down in Egypt then another 215 years. There's a parallel here, remember Noah and his time of preperation as a witness of future things not yet seen or known. That’s a long time. See I’m afraid, too many times, people do not take time in the Scriptures to get the full impact because we look at the whole period of 6,000 years and consequently we think 200 is just a drop in the bucket. But, 200 years is 200 years. That’s a long time. Look what America has done in the last hundred, let alone two hundred. And so, 215 years from the time that Jacob goes down into Egypt until Moses brings them out (this Abraham started in his first visit for there were given 430 years accredited to him as being in Egypt), and they are now several million people. I've said from six to seven million. And they were the largest individual nation group in the whole Middle East. And so they were a great nation of people, all because of Abraham’s response of faith in obedience. Now back to Hebrews chapter 11, and verse 10.
Hebrews 11:10
"For he looked for a city (a city of which this King would be ruling and reigning) which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
Now, of course, the book the Bible and the Revelation hadn’t been written yet and so that gorgeous city foursquare had not been even mentioned anywhere in Scripture. So Abraham was looking forward to this city - that when God would literally rule on the planet and He would be in control, it would be Heaven on earth or so most of those in Judaism thought. Religion as we know and understand it thinks this same thing to this very date, not knowing or understanding the secret things of God. That’s why it’s called then "the Gospel of the Kingdom" because Heaven would come down on earth in the Person of the King. Well, all that was out in the future from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s day, but they looked forward to its day by faith. How could they have done this unless God had spoken to them about it, He had to reveal the secret to them and then sworn them to secrecy. All right, now verse 11.
Hebrews 11:11
"Through faith also Sara (the wife of Abram) herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child (when?) when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised."
It was a miraculous birth. They were way beyond the age of childbearing. But God, in His Sovereignty brought it about and so she was delivered when she was past age because of Abraham's trusting His faithfulness. She to had to receive of the Lord a teaching or maybe many teachings as we just don't know the number because the Bible leaves all this unsaid or revealed.
Your going to probably get tired of hearing me hammer on faith, but remember, this is what God is looking for. God wants people who will receive from Him in receptivity then believe what He says. And it’s just a matter of responding to His Sovereignty - to say, "Yes, God I receive and believe you. I believe every word You say and have said." That’s pleasing to His ears. All right, that’s the whole idea, how God responds to the trusting of human kind which through many trails produces His faith in us. Now verse 12. So because of the faith of Abraham and Sarah:
Hebrews 11:12
"Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable."
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