Tuesday 27 October 2026

Psalm 6:4-9

Background
In order to illustrate what faith means, the writer to the Hebrews draws the readers’ attention to people with whom they would already be familiar. In some of these cases, what the writer tells us might seem to differ from stories which we know well, but this is because by the time Hebrews was written, there had been several centuries of reflection on and elaboration of those narratives and the writer would have been influenced by a rich tradition.

The first four exemplars are people whom we meet in the early chapters of Genesis and are used by the writer to demonstrate an important aspect of what it means to have faith: faith is the means by which we live in a way that is pleasing to God and lives that are pleasing to God are a sign of faith. The first example is Abel whose his faith was shown by his sacrifice being appropriate. Similarly, according to Genesis 5:22-24, Enoch, a descendant of Abel’s brother Seth, lived so closely to God that he was taken to be with God without experiencing death.

Faith, even faith that leads to a life well lived, does not guarantee that life will be easy. Noah was in a position of opposition to the rest of the world. The idea that Noah’s faith condemned others might seem harsh; what it means is that Noah stands in contrast to those who foolishly did not believe a warning.

Abraham is a rather different example and is used, here and later in the chapter, to illustrate multiple aspects of faith. The first is the willingness to act on a sense of vocation (in his case to leave his father’s house and the places that were familiar to him). The second is the capacity to continue to believe that there is a future when, without an heir, that was not clear. The third, which is an important theme for the writer of Hebrews, is to live in a provisional way. Tents are impermanent structures: only God in God’s time would provide permanence.

To Ponder:

• The example of Noah is a graphic example of faith in something in which no one else believes. Have you ever had to stand alone when no one shared your concerns? How did that feel?
• Abraham’s faith might be characterised as not giving up hope. How would you encourage somebody who is hoping for something but not experiencing it?

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler
Jonathan Hustler is a presbyter who currently serves as the Secretary of the Conference.