In verse twelve, Paul shows reminds the Hebrews of how they became a people. Their very existence is due to a miracle. By reminding their readers of this fact, Paul and the Holy Spirit show that God is a miracle worker. He is a God with the power to heal the sick, and restore life, to one who was as good as dead.
By adding the story of Sarah and Abraham to this list of faith, Paul encourages those who are in need of healing. He shows that God is able and cares for our health. When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, he included four kinds of healing in his Great Commission.
Cleanse the lepers
Heal the sick
Cast out demons
Raise the dead.
These four types of healing covers all sicknesses and demons. For those who are sick with bacteria, virus, infections, and fungal disease, we can command their body to be cleansed. For those whose body or body systems do not work, we can command that their body be healed. For those who are oppressed by demons, we can command the demons to leave. And for those who have died we can command that the person rise to new life. This is the miraculous life to which Christians are called and the Lord made sure we understood the power and blessings and glory of this new redeemed life by performing these same miracles while He was on earth. These signs of the power of the kingdom on earth are given for us to meditate on and to imitate.
The Lord had given Abraham two images to meditate on as hopes of future descendants: the stars and the sand.
Faith and hope imagines. And because Abram's rational mind could not quite grasp the multitude that would descend from him, God gave Abraham a picture his heart and spirit could meditate on.
If we want a thing, we must imagine what we want. Imagining does not create the thing we hope for, but imagination is a tool of hope and it is the way we focus on what we want instead of what we fear. The Hebrew listeners would understand this.
If Abraham --who was as good as dead-- could become the father of many nations by pondering the stars and sand, then we too should keep our eyes on the prize and on the great cloud of witness.
12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
By adding the story of Sarah and Abraham to this list of faith, Paul encourages those who are in need of healing. He shows that God is able and cares for our health. When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, he included four kinds of healing in his Great Commission.
Cleanse the lepers
Heal the sick
Cast out demons
Raise the dead.
These four types of healing covers all sicknesses and demons. For those who are sick with bacteria, virus, infections, and fungal disease, we can command their body to be cleansed. For those whose body or body systems do not work, we can command that their body be healed. For those who are oppressed by demons, we can command the demons to leave. And for those who have died we can command that the person rise to new life. This is the miraculous life to which Christians are called and the Lord made sure we understood the power and blessings and glory of this new redeemed life by performing these same miracles while He was on earth. These signs of the power of the kingdom on earth are given for us to meditate on and to imitate.
The Lord had given Abraham two images to meditate on as hopes of future descendants: the stars and the sand.
Faith and hope imagines. And because Abram's rational mind could not quite grasp the multitude that would descend from him, God gave Abraham a picture his heart and spirit could meditate on.
If we want a thing, we must imagine what we want. Imagining does not create the thing we hope for, but imagination is a tool of hope and it is the way we focus on what we want instead of what we fear. The Hebrew listeners would understand this.
If Abraham --who was as good as dead-- could become the father of many nations by pondering the stars and sand, then we too should keep our eyes on the prize and on the great cloud of witness.
12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
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